altar’d state – Page 2 – L'ensemble du jour

June 3, 2018 – Trendy Brunch Date (OOTD #297)

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

I’ll let you in on a secret — I think brunch is overrated.

I like the aesthetic of it, I guess — white tablecloths, fresh floral arrangements, elegant baked pastries, and indirect morning light. But in reality, brunch food is overpriced, lousier than real breakfast or real lunch, and not worth the cute table settings and the potential of snapping a good picture. Honestly, you might as well go to a home and garden store, take a picture sitting in a random patio chair, and post that to your social media and tell everyone you had some super expensive brunch.

I make an exception though for my general distain towards brunch for special occasions. I had a good friend come visit me the other day whom I haven’t seen since Thanksgiving owing to us living in different parts of the state and going to different schools, and so brunch seemed warranted.

So why are there no trendy brunch photos in this blog? Well…after spending the money and finding the cute table, we forgot to take any pictures! I guess trendy brunch pictures are just not meant to be for me, at least not today.

The more optimistic way of looking at it is that we were enjoying each other’s company so much, we didn’t feel the need to take a photo to prove to people on social media that we went out and socialized. Imagine that — not taking photos to post to social media when you go out and do something. What a novel concept.

After brunch, it was only fitting that we went out and did more trendy things. We got popsicles, walked around an upscale outdoor mall, and — the most trendy of all trendy things — went to a plant nursery to buy succulents for our mason jars. Just give me my own Good Housekeeping editorial shot already, I’ve gone mainstream.

Again though, I don’t really have many photos of the various things we did together. And I’m okay with that. Taking photos all the time can be taxing, to the point that it hinders one’s ability to actually enjoy what’s going on.

You won’t catch me going off the grid any time soon, though. I enjoy living my social media life of fabricated perfection too much.

That’s about it for today. 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, Bloglovin, Twitter, and Tumblr! For business inquiries, shoot me an email at lensembledujour@gmail.com!

Jacket: AMIClubwear

Top: Altar’d State

May 2, 2018 – Suddenly Spring (OOTD #278)

Published on May 21, 2018 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

I had expressed back in mid April when the temperatures in South Bend were still hitting freezing (freezing! In April!) that I was afraid I might completely miss the spring flowers at Notre Dame, but thankfully, I was wrong!

I’ve never seen foliage come back to life so quickly! Back in Kentucky, the coming of spring is a slow process — first, you have a couple of warm days in early March to get you excited; then, the first trees begin showing buds; then, finally, the home/garden stores start opening up their greenhouse sections and you know that spring is in full swing. The whole process takes about a month.

In South Bend, though, spring came in about a week. One week, it was cold, rainy, and freezing; the next, the flowers were blooming and we were hitting 60 consistently.

It’s been a jarring transition, but one I don’t wholly mind making. I loved winter in South Bend, even with the cold and the snow, but I’m glad it’s still over. I want my winter to end in mid-March (you know, the whole “in like a lion” proverb), not mid-April.

To celebrate the start of spring (and the last full day of classes!), I wore my springiest outfit. It reminded me of something Southern and preppy, like what I might wear back in Kentucky. There’s not a lot of Southern prep going on at Notre Dame, for better or for worse. While it’s not my favorite style ever, I don’t mind it every now and again.

Dress: Lilly Pulitzer

Shirt: Altar’d State

March 20, 2018 – Happy Easter (OOTD #250)

Published on April 1, 2018 by lensembledujour5 Comments

What? You mean to tell me that Easter didn’t fall on March 20 this year?

Yeah — so I’ve discussed this before, but I have my daily blogs on a bit of a delay, so as to never wind up having nothing to post just in case I decide not to take OOTD photos one day or in case I don’t get to take photos until late in the day. The issue with that, of course, is that when holidays roll around, I’m never able to post the blog from that particular holiday on the actual day of the holiday.

I guess I could plan my outfits in a way that it looks like I’m celebrating the holiday earlier in the week, and then posting that blog on the actual holiday, but to be honest, that’s too much work for something I don’t really think is worth it.

Anyway, so today (the day I’m posting this blog) is Easter, but the outfit I’m posting is from March. Luckily, this outfit looks pretty festive and spring-like, so I guess it works for an Easter outfit.

The building I’m standing next to is the law school building, which I have interestingly never been into, even though I’m thinking of maybe one day trying to go into law (though I’m not really sure why — talking in front of people is scary). It’s just one of those places where I don’t really feel like I belong in, since I have no classes or anything there, y’know?

It’s my goal to make it into all of Notre Dame’s buildings at some point by the time I’m done here, including the dorms. I’m not really sure how I’m going to manage that, considering I never go to parties and have few friends outside of my dorm. I’m going to figure it out somehow…probably. Maybe.

