December 2017 – L'ensemble du jour

December 30, 2017 – Resolutionless (OOTD #189)

Published on December 31, 2017December 31, 2017 by lensembledujour1 Comment

Happy New Year’s Eve!

I guess this will be the last blog I publish before 2018. In that case, I hope you have a lovely time partying tonight or whatever it is you’re doing, and I hope you start of 2018 right, whatever that means for you.

My New Year’s Eve will consist of eating an obscenely unhealthy pasta dish I found on Pinterest, and watching old Disney Channel movies with my friends. I’ve got no parties to go to, or else I’d have a more exciting, glittery outfit to show you. As it is, I do have this fun Hollister sweater I found at Goodwill for $4; it may not be glittery enough to pop champagne in, but it’s fuzzy enough to keep warm.

I’m not really one for New Year’s resolutions; I personally feel there’s no need to designate certain goals for yourself at this arbitrary time when you could be striving for improvement at any time during the rest of the year. If I were to set one, though, I guess I should post more and more consistently to this blog.

In fairness, it’s far from my main priority – I do have to put school first – but I definitely could do better. I feel like I’ve got to give myself a little credit, though: 500+ followers on WordPress and 6000+ on Instagram over the course of a few months isn’t half bad. If nothing more, this is a hobby I enjoy, and I enjoy that some of you like to follow along with my hobby.

Anyway, here’s to hoping you have a wonderful 2018, and that you succeed in whatever your resolutions may be. And if you’re like me, and you consider the concept of resolutions that you probably won’t keep inhibitory to progress, then I hope you enjoy not making resolutions and moving on with your life like normal!

Sweater: Hollister (thrifted)

Skirt: Zara (thrifted)

Shirt: the LOFT (thrifted)

December 28, 2017 – Not A Bowling Outfit (OOTD #188)

Published on December 30, 2017December 30, 2017 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

If you’re wondering: yes, I did make it out of bed before 2PM today.

Look at this shirt. Doesn’t it just scream “bowling?” Or maybe “Hawaiian vacation?”

Unfortunately, I did neither of those things yesterday. Instead, I tried to go bowling, just to find there was an hour long wait (on a Thursday night of all times!), followed by driving around aimlessly trying to figure out what to do before finally giving up and going home and watching The Cheetah Girls 2.

That’s all fine and good, but I’m still a little disappointed that I didn’t get to go bowling with my bowling shirt on. I mean, honestly – it looks like something straight out of The Big Lebowski. Alternatively, one could also say that I look like I should be selling knockoff Rolexes out of my coat in a dark alley, and that would be equally valid.

Actually, I didn’t buy this shirt with the intent of looking like a bowler or a street vendor a or even a 90s Leonardo DiCaprio – it was inspired by this one girl in my art class my freshman year of high school. She used to always come into school with these really cute, vintage-y outfits usually consisting of a jacket, some sort of patterned shirt, and leggings. There was some variation of course – a scarf or other added accessories – but it was always very chic.

Also very formulaic, which I was less a fan of, but I’m nitpicking.

Anyway, I have no idea what this girl is up to, or if she’s still wearing the same outfits because she was a few years older than me and graduated my sophomore year, but I guess you could say this outfit is a tribute to her. Also bowling.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one. 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!

Jacket: Forever21

Shirt: Thrifted

Leggings: The LOFT

December 27, 2017 – A Very Lazy Day (OOTD #187)

Published on December 28, 2017 by lensembledujour3 Comments

Wanna hear something disgustingly indulgent and also mildly impressive? I didn’t get out of bed until 2pm yesterday.

I can’t even argue that it’s because I was up late the night before, or because I’m recovering from the lack of sleep I’ve had for the last four months of college – I’m just indulging in a little extravagance and privilege because I can.

In fairness, I wasn’t asleep until 2pm: I did get up and do some work on my computer before finally crawling out of bed and shamefully pondering if it was even worth the effort to get out of my pajamas. Ultimately, though, I decided that it was worth it. I have a fashion blog to maintain, after all.

Since I didn’t have anywhere to go today, it wasn’t really necessary that I get dressed up or make any sacrifices of comfort in the name of style. My outfit, then, was put together so that I would be comfy and warm while still maintaining some personal flair.

