Tag: j crew

September 11, 2017 – Petal to the Metal (OOTD #109)

Published on by lensembledujour8 Comments

(Is…is that pun an acceptable title? I debated about it for a while and I ultimately went for it because I couldn’t think of anything else…but I’m still not sure. After you’re done reading this blog, you’ll have to leave me a comment below to say if you got it or not.)

I think I’ve found my new favorite photo location on campus.

In these shots, I’m right outside South Dining Hall, which is perhaps the only not golden-beige brick building on campus – instead, it’s made of exotic reddish-brown brick. As I’m sure you know, red bricks are extremely rare – I don’t know if I’m ever even seen a red brick before in my life. So obviously, SDH is the greatest photo location in the world, case-closed.

Okay, so the brick is hardly worth getting excited about (well, maybe it is, as it’s the only red brick building I’ve seen here – though I never thought I’d say typical red brick was exciting…), what’s really nice here is the landscaping.

Check out those beautiful red flowers. Gaze in awe of their non-golden-beige-brick-ness.

For real though, what Notre Dame lacks in their buildings’ exterior color, they make up for in some really nice flowers and plants. If you ask me, that doesn’t entirely make up for how everything here is basically the same color…but it helps.

Unfortunately, flowers don’t last forever, and they – and the bursts of color they provide – will be gone in a few months. Hopefully, we’ll get some nice autumn leaves though, and from there, we’ll get some more color. Maybe?

In the meantime, expect more photos of me next to flowers.

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!

Jacket: Evan Picone (thrifted)

Skirt: J. Crew (thrifted)

Shirt: Banana Republic

August 31, 2017 – It’s Casual (OOTD #100)

Published on by lensembledujour4 Comments

I can’t believe I’ve never used that as a blog title before.

For real – blog titles are hard, and I’m not very good about being creative with them. Thus, my titles are usually some sort of dumb reference to pop culture that’ll probably be irrelevant within a few months, but mean that I don’t have to come up with anything intelligent on my own.

I spend most of my waking existence as a college student trying to fake being intelligent in class, so I figure this blog is a place where I can be myself, yeah? And  “myself” really just means being lazy and un-creative most of the time, lol.

Case in point – Thursday’s outfit. It was pretty much as simple as it gets – a white t-shirt and jeans. Granted, I like to think there was a little creativity in there, as layering the green barrette underneath and matching the suede choker to the suede shoes took some thought, but I’d be lying if I said I thought it was a masterpiece.

It’s not, and that’s okay! Not every outfit is a winner, and I’m happy so long as none of them are absolute losers. I’ve even already had some girls from my dorm start telling me that I “look nice everyday,” which is usually my goal when I move to a new place and have to establish myself as a fashion-conscious person. Gaining a reputation for being stylish is all about wearing consistently thoughtful outfits, while every once in a while throwing in a truly artistic one to remind people that you take fashion seriously, and every once in a while, having a dud because nobody’s perfect.

That’s all for today! 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!

Top: Target

Bralette: Aerie

Choker: Madewell

Jeans: J. Crew (thrifted)

 

July 7, 2017 – Shameless Tourist Style (OOTD #61)

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London: Day 3

Yesterday was what Amanda and I have been calling our “tourist day” because we hit all of the typical London tourist things: Big Ben, the Eye, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and the O2.


The two standouts of the lot were easily Westminster and the O2. Westminster makes the list because we kind-of, sort-of snuck in without paying admission – what we had planned on doing was simply attending one of the free Holy Communion services so we could at least see the inside a bit, but we ended up having to leave early because we were concerned about making an appointment we had at the O2. So we tried to slip out the back…just to find that the doors we had gone in had been closed off.

We probably wandered around the Abbey for 30 minutes trying to find the exit. I’m not complaining though, like I said, it allowed us to see more than we would have had we done what we originally planned to do, which was just admire the outside. Plus, we didn’t have to pay admission! Though I do feel kind of badly about that, wish I had found a place to leave an offering or something.


From there, we rushed over to the O2, where we had booked ourselves in for one of their Up at the O2 experiences, where you basically get to climb and walk up on top of the O2. It was spectacular – both the climb and the views. Since we’re lame and wanted to skip out on things like the Eye and Sky Garden to avoid waiting in lines, this was one of our only chances to see London from up high, so that was definitely neat. If you visit London, I would say that this is one experience you can’t miss out on, assuming you’re cool with heights.

That evening, the nieces of the woman we’re staying with took us out for dinner and drinks. In the US, the drinking age is 21, but here, it’s 18, so I got to have my first full alcoholic beverage as a legal adult. I ordered some sort of elderflower and gin cocktail, and it was actually quite good. Neither Amanda nor I had much trouble finishing our drinks off.


After that, we headed home. It was a long, exhausting day, and we just wanted to get some rest. London’s been fun, but also rather draining. I’m so glad I’m here though; it’s a nice way to spend a bit of the summer!

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 (thrifted)

Pants: J. Crew

Top: Thrifted

Trousers: J. Crew (thrifted)

 

June 21, 2017 – It’s the Summer Solstice, and I’m Dressed For Fall (OOTD #49)

Published on by lensembledujour20 Comments

I’d be lying if I told you I liked summer. 

Granted, I like certain aspects of summer – being off school, wearing shorts, eating ice cream – summer’s not a terrible season at all. Like any season, it has its merits and its faults. But for me, living in the hot and humid state of Kentucky, the faults outweigh the merits. 