Anyway, happy Easter! I hope you get to spend the day celebrating somehow with friends and family, and if you’re at The Most Catholic School On Earth ™ like me, I hope you enjoy eating meat and breaking the Lenten fasting thing, even if, like me, you haven’t really kept it anyway. I did swear off dining hall french fries, though, which has done well for my weight. Good for me, I guess?

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!

Sweater: Altar’d State

Shirt: Forever21

Skirt: Rue21

Tights: The LOFT

March 14, 2018 – Sunlit Suburban Stroll (OOTD #245)

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

You’d think that with a name like “spring break” I could actually get some spring weather at home.

Instead, the literal day after I arrived back in Kentucky, we got about eight inches of snow. I don’t even think there was that much snow at Notre Dame when I departed Chicago.

I guess I can’t really complain too much – winter is still my favorite season, and snow is still my favorite weather condition. The winter is getting a little old for me at this point in the year, and I’m fairly read for spring to come, but that doesn’t change the fact that I still get excited whenever it snows.

As I mentioned, we had about eight inches of snow on Monday — so why are the roads totally clear in these shots from Wednesday?

One of the craziest things to me when I moved north for school was just how long the snow hangs around. You can get snow that falls one day and stays for two more weeks afterwards.In Kentucky, the snow, when it actually sticks (which only happens a few times a year) usually only stays around for a day or two.

So here, on Wednesday, all that snow had pretty much already melted, owing to some sunshine and temperatures during the daytime hanging around 40 degrees (not warm, but warm enough to melt the snow).

I wouldn’t be sad if this were the last snow I got until late November, though. As evidenced by my bare legs and skirt here, I’m in the mood for warmer temperatures.

Jacket: Adidas (thrifted)

Shirt: Altar’d State

Skirt: H&M

February 11, 2018 – Goth Hipster (OOTD #224)

Published on February 16, 2018 by lensembledujour1 Comment

Oh boy, is this a look.

It’s interesting, my need to do (some) sponsored posts on here really drives some of the outfits I do on this website, even when the sponsored post has nothing to do with fashion.

Take this outfit, for example. It was a Sunday – not normally a day I bother to get dressed up, but I had to get some nice selfies for a review of the Clairol Color Crave hair color I got from Influenster, which meant I had to put together a nice outfit to go with my makeup.

And since I was in a nice outfit and nice makeup, I figured I had to get photographic evidence of it. I mentioned this in a blog post a few days ago, but whenever I actually have the time to do my makeup AND wear a cute outfit, I have to document it, just to prove that it happened. It doesn’t happen often.

As for the outfit here – have you ever seen such a goth-like hipster art kid look? I joke about looking like an art kid a lot here, but I think this takes the cake.

The dramatic scarf, the all-black, the gauge-like earrings, and then my purple hair – it just screams “I went to art school and majored in design and I attend poetry slam performances on Thursday nights.”

And of course, it helps that I’m back in the art room again, taking my photos with my watch’s remote camera app while balancing my camera up on top of a drawing table. My background is literally just a shelf with some art supplies on it. That’s an aesthetic in and of itself.

Like I said, this is a look. It’s maybe not quite everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s mine.

Jacket: Banana Republic

Sweater: Thrifted

Pants: Altar’d State

February 9, 2018 – Mad Max At The Dining Hall (OOTD #223)

Published on February 15, 2018 by lensembledujour2 Comments

Okay, so this admittedly is not the best background I’ve ever used on this website.

A little context – I’m standing on one of the staircases in North Dining Hall (not to be confused with South Dining Hall, which I have frequently featured as a backdrop here). It was actually the suggestion of the friend who was doing my pictures that day, and while I was initially hesitant given the super public nature of the location, I figured I would give it a shot.

It’s better than just another door, right?

I think it just really comes down to the lighting here – since I’m indoors rather than out, everything just sorta looks washed out and dull i. That’s sort of the nature of the beast though, but combining the dull light with the already pretty dull background, I feel, just makes for maybe not the most interesting photos I’ve ever done.

I do rather like this outfit though, with its utilitarian, post-apocalyptic look. You might have noticed that that’s a look I’ve gone for several times before on this blog (notable examples can be seen here and here). That would be, of course, because I rather like it – it’s not really something I can go for everyday, and not something that I can do all-out out of fear of coming off too costume-y, but it’s fun to incorporate influences from media like The Hunger Games or Mad Max into my daily wear.

Vest: Altar’d State

Sweater: Hot Topic

Leggings: Altar’d State

January 15, 2018 – Amelia Earhart, The Sequel (OOTD #202)

Published on January 18, 2018 by lensembledujour2 Comments

So this was a thing that happened.

A little context: my mother has a friend who’s a big Notre Dame basketball fan, actually so much so that he used to play for the team. He was headed up to Notre Dame over the weekend for the game Saturday against North Carolina, and he offered me a ride back with him.

