Fashion – Page 53 – L'ensemble du jour

September 28, 2017 – #Artsy (OOTD #123)

Published on October 4, 2017February 14, 2018 by lensembledujour3 Comments

I’d just like to let you know that as I’m sitting here writing this blog, I’m listening to a YouTube video called “the music of memes,” so that’s where the money my parents are spending on my tuition is going.

Anyway, other than getting distracted and wasting my life on the Internet, I’ve been spending a lot of time recently reading. I think that’s about the only kind of homework I receive anymore. I can’t decide if I like this development or not – in one sense, it’s nice not never having to pull out my hair over math problems or chemistry formulas. In other sense, it’s kind of quiet and boring spending so much time in isolation looking at words on a page.

What I probably miss most deeply though is having an art class. I wanted to be placed in one this semester, but it didn’t work out into my schedule. At first, I didn’t think I would even notice the absence – in fact, at the end of high school, I felt like I was getting kind-of burnt out on art classes, and that I needed a break from them.

But alas, I was wrong. Without question, I need art in my life. I mean, it’s not like I’m dying or anything, and it’s also not like I am completely without it either – I do like to doodle a little in boring lecture classes – but I can definitely feel its absence.

Notre Dame’s a lovely school, full of brilliant and talented people, but for whatever reason, it’s kind-of lacking in art kids. I discussed this issue a little in a previous blog, in which I was the most goth kid on campus by simply wearing all-black and Wednesday Adams braids, so I’ll save you the repetition here. Let’s just say that, while I’m very happy here and wouldn’t change a thing about that, I am the teensiest bit jealous of my friends who went to large state schools where the arts programs are more prominent.

It’s alright, though. I’ll make it into my art class next semester, and then I’ll have to find more things to complain about to fill space for these blogs. If you couldn’t tell by the My Chemical Romance t-shirt and billowy burgundy scarf, I consider myself quite the tortured soul.

(Erm…that was meant to be sarcastic, by the way. I assume you could probably tell that, but like, just in case…)

Anyway, my video about the music of memes is over, so I guess I ought to get back to work now. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one with more updates on my life here 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: Forever21

Shirt: Hot Topic

September 27, 2017 – Waiting On My Growth Spurt (OOTD #122)

Published on October 3, 2017December 28, 2017 by lensembledujour10 Comments

It is no secret – I am very short.

I’m not going to bother telling you my actual height, but suffice to say – it’s not a very big number. I’m still waiting on my miracle growth spurt to push me up into the six foot range, but something tells me I shouldn’t hold my breath.

Actually, as a kid, I never thought I was going to be short my whole life. My parents were both pretty tall, so I figured I’d grow up and eventually be of equal height to them. The problem with that logic, though? They’re white, and I’m Asian: I was adopted. And unfortunately, when you’re adopted, you don’t get any share of your parents’ genes, including their genes for height.

So alas, whomever my Asian parents were, they did not offer me any genes for height. Even with heels, I’m just barely pushing “average petite” height – without heels, I’m on the more extreme end of the short spectrum.

RIP my burgeoning career as a runway model.

Where am I going with this? I’m really not sure. Maybe I was thinking I looked I little short (ba-dum tshhhhh…) in the photos for today’s post, likely due to the way the billowy blouse is too long next to my pants, making my legs look shorter.

Eh, whatever. The colors look lovely next to each other – bright and vibrant and classy – so I can deal with some awkward proportions. Besides, that’s what sitting poses are for! No one can tell if you’re short or not.

In other news, fall break is in a little more than two weeks, and I’m slowly becoming excited to go home. Notre Dame is wonderful, especially now that the leaves are beginning to turn, but it’ll be nice to sleep in my own bed. I want to do nothing/be a social recluse at home rather than doing nothing/being a social recluse at school.

I didn’t think there was any conceivable way I could possibly miss Kentucky, but yet…here I am, missing Kentucky. I even, in a strange way, miss the Southern accent. It used to annoy me, but I’ve gone without hearing one for so long, that it’s like I’m developing an affinity for it.

Also, if I hear one more Midwesterner call soda “pop,” I’m going to lose it.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one with more updates on my life here 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!

