american eagle – Page 5 – L'ensemble du jour

November 10, 2017 – Oops, I Did It Again (OOTD #157)

Published on November 16, 2017 by lensembledujour5 Comments

No, that blog title does not have anything to do with the fact that I’m wearing denim on denim, like something out of a music video with 90s Britney Spears in it.

(Besides, if I were ever to title a blog “Oops, I did it again” with the purpose of referencing 90s Britney Spears fashion, I’d have to be wearing all red or something)

No, my reference has to do more with the concept of making a mistake, rather than anything fashion-related! You see, I posted the outfit from Sunday, November 12, in which I looked like a dementor yesterday, not realizing that I had neglected to post about November 10!

So once more, my blog’s continuity is interrupted in a brief blip in the chronological timeline – this time, though, without me even realizing it until after the fact. In my defense, I usually decide which blog to post based on the photos I have stored on my phone, as, even with the photos I take on my camera, I can just upload them to my computer and then Airdrop them to my phone. So, yesterday, when I sat down to write my blog and I checked my photo albums on my phone, my Sunday November 12 photos popped up, as I had taken them with my camera phone, while my Friday November 10 photos did not, as they were still stored on my camera.

That’s not really a good excuse, but are there any of those?

Anyway, I haven’t really got a lot to say about this outfit at all: just that I really wish I had rolled up my pant legs one more time so that my boyfriend jeans didn’t just swallow up my boots and make it look like I have tree trunks for legs. Also kinda wish the exposure wasn’t so bad in some of these photos, that I hadn’t messed up the order of my blogs, and that I had started working on my history paper earlier this week, but such is the nature of mistakes.

For example, the Meilin of November 10 made the mistake of believing that Notre Dame was going to the playoffs, and she turned out to be proved horrifically wrong just the next day.

Top: Target

Jeans: American Eagle

November 6, 2017 – Hug A Tree (OOTD #152)

Published on November 9, 2017 by lensembledujour9 Comments

Recently, I’ve taken to doing my pictures next to trees – what do you think?

I feel like it gives a little more color than what I get with my typical “doorway” photo, so I’m giving it a shot.

(Get it? Giving it a shot? Since it’s like…a photograph….and you shoot photos…)

Also, fun fact – this was not the blog I was originally going to be posting today. Rather, this should have been a post for November 4, the day of the ND v Wake Forest game. So what kind of stupid mistake did I make this time to prevent my plans from turning out as they should?

I’m not certain that it was wholly my fault, actually. Okay, so the photos were taken by my friend, so she had to Airdrop them to me – no problem, right? It shouldn’t have been. But for some reason, after the photos were delivered to my computer, they were unable to be imported into my iPhoto library. And, by the time I realized this fact, my friend had already deleted the photos from her phone, and thus, their lines of code were lost forever.

It’s too bad really, because that would’ve been a good blog. In fact, I even had a “super clever” blog title in mind – Notre Rain, in reference to how it rained the whole time during that game, and it was actually just kind of cold and miserable.

If I somehow come across the photos in some deeply hidden folder in the corner of my computer’s hard drive, maybe I’ll post them, our for now, here’s my outfit from Monday.

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!

Turtleneck: Forever21

Dress: American Eagle

October 24, 2017 – On Trend (OOTD #143)

Published on October 29, 2017 by lensembledujour5 Comments

Look and me – grey hair cut into a lob, oversized cardigan, crop top, boyfriend jeans…just make me Instagram famous already; my ability to follow trends deserves it.

If that painfully millennial statement didn’t make you run away cringing, then congrats! Here’s your medal.

(In all actuality, I don’t consider myself a millennial – I believe I fall more under the definition of Generation Z, as I have been using the Internet since a young age, and it has almost always been a large component of my life. That’s the key component that distinguishes millennials from Generation Z, and it kind of peeves me to be lumped in with millennials…but that’s a rant for another blog).

Anyway, I am, admittedly, quite a fan of the Fall 2017 trends. It was no secret that Summer 2017 didn’t particularly impress me – firstly, because summer fashion never impresses me because it tends to rely upon pieces that are worn alone, rather than intelligent layering that winter and fall fashion revolves around, and secondly, because I felt like it had nothing new to offer. Off-the-shoulder tops and high-waisted denim shorts have been in style since Summer 2016; Summer 2017 just seemed like a re-hash of old trends we had seen before (and seen very recently).