What was fun, though, was that he offered me a ride in an airplane. And not just a normal commercial plane – a private one, flown by his friend, a pilot.

Due to the snowy weather, our basketball fan friend decided not to go on Saturday, but he still very kindly offered to allow me to fly with his pilot friend up to South Bend on Sunday, just in time for the start of classes.

I’ve never flown in a private plane before – though I expect not many people can say they have. I did once get upgraded to first class on an international flight to London, but that’s as lavish as it’s ever gotten. I’m usually just lucky if I don’t get called out of like at the TSA security check for something stupid like having my phone in my pocket.

In many ways, the private flying experience was much nicer than flying commercially – no lines to wait in, no security checks, no accidentally going over the weight limit for your bags and having to frantically repack them in the airport. It also got me there much faster, as I didn’t have to fly to Chicago and then catch the several hour-long bus back to school. Going directly, I got from home in Lexington to campus in South Bend in like two hours.

I wouldn’t necessarily say it was super comfortable though. It was a very small plane, and with my parents and bags along for the ride, it ended up being pretty cramped. There was also no in-flight entertainment, bags of peanuts, or WiFi – it was much like a car ride.

We did get some really lovely views of the passing landscapes. It was all white and snowy, and at some point (though I don’t really know when), it transitioned from the hills of Kentucky to the flat farmlands of Indiana, which was interesting to see.

It was definitely bittersweet when we landed in South Bend because I expect I’ll never be able to afford to fly privately again.

Unless, of course, I somehow wind up fabulously rich and famous – which I suppose could still happen. 19 years and it hasn’t yet, but I still have time. I think?

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: Altar’d State

Leggings: The LOFT

Boots: LL Bean

January 12, 2018 – Snow Place Like Home (OOTD #200)

Published on January 16, 2018 by lensembledujour4 Comments

It finally happened! We got snow in Kentucky!

It didn’t really do much for me personally, as I headed back to school at Notre Dame a few days after it fell, and if there’s anything we in Northern Indiana are accustomed to, it’s snow. That and corn fields.

Kentuckians, on the other hand, are significantly less familiar with that white fluffy stuff that falls from the sky – in fact, I’m pretty sure we see more falling cotton from the cottonwood trees than snowflakes.

Winter has always been my favorite season in Kentucky because it’s fairly mild. Not so mild that it doesn’t feel like winter at all, like what you get in warm places like Florida or California, but not so bitter cold that you get tired of it quickly. Snow in Kentucky is a pleasant rarity – the sort of thing that you only get a few times a year so it never outstays its welcome.

Though, once, my sophomore of high school, it rather did outstay its welcome, and I wound up staying home from school for weeks. I think I only went to classes a few days out of the entire month of February (which is, interestingly, why February is now my favorite month). That’s fairly unusual though; Kentucky snow is usually either only a slight dusting, so little that it barely impacts anything, or when it is more substantial, it’s gone within a few days.

Life at Snotre Dame has yet to kill my love of snow and winter weather – though it was getting a touch old by the end of last semester. I have months to go before the start of spring, so I hope that my favoritism for the cold stays around. If it doesn’t, I don’t see how I’m going to manage to stay around campus.

Jacket: American Eagle

Sweater: Altar’d State

Skirt: Forever21

Shoes: Target

January 6, 2018 – Amelia Earhart, Is That You? (OOTD #195)

Published on January 9, 2018January 9, 2018 by lensembledujour1 Comment

Ha, I wish.

Sadly, I am no pilot – I can scarcely drive a car, can you imagine me trying to fly a plane? I’m confused enough with a vehicle that turns and accelerates; I’d be a wreck in a vehicle that turns, accelerates, and changes elevation. Probably literally.

So while I will likely never live out my dream of flying an airplane – or driving a car without crippling anxiety – I can at least dress like I do, right? And by dress like a pilot, I mean wear a brown leather jacket and sunglasses.

As much as I’d love to break out one of those cool aviator hats with the goggles, that would probably take things into the costume territory, which would have been slightly inappropriate for the day’s adventures like grocery shopping and putting away Christmas decorations.

On the plus side, such everyday aviator chic as what I sported in this outfit is not likely to end up with me disappearing in the Pacific Ocean. I’m also probably not going to go down in history as a beloved female pilot and feminist icon, but you know – you can’t win them all.

I’m a little sad I didn’t have my actual aviator sunglasses on me for these pictures, but I left them at school and I won’t be flying back there for another week. No, I will not be the pilot – I’d like to actually make it back to school rather than crash landing in a frozen cornfield somewhere in Indiana.

Jacket: Altar’d State

Shirt: Free People

Jeans: American Eagle

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.

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!

Shirt: Altar’d State

Scarf: The LOFT