Shirt: Altar’d State

Pants: The LOFT

September 26, 2017 – Vaguely 60s (OOTD #121)

Published on October 2, 2017October 2, 2017 by lensembledujour6 Comments

I love vintage-inspired fashion.

Take a little glance through the “vintage” tag here on this blog and you’ll see – there’s no shortage of old clothes in my wardrobe. I love the exhilaration of a hunt for a good piece in the bargain bin of a second-hand shop; alternatively, I also love the feeling of walking into a trendy vintage shop full of high-end designer items. There are so many ways to enjoy vintage clothing; there’s no “one” way of doing vintage.

Unlike, say, trendy fashion, in which there is usually has a very clear and defined method of wearing the trend, vintage fashion throws the rules out the window. You can do whatever you want, as long as you make it work.

And how does one make it work? My preference is to pair them with contemporary pieces to create a remixed look that’s stylish without being too basic. Current trends tend to borrow from history, so, given the right vintage piece, it’s no trouble at all to make it look modern.

Take this outfit, for example. This dress comes from the greatest vintage fashion market I’ve ever seen – the Brick Lane Market in Shoreditch, London. I talked about it extensively on the blog from day that I visited there, and I have been talking about it extensively ever since. I’m pretty sure I’m going to still be talking about it when I’m on my deathbed.

Anyway, the dress is vintage, but the styling is not. My bag, thigh-high socks, sunglasses, and shoes are all contemporary, and thus, the outfit doesn’t come off as a 60s costume.

For extra flair, I went for the closest thing to a 60s-inspired Bridgette Bardot ponytail that I could get without a curling iron and without teasing my hair. In other words – it was a pretty sad excuse for a Bridgette Bardot ponytail, but it’s the best I could do. Do I get my participation medal now?

TL; DR: Vintage pieces are such a great way to stand out from the standard fashion trends, while still being stylish. I like them and you should too.

Dress: Vintage

September 23, 2017 – How Do You Like Them Apples? (OOTD #120)

Published on October 1, 2017 by lensembledujour7 Comments

You know…I have absolutely no idea what that references.

Obviously, I’m sitting here in front of a computer, so I could totally look it up and solve the mystery (well, the mystery to me anyway), but I don’t really feel like it. It kind of spoils the magic of the thing. Ignorance is bliss, as they say…though I’m pretty sure that’s not how that saying usually is usually meant…

Anyway, I’m back with the photos that I wasn’t able to post on Friday! For a more detailed description of the conundrum, you can read my post from a few days ago, but the short version is that I had to post my outfit from September 25 before my outfit from September 23 because I hadn’t received the Sept 23 photos from the photographer yet. That’s all behind us now, though – on to the description of my apple-picking adventures.

As I mentioned in the Saturday Musings + Coffee post from September 23, I went out with a group of girls from my residence hall to pick apples at a local farm. And you know what? It was absolutely heavenly.

Okay…well…maybe it not. It was swelteringly hot, and that kind of ruined the “heavenly” effect, but it was still a lot of fun, especially considering that September 23 was actually the second day of fall. And what better place to spend the beginning of fall than a farm?

Maybe a farm with air conditioning, but that’s beside the point.

It wasn’t a huge farm, not like the kinds I’m used to in Kentucky, but it was charming anyway. As far as I could tell, they had a couple of rows of apple trees, some grape vines, and maybe some other fruits that weren’t currently in season. No pumpkin patch, corn maze, or hay rides, unfortunately. Guess I’ll have to wait for fall break when I’m back in Lexington for that.

But what they did have in abundance were good photo-taking opportunities, and you can bet that I took advantage of as many of those as possible. My roommate, Mariana (in the orange dress next to me in the second photo below) had her DSLR camera with her, meaning I was bothering her every three minutes to take pictures of me. I think she was perhaps more interested in taking pictures of the scenery and the plants…but she was still willing to indulge my narcissism every once in a while, and for that I’m grateful.

I’ll be sure to get her a nice Christmas present or something.

I wish we could have spent longer there, but sadly, the sun was getting higher in the sky and it was getting hotter with every passing minute. Honestly, you can probably even see the beads of sweat on my face in some of these photos. It’s okay though – it just makes me all the more excited for fall weather and for the chance to go home and do even more fall weather things.

