April 2018 – L'ensemble du jour

April 25, 2018 – All Denim Everything (OOTD #271)

Published on April 30, 2018April 30, 2018 by lensembledujour2 Comments

Actually, don’t do that — all denim everything is a very bad idea.

A little denim-on-denim can be acceptable though — it’s a trend that I am personally quite a fan of. It allows me to wear my denim jackets with something other than leggings, which I feel like I wear a little too often.

This jacket is another item I got from AMIClubwear, and I’m just as much a fan of it as I was the dress/leggings combo I posted about a few days ago. The pinstripe/embroidery combo makes me feel trendy — not that I really needed any help with that, given the trendiness of the denim-on-denim look.

In other news, you know the pair of black booties I pair with basically every outfit I wear? I can’t find them for the life of me. They disappeared sometime about two weeks ago, and haven’t shown up since. It’s the strangest thing — it’s not like I take my shoes off anywhere but in my dorm room, so I have no idea where they could be.

Since I don’t have my go-to shoes, I’ve been trying to make my outfits around the other shoes I have in my wardrobe here at ND — which actually isn’t much. I mean, there are al\The remaining shoes I have are also kind of uncomfortable for walking around campus in, so I’m hoping that my black booties show up soon.

We’re in the home stretch of classes, and by extension, the whole school year. It’s also been like 70 degrees consistently for the last few days, which makes it super difficult to actually focus on my work. Not that I’m a super outdoorsy type — but it seems depressing to be cooped up inside the library when I could be outside enjoying the weather.

Speaking of schoolwork, I should probably be getting back to that. I have a few papers and projects due in the next few days, and then a big exam to start studying for so…whoop. On the plus side, I got a nice nap this afternoon so I should be good to stay up and get some work done.

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!

Jacket: AMIClubwear

Top: H&M

Jeans: Hollister

Saturday Musings + Coffee – Penultimate Peril

Published on April 28, 2018 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

In case you don’t know, that’s a reference to the second-to-last novel in A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Like the Series of Unfortunate Events novel, this blog post is the second-to-last in my Saturday Musings series from my freshman year of college. In two weeks, I’ll have officially have completed a whole year of school, and I should hopefully have spent the last night in my dorm until fall.

I’m not going to go on about I can’t believe this year is over, since I’m probably going to be doing that a lot in the next couple of blogs. I’ll spare your ear for now from when I harp on about that topic over and over again for two weeks. Rest assured, I will definitely be discussing that reality soon.

In case you were wondering, I have started eating again! I did not, however, find my old ID. I caved and bought a new one. Still have no idea what happened to the old one — I’m beginning to wonder if I accidentally threw it in the trash in the bookstore when I threw away my bagel wrapper and smoothie cup on Thursday night. I thought if I had dropped it, someone would have turned it by now, and while it’s possible someone stole it, I have never once had to deal with theft while here at Notre Dame.

That’s perhaps one of the things I was most surprised by when I got here — people just leave their wallets and phones and laptops out unattended. You do have to be a little more careful on football weekends when there are visitors, but on average days, you can pretty much trust that your stuff was safe. Had I done that in my high school, I would be out all of my valuables within hours.

Yay human beings with good values?

But now for the “peril” part of that title — before I get to rest from the whole year of school, I’m going to have to get trough all of my finals. I have dozens of pages of papers still to write and a massive exam to study for before I’m home free. It’s a truly perilous task I face.

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!

April 24, 2018 – Accidental Wes Anderson (OOTD #270)

Published on April 26, 2018April 26, 2018 by lensembledujour3 Comments

Disclaimer: This post contains products that I received complimentary from AMIClubwear for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Just kidding — this wasn’t accidental. I’m not often this well-coordinated, but every once in a while, I manage to get a really beautiful color combination aesthetic reminiscent of Wes Anderson’s cinematography.

I’ve been attending a film series course for another one of my classes (it’s a little complicated — so basically, I’m in a regular three-credit class that’s requiring me to attend another course that’s the equivalent of a one-credit class but that doesn’t offer any actual credit), and in it, I’ve been learning a lot that I didn’t know about filmmaking. A lot of the films we’ve been watching have been on the artsier side, focusing less on plot and action and more on framing and symbolism. I’m no film connoisseur — most of the movies I ever watch are kids’ animated films — so it’s been really interesting watching some things I would never have watched otherwise.

Anyway, thanks to this series (and maybe also a little bit the beautiful color palette of La La Land), I am now a sucker for nice color combinations — like my yellow tights and this blue background.

