Tag: high school

August 3, 2017 – Schoolhouse Rock (OOTD #81)

Published on by lensembledujour11 Comments

Guess what? There’s only one outfit in this blog post!

That doesn’t, however, mean that there are going to be any less photos for this one. Why?

Well, after a nice, long day hanging out with Jane involving walking around not one, but two separate malls and having Starbucks iced coffees at both of them like the basic (practically) white girl that I am, we decided to drop by my old elementary school, Liberty.

Some history about Liberty Elementary – it was constructed back in 1923 as a little one room schoolhouse, and was, if I’m not mistaken, the oldest school in the Oldham County school district until its 2015 closing. In fact, Jane’s grandmother even attended there, and of course, I did as well, from 2005-2010.

It was a nice little school, and I have a lot of fond memories from there, including winning a dance-off against a girl I didn’t like in first grade, accidentally breaking the finger of a boy I had a crush on while playing four square, and pretending to be a cat for like, a solid week in kindergarten.

So it was very nice when Jane agreed to hang out at the now abandoned Liberty Elementary that evening, even though she doesn’t really have the nostalgia for it that I do. It’s getting a little creepy and run down-looking, and the fact that it was getting dark by the time we got there didn’t help.

But you can’t really be afraid of the school that you went to as a kid, can you? Sure, the random hallways that still lit (emergency lights I guess?) and the giant X over the door of the playground entrance were kinda spooky, but I knew this place, and so the spookiness didn’t hit me that hard.

You could say that we weren’t exactly supposed to be there…especially given the signs that said “No trespassing” (in both English and Spanish, as Jane pointed out to me), but we caused no harm, and we didn’t even go in. There was no way to, actually, even if we’d really wanted to – the doors and windows were all locked.

How do I know that? I might’ve checked a few…or something. Not because I wanted to see inside, of course – just wanted to make sure there wasn’t any rain getting in, right?

Eventually, Jane got tired of me walking in circles and snapping photos of every other door and peering in every third window, so she went off to sit in the car. And since she was kind enough to entertain me for even that long, walking around some creepy old building that she probably didn’t care about, I soon followed.

I would definitely go back though! Maybe in daylight, for some clearer photos…and maybe with a crowbar…

I’m kidding, of course.

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!

 

August 2, 2017 – The Blog Post of 1000 Outfits (OOTD #80)

Published on by lensembledujour7 Comments

I’m going to apologize for two things here: 1) not posting a blog for a few days, and 2) returning to posting blogs with an obscenely picture-heavy post with about four separate outfits in it.

The four separate outfit thing is less directly my fault though – my dad and I went canoeing for the first part of the day, so I had the outfit I wore for that, then the bathing suit I wore underneath for when we stopped and swam in the river, then the outfit I changed into afterwards since my first outfit was wet and dirty, then the dress I changed into when my friend, Jane, and I went out to dinner.

So you see, the costume changes were all necessary to the day and totally not all due to me simply being an excessive person who likes excuses to change her outfit. What, you think I’d start a fashion blog and actually enjoy putting together outfits?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXseat9FBee/

Pshaw.

Anyway, my dad and I started out day at about 5:00 AM with a two-hour drive out to Milltown, IN in order to catch an 8:45 bus down to the Blue River for canoeing. This – canoeing on the Blue River –  is a tradition we’ve had since I was a kid, maybe third grade or so. It used to be that we’d go along with some of my friends and their dads, in sort-of a daddy-daughter thing, but over the years, people moved away, and the tradition sort of died off.

In truth, we hadn’t even done it for years ourselves. But, with me going off to college in a few weeks, we thought it would be a nice time to bring it back.

And I’m glad we did. Canoeing is a low-key kind of fun; there’s not a ton of screaming and laughing, and conversation’s quite difficult since you’re sitting one in front of another, but it’s a nice way to simply enjoy each other’s company. The part of the Blue River that we canoed (didn’t know that was a word) down was really pretty, and there were a couple of banks where we stopped to walk around the woods and wade in the river as a break from sitting.

