If you couldn’t tell, I really like Banana Republic. Their petite sizing fits me like a glove, and they always make me look so grown up. I would wear their clothes even if Nick didn’t work there and gets us a sweet discount. It’s no secret that I”m short so tailoring is a way of life for me if I want to look put together. But with petites at BR, I rarely have to have anything tailored, which makes life a lot easier, and kind of makes up for the prices. I’ve started to branch out to other petite departments, like Loft, mostly because they finally have them! I guess what I’m trying to say is if you make clothes that will fit me without much effort, I will love you.

Anywho, I wore this outfit to my first internship meeting and then to present in my public health ethics class. I was leary of the flair on this skirt because I was afraid it would make my hips look even bigger than they are, but it actually balances them out. It’s like perfection in a skirt.

Also, more navy.

And here’s the fun one:

I’m addicted to navy… and to cognac… and to wearing them together. I seriously can’t get enough of it lately. I’ve worn it here and here and here and here and now I’m wearing it again. I promise I have other colors but navy blue has been my go-to for the last few weeks which is probably because, according to About.com “navy conveys importance, confidence, power, and authority as well as intelligence, stability, unity, and conservatism. Like black, it carries a sense of elegance, sophistication.” This is very timely because I’ve needed confidence, authority, and intelligence for school, so I wore this outfit to class and then to dinner with my mother-in-law.  I love that it’s simple but still elegant.

I always ask Nick what he thinks of my outfits (and often, I ask multiple times) because he has a really good sense of fashion. When I asked about this one, his reply was that it was “very Durham”  because it looks  pretty and put together but doesn’t take itself too seriously, much like the city of Durham, where we live.

I wore this out for a night of drinking and hanging out with friends under the stars. I must admit that it took me slighly out of my comfort zone, but by the end of the night, I felt right at home in all the pieces. I’ve taken chances on outfits in the past where I never came around to feeling good them so I never wore them again. But this one will get thrown on repeat!

I apologize for any blindness that might occur from looking at my legs! My poor, pale skin hasn’t seen much sun lately but now that the weather is nice, that will change!

I love these crazy pants. They’re technically a black and white checked pattern, but they look great with this navy blouse. Wasn’t it a thing at one time that you weren’t supposed to wear navy and black together? Well, I’m throwing that rule to the wind and wearing whatever I want!

I wore this outfit to a meeting with a professor to discuss a possible internship. It must have been on point because it turns out she can take me on, which means I finally have an internship! And I’ll actually get to graduate! I was seriously getting concerned about that because other avenues I’d pursued weren’t working out. So my advice: if you’re going on an interview then you should wear navy, crazy check pants, and cognac and you’re guaranteed to get it. Ok, of course I’m just kidding and can’t really guarantee that but maybe it’s worth a try?

And here’s the fun one:

Happy April! I think Spring is finally in full bloom and I’m loving it.

Sometimes I want to dress casually but get tired of wearing jeans. That’s when I turn to chinos! They’re comfortable AND casual with a hint of sophistication. I also love wearing this periwinkle cardigan with navy blue pants, which is kind of an unexpected color combination for me because they’re both kind of dark and similar in color.  The cognac really pops with the navy, though.

I was going to wear this outfit to class but then it was cancelled  so I stayed home to study more biostatistics and then take the dogs for a nice long walk in the sunshine. Then, Nick and I went for dinner and ice cream with friends. It was a perfect Spring day!

How adorable are these shoes? So much so that I bought two pairs, one in cognac and the other in black. I can tell they’re going to be my go-to shoes this spring and summer.