The Dress

Several bloggers I follow either already have this dress or want this dress, and I wore this Grecian-inspired dress to my friend’s Indian wedding! I picked it up several weeks ago because it’s beautiful and absolutely perfect to wear to a summer wedding. You see, my friend, Waseem, is Muslim so as soon as I was invited, I knew I wanted to be respectful and cover up. The long skirt is obviously perfect, the flowy material was light and airy so I wasn’t sweating the whole time, and it looks great with a cardigan! But perhaps the best thing about it was that IT WAS AVAILABLE IN PETITE!

Dress & Shoes: Banana Republic | Cardigan: Old Navy | Clutch: Nordstrom | Charm Necklace: Target | Layered Necklace: Claire’s (old) | Bracelets: Old Navy

The Wedding

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. It was my first Indian wedding so I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was great. As you might expect, it was almost completely different from a traditional Christian wedding, but there was plenty of prayers, well wishes, and Waseem walked down the aisle with her father. Also, the food was delicious and everyone was so happy for the couple. In true NCsquared fashion, Nick matched his tie to my dress. Oh. My. Goodness. we are the cutest couple ever!

These are my awesome friends, Kristin (left) and Aarti (right). They specifically requested to be on the blog, so here you are ladies, this one is for you! *wink*

This is Kristin, me, Aarti, and our other friend, Leigh. We all met in my master’s program and graduated together. I absolutely love these girls. They’re incredibly smart, talented, funny, and I know I wouldn’t have made it through without them. Kristin just moved to the Triangle, so we’ll get to hang out all the time now. Our new mission is to find jobs for Aarti and Leigh in the Triangle so we can be together again. Unfortunately, Waseem is leaving for the midwest and we’re going to miss her!

Also, fun fact: Aarti and I went to the same high school but not at the same time because I’m 5 years older than her (I did, however, know her older brother because he was in my grade). After we discovered this, we bonded over our stories about our hometown and the people there. Now we’re the best of friends!

The decorations at the wedding were beautiful. This one little picture just doesn’t do it justice.

Ok, maybe I’m a little biased but I think my friend, Waseem, is the most gorgeous bride that has ever existed, even more beautiful than I was as a bride! She’s also really sweet and super cool, so I’m extremely happy for her and her new husband.

Congratulations Waseem & Ahsan!

Linking up with:
Start the Week Stylish | Still Being Molly | Mix It Mondays | Fashionably Employed | Garay Treasures | Trend Spend | C appuccio and Fashion | The Pleated Poppy | Tucker Up | Rachel the Hat | Charming Friday

So, you remember over a month ago when we celebrated Independence Day on the 4th of July? Yeah, this is what I wore that day so I’m playing catch up! We spent the afternoon/evening with our friends and their family, grilling out burgers, brats, and wings and drinking yummy cocktails and wine and playing fun games. I made a delicious watermelon and jalapeño salad that was a hit with everyone; I might post the recipe later. Then, after the sun went down and it was nice and dark, we set off a few fireworks in the driveway and took silly pictures. It was a really fun holiday.

There are a lot of blue stripes in this outfit, but they’re all in my accessories, so they aren’t overwhelming; I simply accessorized with stripes! It was super hot out so I don’t know why I wore pants and a scarf, but it just felt right. Probably because I was inspired by Kendi’s summer scarf outfit. We stayed inside most of the afternoon so I didn’t melt. I looked pretty good, too.

And here’s the fun blooper, which really isn’t *that* bad!

Hat: Banana Republic | Shirt & Scarf: Gap | Pants: kensie via Stitch Fix | Wedges: Target (old) | Short Necklace: Old Navy | Long Necklace: Wal-Mart

Linking up with:

Spotlight Weekly Link Up wtih Living in Color Style & Stylin’ In St. Louis

Charming Friday with A Pocketful of Polka Dots and Charming Lucy

*I’m devoting this week to dresses in an attempt to motivate myself to actually wear the dresses I have in my closet.*  

I thought closing out my dress week with a day to night look seemed really appropriate and perfect for the weekend, so below I show you how I wore it during the day and then at night.

