AMIClubwear – L'ensemble du jour

April 8, 2019 – Arts and Crafts (OOTD #490)

Published on July 30, 2019August 12, 2019 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

I don’t know what this room is.

Sometimes, I wind up wandering around classroom buildings at night. Normally, it’s because I happened to be in the building before night fell, and then by the time it starts to get dark and empty, I just decide to hang around. Maybe it’s too cold outside to justify walking all the way back to my dorm. Maybe I know my roommates will be around, and I just want some silence to do some work.

Regardless of what the reason is for me being there, once the building in question clears, I like to wander around. There’s no one to tell me I can’t and no one to judge me when I try to open a locked door.

Sometimes, I bump into weird rooms like this. Like…what is this? An elementary school art studio?

You can’t see everything here, but this was a truly bizarre room. It had standard classroom fare — tables, chairs, computers. It also had slightly unconventional classroom fare — bean bags and white boards on wheels. Then, it had really unconventional classroom fare — like enough Play-Dough, Post-It notes, and Legos to supply an army.

And I have no idea what they’re for! It’s not like it’s a classroom meant for aspiring elementary school teachers, it’s not an art studio, and it’s not even for engineers who are trying to think creatively with Play-Dough and Legos. It’s just…there.

I’m not convinced I didn’t stumble into the Room of Requirement. It gave me what I required, right? I got a place to take some pictures, which is all I really want in life.

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

Dress: Urban Outfitters

Turtleneck: Free People

April 7, 2019 – The Dark Side (OOTD #489)

Published on July 26, 2019August 12, 2019 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

Today’s look brought to you: The Galactic Empire.

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turn to page 394

A post shared by Meilin || L'ensemble du jour (@lensembledujour) on May 29, 2019 at 10:16am PDT

Alternatively, it might have been brought to you by Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Or the Catholic Church. Or really, anywhere where people wear long black robes.

The last time I wore this jacket was actually a whole year ago. It’s a difficult one to wear without seeming too Darth Vader-y — I love how long and flowy it is, but that can also make it a little over-the-top. In fact, I think the last time I wore it (the time a year ago) was actually a little too over-the-top.

This outfit is over-the-top too, but I think it’s an okay kind of over-the-top. I think the key was finding something really simple to pair with it — the jacket is so voluminous that it can’t handle having much going on underneath it. This simple black dress ended up being the perfect choice.

I guess it’s still possible that in a year, I’ll think this outfit was ridiculous too, and that I’ll be writing an all new blog about a new way that I’ve decided to wear this jacket that’s even better. For now though, I like this outfit — and all of its Galactic Empire vibes.

Jacket: AMIClubwear

Dress: Kohl’s

February 7, 2019 – Signature Yellow (OOTD #451)

Published on March 6, 2019August 12, 2019 by lensembledujour9 Comments

Yellow has somehow become my signature color.

It’s funny, because for years I wouldn’t wear yellow because I thought I couldn’t wear it with my skin tone. All the magazines I read when I was younger said that Asians shouldn’t wear yellow because it would clash with the already yellow-undertones of our skin.

Guess what? That’s a lie. I look great in yellow, and so do other plenty of other Asian women. I don’t know where the idea the idea that all Asians have warm or “yellow” undertones to their skin came from (well, historically, yes I do), and I don’t know who decided we should avoid yellow entirely, because both of those ideas are faulty. I’m Asian, but I don’t have warm-toned skin — in fact, it’s cool-toned. No one tells other racial groups that they all have the same undertones to their skin, because even among members of the same race, there are many variations in skin tone. It’s the same case for Asians.

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i’ve been told my rain boots render me visible at distances up to 3000 feet

A post shared by Meilin || L'ensemble du jour (@lensembledujour) on Feb 12, 2019 at 10:12am PST

I can’t wear every shade of yellow — for example, pastel yellow or pale gold tend to wash me out — but I can do a deep, saturated yellow like this shirt here. And it seems that of late, I’ve been wearing the color more and more.

