I’ve worn this outfit several times and tried to get good photos. But every time I step outside with my camera, the sun runs to hide! I guess I didn’t even need the hat! The photo above is the only really good one I got out of the whole bunch. Oh, well.

I really like these shorts, even though they’re almost too short to be comfortable. They’re so cute that I’m willing to overlook it. So far, this the only shirt I’ve worn them with, but I have so many ideas and I can’t wait to style them in other ways. I’ll definitely add some color next time.

Linking up with Living in Color Style | Stylin’ In St. Louis

Top & Shorts: Old Navy
Hat: Wal-Mart
Sandals: Target
Necklace: Claire’s (old)

When Bri of Work Clothes I Suppose asked me to co-host her Third Thursday Threads linkup, I was shocked, humbled, and excited to say yes!  If this is your first visit to NCsquared Life, then I’d like to say welcome and thank you so much for stopping by. My name is Nikki and I’m a full-time graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in public health. NCsquared Life is a lifestyle blog that mostly documents my daily style with a little bit of life and DIY from my husband, Nick, sprinkled in. Nick + Nikki = NCsquared. I hope you like what you see and will stick around. If you’ve been here a time or two before, it’s nice to see you again.

I’ve come to realize that I rarely dress up on the blog so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to show off my newest dress and my favorite heeled sandals. There’s a story behind these sandals that made me feel I should choose them for this post: I saw them online at Banana Republic and wanted them so badly but by the time I had enough money to purchase them (broke graduate student here!), they were gone. I continuously checked to see if they would come back and when they did, even at $8 more than their original price, I snatched them right up. The heel height is perfect and the color is great. I have no regrets! Oh, and the dress is really fun, too.

Here’s the fun one: this dress is fun to twirl in, and I like twirling!

AND because we’re huge nerds, Nick created a gif of me walking in my awesome sandals in honor of this thread!  Enjoy!

Dress: Mystree via Stitch Fix
Belt: Modcloth (came with another dress, but I wear it with everything!)
Necklace & Clutch: Francesca’s
Bracelet: Old Navy
Sandals: Banana Republic

So, with a little twist, here’s how this works:

1. Follow Work Clothes, I Suppose, and NCsquared Life!
2. Link to a specific post, not your general blog URL, and please be wearing or talking about sandals.
3. Visit the other bloggers who have linked up!

This may sound strange, but I don’t know how to dress for graduate school. Dressing for work in an office was easy because I knew what was expected and what was appropriate; I wore pencil skirts, trousers, and cute heels and I had a lot of fun putting together different combinations. But grad school is different, at least for me, because it’s much more casual and anything goes, but casual has never really been my forte. Also, I tend to look much younger than my actual age (of 29) when I dress down, so I have trouble dressing casually for my age without looking like a teenager or a soccer mom. So, here is my take on dressing casually for my age and lifestyle. It’s comfortable but still put together. Unfortunately, it started raining so I changed into flats and didn’t get any photos with them.

Let’s talk about these shoes. They’re from Banana Republic and I coveted them for weeks because the color is great and the heel height is PERFECT but my size is only available online, which means I have to pay full price (can’t use Nick’s discount on the internet, boo!). By the time I was ready to purchase them, they were gone. Like, completely taken off the site. No “out of stock” notifications or anything. I was crushed. I checked every other day to see if they were back in stock. Finally, they were back BUT for $8 more than their original price! Ugh, give me a break, Banana. I purchased them as soon as I could, and considered getting a pair in all the other colors (black, white, and coral/snakeskin) but decided against it because I’m a poor grad student. And every time I try to wear them, it rains. I cannot catch a break with these things. #firstworldproblems

It all looks adorable with this trench, though, so it was totally worth it.

And here’s the fun one:

 Linking up with More Pieces of Me | Perfectly Coutured  | Walking in Heels In Memphis | Mix and Match Fashion | Stylin’ in St. Louis| Vodka Infused Lemonade

I’m not wearing navy! At least I don’t think I’m wearing navy – and denim doesn’t count! This shirt isn’t gray, it has small stripes that are white and either black or navy, so it’s possible that I haven’t broken the navy streak. However, I am wearing this gorgeous ivory blazer that is perfect for Spring. I resisted a white/ivory/light colored blazer for as long as I could because I was afraid that the second I wore one, I would get slimed  but so far nothing like that has happened. I even drank wine while wearing it and didn’t spill a single drop so I might be safe *KNOCK ON WOOD*

Today I’m linking up with Bri at Work Clothes, I Suppose who wanted to see our best Pinspired Outfit. I’m not sure this one is my best, but it’s pretty darn good! (Scroll down to the bottom to see the pinspiration photo.)  I could have gone with black skinnies, but I rarely wear black denim so I wanted to stay true to my style. I think it turned out great!  What do you think?

And here’s the fun one: my attempt at copying the inspiration photo.

Close enough!

Inspiration source: Banana Republic

This is the first outfit that formed in my head when I saw this shirt. I’m still afraid of pattern mixing but it’s getting easier, and more fun. And what I love about this outfit is that it has a little bit of everything: it’s fresh, feminine, floral, stripes, pink, drapey-shaped shirt, form-fitting pencil skirt, pearls AND pattern mixing! I think it is one of my new favorite outfits; I want to wear it everywhere. If only the weather would cooperate again, I would wear it everywhere.

 And here’s the fun one: who doesn’t love sitting on a bench all pin-up style? Oh, just me? Alrighty, then.