Jacket: Lilly Pulitzer

Top: ASOS

Shorts: PacSun

Photo creds: Mariana and her lovely DSLR camera

September 25, 2017 – I Have Pants On, I Promise (OOTD #119)

Published on September 29, 2017 by lensembledujour4 Comments

When will I ever stop posting my Friday OOTDs late on account of taking too long of an afternoon nap?

This time, at least, I woke up early enough to still be able to go to the dining hall for dinner. Last time, I made the mistake of sleeping until 8pm…and the dining hall closes on 7 on weekends. There was a very sad, very hungry Meilin that night.

Actually, I had ramen that night for dinner, so it was pretty chill. I’m never sad when there’s ramen around. The whole “starving college student who can only afford ramen” stereotype doesn’t bother me in the least.

Upon waking about 15 minutes ago, I immediately got to work on this blog – only to realize about three paragraphs in that I was missing the photos I needed for this date. Why? On Saturday, September 23, I went out apple picking with from some people in my residence hall, and I did my photos while out there. That shouldn’t be a problem, of course – except that my photos were taken from someone else’s camera, and I haven’t been sent them yet.

So rather than miss out on a blogging day, I figured I’d switch the dates, so that September 25 will come before September 23 in the order of release. I believe this happened some other time in the history of this blog (I can’t remember quite for what reason, though), so it’s a bit annoying, but not the end of the world.

Anyway, the outfit for September 25 – I swear I have pants on. See, you can tell if I lift up my arms so my jacket raises above the hemline of my shorts. I admittedly got a couple of second-glances today, likely on account of my pseudo pants-less outfit.

It wasn’t even my intent to look pants-less! I’ve actually done that look before, so I have no problem with it, but I found I was self-consciously pulling down at my shorts all day trying to make them look more in existence under my jacket. Eventually, I decided to just unbutton my coat so that my shorts were clearly visible, but of course, I didn’t think to do that until after I’d done my photos.

This post has been a mess…kind-of like my life lately. Wish I could stay and organize it a little more, but I’m scooting out to a pep rally in a few minutes. and I’m already late. Whoops.

Guess I shouldn’t be taking Friday afternoon naps.

Jacket: Forever21

Top: Aerie

Shorts: They’re from H&M…but why bother mentioning it? They’re barely featured in this post 😂<<<
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September 22, 2017 – Bright Sun, Wet Hair (OOTD #118)

Published on September 28, 2017September 28, 2017 by lensembledujour5 Comments

While in yesterday’s post, my hair looked odd because it was greasy, today it looks odd because it’s clean. And still wet.

But hey, at least it’s clean now. It’s unfortunate it wasn’t dry by afternoon when I did my pictures, but trust me, it would have been more unfortunate if it were still dirty.

Ho hum. I swear, one of these days, I’ll have a post where I don’t have any complaints to make about the state of my hair, the quality of the photo, or what’s going on in the background. I don’t know when that day will be, but I’m sure it’s going to happen eventually.

Actually, I have no complaints about my outfit at all in this set of photos – I’m legitimately pleased with how it turned out. I’m even more pleased that I managed to put it together in one of my before-class frenzies with no pre-planning at all. There’s something a little unconventional going on there with the layering of the halter bralette under the ruffled off-the-shoulder top, and the skirt is exquisite all by itself – no creative styling required.

In the end, it all just made for a nice outfit. I like to think all of my outfits are nice (if I didn’t, I probably shouldn’t have a fashion blog, right?) but this one is especially so.

As this was a Friday outfit, I actually only wore it for half a day. On Fridays, I’m done with classes by 11:30, so I bother a friend from my residence hall to snap a few pictures for me, and then I change into my pajamas. If I’m lucky, I even snag a nap! It’s too bad that such a nice outfit didn’t get more exposure, but that just means I’ll have to wear a variation of it again some time in the future. I try not to repeat outfits, but I have no problem with drawing inspiration from past ensembles.

Wish I could stay and write longer, but I’ve got two exams tomorrow that I haven’t studied much for, so I’m afraid I need to get going on that. Wish me luck!