One of my friends, Mariana, has adopted the principle of a “signature color.” In order to create cohesion in her everyday look, she’s chosen a particular color — in her case, red — to buy her accessories in. She has a red laptop case, a red scarf, and a red mug, just to name a few things. It’s a great, easy way to tie things together without getting in the way of whatever she’s wearing and whatever color scheme that ensemble has. She always looks really put together, and I think it’s in part because she has a common motif throughout her accessories.

And so I think I’m going to try it with yellow. I already have a yellow winter scarf and yellow snow/rain boots. I’m not sure how that’s going to work with my camel coat, but I’ll find a way to make it work. I think I feel like yellow is the most unappreciated of the primary colors, and it’s about time it gets some love.

Jacket: AMIClubwear

Top: Thrifted (Goodwill)

Pants: Altar’d State

June 26, 2018 – Can You Tell Me How To Get To Sesame Street? (OOTD #314)

Published on July 11, 2018 by lensembledujour2 Comments

Okay, but you feel me, right? I definitely look like I’m a muppet from Sesame Street in this outfit.

There’s something about the lime green and yellow combo that reminds me of Big Bird or Bernie or one of the various characters — I guess it’s something of a childlike color scheme, and that’s why it’s calling to mind thoughts of Sesame Street. The fact that I’m wearing basically a jumper with tights and loafers as well…should’ve just put my hair in pigtails and I would’ve had the preschooler look down, huh?

This was my last day before I departed for Nepal, which meant basically that I spent the entire time packing.

I have friends who are excellent at that — they make a list of everything they need, they start packing things weeks in advance, and by the night before they travel, they’re all set to go. Then there’s me.

I’m not the worst, I have to say. I do begin my packing like…a day or two before I leave. Still, I usually wind up frantically putting outfits together and filling travel bottles of shampoo very late at night before I have to go, trying to keep my eyes open and just generally regretting my life choices.

When I had to leave for college, I actually didn’t begin packing until about three days before I had to go — big mistake. Packing for college was probably one of the most stressful experiences of my last few years, and mostly because I left it to the absolute last second. It was also stressful because I was you know, packing for my freshman year of college and that conceptually was scary.

Leaving for Nepal on my own is also conceptually kind of scary. I’ve only traveled on my own domestically before; any international travel has always been with a friend or family. I’m going from Lexington to Chicago to Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu over the course of about 30 hours, and while Kathmandu is very exciting, going through security repeatedly and navigating terminals is not.

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!

Dress: Vintage (thrift)

Top: H&M

Leggings: AMIClubwear

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.

Jacket: AMIClubwear

Top: Altar’d State

April 26, 2018 – Turn to Page Three Hundred Ninety Four (OOTD #272)

Published on May 1, 2018 by lensembledujour7 Comments

I’m getting some serious Severus Snape vibes from this coat, no?

I’m pretty sure a friend of mine whom I passed in the hall even described it as a “cloak” when she told me she liked it. I’m not sure a cloak is really the best fashion statement to be making in spring-almost-summer 2018, but I’ll make an exception for this one.

On the plus side, I fit right in with the priests and nuns wearing long robes who wander around campus.

I’m still not used to seeing these clergy people walking around in their 13th century robes. I’m sure people who are used to Catholic schools think there’s nothing weird about it at all, but for me, a person who went to public school and contemporary hipster churches all her life, it’s still kind of strange seeing a guy go by in a long black dress with a white collar.

Ironically, my actual coat is from AMIClubwear, which is probably not where the priests of the Congregation of Holy Cross are buying their clothes. I could be wrong, and I’m sure priests can buy clothes wherever they want when they’re off duty (is that what it’s called? Do priests go off duty?), but I’d be surprised.

I’m down to only one day of class left, and while I’m excited to not have to go to class anymore, I’m not excited for all the work I’m going to have to do before all of my final papers and projects are done. I have about 25 pages still to go (which is wayyyyyy down from the 62 or so pages I was looking at a few weeks ago), but I’m not in the clear yet.

Almost though. Just a week and a half more before I get to go back home to Lexington.

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!

Coat: AMIClubwear

Jeans: Hot Topic

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.

Jacket: AMIClubwear

Top: H&M

Jeans: Hollister

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.