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Nikki by example - Just a girl trying to lead by example
  • Home
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  • Health
  • Motherhood
  • Travel
  • Extras
    • DIY
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  • About Nikki
    • Our DIY Wedding
Fashion

Fashion Flashback

January 27, 2017 by Nikki 2 Comments

I’ve been blogging for several years now — even thought it certainly doesn’t feel like it’s been that long — and I was curious as to just how much my style has changed over those years, especially now that I’m pregnant. It was really interesting to go back through the blog to see my outfits and the way I’ve evolved from year to year.

Fashion Flashback | NCsquared Life

Reflections: I see consistent uses of a completer piece and denim. As much as I want to have a well-rounded wardrobe of jeans, dresses, and skirts, and non-denim bottoms, I always find myself reaching for the denim because it’s quick and easy to style. Also, I went through a phase, mostly when I was consistently working in an office, of wearing blazers ALL. THE. TIME. I still love blazers but it seems as though today’s style trends have started to move toward a more casual look, and blazers don’t feel that casual to me. I’m more interested in vests and sweater cardigans these days. Perhaps if I find another office job, I’ll be more likely to bust out my blazers. The biggest change I see is that my style and outfit formulas have gotten slightly more simple, which I think is a trend we’re seeing everywhere.  I don’t have a ton of time to plan what I’m going to wear so keeping it simple will also keep me sane! Do you think about your style evolution? Is it different or similar to what you were wearing 4 years ago?

2017 Original Post: Tee + Jeans + Boots

Fashion Flashback | NCsquared LifeI wore this outfit to my doctor’s appointment and learned that I should be eating more peanut butter, avocados, loaded baked potatoes, ICE CREAM AND COOK OUT MILKSHAKES.

2016 Original Post: Girls’ Day Out

Fashion Flashback | NCsquared LifeA couple of my grad school friends came to visit me and we had a wonderful girls’ day out. We started with brunch & margaritas, then went to a wine tasting, then shopping, had “hipster” coffee, and ended the night at the best sushi place in town. And this is what I wore.

2015 Original Post: Distressed Denim and New Loafers

Fashion Flashback | NCsquared LifeFlats in the winter because it felt like spring. NC just can’t make up it’s mind on whether or not we have seasons!

2014 Original Post: Winter Pink

Fashion Flashback | NCsquared LifeThis was a January day when NC decided it actually was winter and gave us 20-degree weather. Some of you might laugh at me because you regularly deal with negative temps in the winter but this was really cold for us!

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Fashion

Tee + Jeans + Boots

January 26, 2017 by Nikki 4 Comments

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Yesterday I talked about how my go-to formula lately has been sweater (top) + jeans + boots. Here’s another example of how well that works. It was almost 70 degrees so I got to wear a tee under the cardigan and I’m not complaining.

I wore this outfit to my doctor’s appointment the other morning and I told my midwife I was concerned that I’m not gaining enough weight. She said my belly and Baby S are measuring just fine, BUT I should start eating more peanut butter, avocados, loaded baked potatoes, ICE CREAM AND COOK OUT MILKSHAKES. Pretty much all of my favorite things… and it’s doctor’s orders! This pregnancy thing isn’t so bad 😉

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It was totally warm enough to not wear the cardigan but it wasn’t too warm that I was uncomfortable in it, so I mostly left it on.

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You can see the tip of my sock, which I think is cute. I hate the advice I’ve seen some bloggers give that your socks should never be visible but there really isn’t anyone looking down my shoe so I see no reason to worry about it. Plus, it could give a nice, unexpected pop of color.

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Tee: Gap | Sweater Cardigan: Loft Outlet | Jeans: Liz Lange Maternity via Target | Boots: BP Trolley via Nordstrom | Necklace: via Le Tote

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Fashion

Hibernation Mode

January 13, 2017 by Nikki 5 Comments

Y’all, with all of this snowy winter weather, I have been in full-on hibernation mode. Where I live, it started sleeting on Friday evening which turned to snow that didn’t let up until Saturday evening, resulting in about 2 inches of beautiful fluffy snow on top of an inch of pure ice. I had every intention of taking fun outfit pictures in the snow, but when it came right down to it, it was just too cold! The low on Sunday was in the single digits. That’s rare for these parts of NC so Nick, the dog, and I stayed bundled up indoors. Luckily, I got some mirror photos/selfies of a few past outfits that I’ll share with you instead. As usual, apologies for the quality but it was the best I could do under the circumstances.

Hibernation Mode Mirror Photos | NCsquared LifeGingham shirt: Target | Vest: Old Navy | Pants: Loft | Shoes: Old Navy 

I wore this gingham/vest combo on Thursday (and then again on Friday) to run errands before the wintery bottom dropped out of the sky. It’s been on my list to wear for a while but I was afraid the pants would be uncomfortable since they’re not maternity, but I was pleasantly surprised how well they held up with just a belly band. The shirt is struggling a bit against the belly, though, so I might have to retire this one until after the baby arrives.