Top: Hollister

Bralette: Aerie

Skirt: River Island

September 21, 2017 – The Catharsis of Complaining (OOTD #117)

Published on September 27, 2017 by lensembledujour3 Comments

Check out those greasy bangs.

It happens. Sometimes you’re rushing out the door to make it to your 9:25 Theo class and all you have time to do is throw your hair into a messy post-run ponytail. Your dry shampoo is located a whole 20 ft away in the other room, and while you could take the extra minute to grab it and spray some on your greasy roots, you might then only make it to Theo by 9:24, and sometimes your professor decides to start class early. 9:23 is much safer.

Walking in at 9:24 is by no definition evil – in fact, you’re still definitely on time – but, in the case that your professor does start lecturing early, you’ll have to walk past him to get to your seat, and by then, everyone’s eyes are focused on the from of the room. Even if they don’t notice your greasy hair, they’ll notice the disheveled state of your ponytail, and perhaps even the fact that you haven’t quite stopped sweating from your run.

Without any better ideas, you put on a headband, in hopes that it will somehow conceal how dirty your hair is. Unfortunately, the headband is too thin to make much of a difference, and it’s not even very visible because it’s the same goldish-silver color as your hair.

It also doesn’t help that you’re wearing wedges that slow your walking speed by about 25%. They look really cute with the buttons of your sweater, sure, but they’re definitely not going to help you get to class any faster…which is a problem when you’re running late as is.

My point? I like complaining – it’s cathartic. Also, maintaining a daily fashion blog means I have to take pictures of myself even when I don’t look my best, such as when I have greasy bangs. Rather than try to pretend they’re not there, though, I like to point them out – especially when I have no better ideas for how to start a blog. Complaining’s a good way to get the ball rolling fast enough to blast through the writer’s block.

Oh, and I guess I could also say that recognizing one’s own flaws is particularly relevant in today’s society, where technology allows us to remove our flaws with photo editing programs and thus present to the world a more perfect image of ourselves than what exists. But I’m a college student, and I already have enough essays where I have to say clichés like “in today’s society,” so this point’s just going to be stuck here at the end as an afterthought, okay? Don’t want to sound too preachy.

Sweater: The LOFT

Shirt: Vintage (thrifted)

Jeans: Abercrombie

September 20, 2017 – Wake Me Up When…You Get the Point (OOTD #116)

Published on September 26, 2017 by lensembledujour4 Comments

…when September ends?

I do hope you got the point, at least. If not, then you weren’t a proper emo kid from the early 2000s. Actually, I wasn’t even an emo kid in the early 2000s…I was just a kid. What is my point here?

“Wake Me Up When September Ends” is a good song, I couldn’t think of a better blog title, and it would have been a crime to let September pass without referencing it once in this blog.

September, for a long time, has been one of my least favorite months. Even as a kid, I kind-of despised it – September meant that awkward period after the end of summer break when you were stuck going to school in the sweltering heat, you hadn’t yet established who your best friends for the year were to be yet, you didn’t have a feel for how difficult your teachers and classes would be, and all the stores start putting out their Halloween decorations even though it’s not nearly cold enough to feel like “fall” yet. Even into high school, the same pattern of awkwardness and anxiety stuck around. For my senior year in particular, September was stressful because I was trying to get all my Common App college applications done in time for the November 1 early action deadline.

But guess what? For the first time in years, I don’t hate September. I don’t know what is is, but for some reason, the perpetual background anxiety I would feel for the entire month hasn’t reared its head. Maybe it’s because I’m so busy adjusting to college life that I haven’t had the time to feel sorry for myself? I’m not sure.

In fact, September’s been…almost nice?

At any rate, I enjoy not hating September for once. I hope I don’t end up hating October in its place now, lol. October is too lovely of a month to hate.

In celebration of my lack of hatred for September and of the start of fall, I went for a fall-like outfit. And by fall-like, I mean I just wore an orange dress and brown shoes. There have been, perhaps, less obvious interpretations of the standard “fall outfit,” but that’s for the Project Runway designers to think up, not me. Hey, I could have been wearing leaves and pumpkins, but I’ve got a touch more subtlety than that.