I call this my tent shirt because it’s huge and billowing and surges out like a tent when I twirl. Conveniently, it’s a very good outfit for when you do that thing where you don’t eat all day and then you suddenly realize you haven’t eaten all day, so you consume like, 2000 calories in one sitting.

It’s a staple of any lazy day; anyone who’s ever had one can probably relate.

Tomorrow, hopefully, I’ll actually make it out of the house, if only to go for a walk or something. Even though I personally believe that this time between Christmas and New Year’s is liminal space, where nothing really exists and time doesn’t go on, I do feel like I ought to be doing something more productive than sitting at home and blogging.

Shirt: Altar’d State

Scarf: The LOFT

December 26, 2017 – Liminal Space (OOTD #186)

Published on December 27, 2017December 27, 2017 by lensembledujour8 Comments

The time between the end of Christmas and New Year’s Eve is a liminal space.

Do we even exist here? Is life progressing between December 26-31, or are we simply in limbo? What even is time?

I don’t know the answer to those rhetorical questions; my point is just that December 26-31 is a really weird time when nothing’s really happening and life is trying to continue like normal but failing wildly. I think we’re all still recovering from our food comas from Christmas.

So what better to do during liminal space, the time between what was and what’s next, than change up my hair? Again…

This is the second (arguably third) major haircut of 2017, and if you ask me, the most drastic. I don’t know if I’ve ever had such short hair before; not even as a kid. I’m pretty sure I had that bob with bangs that every preschooler had, and I hated it so much that as soon as my mother let me grow my hair out, I did. And I kept it that way until a few months ago when I decided to cut it short and dye it grey.

And then, a few days ago, I decided to cut it even shorter and go back to brunette. It’s not quite my natural color, but it’s closer than it’s been for years, since I dyed it blonde when I was 17. The bleached bits were just starting to look really awful, so I had to do it for the health of my hair. I have always wanted a pixie cut as well.

I might still dye it darker, but for now, I’m keeping it how it is. Besides, if I do end up changing it, as long as I do it before liminal space is over, it’ll be like it never happened, right?

Sweater: Thrifted

Jacket: Forever21

December 25, 2017 – No More Christmas Captions (OOTD #185)

Published on December 25, 2017January 2, 2018 by lensembledujour5 Comments

Christmas Outfits Challenge 2017: Day 15

My goodness, do you even know how hard it was to keep making up Christmas/holiday-related titles for these blogs and my Instagram posts?

It was hard, okay? I mean, honestly, I wound up with one blog so-cleverly titled “Candy Cane Costume.” Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel. I’ve had some lame blog titles before, but that one was, to me, particularly lame. Like, I couldn’t have even titled it “Candy Cane Couture,” and made it sound a little classier?

Speaking of fashion, this, I admit, was not the outfit I actually wore today on Christmas day. Rather, I wore this when my friend Amanda and I went hiking the other day at a nearby woodsy area. In fact, I don’t even have curly grey hair any more…but more on that in tomorrow’s post. I may have a new haircut to show off.

The thing, though, is that I just don’t usually get dressed up on Christmas day; I’m lucky if I even make it out of my pajamas, especially if my family doesn’t go out. I mentioned this in yesterday’s blog, but my family doesn’t really do much exciting on Christmas – we don’t really have visitors, we don’t go to midnight mass, we don’t have a big fancy dinner.

We do usually have my grandmother over, but my mother was sick, so we had to postpone that meeting. It’s alright though – we had a fun Christmas anyway, and we’ll see my grandmother some other time.

Anyway, I’d like to wish anyone reading this a very merry Christmas (or, as it’s likely this won’t be published until late Christmas day or even the day after, a very merry December 26t)! And thanks to everyone who’s kept up with this blog since I started it a few months ago. It means a lot.

Coat: Juicy Couture

Sweater: American Eagle

Shirt: Forever21

December 24, 2017 – Festive Fashion (OOTD #184)

Published on December 25, 2017 by lensembledujour5 Comments

Christmas Outfits Challenge 2017: Day 14

Merry Christmas Eve!

It’s still valid to say “merry” to Christmas Eve, right? I know Christmas Eve isn’t typically as festive as Christmas, but it still warrants a solid “merry,” yeah?