Also, the sunglasses are back! Thank goodness. I wasn’t about to wear eye makeup while canoeing and swimming, and I also wasn’t about to be doing pictures without either eye makeup or my sunglasses.

About three and a half hours later, around 12 noon, we reached the end of our trip. From there, I took on my second costume change of the day (the first being changing from my canoeing clothes into my bathing suit while still on the river), changing one dirty, wet top for a clean, dry one.

We then stopped in Louisville in the Bardstown Rd. area (very cute and hipster, by the way – almost like a little Shoreditch) for lunch, and, though I didn’t intend to take any more pictures, I couldn’t resist when I saw this big beautiful wall with a colorful mural on it. Then, I ate a popsicle, and I thought that would make for a good shot too…you see now why this is such a picture-heavy post?

Up next, I met up with my friend, Jane, who lives in Louisville. Jane and I became friends in 6th grade, and a year later, I moved away to Lexington. Regardless, we’ve stayed friends through texting and social media (and before texting and social media were huge, emailing and IMing), and we visit each other a few times a year.

That leads to my next costume change of the day – a beautiful pale pink maxi dress Jane bought in France and gave to me since it didn’t fit her anymore. We were going out to dinner that night, and I thought, you know, why not change out of my slightly ratty canoeing/Bardstown Rd clothes and into this new dress?

Thankfully, that fourth time was also the last time I needed to change clothes for the day…unless you count the pajamas I changed into at Jane’s house. I guess that would’ve made for five? Oops.

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 1: Forever21

Shorts: Forever21

Coat: North Face

Shirt 2: Hollister

Dress: Unknown (gifted)

July 26, 2017 – Modeling For The Powell Spring/Summer 2017 Collection (OOTD #75)

Published on by lensembledujour4 Comments

Yes, after years of waiting for my big break, countless headshots, and strict diets, I’ve finally landed my first serious modeling gig for a professional designer.

That…that’s sarcasm if you can’t tell. Sorry, I probably could’ve kept that joke running for longer, but it was so ridiculous that I felt uncomfortable, lol. The real story is that I’ve got a friend, Terence, who just this summer has picked up sewing as a hobby. He texted me and asked if I would be willing to be the model for what he was making, so how could I refuse?

If I’m not mistaken, I think this skirt is the second complete piece Terence has made, and while I don’t really know anything about sewing or technique, I must say, it’s pretty impressive. Certainly better than anything I could’ve made! I can do buttons and maybe mend torn seams, but that’s about the extent of my ability.

It was actually originally going to be a dress, but he unfortunately, he ran out of time trying to complete it. See, he really wanted me to wear it out for a show we were going to see in Cincinnati, but by the time Wednesday rolled around, all he had done was the skirt and some of the parts of the top. The judges on Project Runway might not have been impressed with his time management skills, but regardless, he managed to “make it work” (*prays for someone to laugh at that Tim Gunn joke*) by simply sewing and pinning the skirt until it was wearable on its own.

As for the styling of the outfit, that was actually a lot to do with Terence too. I brought several tops and jackets over while he was still sewing so we could figure out what would work best, and he chose this black dragon scale top out of all of the other pieces. And to be honest? I think he made the perfect decision.

The skirt is flowy and feminine, with this exquisite if slightly flashy pattern, so it contrasts nicely with the harsh, utilitarian look of the top. I call it my dragon slayer shirt,  usually pairing it with similarly post-apocolytic-styled pieces , but it occurred to me as I was looking through my closet for something to complement the skirt that perhaps it could work as a juxtaposition piece as well. Terence evidently agreed, and we wound up with outfit consisting of a bright, tropical skirt, a dark, edgy top, and a belt with the sole purpose of hiding the pins holding the pleats together – perhaps one of the most interesting combinations I’ve ever worn.