I got this dress and these tights from AMIClubwear as a part of their fashion blogger program where, in exchange for a blog post or two, I received a few pieces from their collection for free.

At first, when I was considering whether or not to join the program, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to find anything from their store. With a name like AMIClubwear, I thought all they would have was clubwear and lingerie, which, while cool, isn’t really what I wear everyday to class.

I was presently surprised to find I was totally wrong — they have a huge selection of casual and everyday clothes that were appropriate and comfortable for me. Yes, there are sexier pieces, but there are also plenty of classier, more conservative looks that went along perfectly with my aesthetic. With affordable prices, frequent sales, and a wide selection of stylish clothes that span different aesthetics, I would definitely have to give AMIClubwear my recommendation.

Dress: AMIClubwear

Tights: AMIClubwear

April 23, 2018 – Life Detected (OOTD #269)

Published on April 25, 2018April 25, 2018 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

This just in: evidence of life on the Notre Dame campus!

And no, I’m not referring to the students — we’re definitely pretty dead. Thankfully, there are only a few weeks of school left.

While it still gets pretty in the evenings, it’s not freezing anymore, which means the plants are finally coming to life — which if you’ve been following my recent fascination with plants, I am very excited about.

With this outfit, I also got to break out my bare legs for the first time in forever. It was like, sunny with a high of 75 — perfect skirt weather.

I think you can tell how happy I was about the weather just based on how my outfit was put together — the happier I am, it seems, the the more likely I am to put together a cool outfit.

And not to brag on myself, but I think this was a cool outfit. It’s a composition of some really cool pieces — architectural jacket, asymmetrical shirt, and structural skirt — so maybe I can’t take as much credit for the cool factor, but I still put them all together, which counts for something.

I’m a little disappointed the asymmetrical-ness of the shirt isn’t really evident in these shots, as it seems the jacket kind of covers up the hemline, which is shorter on one side than the other. Oh well. Here’s what the shirt looks like by itself — I guess you can use your imagination?

Speaking of this jacket, I got it from Yellowcake Shop, the boutique of Project Runway designer Valerie Mayen. I actually watched her season a long time ago, so getting to do this collaboration with her was really cool! For the promotion, I’m going to be doing a social media post soon featuring this jacket, so keep an eye out for that! There’s no giveaway attached, but there will be a promo code for Yellowcake Shop.

Jacket: Yellowcake Shop

Top: Psylo

Skirt: Zara

April 19, 2018 – Happy One Year! (OOTD #268)

Published on April 24, 2018 by lensembledujour8 Comments

Can you believe it’s been one whole year since I started this blog?

I certainly can’t. I’ve come a long way since my very first post here. When I began LEDJ, I meant it as a hobby I would play around with every once in a while. I didn’t really mean to commit to it every day (not that I’m always perfect at the everyday posting schedule — I do try though), and at best, I figured I’d do it for a few months over the summer and give up once I made it to college and had more important things to worry about.

Surprisingly though, I’ve managed to keep it up! Like I said, I’ve gone several days — even a week or two — without posting, but otherwise, I usually manage to put something out there every day.

How do I stay motivated? Part of it is simply that I enjoy this — forget the fact that I get free stuff from sponsorships (rarely — but it’s nonetheless super exciting!), forget the kind and lovely comments I get on my Instagram posts and blogs — and still, I just like to write. I always have, and it’s nice to have an avenue for more casual writing since most of the stuff I do for school is very formal and academic.

Blogging is also a really great way for me to keep a record of my outfits and how I felt when I wore them — in a way, it’s basically like journaling. In fact, it’s kind of strange because it’s almost like having my diary out there on the Internet for anyone to read — including people who actually know me. It’s always a little weird to have my parents mention something I wrote about in a blog but that I didn’t tell them otherwise.

It would be wrong for me to talk about this blog without also mentioning my gratitude for anyone who’s ever give me a view, a like, a comment, a retweet, or a follow. You guys are part of what makes this blog worth it, which keeps me motivated even after I’ve had a long hard day of schoolwork.

One of these days when I’m not a poor college student, assuming I’m still going at this, I’ll do one of those nice giveaways that I see other bloggers do for anniversaries. I wish I had the resources to participate in those sorts of things, but I don’t right now.

I would however be happy to offer shout outs to anyone who leaves a comment here on an upcoming blog! I know it’s not much, and I’m not a huge blogger, but maybe it can help direct a little traffic to your corner of the Internet.

Again, happy first birthday for LEDJ, and here’s to many more to come!