Hibernation Mode Mirror Photos | NCsquared LifeSweater: Banana Republic | Skirt: Target | Boots: Old Navy | Scarf: Target

I wore this cute little sweater/skirt combo to meet with my career coach to learn how to improve my resume. She gave me some really good tips that I’m hoping will land me a job sooner rather than later. This was taken when I was only about 6 months along (so about 1.5 months ago) and the career coach had no idea I was pregnant until I told her. Looking at this photo now, I can understand why. Tiny little bump!

Hibernation Mode Mirror Photos | NCsquared LifeSweater and Tank: Banana Republic | Jeans: Target (Liz Lange Maternity) | Boots: BP Trolley via Nordstrom | Necklace: via Le Tote

I wear this outfit all. the. time. Seriously, it has become my go-to outfit for everything from errands to doctor appointments to hanging out to whatever. I love the layered look and it’s really comfortable and the boots make it feel even more stylish. I don’t really know what else to say about it except that I love it.

Hibernation Mode Mirror Photos | NCsquared LifeSweater: J. Crew Outlet | Vest and Jeans: Banana Republic | Boots: Old Navy | Necklace: via Francesca’s

So, this was a really cute outfit but an example of one that didn’t quite work so I had to change it up a bit. These are not maternity jeans and they did not hold up well with the belly band. I wore this outfit to do some shopping and after my first stop I came home to change because I was literally pulling my pants up every 3 seconds. Very uncomfortable. The purple sweater/vest/purple boots combo, however, is on point so all I did was change into a pair of light washed, distressed maternity jeans and got the same effect.

 Anyway, I hope you’re all having a happy Friday and not tucked up in bed bed all day to avoid the back luck that is thought to come on Friday the 13th! Did you know that there are TWO Friday the 13ths in 2017?  January 13th (today) and October 13. Everyone beware, mwah-ha-ha! 😀

 

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Fashion

Purple Pants

November 22, 2016 by Nikki 12 Comments

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I’ve been looking to add some color options to my bottoms that aren’t just dark or light denim so when I saw these pants, I was drawn to them. While they look purple, they’re actually more burgundy. Either way, I like them. They aren’t maternity pants but luckily my belly is still small enough to use my BellaBand, which means that I’ll be able to wear them after baby gets here.

Fall in NC is pretty unpredictable. It can be almost 80 degrees one day and then down in the 50s the next day. That’s a true story; it happened just this weekend. But we’ve had enough of a chill in the air lately that I can wear my new blanket scarf. Because layers are an essential part of a Fall wardrobe, this scarf is pretty ideal. Plus the colors will go with anything!

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Here’s the fun one: Check out my cool momma-to-be modeling pose… or something like that.

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Sweater and Skinnies: Loft | Scarf: Old Navy | Flats: Gap Outlet

Linkups: Start the Week Stylish

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Fashion

Gray & Tulle

November 8, 2016 by Nikki 8 Comments
Gray & Tulle | NCsquared Life

20-week baby bump!

Sweater: Banana Republic | Skirt: Modcloth | Shoes: Fioni via Payless | Necklace: Francesca’s 

I was not camera shy as a kid. If there was a camera around, I was jumping in front of it with my cute little poses and my big smile. Like, there are a lot of photos of me as a kid and teen at birthday parties, holiday celebrations, etc. Needless to say, I always looked forward to picture day at school and getting to pick out my cutest outfit to wear. This outfit is the adult version of choosing an outfit for picture day because I wore it for our annual family photos for this year’s Christmas card.

Gray & Tulle | NCsquared Life

I bought this skirt because I love the tulle look without the fluffy tutu/ballerina vibe. It feels too fancy to wear in my every day life — I mean, not many people successfully get away with wearing tulle to the office — so I put it away for a special occasion. But it’s perfect for photo opps, so it was my first choice for photos this year. I would love to wear it for Thanksgiving Dinner and Christmas Eve. Right now it fits over the bump but I’m not so sure it will in a few weeks. I guess we’ll see.

Gray & Tulle | NCsquared Life

Gray & Tulle | NCsquared Life

I must admit, I’m delighted that this is the first outfit I’m posting since returning to blogging because I really do love this skirt so much! And this outfit feels very much like me, so I know I’m doing something right.

 

Gray & Tulle | NCsquared Life

20-week baby bump!

Linkups: Hello Monday | Weekend Wear | Linkup on the Edge | Thursday Moda | Thursday Fashion Files | Spotlight Weekly Linkup | WIWW Linkup | What I Wore to Work 

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About Me

Hi, I’m Nikki. This is where I blog about my life and personal style. I’m a wife and mom, public health professional, sushi lover, wine enthusiast, and coffee snob. Welcome to my little corner of the world where I try to lead by example!

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