I can stand heat. I don’t mind when it gets into the upper 80s (don’t mind, I say, as in can tolerate – not like),  but when it’s in the upper 80s and has a humidity of over about 40%, that’s when I draw the line. When the humidity hits in Kentucky, all those pleasant aspects of summer – the sunny skies, the warm air, the bright colors – melt into a hot, unpleasant, sticky mess that no one wants to out be in, especially me.


So naturally, today, being the summer solstice and the first day of summer, I decided to break out my fall jacket, scarf, turtleneck, jeans, and boots. Sensible, right?


Actually, my reasoning for dressing this way wasn’t purely vanity (though I’m sure that does play a part – as I’ve mentioned many times before, I don’t like to let the weather determine how I’m going to dress…mostly); I had work today, and it’s just easier to wear pants than a dress or skirt. Plus there’s the shaving…there are plenty of reasons where pants can be a good choice in summer.


And the turtleneck? It’s actually very lightweight and thin – if I’m not careful, you might even see my bra through it. So for modesty (and yes, fashion) I threw a light blazer on top. And what outfit could be complete without a scarf to tie it together – literally and figuratively?


So at first glance, this may seem like a fall outfit, totally impractical for summer heat, but it was actually quite comfortable. I stayed modest, stylish, and best of all, kept the blazing sun off my skin.


…or maybe I’m lying to myself and every time I stepped outside today, I felt like I was cooking in an oven, but I’m too stubborn to change. You can take your pick of explanations 😉

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

Pants: J. Crew

Shirt: Forever21

Jacket: Kohl’s

Shoes: Steve Madden


May 25, 2017 – Little Yellow Raincoat (OOTD #29)

Published on by lensembledujour10 Comments

Weather-wise, things were both lovely and awful today.


It was lovely in that here we are, late May, and it’s only 60 degrees out. And that’s the high. I personally hate the heat, so this cooler weather is a blessing for me and my taste in layered clothing, long sleeves, and pants.


But in terms of ickiness, it was rather chilly and rainy today. I went running this afternoon; that was an adventure trying to keep my eyes open as the misty, spitty rain kept falling in my eyes. Not to mention my wet hair.


Otherwise, it was a pleasantly dull day today. I slept in, after having been out so late last night, and worked on this blog. I set up a Twitter account for L’ensemble du jour, which I highly suggest you check out. I admittedly don’t have much in terms of posts yet, but I’m sure I’ll get a hang of it soon! Social media shoudln’t be that difficult of a challenge to conquer for a Millenial like myself, right?


No news on a job yet, but that’s okay. Worst case scenario, I know places like Panera and Home Depot are always hiring, so I’m sure I could get in somewhere like that if I was desperate enough.


Which I’m not, yet. Something will come up, right?


Since my life today consisted of sitting at home on the couch and eating ramen noodles, it wasn’t a particularly fancy day in terms of fashion. I did, however, find it rather appropriate to go for my classic yellow raincoat and forest green rain boots. Now, I’m not cool enough to have actual Hunter rain boots, but I do have these nice Michael Kors ones, so I’m still trendy. Kinda, sorta?


The rest of the outfit was fairly simple – some black leggings, a printed sweater that reads C’est la vie (I’m a fan of French, can you tell?) and a sparkly J. Crew necklace to dress things up. Can’t be too casual, even on a lazy day off!


For real though, that’s it. I wish I could tell you about all my exciting adventures and all the crazy things I did today, but in truth, it was just a lazy, sit at home and watch the rain fall type of a day. It was nice.


Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one! Shout out to my dog, Juliet, for being an excellent model.
Coat: North Face

Necklace: J. Crew

Sweater: Forever21

Boots: Michael Kors

And 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

May 23, 2017 – I Still Need a Summer Job

Published on by lensembledujour6 Comments

Seriously.


I need a job. I wish I had been able to start searching for one earlier, but, having been laid off unexpectedly, I wasn’t really aware I was going to be needing to look for one. 
I had another interview today, but again, I don’t know how it will turn out, seeing as I can only work for the summer. No one really seems to want a kid with a high school diploma as just a temp, you feel? And I can understand why, it’s awkward to train someone just to have them leave in two months. 


But I’m not here to sit and complain – today was actually quite nice, albeit exhausting. After my interview at 9AM (right after an interview I’d had at 6PM the night prior, mind you), I had about an hour to sit at home before I had to head back to the high school I’d just graduated from for more speech practice. Our actual graduation ceremony is tomorrow (about 5 days after our last day of school), so all of the class officers met to run through our parts one more time. 


My goodness, I can’t wait for it all to be over so I can finally relax.


The class sponsor got us all food though, which was totally unexpected and so kind. I was starving after my busy morning, so the french fries, quesadillas, and macaroni was definitely welcomed. 


As for outfit, it may be the second day of my summer vacation, but I have not had a day yet where I can just dress casually in shorts and a tank top! I’m not complaining though – I love to get dressed up. Since I had my interview so early in the morning, I ended up spending the day dressed in my most professional-looking J. Crew dress (that I actually got at Goodwill for like $5!) and a peplum jacket from H&M. 

So hey, here’s to hoping I find a summer job – one that’s forgiving to the idea of me only working for summer, and one that’s cool with me taking two weeks off to travel to London. 


Yeah…you could definitely say it’s a long shot.

Dress: J. Crew

Jacket: H&M