But oversized sweaters combined with oversized pants – now that’s something that’s a little more unique. And also, way more comfortable than tight skinny jeans! It’s all very 90s, which is a decade that’s been trending for like, four years, making me think it’s possibly on its way out, but in the meantime, I’m enjoying it. I feel like skinny jeans have consistently been in-style since I was about 11 (I don’t believe I owned any other fit of jeans from 6th grade to senior year), so it’s refreshing to see something new.

I was just recently in a Forever21, which, to me, is the epitome of trendy fashion, and for the first time in a while, I actually liked a good deal of the things I saw. Forever21 clothes are all pretty cheap, meaning they’re really good at churning out pieces as soon as the Instagram influencers and fashion magazines declare something to be in style. They also tend to lean trashy and juvenile, but I saw less of that there than usual.

I’m optimistic for this winter’s fashion scene. I like the 60s and 90s influence we’re currently seeing, as I’m always here for vintage fashion, and I think it’s quite possible I could go a few months without complaining about the state of the fashion industry. Because you know, I, a teenager with no connections to the fashion industry and no educational background in fashion, am the de facto authority on what should and shouldn’t be trendy.

Sweater: Forever21

Top: H&M (thrifted)

Jeans: American Eagle

October 21, 2017 – You Had a Bad Day (OOTD #141)

Published on October 26, 2017 by lensembledujour5 Comments

You’re taking one down…The Meilin of these photos did not have a fun day.

You might not have guessed that from the way I’m smiling here – I look rather cheery, don’t I? That’s because I was about to go eat a Five Guys burger and fries, and I love that restaurant. Saturday was also the last day of my cheat week, so that burger was going to be the last ones I’d have for a while.

I was also happy because I had just found a really cute place to take my OOTD photos, despite being far from home and not knowing where I was. Finding a good background for your OOTD photos is kind of a tossup when you’re on the road – sometimes, you can find some really nice restaurants with beautiful flowers and colorful exteriors, and sometimes, there’s nothing but the dirty brick wall of a Taco Bell. this time, I was lucky, as there was a spa with these really pretty lion decorations just around the corner from the restaurant we were stopping at.

Unfortunately, my day went rather downhill after my burger and fries. In these photos, I was in the process of heading back to school, and I was about a third of the way there. This first third simply involved sitting in a car, writing my Saturday Musings + Coffee post, and dreaming about how exciting the ND vs USC was going to be when I finally arrived on campus. More on that travesty later.

The last two thirds of the journey involved sitting on the Greyhound bus and waiting for it to pull into the South Bend airport. If you’ve never taken a Greyhound, let me tell you – they are uncomfortable, some of the people are sketchy, and it takes forever to get where you want to go. But they’re cheap and they get you there, and that’s ultimately what matters.

Finally, after having sat in my parents’ car, the bus, and an Uber for a combined length of about eight hours of travel, I finally made it back to campus. I lugged my two giant suitcases back to my dorm, touched up my makeup, and prepared to head out to the stadium.

BUT ALAS, it was not meant to be, for, as I was just about to go out the door, I realized that I couldn’t find the email with my tickets. I searched my Gmail, my computer’s email app, and my phone’s email app using every combination of the words “football” and “tickets” possible, but to no avail. After about 30 minutes of searching and bitterly listening to the cheers of the people who were actually there in the stadium, I gave up, and decided to spend my evening putting away the clothes I had packed.

Thankfully, a few days later, I was able to get my remaining tickets re-emailed to me from the ND tickets office, so I’ll still be able to go to the rest of the games this season. Still, I’m kinda bitter I missed this particular game – apparently it was a really good one.

Ah well, next time.

Jacket: Forever21

Sweater: American Eagle

Boots: LL Bean

Jeans: Hollister

October 17, 2017 – The Most October Day (OOTD #138)

Published on October 23, 2017October 23, 2017 by lensembledujour9 Comments

This is it folks: the day I finally got to do all of the stereotypical American fall things I’ve been prattling on about for the last month.

Last year, my senior year of high school, my father and I went out to a local orchard for an afternoon to pick pumpkins. As it turned out, we didn’t pick any pumpkins – by the time we went, I guess it was too late into the season and all of the good pumpkins were gone – but we did have a lot of fun wandering around, picking apples, and going through the corn maze.

Thus, being a sap for anything nostalgic, even if it’s only from a year ago, I requested that, when I went back for fall break, my father and I go back to the same orchard.