Christmas Eve doesn’t really entail anything very exciting for me and my family – for example, today, we did some last-minute shopping, I wrapped the last of my gifts, and I signed some Christmas cards. I know some people who get all dressed up, and party with all of their extended family, but I don’t know the last time I had a Christmas Eve that I like…actually had to go out and do anything significant?

I like it this way though, don’t get me wrong! Christmas Eve is a relaxing day for me, and I’m always down for a relaxing day.

As fashions go, you may have noticed that I’m once again wearing my green Slytherin scarf. I don’t know about you, but to me, the Harry Potter films – in particular, the first, third, and fourth ones – have a definite Christmas vibe to them, no? The first one’s got that awesome Great Hall Christmas scene of Harry’s first Christmas at Hogwarts, the third one’s got some really lovely snow scenes in Hogsmeade, and the fourth one has the Yule Ball (though to be honest….that’s about all the fourth film’s got going for it, in my opinion).

Plus, green is a nice Christmas color, and this is the only green scarf I own, so…

If you’re looking for my true pick for best unconventional Christmas film, it’s got to be the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I’m pretty sure it’s just because I first watched the films (and read the books!) during the Christmas season of my freshman year of high school. Those are some great films. The Hobbit’s (the films, at least) got nothing on the original trilogy.

Anyway, I should probably be heading to bed soon. Don’t want to sleep in too late and miss out on Christmas, amirite?

Sweater: Forever21

Skirt: Forever21

Saturday Musings + Coffee – Merry Christmas Eve Eve

Published on December 24, 2017 by lensembledujour2 Comments

Happy almost-Christmas!

It’s two days until Christmas, and things are finally beginning to look like it at my household. I’ve baked some cookies, a cake, we put up our tree, my dad and I put up our outdoor lights – we’ve got just about all of the traditional Christmas stuff done.

I’ve still got quite a bit of wrapping to do, and even a few more gifts to buy, but I’m not too concerned. The gifts I need to buy aren’t due until after Christmas, and the wrapping can be done later tonight while I watch some Christmas specials on television.

It’s weird not being in school – I at once seem to have so much to do and nothing to do at all. For example, I stayed in bed until like 1PM today, like a proper lazy teenager, but after I finally got up, my dad and I managed to get some legitimate work done on the outdoor decorations. I’ll probably stay up late again tonight – I’ve got some Christmas cards to sign and address, the wrapping to do, and maybe even some blogging – and then wake up late tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I’ve been trying to make it through the most recent Harry Potter book – The Cursed Child. I don’t know, does it even count as a book? Is it even officially canon? I actually bought it like, a year ago, but I only made it about halfway through the first act before I gave up on how contrived and corny the plot seemed.

I’m coming across much of the same issue now, trying to read it again – the plot does seem a little silly, and the characters are, for lack of a better term, out-of-character. Maybe it would’ve been better had I seen the actual stage play.

Have any of you read Cursed Child yet? What do you think? Feel free to leave me a comment below.

December 15, 2017 – A Long Day (OOTD #183)

Published on December 22, 2017 by lensembledujour1 Comment

Christmas Outfits Challenge 2017: Day 13

Fun fact: by the time these photos were taken at about 4 in the afternoon on December 15, I had been up for over 24 hours.

Well, nearly. See, it all started at 6 AM, December 14. Why was I up that early, you ask? I had my final final, that morning at 8 AM, and I wanted to get up early enough so that I could relax (sort of), have some coffee, and get ready before I made the ten minute walk to the building where my exam was held.

This was the final I was most worried about too – Theology. I had an A in the class, but I needed an 87 on the final to keep that grade, so I needed to make sure I actually did well. Thankfully, the exam went well (well enough… I forgot to memorize the quotes I was supposed to by Nestorius and Cyril, but…y’know – you can’t win them all), and by 10 AM, I was finished with my first semester of college.

Then, I managed to sneak in an hour-long nap in my room before my roommates came in and we had to clean up our dorm before we left.

After that…well, I didn’t do much. I really had no reason to be awake – I had a bit of remaining work to do, I guess, and some blogging to work on, but I probably should’ve napped so I could be up in time for my 4 AM bus to Midway Airport.