And the whole outfit was a huge hit at our show! I got plenty of compliments on it (both the top and the skirt, sometimes together and sometimes individually), and with every comment, I was able to point to Terence and say “Actually, my friend here made it!” I think he was really pleased with the attention his work got – he’s not really the type of guy who likes the limelight, but he’s also hardly shy to some flattery.

Looks like that’s it for today, so 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: Unknown (gifted)

Skirt: Terence Powell

May 9, 2017 – How To Wear Your Tourist-y Shirt From Chinatown

Published on by lensembledujour2 Comments

What an absolutely exhausting day it’s been.


First, I had to take my AP Calculus BC exam this morning, which absolutely kicked my butt, but honestly, could have been much worse. Then, I had to take my AP French exam in the afternoon, which absolutely kicked my butt and honestly, was about as bad as it possibly could’ve been.


But it’s fine! Because now all my AP exams are over and I never have to deal with that stressful crap again! Thank goodness.
It was a long, stressful, ugly day, but now it’s done, and it’s basically smooth sailing from here on out until the end of senior year. I have no finals that jeopardize my grades, I have no big projects, and most of my classes have stopped giving actual instruction.


Today’s outfit was, I admit, on the lazy side. But what else was I supposed to wear – I spent my entire day sitting at a desk in a room by myself taking tests and scratching my head nervously when I didn’t know the answer. Comfort was key. So I took this opportunity to not be seen today to wear my corny NYPD shirt I got in Chinatown while in New York. I layered it under a grey utility jacket so things weren’t too boring, and wore it with plain black leggings (with fleece lining!) so things weren’t too uncomfortable.


Along with my police shirt, I wore my mirrored sunglasses, just to keep with the theme, lol.



See you next time!
Shirt: A dinky little tourist shop in Chinatown

Jacket: Forever21
Bonus mirror selfie:

 

May 3, 2017

Published on by lensembledujourLeave a comment

You know, I think I’m gonna stick with the pattern of uploading these blogs a day after the outfit is worn.

I don’t know how other fashion bloggers do it, but it seems like the easier thing to me. It’s kinda difficult to take photos of the outfit AND type up the blog about it in the same day – it’s much easier to take the pictures the day before and then write the blog in my spare time as the day goes on. Plus, this way, I have more time to process what I want to write about each outfit instead of just spitting it out as quickly as possible.


Today was a pretty quiet day. Most are, anymore, here at the end of the school year, but this one was especially. There’s just not a lot left to do for us seniors: some finals, AP exams, and graduation preparation. Otherwise, school has devolved to babysitting.

I’m very grateful for the education I’ve received here in this high school, but it’s definitely grown tiresome after four years. Am I really ready to move on? I certainly feel that way, but it’s possibly just fhe senioritis talking. The prospect of moving out still terrifies me.


But on to brighter topics, today was a fun day, outfit-wise. I actually bought this fun dress with an earth-toned print way back at the beginning of junior year, and if I remember correctly, I wore it on the second or third day of school. The hat is also nothing new – if you’ve been following this blog within the last few days, you’ll notice I also wore it out while in New York! As today was much like yesterday – rainy in the morning and sunny in the afternoon – a hat made for a perfect compromise to shield me from the rain and the sun.

Finally, I matched the print of the dress with this lovely necklace that my mother got years ago when Coldwater Creek sold clothes in actual stores, and they catered to people other than old ladies.

As much fun as this outfit was, I’m feeling it was a little tame. Tomorrow, I’m definitely going to go for something a little edgier – it’s been too long since I’ve worn my ripped black skinny jeans.
See you then!
Dress: Forever21

Hat: Target

Necklace: Coldwater Creek


No bonus mirror selfie today. It’s not that I didn’t take one – but by the time I did, it was so late in the day that the lighting was horrible, so you probably wouldn’t want to see it anyway.

April 30, 2017 – Until Next Time (OOTD #10)

Published on by lensembledujour1 Comment

New York City: Day 4.