It was a rather different experience this time, though – we went on a Tuesday, when all of the Fayette County schools were still in session and all of the kids were stuck in classrooms doing work (heh, suckers), whereas last year, we went on a weekend, when it was super busy and crawling with children. Thus, it was pretty nice to be there when it was fairly quiet – I got to climb up on the jungle gym since there were no kids there, which was pretty sweet, and there was no line for the hay ride out to the pumpkin patch or the corn maze, which was also pretty sweet.

The best part of any farm adventure, in my opinion, is eating a caramel apple. I rambled on about my love of caramel apples for a while in a blog from a few days ago, so I’m not going to do that here, but allow me to say: a caramel apple from a farm is the best caramel apple you can get.

Also, if you don’t eat your caramel apples with nuts, I don’t know what you are (unless you have a peanut allergy – then it’s acceptable).

I don’t necessarily know how Kentucky farms compare to farms in Idaho or New York (or really anywhere else in the US, or the world), but if I had to make an overarching generalization based on little evidence and/or experience, I would have to say that Kentucky farms are the best in the world. There are hills, for one, which I know you don’t get in some parts of the Midwest (South Bend Indiana, I’m looking at you), and chances are, if you’re heading out to a farm in Kentucky in October, it’s probably still warm enough to go without a jacket.

I must say though – latitudes further North do have better leaf colors in October. I do suppose that would be one gripe about my farm adventure, that there wasn’t much color in the trees other than green and a touch of brown. It’s really odd, coming back to Kentucky after having been in Indiana, as the weather is so different, despite only being one state over.

This year, my father and I did manage to find some decently-sized, attractive, and carvable pumpkins at the orchard, so I will be sure to show you guys what our Jack-o-Lanterns turn out looking like as soon as we get them done. We also found some apples, a bale of hay, an abandoned flag football belt, and the joy of…something, I don’t know, I was trying to come up with a charming and insightful, but I’m not good at that. All I can do is point to my own inadequacies and hope people laugh.

Vest: Altar’d State

Sweater: Target

Shirt: American Eagle

Boots: LL Bean

June 19, 2017 – Cheap Clothes=Best Clothes (OOTD #47)

Published on June 19, 2017June 21, 2017 by lensembledujour8 Comments

If I remember correctly, I got this shirt for like $3 at the LOFT.

I don’t even recall exactly how it happened – I think it was like 50% off on clearance already, and then my mother had an extra 40% off on top of that for her birthday, and it might’ve an additional discount for having snag in the front. Anyway, it ended up being a really great steal, and I bought it without even trying it on.

I’ve got a bit of a problem with buying clothes on discount like that – purchasing things I don’t necessarily need simply because it’s on a really good sale. Never follow me into a Goodwill; we’ll be there for hours, and I’ll be down $50 and up 20 pieces of unnecessary clothes in the end. My father can certainly attest to that.

Actually, I often look through the sale section when I’m shopping before I even look at the new, full-priced things. The middle school version of myself would’ve been completely embarrassed to have said that – there was once a time when I was a status-obsessed egotist poser child who wouldn’t want to be caught dead doing anything to save money.

That’s changed…mostly….I think?

Anyway, today’s outfit – in addition to my plain white shirt (which isn’t so plain when you look at it a bit more closely; it’s got a nice architectural silhouette that makes it rather interesting), I wore a bandana-printed neck scarf, which I bought for the pure intention of looking trendy and green skinny jeans that make my legs feel just a tad like they’re being suffocated.

But sometimes, that’s the price you pay for looking nice, right?

That’s it for today! 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: The LOFT

Pants: American Eagle

Scarf: American Eagle

June 16, 2017 – When You Forget a Shirt (OOTD #45)

Published on June 16, 2017June 21, 2017 by lensembledujour5 Comments

Exercise is a great thing.

Went for a lovely 2 mile run this morning, and I must say, while it kind of hurts and feels gross while I’m actually running, I feel so great when I’m done. That’s kind of funny, I guess – that my favorite part about exercise is it being over, but the feeling is addictive enough that I keep doing it. Hooray for my laziness that actually kind of motivates me to work out?

But here’s the not-so-great thing about exercise: it means you get hot and sweaty, and you have to change after you’re done. Normally, that’s no problem – I run near home, in the neighborhood park, so when I’m done, I just walk up to my room and put something else on. Today, I had the brilliant idea to go running while away from the house and just pack some clothes to change into in a gym bag. Sounds okay, right?

Not if you’re an idiot like me and forget to pack a shirt.

