July 9, 2017 – Shoreditching (OOTD #63)

Oh dear, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?

When I started blogging, I promised myself I wouldn’t let it go so many days between posts that I had to apologize to my readers for my tardiness, yet here I am.

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Am I "edgy" yet

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In my defense, London has had me distracted in the best way possible. There’s so much to see and do here, and every morning, I found myself eager to get up and start the day and every night, I found myself exhausted from the day’s adventures.

No need to worry though – my dear friend Amanda has been doing an excellent job documenting my outfits over these last several days, so the daily blog posts will continue from now on, just with a bit of a delay. Perhaps it’s better this way – gives me more time to distance myself from the day and give a true reflection, eh?

Anyway, flashback to Sunday, July 9 – probably my favorite day for the whole of my trip. We saw Shoreditch that day, which, for those of you who don’t know, is a charming little neighborhood in London that’s basically a hub for hipster culture. There are dozens of amazing little vintage shops run by guys with beards and girls in beanies, and I spent more money than I probably should’ve in the Brick Lane Market.


But what was best about Shoreditch was that it wasn’t crawling with tourists like some of the other places we’ve seen have been. I get it, London is a big exciting city, and people from all of over the world flock to it as a center for western history and culture (myself included), but the huge tour groups and confused-looking people standing right in the middle of the street trying to read a map get a little annoying.


Granted, I’ve been that confused-looking person standing in the middle of the road before, but that doesn’t make it much less annoying.


Second best to the lack of tourists was the amazing street art in Shoreditch. I mean, just look at some of the gorgeous photos I got that day, and it had nothing to do with having interesting angles or particularly good lighting. It was all in the backgrounds; they’ve got some stunning works all over the place there, and I wish I could’ve stayed around to get even more photos.


I also had fish and chips from Poppies’, which is, according to Trip Advisor, one of the best fish and chips places in London. To be honest, I don’t really like cod, but this was pretty good. I don’t know, I’m visiting London, I feel like I have to taste the signature dish whether I really want to or not.

Shoreditch: 10/10 would recommend if you’re planning a London trip.

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It was as good as it looks, don't worry

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Art's pretty cool

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Street art is cool! (London edition)

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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!

Turtleneck: Free People

Skirt: Abercrombie

Top 5 Pinterest Picks for the Week 6-11-17

For those of you who know me well, you probably know that Pinterest has been a huge obsession of mine for years. Huge obsession as in before I was even using Instagram, Twitter, or Snapchat regularly, I was pinning away on Pinterest.

Before I got interested in blogging, before I even knew what “aesthetic” meant,” Pinterest was there. Like, I remember being a member of Pinterest’s beta phase, where I had to have a friend who already had an account send me an invite to even join!

Anyway, I figured this blog was a great excuse to share with you guys some of my favorite Pinterest finds for the week! Plus, I know all about having a small blog and trying to get some exposure, so anything I can do to help some other bloggers out, I’ll do. If you have a blog with original Pinterest content and you want to be featured on this series, hit me up with a comment below with a link to one of your pins and I’d be happy to give you a shoutout!

Oh, and if you’d like to check me out on Pinterest, please do! I’m constantly pinning – it’s like an addiction. I have boards on fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel food – you name it! Also, it would mean a lot to me if you’d go repin some of my fashion content from this blog – you can find it all on this board – to help me get some more exposure.

Anyway, without further ado, here’s my top 5 Pinterest picks for the week!

1. Elie Saab – Spring 2017 Couture

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I’ve been a huge fan of Elie Saab since forever. If I had $100,000 to go out spending willy-nilly on evening gowns, you can bet I would own at least 10 of his spectacular evening gowns. His designs always manage to be so alluring without being to showy, and I think that subtlety is what makes him a great designer. Other designers, like Alexander McQueen or Marchesa, like to make their haute couture stand out by having outlandish silhouettes or embellishments (and trust me, I have absolutely no problem with that!), but Elie Saab takes a more understated route. These are the kind of dresses you could wear to a red carpet event or wedding and get comments like “how elegant” rather than “how unusual.” Again, nothing wrong with unusual, but sometimes, it’s better to go for the crowd-pleaser.