Jacket: Lilly Pulitzer (you might notice it’s the same one featured in the April 19 blog of last year, the very first post I dd for this blog!)

Shirt: J Crew (thrifted)

Jeans: Hollister

April 16, 2018 – Indiana Jones and the Empty Classrooms (OOTD #267)

Published on April 23, 2018April 23, 2018 by lensembledujour1 Comment

Get it? Because I live in Indiana and because I spend half of the time I’m not doing homework wandering around empty classrooms?

Empty classrooms are so underrated — why study in the stuffy library or the crowded student center(s) when you could stake out your own private classroom? It’s a particularly useful strategy when you can find said empty classroom in a 24 hour building, which, at Notre Dame, means basically any of the arts buildings.

I did once accidentally fall asleep in an empty classroom and didn’t wake up until 7AM when a cleaning lady came in to get ready before 8AM classes, which probably would not have happened had I been in a more public place. At the same time, I’ve never had someone vomit in the seat right next to me like happened to me the other day in the student center, so, you know — pros and cons.

Speaking of pros and cons, my schedule turned out much better than I expected it would! I didn’t quite make it into every class I wanted, but I got into the majority of them, and those that I didn’t, I still found alternatives that hit about the same requirements. I saw one girl running across south quad holding her laptop and crying this morning, so clearly, I didn’t have it bad at all.

As it turns out, it doesn’t look like I will have any art classes next semester, but I think a break will be good. I wasn’t a huge fan of my drawing class this semester, despite all of the complaining I did the semester before about missing art classes. Will I ever find a balance between wanting to do art and not wanting to be stressed out about it? The world may never know.

Most of my classes will work towards my history major and some university requirements, but I did pick up French for fun, even though that doesn’t fulfill any requirements for me. I’m also hoping to get into a one-credit course about local plants, but it closed hours before my registration time began, so fingers crossed I can email the professor and get in.

Jacket: Forever21

Sweater: The LOFT

Pants: The LOFT

Saturday Musings + Coffee – It’s Sunday

Published on April 22, 2018 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

T-minus one week of classes to go, and am I ready for them? Nope!

It’s fine — I have a lot of late nights ahead of me, and a lot of pages of writing to get through. If blogging has taught me one thing, though, it’s how to put words on a page in order to fill space when I have nothing interesting to say, so I should be set.

You know what’s not set? My schedule for next semester. I have the absolute last time slot for sophomores in my university, which means I am probably not going to get into all of the classes I want. I did have a really good registration time last semester, so I can’t complain too much — but that doesn’t mean I won’t still, especially if I don’t make it into a few classes that I am particularly keen on getting into.

Scheduling classes is such a stressful process — your college career, and by extension, your actual career, is dependent upon it, which could be bad in the long run if you can’t get into the courses you need. For me, trying to do two majors and possibly two minors, the classes I manage to get into for next semester could have a big impact on my ability to actually achieve those goals.

And yet instead of trying to get my life together and actually prepare for course registration, I have spent a large portion of my day looking into study abroad programs for my junior year, like the degenerate with time management issues I am. I mean, why prepare for the important thing I have to do tomorrow when I could prepare for the important thing that doesn’t become relevant to me for another year?

You’d think with all of the time management games I played as a kid, like Diner Dash and Sally’s Salon, I would actually be better at holding myself to a schedule now. But alas — here I am at 11 o’ clock writing a blog detailing my woes, instead of actually doing the work I need to do for tomorrow.

Guess it’s time to get on that then. 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!

April 13, 2018 – 80s Figure Skater Aesthetic (OOTD #266)

Published on April 21, 2018April 21, 2018 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

I’m pretty sure I’m only getting this vibe because I just saw I, Tonya and I think she wore an outfit like this in the movie.

You see what I’m seeing though, with the vibrant striped sweater and the swingy skirt? Total 80s figure skater vibe. The sweater’s even vintage and everything!

You’ll have to excuse my lack of a Saturday Musings post today; I didn’t get a chance to take any flatlay photos before Saturday. In its place, you get a regular OOTD post — hopefully, I’ll get a Saturday Musings post in tomorrow instead. It’ll be Sunday instead of a Saturday, but you know — it happens.

After this weekend, I’ll only have a week and a half left of classes before finals week and then the end of my freshman year. Can you believe it? I definitely can’t.

I’m kind of sad because I’m afraid I’ll almost completely miss out on spring weather — it’s only just this week really begun to feel spring-like here in South Bend, and I know that by the time I’m back in Lexington, it’ll feel like summer. Ho hum. I guess that’s what I get for getting such a lovely, long autumn earlier this school year.