I remembered a jacket, a pair of pants, a pair of shoes, socks – but no shirt. Of course, I didn’t realize that until after I had gone running and sweated through the t-shirt I wore, leaving that practically unwearable due to the scent it must’ve carried. And of course, I had to go to work in 30 minutes, and of course, I lived too far away to drive back home.

Thankfully, there was a grocery store just around the corner, and they recently made the (slightly unusual, but I’m not complaining!) choice to begin selling clothing, My wonderful mother slipped in and grabbed a cheap tank top for me to put over my blue sports bra, and I made it to work with 2 minutes to spare.

Never a dull day in the life of a fashion blogger.

Jeans: Abercrombie

Jacket: American Eagle

Shirt: Kroger?

Shoes: Juicy Couture

June 12, 2017 – Boho Feels (OOTD #41)

Published on June 12, 2017June 13, 2017 by lensembledujour4 Comments

These Kentucky summers can get devilishly hot.

It’s presently 90 degrees out, and to be honest, I’m not a fan. As soon as I got this shot done, I rushed right back inside to air conditioning and some cold water! The heat is bad enough, but you add the Kentucky humidity on top of it, and you have a muggy, awful mess that is simply no fun.

But that doesn’t matter, because I’m a middle class suburban teenager in first world country and I have a climate controlled home that I can spend my whole day in! And that’s just what I did today. I didn’t work today, for the first time in what felt like ages (though it’s probably only been five days or so), so I got to wake up late, pour myself some coffee, and simply relax.

It was lovely.

As I was relaxing, I figured it was a good idea to do some work on this blog. In addition to creating a lovely new logo (which you can see at the top of this page!) and adding some sidebar widgets that link to my social media (which, if you’re on desktop, you should be able to see on the right!), I also did some photography.

I absolutely adore the work of lifestyle organization bloggers, such as Alexandra and Co, who create beautiful but minimalistic arrays of…basically just pretty objects. It’s kinda hard to explain what makes it so beautiful – there’s something just really visually pleasing about the bright colors on the stark white background. Thus, I decided to give it a shot. I gathered up all of my bright pens, cut some flowers, found some colorful candles, poured myself some tea, spread out a white bedsheet over the kitchen table, and tried my best to pretend I have an organized life.

What do you think? I’m planning on posting all of them on Instagram sometime in the future to give myself some variation to my feed, so be sure to follow me there to see them when they go up!

And as for today’s outfit – I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t actually spend a whole lot of time wearing it today! I spend a good deal of my time in just my pink Victoria’s Secret robe, and I probably would’ve spent my whole day like that if it hadn’t been for this fashion blog! I don’t mind; I love getting dressed up. With the heat today, I was feeling a summery boho vibe, so I went for these fun tribal-printed shorts with a lace-up sweater. For accessories, I loaded up on thin beaded bracelets, and topped it all off with a simple choker and a black sun hat.

Sweater: American Eagle

Shorts: Target

Bracelets: Altar’d State

June 6, 2017 – Wearing a Sundress Under a Heavy Jacket Makes This Outfit Seasonally Appropriate, Right? (OOTD #37)

Published on June 6, 2017June 6, 2017 by lensembledujour9 Comments

I’ve said this before, but the weather is really not the most important factor when I’m considering what to wear. FullSizeRender 54.jpg

So what it’s 80 degrees out and humid in Kentucky today? I live in an air conditioned building! We as humans have evolved beyond bowing to the will of Mother Nature!

FullSizeRender 52.jpg *Cue image of a hurricane blowing away a building*

FullSizeRender 50.jpg

So the truth is, I picked out this outfit about two months ago, when I was still in school, and for one reason or another, I never actually got around to wearing it. Thus, it sat in my closet, lonely and unworn, until school ended and summer began and it was no longer seasonally appropriate. It’s not that warm, actually, like I mention in the title, I am wearing a thin sundress underneath. Then again, I did layer a knit hoodie and a thick black blazer over top, so it also wasn’t the most comfortable standing outside in the sun doing this shoot for today either.

FullSizeRender 53.jpg

In short, once I was done taking these photos, I stripped down to just the sundress.

What do you think? Do you ever wear outfits for the sake of fashion, even if they’re not the most appropriate for the season? I’ve definitely worn my fair share of sweaters in the summer and shorts in the winter, and to me, the discomfort is worth it. I definitely get it if you don’t agree though!

Jacket: Banana Republic

Sweater: Altar’d State

Dress: American Eagle FullSizeRender 51.jpg FullSizeRender 55.jpg FullSizeRender 48.jpg