Tag: notre dame

January 17, 2018 – Conclusions (OOTD #204)

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I think this jacket is it – the last new article of clothing I bought in London that I hadn’t yet worn.

As of January 17, 2018, I have worn every single thing I bought over my summer 2017 London trip – I guess, except for a vintage riding hat I bought in Shoreditch, but I don’t think that counts.

I would say this is a bittersweet, sentimental moment, but it’s really not – I mostly just find it weird that I bought this jacket in the summer and didn’t find a way to wear it until six months later. It’s not like it’s a winter coat that just wasn’t seasonal to wear until now; it’s literally just a light jacket I honestly could have worn a day after I bought it in July in a Zara on Oxford Street.

Why did I wait so long to wear it? I’m not entirely sure. It was probably one of my favorite purchases in London, so I guess I was hoping to save it for something special? A certain kind of spectacular outfit that would deserve to have my finest piece from a great trip as a part of it, you know?

But then there were no spectacular outfits that deserved to have my finest piece from a great trip as a part of it, at least, none that I could come up with. The proportions were always just a little off, or I didn’t feel like the outfit did the jacket justice. So I waited.

And then I got tired of waiting. I woke up on Wednesday morning, the second day of class  for the second semester of my freshman year, and I realized it was dumb to keep waiting for some kind of magical moment to prompt me to wear this jacket I liked. So I finally wore it with a perfectly average (average for me, at least) outfit, and brought my London fashion story to a close.

I think there’s a moral in there, but I don’t feel like figuring it out/putting it into words. Instead, I’ll leave you with this fun fact: I’m actually wearing the Zara jacket here with the exact same shirt I as the one I was wearing when I bought it and fell in love with it, meaning I’d known the right piece to pair it with all along. Haha.

Thanks for reading, and 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!

Jacket: Zara

Shirt: Free People

Skirt: Abercrombie

January 16, 2018 – Golden Hour at the Golden Dome (OOTD #203)

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Okay, so I’m technically not standing at or near the Dome here, but whatever.

As much as I appreciate the Dome for being iconic and a huge staple of campus and what the outside world imagines when they think of us, it’s kind-of weird taking photos in front of it, you know? It makes you look like an outsider to your own school, even though  I’m definitely a student here and I literal pass Main Building (super creative name, right? Our big famous building with the iconic golden dome atop it is literally just called “main building”) every day.

Instead, I take photos in front of boring locations like South Dining Hall or my own dorm building because I literally have no where else to go and it’s totally not at all awkward when people pass me posing in the middle of the sidewalk on their way to get food.

This lighting though? Amirite?

Last semester, I found myself usually forcing very kindly requesting that my friends take pictures for this blog after lunch every day, with some exceptions when I had to beg someone to take time out of their probably busy schedule and meet me somewhere to do them. This semester, or at least this semester as it’s played out so far, has turned out that I’m meeting people for dinner more often than lunch, meaning my photos have got to be done before sunset.

Today’s shots were taken pretty much literally at sunset – golden hour. It’s a little more orangey than I typically go for, but beggars can’t be choosers, so I take whatever I can get. Regardless, I do rather like the peachy, glow effect. It reminds me of the warmth of the sun that I haven’t seen since I left Kentucky and came back to the frozen cornfields of Indiana.

Thanks for reading, and 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!

Jacket: vintage

Sweater: thrifted

Jeans: Abercrombie

Scarf: the LOFT

December 14 , 2017 – I Heart Santa (OOTD #182)

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I would not necessarily have bought this sweater for myself.

I do rather like it though, and I’m glad I own it nonetheless. It was a gift I received from a Secret Santa exchange that my friends and I at Notre Dame decided to do. I suggested as a part of my wishlist that my Secret Santa should get me an ugly Christmas sweater, and this is what she came up with.

I’m not typically a fan of words on clothing, especially when those words declare, for me, my adoration for something else (as it is in this case, Santa). I’d rather just tell people I love Santa myself rather than having my sweater do it for me, y’know?

