Welp, I started classes today.

Here’s the good news – I made it to all of my classes! I didn’t trip over my feet! I got to talk to new people and made a new friend who was willing to take photos of my outfits! I went to bed at a decent time!

But here’s the bad news – my Chinese history class is intimidating! I have 70 pages of reading to do in my textbook within two days! I spent almost all of my spare time today doing homework and had no time to do anything else!

Here’s more good news though – I overall feel okay. I finished the 70 pages of reading, even though it took forever, and I think it’s manageable if I adjust my note-taking strategies a bit.

In the end, it was a positive day. I’m exhausted, and I’m trying my best not to think about how I have three more classes to get to tomorrow with even more work and likely more intense reading sessions, but that’s fine. I’ll deal with it tomorrow.

On another note, I really liked my outfit today! I’ve known for months that I wanted to do a sheer top with embroidered flower appliqués as my “first day of school” outfit, and I’m happy with how the concept turned out.

I actually saw this top for the first time in London in an Oxford St. Zara – and I didn’t buy it. Not for myself, at least; it went to my best friend, Jane. It just looked so much like her, and I couldn’t keep it for myself when it was clearly meant for her.

Luckily, there’s this amazing little app called Poshmark for buying secondhand clothes, and I was able to pick up a black version for myself even after I went back to the States. I paired it with another Zara skirt from Poshmark, this one which I bought a year ago for my first day of senior year. In the end, it made for an edgy, but still feminine, Zara-centric outfit that focused on my favorite color – black.

I love first day of school outfits, and I hate them at the same time. Everyone gets dressed a little nicer for the first day of school, so it’s a little harder to stand out, but at the same time, everyone is paying a little closer attention to appearances, so you want to look nice. Hopefully, I was able to make a good impression with my outfit today of a stylish, confident young woman, or, at the very least, someone who makes a conscious effort to look different.

Or maybe I just looked weird. Honestly, I’d be okay with that too.

Anyway, I really ought to be getting to bed – want to get a decent amount of sleep for classes and all. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one with more updates on my life at Notre Dame! Don’t forget to check me out on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr! For business inquiries, shoot me an email at lensembledujour@gmail.com!

Top: Zara

Skirt: Zara

Bralette: Aerie