I’m gonna keep this one short because it’s getting late and I’m about to catch my plane home. In truth, I’m glad to go. I’ve been raving about how much I love New York, and trust me, that hasn’t changed, but what I love is the city, and I don’t want to leave – but that’s not necessarily true for the people I’m with.

That’s not really anything against these kids – I can’t think of any group of 40 people who I could tolerate spending 24 hours a day with for 4 days. We’ve had a ton of fun together, but I’m ready to get away from them for a while.

img_9903-1

Today was a pretty-low key day. We went to the 9/11 museum, went back to Little Italy for lunch, and then did some shopping around Chinatown and Times Square. The 9/11 museum was easily one of the highlights of the trip. It was such a moving experience, but I didn’t take any photos there – it didn’t seem appropriate.


Outfit-wise, things were pretty low key as well. I went for all black – not for any particular reason, but sometimes I just feel a little edgy. You really can’t go wrong with black.

And that’s it for today. I should be home before too long, and then it’s back to school tonorrow. Goodnight for now.

Top and shorts: H&M

Choker: Francesca’s

Bonus mirror selfie:

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 😀

April 29, 2017 – On Top of the World (OOTD #9)

Published on by lensembledujour2 Comments

New York City: Day 3

Here we are, with our third and second-to-last Day in New York winding down to a close. In the entire time I’ve been here, the most prominent emotion I’ve felt is exhaustion.

But after exhaustion, what I’ve felt is joy.

I love New York. In fact, it always surprises me when I hear the other kids in my tour group say that they could never stand to live here – for me, it’s more like how could I not live here?

Yes, it’s dirty and crowded and the people are rude, but it’s just the kind of dirty, crowded, rudeness I adore.

Today was spend doing mostly tourist-y things (okay, this entire trip has been pretty tourist-y). We hit St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Top of the Rockefeller Center in the morning and then the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the afternoon.

The outfit for that part of the day was a pair of loose, colorful shorts and a denim top. It was simple, but practical for the day’s purpose – which was a hell of a lot of walking. To make things a little more interesting, I layered a simple gold necklace   on top for something of a boho look.

That evening, we took a dinner cruise on the Spirit of New York.

View this post on Instagram

新年快乐 / happy chinese new year !🏮

A post shared by Meilin || L'ensemble du jour (@lensembledujour) on

I changed into something a little fancier – a traditional Chinese silk qipao dress.

View this post on Instagram

boom boom (qi)pao

A post shared by Meilin || L'ensemble du jour (@lensembledujour) on

There aren’t many occasions where I can wear this out (in fact, Chinese New Year is probably one of the only occasions I ever wear it) but I decided to make an exception this time. It looked sad and dejected sitting there in my closet unworn, so I packed it because it’s a crime to not wear a dress like this that fits so well.The boat itself was nothing special, but, with the sun setting and the water sparkling, the marina it was docked on made for some beautiful photos with my friends.

 

View this post on Instagram

Concrete jungle wet dream TOMOATOOOOOOOO 🍅

A post shared by Meilin Scanish (@meilin_scanish) on

That’s it for now. I’m exhausted, and I fly home tomorrow.
Outfit 1 –

Shorts: Francesca’s

Top: Ann Taylor LOFT
Outfit 2 –

Dress: eBay
Bonus mirror selfies:

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 😀

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

Published on by lensembledujour7 Comments

New York City: Day 2

View this post on Instagram

An oldie but a goodie #throwbackthursday

A post shared by Meilin || L'ensemble du jour (@lensembledujour) on

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.

View this post on Instagram

Street art is cool! (New York edition)

A post shared by Meilin || L'ensemble du jour (@lensembledujour) on

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 😀

April 27, 2017

Published on by lensembledujour1 Comment

New York City, Day 1:

Greetings from New York! What a long day it’s been. And I don’t just mean that figuratively – I have been up since 3 AM. It is now 11 PM in the evening, and we’re still going.
It’s been a great day though! Our flight left from Kentucky at a bright and early 6 AM and landed in NYC at around 8. Not bad, right?