In fact, I don’t really love Santa. I mean, Saint Nicholas, the actual dude who devoted his life to giving to the poor, is actually pretty cool, but Santa, the old white guy who sneaks into people’s houses at night and leaves them presents? Sounds suspicious.

In fact, I was pretty young when I stopped believing in Santa. Of the mythical lies that parents tell their kids, Santa was the last one to go for me – the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny went first – but I had given up on him by kindergarten/first grade.

Interestingly, though, I continued to believe in flying reindeer for a little longer. Even after I had stopped putting cookies out for Santa (or at least, believing that when I put the cookies out, Santa ate them), I went out with my Dad on Christmas Eve to sprinkle “reindeer food” on the grass. I’m pretty sure it was just a mix of glitter and flour, but it was cool to me, regardless.

So no, I cannot say I particularly love the myth of Santa. Reindeer on the other hand? I’m still not convinced they can’t fly.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one with more updates on my life as an idiot college student. 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: Free People

Sweater: Thrifted

Skirt: Forever21

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December 13, 2017 – A Summer Dress in Winter (OOTD #181)

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Christmas Outfits Challenge 2017: Day 11

It’s odd, you know, I feel like this dress has the perfect Christmas pattern – it’s literally a mix of red and green flora, with a touch of a classic paisley design. The dress itself, however, is much more of a warm-weather textile, meaning of course, that I was pretty cold wearing it out in the 15 degree Northern Indiana air.

There’s something about the snow, though, that makes things feel warmer. Is it the sun reflecting off the white snow that adds a touch of heat? Is it the way that I just tend to wear a warm coat more often when I go outside in the snow than when it’s just chilly out, and so I feel warmer even though it isn’t really and it’s all in my head? I’m not sure.

Yet there’s just something about a layer of literal frozen water sitting atop the grass that makes me feel warmer, and like I can wear weather-inappropriate clothing outside. Anyone else feel the same?

It also helps that when I wore this outfit, I only had to go outside like once all day, and that was for my 8 AM French final. It was kind of miserable going out at 7:30AM for a 15 minute walk to the classroom in the 15 degree cold, but after that, I just relaxed in my warm room and procrastinated from studying for my Theology final.

The climate control in my room is absolutely horrid, but I must say – it’s always warm. That is a terrible reality in the summer, when staying in the room is the equivalent of staying in the fires of hell, but for now, when it’s actually cold out, it’s nice to be able to come home to a cozy room.

The…benefits of living in a nearly 100 year old dorm with nothing but one shabby radiator for two rooms?

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one with more updates on my life as an idiot college student. 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!

Dress: Abercrombie

Sweater: The LOFT

December 12, 2017 – Candy Cane Costume (OOTD #180)

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Christmas Outfits Challenge 2017: Day 9

Oops.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here, hasn’t it? I got quite busy there with my finals, but thankfully, it’s all over now. And by all, I do mean all – my entire first semester of college is finally over!

I don’t actually know if finally is the proper word there – it seemed to pass by so quickly. I’m pretty sure Welcome Weekend with its terrible forced socialization and matching t-shirts was just last month. For that matter, I’m pretty sure I just graduated from high school two months ago.

At any rate, I’m back home now, and looking back at these photos from when I was still at school feels so odd. It was only a few days ago, and yet the Meilin of December 12 (that was eight days ago? I really am terribly behind on these blogs) was in a completely different place than the Meilin of December 20 (the day of this blog’s original post). Notably, I’m significantly less stressed now that I don’t have the crushing weight of finals and the societal expectation to perform well pressing upon my shoulders.

In its place, I’ve taken up a festive holiday spirit. My parents and I went out and got a Christmas tree yesterday, and I’ve already baked some gingerbread cookies. I still have wrapping to do, the tree needs to be decorated, not to mention the entire outside of our house – Christmas is a busy time, man.

It’s a good busy though. Tomorrow, I’m doing more baking, decorating the tree (hopefully?), going hiking with a friend, and getting my hair done. Wish me luck! If I’m successful, I’ll hopefully get a blog in too.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one with more updates on my life as an idiot college student. 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!

Sweater: Forever21

Shirt: Thrifted

Skirt: J. Crew

Boots: LL Bean

December 11, 2017 – Brain Dead College Kid (OOTD #179)

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Christmas Outfits Challenge 2017: Day 8

Primal scream or person who’s just really happy it’s snowing out? 99% of people can’t tell!

This sweater is honestly one of my favorites – it’s oversized enough to be comfy, but still subtle-enough in its design that I can wear it unironically. It’s sort of like an attractive version of an ugly Christmas sweater.

In fact, I love it so much, it’s falling apart and I still haven’t gotten rid of it. I mean, I got it at a Goodwill, so I sort-of knew what I was getting into when I bought it, but now, I’m attached to it and I don’t want to let it go. I feel like I’m going to be wearing it still in 20 Christmases from now and all that will be left of it are a couple of knotted red strings.

In other news, I’m done with my first semester of college! I mean, the Meilin in these pictures wasn’t – she still had all of her finals to drag herself through – but the Meilin writing this blog several days later is!

First semester of college was honestly pretty fun – arguably much better than any one semester of high school. I’m glad it’s over though. I could use the month-long winter break.

Sorry, that’s but that’s basically all I’ve got to say about today. I’m brain dead. Send help.

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!

Sweater: Thrifted

Dress: American Eagle

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December 8, 2017 – December Splendor (OOTD #178)

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Christmas Outfits Challenge 2017: Day 7

Pardon the lack of a blog yesterday – finals and all, you know?

Actually, in truth, finals have not been the most pressing thing on my mind recently – I mean, sure, they’re a big deal and such and maybe I’m blowing them off more than I should, but I’ve been pretty distracted by this recent snowfall we’ve gotten.

It’s so weird – weather never distracts me like this. I guess I’ve also never had so much pretty snow in the weeks leading up to Christmas; it’s always too hot still in Kentucky in early December. This whole “white Christmas” thing is a foreign concept to me, but one that I’m happily adapting to.

Maybe part of it is just how pretty my school is. Like, with the exception of a couple of ugly buildings on North Quad that look like an 80’s attempt to be modern, Notre Dame’s just a really architecturally interesting school, and the snow just accentuates that, falling on the curves and angles of the buildings in such a way that it looks like a purposeful accent – a highlight, if you will. There’s a reason that like, half the photos of this blog are just me standing in random doorways.

Another part of it (me being distracted, that is) is that I’m just looking for ways to keep myself from studying for my finals because I don’t want to accept that to the possibility that they could actually cause my grades to fall at this point in the year…but I’m pretty sure that’s not a thing. Consequences? What consequences?

Thankfully, all I’ve got left though is Theology tomorrow morning, and then it’s all over. Then there’s packing, and returning my textbooks, and doing laundry, and cleaning the rooms, and going to bed at a decent-enough time so that I can wake up in time for a 4am bus to Midway – okay, so maybe it’s not over. Is it ever?

Anyway, wish me luck on my Theology exam tomorrow, or, if you’re feeling extra religious, pray for me. Maybe if I go to the basilica tonight I’ll earn some extra brownie points with God that he can then transfer to my exam.

Because if Theology has taught me anything, that’s exactly how God and Christianity operate!

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!

Sweater: H&M

Skirt: River Island

December 6, 2017 – The Final Countdown (OOTD #176)

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Christmas Outfits Challenge 2017: Day 5

Finals haven’t even started yet, and I’m completely done with them.

Done in the sense of “emotionally done” – not literally done. I wish they were literally done. I can’t wait for them to be over, and for me to be back home preparing for Christmas instead of exams.

I have to be honest though – I don’t really have much to complain about. Three of my classes just had papers instead of exams, so I’m done with those, and in the remaining three classes, my grades are fine – I’m not going to fail anything, and even if I do bomb an exam, I’ll still pass the class. Objectively, I’ve got nothing to be worried about.