Also, I’m bitter, because the choker I’m wearing here broke when I took off. It was one of my favorites too. You’d think being from Madewell and costing like $15 it would last a little longer than a few months.

To quote the joke that both my mother and my friend Amanda made when I sent them a picture of the broken clasp: “…guess it wasn’t…made well!?!?”

Dress: Forever21

Sweater: Altar’d State

Choker: Not made well

September 19, 2017 – A Pirate’s Life for Me (OOTD #115)

Published on September 25, 2017September 25, 2017 by lensembledujour8 Comments

Let’s not lie to ourselves – this outfit’s got some pirate vibes to it.

From the flowy blouse that looks like the puffy shirt from Seinfeld, to the black and white striped turtleneck, to the oversized black hat, and the high-waisted shorts, there are definitely some, at the very least, nautical elements to today’s ensemble.

I feel like all I need now is a parrot or a spyglass.

The funny thing is, I didn’t even realize it until I was looking through these photos. It was just sort of one of those outfits that I threw together as I was running out of my dorm, and I barely gave it more than a 5 second glance in my mirror before heading out the door. That could have been disastrous – like submitting a paper without ever re-reading or editing it – but I think it turned out okay this time.

This blouse is probably one of the most difficult things in my wardrobe to wear – in fact, I’ve only worn it one other time, and that was in one of my days in London. It’s one of those things that I was smitten with when I saw it in the store, to the point that I was even willing to buy it in a size too big, and then realized when I got home that I had no plan for how to wear it.

Oh well, it adds to the challenge and the fun of getting dressed.

One thing I do really miss about being at home and having my own room was that I was able to, regardless of the time of night, go into my closet and assemble outfits. I can’t really do that now. My roommates all go to bed at some kind of reasonabletime, like rational human beings, so that when I come home from studying in the library at whatever odd hour in the night it is, I can’t just go into our bedroom and start shuffling hangers around in my wardrobe. So what I usually end up doing is putting together my outfits in the mornings before I head to class, which is not really ideal for putting thought and care into them.

You know what else is not ideal? Not having all of your clothes with you. I can’t wait for fall break – not just for finally getting something of a break from studying, and not just for getting to see my family and friends from home – but also so I can go home and see all my clothes. They’re my children and I want them back.

Blouse: Forever21

Shirt: Forever21

Shorts: H&M

September 18, 2017 – Plum and Fuchsia (Or Purple and Pink) [OOTD #114]

Published on September 24, 2017 by lensembledujour4 Comments

What did I tell you? I said flowers were going to feature much more heavily in the background of photos on this blog, and what do we have here?

This lovely set of purple-y bushes are right outside of my residence hall, making them nice and convenient for photos. They are also, apparently, very convenient to the campus’s hornet population because they’re always covered in them. I had to be careful not to get too close to the bushes actually, while I was doing this set. I can’t wait for fall/winter to come and for the bugs to finally get lost.

The heat is really beginning to pick up here, hence the short sleeves and the skirt. I hate it. I thought we had finally gotten over the summer temperatures – in fact, at the time of these pictures, the autumnal equinox (and thus, the last day of summer) was only a few days away. And a week previously, it had been beautiful – dare I say, chilly even – and now it feels like mid-July again.

I’m not a fan.

I wish I were, though. Maybe then it wouldn’t be so blistering hot in my dorm room. All we’ve got right now is a pathetic little box fan that we stole from the hallway, and that you can only feel if you stick your face right up next to it.

In other words, I’m basically taking every opportunity possible to hang out in air conditioned rooms and buildings and avoid my own room – but that’s not actually terribly different from how it was before the heat wave struck.

I don’t know, I don’t mind my room, and my roommates are all pretty cool, but I feel like I’m usually more easily distracted when I’m there. There’s nothing like looking at the dead silent nerds in the dead silent library to motivate you to do work. And thus, I spend an obscene amount of time there, soaking up the AC and the nerdy vibes.

Anyway, I probably ought to get back to work now. It never ends.

Top: Zara

Skirt: Rue21(Bonus: sometimes, when your photographer is taking a rapid succession of pictures, you wind up with gems like this as you transition from one post to another)