Not quite. Our school group was split into two groups, and the second group didn’t arrive until 10ish, meaning I had two hours to sit around LaGuardia and drink coffee, play cards, and *attempt* to take chic airport photos.


Once we finally got our entire group together, we loaded up our luggage into a tour bus and sat. And sat and sat and sat. I’m gonna be honest, it kinda sucked.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore New York. But a tour bus with a broken air conditioner is NOT the way to do it.


The best part of the afternoon was stopping in Central Park for hotdogs and a brief stroll.


My friend and I might have gotten a bit lost, and we might have separated from our group just to realize we couldn’t remember the rendezvous point, but it turned out okay in the end! Plus, I got some killer photos of the city.

So what does one wear for a day of flights, tour buses, and walking around the city? For me, the answer was simple black leggings, a basic white tee, and an oversized grey jacket. The fun wasn’t in the outfit itself here – it was in the accessories. I love this big floppy black sun hat – it makes every outfit a little more chic.

That evening, we headed out to a Broadway production of A Bronx Tale. A Broadway production, of course, requires something a little more fancy than leggings and a t-shirt, so after freshening up at the hotel, I had to change.

 

This outfit involved a eyelash lace red dress with sheer mesh at the chest layered under a bedazzled cardigan, all tied together with some black tights.

Fun fact: I wore that red dress to the Sadie Hawkin’s Dance my sophomore year, and I got the sweater at an H&M when I visited NYC in fifth grade!

The nice thing about Broadway musicals is, no matter how little you like the plot, the characters, or the songs, you can always be assured that the talent and the production value will be top notch.

View this post on Instagram

here’s an old one

A post shared by Meilin || L'ensemble du jour (@lensembledujour) on

I’m no theatre critic, but I found A Bronx Tale quite enjoyable!

That’s all for tonight. I’m exhausted. See you in Day 2.

Outfit 1 –

Jacket: Forever21

Shirt and leggings and hat: Target

Outfit 2 –

Dress: MissGuided

Jacket: H&M

Tights: Ann Taylor LOFT

No mirror selfies today. Also, if you’re wondering why some photos have the usual brick background of my house, it’s because I took them in advance in case I didn’t have time to get photos while I was out!

April 24, 2017

Published on by lensembledujourLeave a comment

I’m afraid to say, my friends, that I have been struck with plague.

The priest is coming at sundown to administer the last rites. I only hope he arrives before it’s too late…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTSMxVQDLb9/

Of course, I’m exaggerating. But this cold I woke up with this morning certainly feels killer – stuffy nose, sore throat, pounding headache – the works

So what’s a teenager to do when she wakes up with a minor cold? Why, stay home from school of course.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTTv3gHjbFx/

Now, I don’t consider myself an overly lazy person – I always do my work on time, even if it sometimes only gets done at the last minute due to procrastination. Still, today felt like a pretty good day to take off, since I’m still reeling from the stress and exhaustion of prom (which was lovely, by the way. A wonderful way to wrap up senior year).

I say I’m not an overly lazy person – and that applies to even my lazy, sick day outfits. Even though I just sat around the house and no one but my dad saw me today, I still wanted to put a stylish spin on comfort clothes. I wore sweatpants, but I made sure they were well-fitting sweatpants. I wore a cheap camisole, but I layered it over a bright bralette to keep things interesting. I wore an oversized cardigan, but I made sure it was the only baggy thing I wore I could have the contrast  of tight and loose.

I couldn’t resist just wearing my ratty old fuzzy slippers though. Not everything has to be stylish.

Here’s to hoping I feel better soon.

 

Sweater: Forever21

Sweatpants: Abercrombie

Bralette: Aerie

Bonus mirror selfie: