lensembledujour

May 24, 2017 – ConGRADualations (OOTD #28)

Published on May 25, 2017May 25, 2017 by lensembledujour5 Comments

This might be a long one.

Welp, I made it! Four years later, and here I am, walking across the stage and taking my diploma. It’s a little crazy to think about; I’m not positive I’ve fully processed it yet.

Actually, my graduation for me was a little more nerve-wracking than average, as I had a speaking role. Now, admittedly, it wasn’t huge, clocking in probably at around two minutes, but I’m not huge on public speaking. I do believe I’m better than average though – I don’t fear it, and I’m capable of doing it when I need to, but I don’t exactly consider it fun.

Anyway, my speech – thankfully, we’d been drilling our parts for a month, so I knew it very well. I did the opening welcome bit. I did almost stumble once, but I recovered, and I think it was okay! I didn’t have the funniest speech, or the most entertaining, or the most emotionally moving, but it was short and sweet. And honestly, when graduation ceremonies feel like they last forever, short and sweet is definitely ideal!

So yeah, I did get pretty bored sitting there after my part was done. It was very nice getting the most nerve-wrecking part out of the way at the start, but it did also mean I had about an hour and a half just to sit there and do nothing.

Nothing that is, but listen to the speeches of the other class officers. And they were great speeches – I’ve just heard them over and over again, maybe 20 times each, in our after school practices over the course of the last month of school.

The last month of school – I really can’t believe it. Like, really can’t believe it. It felt like high school was never going to end, and yet somehow, I was walking across Rupp Arena in a black robe with my tassel on the left of my cap tonight.

I grinned dorkily the whole way.

After the ceremony, I got some pictures with my friends. Or tried to – it was pretty dark out, not to mention chilly and rainy, so they weren’t really ideal photography conditions. But it’s whatever, it’s the principle of taking photos with a friend that counts! Thankfully, I got all of my ootd photos done earlier in the afternoon, so I didn’t have to worry about that.

As for outfit, I went for the classic white summer dress. Actually, I put a lot of time and effort into figuring out what to wear for graduation; originally, I had thought I would just wear something I already owned, but my mother convinced me to go out and buy something more traditional with the white. I paired it with some tan wedges (added height without the discomfort of heels!) and some gold earrings – I had to keep it pretty simple because of the gown, cords, and stoll I had to put on top.

Also, my parents were super lovely and even got me a huge bouquet of flowers to pose with!

I think that’s it for me this evening! It’s like, 2AM as I write this and I’m super hungry, even though I got ice cream and cake after the ceremony was over.

I just still can’t believe it’s all over! Not to be cliche, but it’s like something out of a dream!
Dress: Guess

Phew! That was long! Thanks for reading to the end!

And don’t forget to check me out on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr! For business inquiries, shoot me an email at lensembledujour@gmail.com

May 23, 2017 – I Still Need a Summer Job

Published on May 23, 2017May 23, 2017 by lensembledujour6 Comments

Seriously.

I need a job. I wish I had been able to start searching for one earlier, but, having been laid off unexpectedly, I wasn’t really aware I was going to be needing to look for one.
I had another interview today, but again, I don’t know how it will turn out, seeing as I can only work for the summer. No one really seems to want a kid with a high school diploma as just a temp, you feel? And I can understand why, it’s awkward to train someone just to have them leave in two months.

But I’m not here to sit and complain – today was actually quite nice, albeit exhausting. After my interview at 9AM (right after an interview I’d had at 6PM the night prior, mind you), I had about an hour to sit at home before I had to head back to the high school I’d just graduated from for more speech practice. Our actual graduation ceremony is tomorrow (about 5 days after our last day of school), so all of the class officers met to run through our parts one more time.

My goodness, I can’t wait for it all to be over so I can finally relax.

The class sponsor got us all food though, which was totally unexpected and so kind. I was starving after my busy morning, so the french fries, quesadillas, and macaroni was definitely welcomed.

As for outfit, it may be the second day of my summer vacation, but I have not had a day yet where I can just dress casually in shorts and a tank top! I’m not complaining though – I love to get dressed up. Since I had my interview so early in the morning, I ended up spending the day dressed in my most professional-looking J. Crew dress (that I actually got at Goodwill for like $5!) and a peplum jacket from H&M.

So hey, here’s to hoping I find a summer job – one that’s forgiving to the idea of me only working for summer, and one that’s cool with me taking two weeks off to travel to London.

Yeah…you could definitely say it’s a long shot.

Dress: J. Crew

Jacket: H&M

May 22, 2017 – First Day of Summer Break

Published on May 22, 2017September 20, 2019 by lensembledujour2 Comments

Okay, maybe it’s not the actual first day of summer (that’s June 21), but it was good enough for me!
Today was my first day of summer break, and it certainly feels lovely. I had nowhere in particular to be until the evening, I got to sleep in, and I even got to go running this morning. I’m doing a 5K with my friend this Friday, so while I haven’t exactly been training for it very hard, I do want to be prepared.
But in truth, it was also a lazy day. There was a dishwasher to unload, which I didn’t do, some clothes to put away, which I didn’t do, and my room could use a cleaning, but I also failed to do that. In part, I was just excited to have some time to myself now that school is out, but the other part, I’ve been preparing for an interview.
So that is what my fashion today was all about – this interview, for which I took to heart the quip “dress for success” Admittedly, I am no expert at job interviews, and I definitely don’t feel experienced enough to discuss what people are looking for in potential employees, but I do know how to dress to make myself look more impressive than I am.
Today, I opted for something bright and colorful, to show that I have a bright and colorful personality. My skirt has a vibrant pattern, which I highlighted through the bright color of my coral blouse. To look extra classy, I layered on top my mother’s pearl necklace.
Wish me luck on this interview! I’ve actually got another tomorrow, so I do have another option going if this doesn’t pan out, but of course, it would be wonderful if I had some choice.

Skirt: Ann Taylor

Shirt: Altar’d State

May 19, 2017 – My Last Day of High School

Published on May 20, 2017May 20, 2017 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

It’s exactly as the title says folks: today was my last day of high school!

…good riddance.

No, I’m kidding. Sort of. Like everything in life, high school has had its ups and its downs for me, but on the whole, I think it was a positive experience. I made a lot of friends, learned plenty of new things, and found that I can push myself harder than ever. It had its painful moments, and I am ready to go, but there are without question some things I’ll miss – Cultural Society, the band hallway, 3rd period AP World Histoey with Mrs. Williams…

Today, we actually were only in the actual school building until 11:30. They made us run through some graduation practice, served us some cheap breakfast (bagels and donuts from Kroger sort of a thing), and then kicked us out. There was no crying, no nostalgic reminiscing – they just shooed everyone out and locked the door.

Welcome to the real world, I guess?

Speaking of school, my outfit was based around my Notre Dame football jersey again. Normally, I don’t like to wear the same piece so quickly after it had recently been worn, but I had to this time – the senior class decided that for the last day of school, we’d all wear shirts for our colleges. I do think I managed to get it styled in a completely different way though – with white and gold shorts that just barely peeked over the jerseys, calf-high socks, and a simple choker, I channeled a sporty chic vibe.

After graduation practice, two friends and I headed to down town Lex to get lunch, do some shopping, and walk around. We headed to the Woodland Triangle area, and lemme tell you – I made out like a bandit. For under $50, I wound up with a coat, gloves, shoes, and pants!

How did I do it, you ask? Carefully scanning for sales and hitting up thrift stores!
It was a ton of fun. My friends and I couldn’t help but marveling every few minutes at the fact that we had actually finished high school. That we didn’t have to go back. That, except for graduation on Wednesday, it was finally all over.

And that evening, my parents and I hit up the Living Arts and Sciences Center where I had a piece in display for Gallery Hop. Like I’ve said before, I don’t consider myself a good enough artist to ever do it professionally, but I’m happy to do it as a hobby in my free time. We only stuck around for a few minutes because it quickly got pretty crowded, but I did manage to get a picture with my piece.

After that, we visited the Maserati Mingle, an annual car show that my dad absolutely loves. This is me next to a Porsche Boxter, my favorite car in the show. It just has such a sexy design – I would love to own one one day, or at least, get to ride with someone who did.

That’s it for today. It was super-busy, but all in a good way. I can’t wait to get some sleep though!

Shirt: Notre Dame Store

Shorts: Abercrombie

May 18, 2017 – I Probably Wear Too Much Black

Published on May 18, 2017May 18, 2017 by lensembledujour3 Comments

I feel like it was just yesterday I was writing a blog yapping about how I was kind of stupid for wearing all black in mid-May, but apparently, I didn’t learn my lesson, because here I am again.

I just can’t help it! Black is such a cool and confident color. Plus, it’s one of the only colors that you can even wear all by itself, monotone, without looking stupid.

Today I was significantly less hot though, as I had my arms and legs bare. Hooray for my school’s lax dress code that lets me wear practical clothing in the summer!

The focus of today’s outfit is definitely the jacket. Can you believe I actually got this at a thrift shop? I adore thrift shops – there was once a time in my life, back when I was a self-entitled, snot-nosed middle schooler, when I believed I was much above second-hand clothes, but those days are long gone. I’m a poor high school/college kid now, and there’s no room for pride when you want cool clothes but you have no money!