I am excited though to go home and get to use some new backgrounds that aren’t just Notre Dame buildings. I think I did a decent job of diversifying things with stairwells and empty classrooms in recent months, though — it’s not all doors anymore!

I’m also excited to have my parents come visit campus, because then I’ll have free reign to have them take my picture in front of any building I want without feeling badly about asking someone to go out of their way and take pictures of me! Not that my parents wouldn’t necessarily still be going out of their way for photos — but I don’t feel badly asking them because they’re my parents. Maybe we’ll get some shots inside of main building — or even the basilica.

Stay tuned.

Sweater: vintage (thrifted)

Skirt: thrift

April 12, 2018 – The Blues (OOTD #265)

Published on April 20, 2018April 20, 2018 by lensembledujour4 Comments

I think the recent trend of a short sleeveless shift dress layered over top of a long sleeved shirt is one of my favorites.

Maybe it’s just because I’m a sucker for layering, and I love any kind of trend that allows me to put multiple pieces together in a stylish way. It allows me to feel trendy while still maintaining my love for piling as many clothes on my body at once.

I think my least favorite trends are the ones that require a single niche article of clothing that doesn’t really lend itself to creative outfits. I’m thinking like, some of the voluminous off the shoulder blouses that were all over the mall boutiques last summer — they were super cute, but they didn’t lend themselves to layering at all, and for that reason, I didn’t really buy up a bunch.

The job search is a little over a month old now, and unfortunately, I still haven’t come across anything that works for me. I actually was offered one that I really wanted to take, that paid well and that would allow me to take off for two weeks to go to Nepal, but I wasn’t going to be able to perform the job duties properly…so alas, I am still unemployed.

I’ve applied for some that really interest me, but getting one of those employers to actually contact me and then interview and then hire me is such a struggle. I wish I had majored in something more job-friendly, like business or engineering. Sigh. I’m going to have to do this every summer for four more years.

Hey, maybe this blog will have taken off by then and I’ll be paying off my student loans comfortably with just sponsored posts. Seems feasible, right?

Dress: Vintage (thrifted)

Shirt: Hollis

April 11, 2018 – Amethyst Ardor (OOTD #264)

Published on April 19, 2018 by lensembledujour3 Comments

Oh boy, is my current Instagram color scheme going to love this.

I’ve mentioned several times recently that I’ve been trying to create more color scheme-centric outfits in order to fit in with my attempt to make my Instagram feed more cohesive. This means that I’ve been putting more thought into making my outfits and backgrounds coordinate, which means they have both been more on the monochromatic side.

This then, is the perfect Instagram-friendly purple composition.

My mother would be so proud of me — purple is her favorite color. I think my purple hair color has been one of her favorites of the last two years of hair color changes.

Purple theme aside, I’m a fan of this outfit just on its structure. It’s very feminine, in a 40’s librarian kind of a way. And if there’s anything I like in terms of fashion aesthetics, it’s quirky vintage-inspired and narrative-friendly vibe.

Sometimes I fear my outfits lean a little too much on the narrative side, sometimes heading in the direction of costume, but it’s that line that I toe that makes fashion interesting to me. How do you create dramatic and eclectic styles without going gimmicky? How do you remain artistic while still following the trends?

In general, I’ve found that the best way to keep from going too far is to keep the accessories and styling contemporary and conservative, while going more quirky on the clothes themselves. In that way, I keep a pretty decent balance of the bold and the conservative.

My purple hair, however, is anything but conservative, which sometimes makes it hard for me to look like anything but an adventurous hipster. I have nothing against being an adventurous hipster, but it’s not always the best look for say, a job interview, you know? In general, though, it seems people are starting to fear unconventional hair dye a little less now. You wouldn’t necessarily be able to tell that on Notre Dame’s campus, where I’m actually one of the only people to have an unnatural hair color, but the whole of the US seems to be heading that way.

On a side note, today (the day of posting, April 19 — not the outfit featured here, April 11) is the one year anniversary of L’ensemble du jour! I’m going to be doing a more involved special edition post for the April 19 OOTD blog commemorating the anniversary, but for now, let me just say thank you to anyone who’s bothered to stick around reading this blog for an entire year! And also to thank anyone who just started reading or has been reading any amount of time at all really — it means a lot, as a relatively small presence in the ocean of the Internet, that anyone would stop by and pay attention to me.

Sweater: The LOFT

Turtleneck: Forever21

Skirt: Vintage