2. Srevolrof – Messy Braids

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By the looks of it, this girl has an absolutely fabulous blog; the only downside is – for me, at least – it’s all in German! Regardless, blogging is a rather visual medium, so language doesn’t also act as such a barrier as it does in other endeavors. Thankfully, there’s this little thing called the Internet, so, after hours of pouring over German dictionaries (or about 3 seconds on Google Translate), I found out that this blog post not only showed off a fabulous messy hairstyle, but it was also in support of a charity for Nepal! I do love a girl with good hair and a good heart ❤️ Definitely go check her out!

3. Gal Meets Glam – Charleston in January

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It was actually rather difficult trying to find a fashion pin that actually linked back to its original source. The Internet is a wonderful place that allows us content creators to share and promote ourselves to a wide variety of audiences, but it also means it’s very easy for others to steal content and repost it without crediting its owner. I’m not saying everything on Pinterest has been stolen, of course, but it’s definitely worth being aware of, and I’m usually more likely to pin something if I see it comes from its original owner’s website, rather than another source, like Tumblr or Instagram. Anyway, I thought this girl’s style was really cute – effortlessly chic and feminine – and something I might try to recreate here on L’ensemble du jour. A lot of my outfits are inspired by what I see on Pinterest, actually, and that’s part of why I love the website so much,

4. Sunrise on Kilimanjaro – Hudson Henry

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Doesn’t this photo just speak for itself? I follow a lot of travel bloggers and photographers, but this guy’s work really stands out above the rest. In addition to just being a really beautiful location, it’s also a really intelligently staged shot, with the tiny silhouettes of the adventurers peeking out from the bottom corner. It allows the beautiful scenery to shine, while also making commentary on how small we humans are in the grand scheme of things. I’m not trying to wax poetic here – it’s just a really pretty photo in the end, regardless of interpretations you can take from it.

5. Noel Badges Pugh Art

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Those of you who’ve seen some of my OOTD posts from art galleries know, I’m kinda into art. I mostly consider it a hobby because I know I’m not really talented enough to make a true career out of it, but that’s part of why I love seeing artists who have been able to make it their profession online. This guy does some really detailed and colorful ink work that mixes the human body and nature, creating a really interesting, psychedelic look. Have a look at his Tumblr and go show him some love!

And that’s all for today! I hope you liked the first in this Pinterest Picks series. If you do, there will be more to come! 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.

 

April 28, 2017- Springtime in New York (OOTD #8)

New York City: Day 2

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An oldie but a goodie #throwbackthursday

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Another long day has passed, and lemme tell you – I am exhausted.
Today’s agenda has included a visit to the The Today Show, The Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, Little Italy, Chinatown, a Yankees game, and the Empire State Building.

If that sounds like a long day to you, believe me it was.

It was a ton of fun though!

The best parts were when me and a small group of friends were able to split off from the main group and explore the city in our own, such as our excursion to Little Italy.

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Street art is cool! (New York edition)

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I had the best food at a restaurant there called La Bella Vita. The pasta almost brought tears to my eyes, it was so delicious. Another bonus: our waiter had beautiful hair and an even more beautiful accent.
The outfit for today was built for both style and comfort. A high neck bralette layered under a lightweight canvas jacket meant I was prepared whether it was a sunny afternoon or a chilly morning (we experienced both). High waisted jeans meant I had more skin protected from the dirty New York surfaces, and my old black booties with a squat heel was comfortable to walk in.

That doesn’t mean my feet didn’t still feel like lead at the end of the day.

Jacket:

Bralette: Aerie

Jeans: Hollister

Also, be sure to check out my new Instagram! I just started it a day or two ago, and I’d really appreciate a follow! I follow back 😀