Back to the jacket though – I’m not familiar with the brand myself, but I would definitely buy from them again. It’s such a fabulous concept – the structure of the large bow and the architectural collar definitely makes it something you’re not just going to happen upon at your local Forever21. Unique clothes that you can tell a designer put genuine thought behind are my favorite.

As for a bottom, I definitely didn’t want to upstage my wonderful swing jacket, but I still knew I needed something that wasn’t totally basic to compliment it. Luckily, I had the perfect piece already in mind – this layered Zara skirt, which also came to me second-hand. I bought it off of a vendor on Poshmark for an outfit for the second day of this school year, and I have not regretted it. I wear it so much because it’s a basic black skirt that goes with everything, yet its clever design makes it so much more interesting than that. In this outfit, I found that it perfectly accompanied my jacket, peeking just underneath it to add to the architectural flair.

Also, today was my last full day of school. I kinda expected it to be bittersweet, but mostly, it was just boring, since a lot of my friends have just been skipping. Tomorrow, it’s all over though! At least until graduation, one week later.

That’s it for today! See you in the next one!

Jacket: LelaRose

Skirt: Zara

May 17, 2017 – Hunger Games Style

Published on May 18, 2017May 18, 2017 by lensembledujour7 Comments

Good evening my friends!What a dull day it’s been. I guess that’s rather to be expected, as it’s the end of the year, and none of my teachers have anything else to teach.

In previous years, the end of school meant getting whole classes to cram for other finals or play card games with friends, but now, as a senior, I’ve exempted most of my finals and half of my friends are just skipping. My senior year is going out, not so much with a bang, but with a quiet cough.

Still working at getting a summer job. I’ve applied to way too many places to count – so far with little success – but that’s the way it is when you’re a kid with little more than a high school diploma and a year of experience working in an office to her name. Something will come up though, I’m sure of it!

Actually, I tried to work more at applying for jobs today while I was in class doing nothing, but the stupid school WiFi was acting up. Not that it isn’t usually acting up – but it was being particularly ornery as there were so many kids trying to use it all at once, as we all sat in class bored with nothing to do but play on our phones.

But you know me, and a boring day doesn’t not equal a boring outfit! I rather like this one, mostly because I simply adore each piece I’m wearing individually. My top I got as a gift from my parents for Christmas gift last year, and it is quite possibly my favorite piece in my entire wardrobe – and that’s saying something. I call it my dragon slayer shirt, as it has these super cool leather scales that go up the right sleeve. I always get so many compliments on it, and I love it for how unique it is. On top of that, I layered this fun, steampunk-like scarf shawl – not necessarily the most practical thing ever, but very necessary when you’re trying to look like a dragon-slaying, abandoned city-wandering Katniss. And on bottom, I wore distressed motorcycle leggings – again, definitely more fashion than utilitarian, but I’m into aestheticism.

All in all, I definitely was feeling a post-apocolyptic, steampunk, Hunger Games vibe. How fitting for high school.

Shirt: I wish I knew! It was a gift, and it has no tag 😕

Leggings and scarf: Altar’d State

May 16, 2017 – It’s Always Smart To Wear All-Black in Mid-May

Published on May 16, 2017 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

Look, I personally only consider the seasons to be a general guideline in terms of fashion.

Sure, it’s not wise to wear flip flops in the winter, and sure, burgundy is more of a fall color than a spring, but you should never let a season restrict you from wearing what you want, as long as you’re willing to handle the consequences. Want to wear a long-sleeve turtleneck black knit dress with black tights and black booties in early summer, like me? Go for it.

…just be prepared to be hot and uncomfortable when you’re outside.

Now for me, it’s not a big deal. In fact, I’m inside in a classroom for the majority of the day anyway, so I have a lot of freedom in terms of wearing what I want. But still, I’m wary of the temperature and the weather for when I do go outside, because walking to the car – even if it’s only a two minute walk – can be hell in the winter if you’re in a short skirt.

All in the name of fashion, right?

The way I see it, it’s kinda like wearing heels – wearing them makes you look taller and feel more confident, but they can also give you nasty blisters. It’s up to you to decide whether you value style or comfort more. There’s no right or wrong answer: it all depends on how you’re feeling that day, and what you’re willing to handle.

And for me today, I was willing to handle a bit of heat in order to wear this dress the way I wanted to.

What do you think? How willing are you to forego comfort in favor of fashion? Leave me a comment below, and as always, thanks so much for reading!
Dress: Pitaya

May 15, 2017 – This Outfit Is A Luxury Sedan

Published on May 15, 2017 by lensembledujour3 Comments

T-minus four days until the end of my high school career!