DAY

First things first: I love this dress. I was afraid the top part just above the waist would look funny because it did a weird pointy thing in the dressing room, but after a good ironing, it’s perfect. I wore it during the day to do some shopping and I actually wore it into the Banana Republic (where I bought it) and the sales girl complimented me. She was like, “Oh, girl, that dress looks good on you – it’s ours right?” She didn’t even have to be nice to try to sell it to me because I had already purchased it, so you know she meant it!

NIGHT

After a day of shopping, I changed shoes and accessories to go out for dinner. I chose a simple necklace this time, instead of something larger like a statement piece, because I wanted to keep the look simple but elegant. The shoes and clutch were no brainers for going out.

The only thing I don’t particularly love about this dress is how easily the skirt wrinkles. It’s like, as soon as I sit down, BAM wrinkles.

Here’s the fun blooper: I just crack myself up!

Day Look:
Dress: Banana Republic | Shoes: Target | Necklace: Claire’s (old) | Handbag: Target | Bracelets: Old Navy
Night Look:
Dress, Shoes, & Necklace: Banana Republic | Clutch: Nordstrom | Bracelets: Old Navy

Linking up:

Nick and I went out on a double date a few weeks ago for wine and cocktails, and this is what I wore. These coated denim jeans just scream “going out” to me… so much so that I rarely reach for them during the day. They also feel more appropriate for fall, probably because they *kind of* look like leather (if you squint your eyes really hard) so maybe I’ll wear them more during the day once the weather starts to cool down a bit.

Y’all, I bought these shoes on super sale at Banana Republic back when they were having their 50% off of the already 50% off sale. AND on top of that, we got an additional 10% off with Nick’s employee discount  and yet I still managed to pay $40 for them. I rarely purchase shoes from BR because they only carry my size online and we can’t use our discount online. Someone returned these beauties to the store so that’s how I was able to snatch them up. A sincere thank you to whomever did that!

I almost wrote that this is the first time I’ve ever worn snake skin print on my shoes but I just remembered a time in high school when I had a pair of red snake skin shoes very similar to these and I wore them with a shiny pleather skirt and a redish-purple sweater with feathers around the neck and sleeves. It was very Cher-esque from “Clueless” and I freakin’ loved that outfit!

This top is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I’ve worn it a bunch since I got it. In fact, you’ll see it again soon. I also bought it in green! I’m a big supporter of buying multiples when you find something you really like.

THESE SHOES THO!

Here’s the fun one: Say Cheese!

Blouse: Target | Jeans & Shoes: Banana Republic | Clutch: Nordstrom | Necklace: Old Navy

Linking up with Charming Friday | Tucker Up | Mix & Match Fashion | The Tiny Heart

I spent some time this weekend putting some outfits together for the coming week, and probably just to have on hand for those days when I don’t really feel like getting dressed. This first one is a great one to wear to the office, but I don’t have one of those yet! That’s why it’s photographed as a flat lay instead of as an outfit that I’m wearing. But it’s super cute and I can’t wait to wear it, whether it’s to an office or some other event. I also paired two different shoes with it. I love having options so that I don’t feel limited, but then having too many options can make me feel overwhelmed. I think I would probably wear the brown sandal with this outfit instead of the snake skin heels.

Blouse: Banana Republic | Skirt: Loft Outlet | Necklace: Banana Republic | Shoes: Banana Republic | Clutch: Coach (gift from MIL)

I did some unexpected shopping at a cute little boutique in Durham and purchased a few things without meaning to. Nick encouraged it so he can’t even get mad at me for spending money! These pieces are by patagonia, which is really cool because patagonia is typically outdoorsy and sporty. But these chambray shorts and 3/4-length sleeve top are perfect for running errands or hanging out.

Shirt & Shorts: Patagonia via Vert & Vogue boutique  | Shoes: X-Appeal 

Because it’s still extremely hot, I’m sticking to shorts. I love these black shorts because they’re the perfect length and fit so comfortably. So I’m going to pair them with this sleeveless top and sandals, which is another outfit that is perfect for hanging out, drinking beer or lemonade or even running errands.

Blouse: Banana Republic Outlet | Shorts: Gap | Shoes: X-Appeal | Necklace: Target | Bracelets: Old Navy

What do you think of these outfits? Maybe you’ll see them again on the blog soon.

Linking up with Molly | More Pieces of Me | Michelle’s Pa(i)ge | Fizz and Frosting