Y’all, I literally snapped these pictures right before the sky dropped with rain and hail. There isn’t really anything special about this outfit except that I wore it, and I knew that if I waited until another time to take photos they wouldn’t happen. So, in an effort to remian true to myself and what I want my blog to be, I braved Mother Nature’s fury to show you how I wore a cardigan with a cute dress that’s perfect for working in an office in the summertime. I chose a burgundy cardi over a black one to break up the monotony and I chose a cardi over a denim jacket because I wasn’t sure what the dress code would be in the office I wore this to. Turns out, it’s super relaxed.

I wore this outfit to my first official day as a volunteer with a public health organization in my town. I’ll be hanging out in their office about one day a week, helping with their social media campaigns and toolkits. I’m actually pretty excited about the work because it’s really interesting and I have a lot of ideas. And you never know, it could lead to a full-time position! I do feel bad, though, because I think I scared an intern into thinking there will be NO. JOBS. when she’s done with school. She has a year left in grad school (she’s basically where I was last summer) and is thinking of moving to the area when she’s done because she’s from out-of-state and says she likes it here in NC. When I told her it has been almost two months since I graduated and haven’t found anything yet, she looked a little wide-eyed and made a comment like, “oh, great.” I tried to reassure her that our fields are different and the work we each want to do is different, so she shouldn’t use my experience as a gauge of whether she’ll find something.  I hope she believed me because it’s true. I’m very picky specific about what I want to do, but I’m sure she’ll be just fine!

Dress: Target | Cardigan: Old Navy | Shoes: X-Appeal | Charm Necklace: Target | Long Necklace: Stitch Fix

I’d love to hear your experiences with volunteering. I’ve volunteered with several different organzations and I’ve found it more rewarding than I originally thought I would. Where have you volunteered and what kind of service did you provide?

How adorable is this blazer? It came in my September Stitch Fix box. I asked the stylists to send me some good outwear pieces and they definitely delivered. I kept this maroon blazer because it was super cute – I mean look at the detail in the back in the photo below – and it fit great. I also kept this striped blazer. This outfit just screams “AUTUMN” to me because it has all of my autum favorites: the colors, the stripes, and leopard. Unfortunately, this blazer is really light so it might be getting too cold to wear, but I’ll make it work for as long as I can.

Linking up with Andi from Just Another Smith | Induffinitely Me

Blazer: market & spruce via Stitch Fix
Blouse: Banana Republic
Jeans: Old Navy
Shoes: Christian Siriano for Payless
Necklace: Banana Republic
Bracelets: Old Navy
Handbag: Franco Sarto
Scarf: Amazon

I was pinspired by the outfit in this pin and I have the same shirt and new ankle boots, so I knew it would look great. I felt strange, though, when I got dressed because it’s a nice Fall outfit and I really shouldn’t be wearing it in Winter; I should be focusing on Winter outfits. Then I remembered that it’s technically still Fall! Awkwardness averted.

Also, I know you’re thinking to yourself, “Damn, Nikki’s hair is looking good, like a Victoria’s Secret angel’s hair!” Why, thank you 😉 It’s true, I was fresh out of the salon when I took these so my hair was pretty fabulous. My hair dresser, who I’ve been seeing for about 5 years now, usually just straightens my hair after a cut but, today, she was eager to try out a new blow-drying technique that adds tons of volume like a Victoria’s Secret Model. I think it looks amazing but would probably take too much time for everyday wear. But I’ll rock it while it lasts!

This maroon/burgundy/oxblood/whatever-you-want-to-call-it color is kind of timeless because it’s definitely in this season, but I feel like it was “in” last fall/winter, too.  It’s probably not a bad idea to invest in maroon/burgundy/etc.  because it’s likely to stick around for a while.

Top, Jeans, & Necklace: Old Navy | Ankle Boots: Target | Scarf: Amazon

Today is day four and my last day of participating inSarah’s Real Life Take One, Pass it On Challenge 2.0. At first I was going to “take” the blazer from yesterday’s outfit but I realized I’ve already done that and it would be too easy because I re-wear blazers all the time, so I decided to take the skirt instead. When I paired it with this top, I thought “hello, retro!” and hence the title of this post was born.  To me, monochrome is one of the coolest looks but the hardest for me to put together. This is probably because when I’m shopping, I worry about buying too many items in the same color and ending up with a boring wardrobe.

I know I’ve said I don’t usually like ruffles, but they must be growing on me because I think they make this button-front so cool! That little something extra takes it from boring to fun in no time flat.

To give this outfit a little sparkle, I added my pinterest jackpot sequin blouse. I LOVE the look of this blouse over the plaid button-front.

Button-front: J. Crews (thrifted) | Blouse: The Limited (thrifted) | Skirt: Banana Republic | Tights: Target | Shoes: Crown Vintage via DSW | Sunglasses & Earrings: Target | Bracelet: Old Navy

Take One, Pass it On Day 4:

On day three of Sarah’s Real Life Take One, Pass it On Challenge 2.0 I’ve “taken” the pink sweater from yesterday and “passed it on” to this cute little outfit. The monochrome of the pink and maroon look great, and the cognac in the boots are the perfect complement. You might not be able to tell, but my miniskirt is corduroy, which adds a nice texture to the ensemble. Had it not been so chilly out today, I might have worn my oxfords instead. But the boots kept my feet and legs nice and warm.

This blazer has elbow patches, which always makes me think of a college professor. It should probably be associated with students because I find that now, as a student again, I spend a lot of time with my elbows on desks taking notes or listening intently to lecture. The patches help prevent my elbows from rubbing holes in the fabric, right? Let’s go with that.

Sweater, Blazer, and Skirt: Banana Republic | Boots: Steve Madden | Necklace: Francesca’s | Bracelet: Old Navy | Earrings: Target

Take One, Pass it On: Day 3