I feel like that’s all I’ve been able to talk about these last few blogs, but it’s one of the only things on my mind. I can’t believe that after four years of hard work and a fair share of crying, it’s finally all over.

Today, I went out with the other Senior class officers to check out the location of our graduation ceremony – Rupp Arena. It’s pretty sweet to be able to graduate in this huge venue where concerts and sports events take place, but it can really make you feel small. I have no idea how I’m going to deliver my speech to 5,000 people without vommitting – fingers crossed for the best, though?

I’ve also been pretty busy today working on finding a summer job. The job I thought I was pretty much guaranteed to have didn’t pan out, and now I’m in an awkward position trying to find full-time work within the next few weeks so I can start earning money to pay if Notre Dame. I’m thinking retail, maybe?

I don’t know, honestly I’ll take about anything.

But on to more positive topics – like today’s outfit! Again, my ensemble was inspired by something I came across on Pinterest – black pants, black shirt, and a camel colored faux suade nacket. I absolutely adore the contrast between camel and black, it reminds me of the interior of a nice car, like a BMW. In a way, you could say today’s outfit was inspired by a luxury sedan?

Welp, thats all I’ve got for today. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Jacket: Forever21

Top: Target

Pants: Altar’d State

No bonus mirror selfie for today. I may just end up dropping this portion of the blog altogether – I figure there are already enough pictures of me throughout each blog, and it doesn’t really need another one, lol.

May 12, 2017 – Digging Myself

Published on May 14, 2017May 14, 2017 by lensembledujour4 Comments

I’ve gotta admit – I’m a huge fan of today’s outfit.
And it’s a pretty simple one – just a blue military jacket over an orange sweater – but somehow, it just turned out really nice. Maybe it was the way I styled my hair (there were definitely some Daenerys vibes going on there), or maybe it was the contrast of the blue and orange, but whatever it was, I was feeling it today.

It happens that way sometimes. Some of the nicest outfits can be the simplest, and some of the most complex outfits can fall flat on their face and look gaudy. On the flip side, sometimes simple outfits are boring and the complex outfits are the real eye-catchers. It can be hard to tell.

Today, I got to go check out one of my art pieces that was featured in a show. I was in AP Studio Art this year, and while it was definitely stressful and miserable at times, it was also one of the most rewarding classes I got to take. I had to push myself pretty hard to meet the deadlines, and I always wished l had more time to perfect my pieces, but sometimes, that’s what you need as an artist to improve.

Here’s the piece I submitted, as well as me posing next to it. I know I’m not good enough to ever do it professionally, but I certainly am thankful to have this talent that I can use to express myself though. It’s a nice hobby.

Since the show I was at was downtown, I got a few pics around the neighborhood. Most of the pictures I take for this blog come from around my home, so any chance I get to take pictures in a different location, I take.

That’s it for today. See you in the next one!
Dress: Forever21

Jacket: Abercrombie

Bonus mirror selfie:

May 11, 2017 – It Was Too Hot For This Jacket Today

Published on May 13, 2017May 14, 2017 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

After a slight delay, the outfit from May 11, 2017 is ready for publication!
Sorry it’s a bit late, but I’ve been really busy as this second-to-last week of school draws to a close. I’m drilling my graduation speech pretty much every day at this point, and honestly, I just can’t wait for it all to be done.

Seriously, high school was cool for like, the first few days of freshman year, but the gimmick has definitely worn old.

I’m kidding, of course. Mostly. I know I shouldn’t be ungrateful. High school has allowed me to make a lot of great friends, take a some really challenging classes, and helped me get into Notre Dame, so it’s not all bad.

On to my outfit for today though, it was kinda hard trying to figure out what to wear with the weather. It was warm and pretty muggy, but the breeze felt cold and rainy. Overall, just a rather bleak day. In the end, I chose to put together a little something that I found inspiration for on Pinterest – something I do quite often. I pin a lot of my outfit ideas on Pinterest, and on days like this, where I don’t know what to wear, I pull from my fashion board.

So the outfit ended up being based around this oversized suede jacket that I salvaged from my mother’s closet when she was about to give it to Goodwill. It’s from Coldwater Creek, back during the days when they had their own brick and mortar stores in just about every mall. Underneath, I wore a long black sweater tucked into some denim shorts. It was all about the contrast between the oversized, baggy tops and the short, fitted shorts.
I don’t know who posted the original image that I based my outfit off of, otherwise I would credit her, but that’s one of the risks of putting your content on the Internet I guess. Speaking of which, maybe I should start putting my stuff on Pinterest. Anything to get my content out there, right?