Should’ve. Instead, I stayed up all night with some of my friends were also waiting to catch buses to catch plains that Saturday after classes ended. It was kind-of a weird night…

Anyway, I wound up on that 4AM bus with only one hour of sleep under my belt. I managed to get another hour of sleep whilst on that 4AM bus, and by 6AM-ish, I was sitting at my gate at Midway Airport. My plane, though, didn’t leave until 9AM, so I just kind-of sat there bleary-eyed for three hours watching the people go by and thinking about how I wanted to nap but I didn’t really want to in the middle of an airport.

Time-skip ahead a few hours, and I was standing in front of my grandmother’s house in Louisville at 4PM taking my photos with only three hours of sleep over the course of 34 hours – one hour after my Theo final, one hour on the 4AM bus to Midway, and one hour on the plane from Chicago to Louisville.

It’s great being home though, and it’s great being done with my first semester of school. It was worth a very long day of being awake.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one with more updates on my life as an idiot college student. 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!

Jacket: H&M

Shirt: Forever21

Turtleneck: The LOFT

Pants: American Eagle

Boots: LL Bean

December 14 , 2017 – I Heart Santa (OOTD #182)

Published on December 22, 2017December 22, 2017 by lensembledujour4 Comments

I would not necessarily have bought this sweater for myself.

I do rather like it though, and I’m glad I own it nonetheless. It was a gift I received from a Secret Santa exchange that my friends and I at Notre Dame decided to do. I suggested as a part of my wishlist that my Secret Santa should get me an ugly Christmas sweater, and this is what she came up with.

I’m not typically a fan of words on clothing, especially when those words declare, for me, my adoration for something else (as it is in this case, Santa). I’d rather just tell people I love Santa myself rather than having my sweater do it for me, y’know?

In fact, I don’t really love Santa. I mean, Saint Nicholas, the actual dude who devoted his life to giving to the poor, is actually pretty cool, but Santa, the old white guy who sneaks into people’s houses at night and leaves them presents? Sounds suspicious.

In fact, I was pretty young when I stopped believing in Santa. Of the mythical lies that parents tell their kids, Santa was the last one to go for me – the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny went first – but I had given up on him by kindergarten/first grade.

Interestingly, though, I continued to believe in flying reindeer for a little longer. Even after I had stopped putting cookies out for Santa (or at least, believing that when I put the cookies out, Santa ate them), I went out with my Dad on Christmas Eve to sprinkle “reindeer food” on the grass. I’m pretty sure it was just a mix of glitter and flour, but it was cool to me, regardless.

So no, I cannot say I particularly love the myth of Santa. Reindeer on the other hand? I’m still not convinced they can’t fly.

Shirt: Free People

Sweater: Thrifted

Skirt: Forever21

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December 13, 2017 – A Summer Dress in Winter (OOTD #181)

Published on December 20, 2017 by lensembledujour1 Comment

Christmas Outfits Challenge 2017: Day 11

It’s odd, you know, I feel like this dress has the perfect Christmas pattern – it’s literally a mix of red and green flora, with a touch of a classic paisley design. The dress itself, however, is much more of a warm-weather textile, meaning of course, that I was pretty cold wearing it out in the 15 degree Northern Indiana air.

There’s something about the snow, though, that makes things feel warmer. Is it the sun reflecting off the white snow that adds a touch of heat? Is it the way that I just tend to wear a warm coat more often when I go outside in the snow than when it’s just chilly out, and so I feel warmer even though it isn’t really and it’s all in my head? I’m not sure.

Yet there’s just something about a layer of literal frozen water sitting atop the grass that makes me feel warmer, and like I can wear weather-inappropriate clothing outside. Anyone else feel the same?

It also helps that when I wore this outfit, I only had to go outside like once all day, and that was for my 8 AM French final. It was kind of miserable going out at 7:30AM for a 15 minute walk to the classroom in the 15 degree cold, but after that, I just relaxed in my warm room and procrastinated from studying for my Theology final.

The climate control in my room is absolutely horrid, but I must say – it’s always warm. That is a terrible reality in the summer, when staying in the room is the equivalent of staying in the fires of hell, but for now, when it’s actually cold out, it’s nice to be able to come home to a cozy room.