Of course, though, I’m still worried. I remember, back in 9th grade, for my first round of high school finals, I was so concerned about my grades that I stayed up all night one weekend trying to prepare for my exams. I had no reason to – I had over 100 in several of those classes due to extra credit (in fact, in Biology, I would’ve had to have made a negative grade on the exam just to dip below an A), but because everyone around me was worried, I was too.

I’m pretty sure that’s what’s happening here again, though my grades aren’t quite as obnoxiously high as they were when I was 14. I’m going to pass my classes, and even if I pass them with something less than an A, that’s still fine, that’s still passing. There are people around me, though, who are actually freaking out, and have legitimate reasons to be doing so, so that vibe is feeding into my anxiety.

It’ll be fine, though, and in four days, I’ll be done, and I can go home and celebrate Christmas in full.

Notre Dame’s done a really nice job of trying to alleviate finals stress though with various events around campus; I must give them that. There’s been free food pretty much every day, plenty of Christmas-themed events (like the Christmas sweater sale I mentioned the other day), and lots of encouragement from everyone I’ve come across about how it’ll all be fine.

And with that, I should probably go back to studying. Bonus points if you count how many times I said “fine” in this blog. It’s pretty much my mantra at this point.

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: Forever21

Top: The LOFT

Scarf: The LOFT

December 5, 2017 – Irish You A Merry Christmas (OOTD # 175)

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One of the many reasons I love Notre Dame: the other day, in the LaFun student center, there was a vintage Christmas sweater sale.

I mean, granted, that’s not a common occurrence – it’s pretty rare for there to be any kind of market or vendor sale. This one was only happening as a fundraiser for some club on campus – and of course, because of the widespread need for Christmas sweaters for upcoming Christmas parties.

At any rate, it happened, and I’m glad it did. Not because I need more Christmas sweaters – because Lord knows I have plenty – but because I want more Christmas sweaters, and it’s not like I’m really able to go off campus very easily and shop the local Goodwills and Salvation Armies without a car. Notre Dame’s great, but the campus can be kind of isolating from the outside world, and I’ve been craving some good old-fashioned American consumerism.

At this Christmas sweater sale, I got this fun little jacket – something a little different from all the sweaters I own, right? Nothing says “hipster” quite like getting an ugly Christmas jacket while everyone else is getting Christmas sweaters. Plus, jackets tend to be more versatile than sweaters because they offer more opportunities for layering, so I’ll be sure to get plenty of use out of it before the end of this holiday season.

Speaking of the holiday season, nothing says festive holiday cheer quite like locking yourself in your dorm room all day and studying for finals in silence, right? Because that’s what I’ve been recently doing to prepare for Christmas. I’m not kidding about that silence thing either – there’s a 23 hour silence rule in all of the residence halls from now until the end of the semester when finals are done. I love it – not the studying for finals bit, but the quiet. Silence is as golden as the golden dome.

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 : thrifted

Skirt: Forever21

Boots: Doc Marten

Saturday Musings + Coffee – Snow Joke

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Get it? Because it’s a pun on “no joke” which is in itself a joke about snow…?

I really, really should not be allowed on the Internet to make terrible jokes like this – I’m just going to end up embarrassing my grandkids when they look back on the Internet archives to see what their grandmother was doing when she was a young adult.

Anyway, we here in northern Indiana, like a large chunk of the US, got a nice helping of snow last night! While not technically the first snowfall (that was actually Thursday), this is the first time we’ve had enough snow to actually do anything with, you know?

And what anything did I do with the snow? This morning, my friends and I took advantage of the fresh wintery coating to head outside and build a little snowman on South Quad. Here he is, sporting my gloves, scarf, and hat. Honestly, he wears them better than I do – I should probably just give up this blog and let him run it from now on.

After that, I sat in my dorm, drank some coffee, and did pretty much nothing for the rest of the day. I’ve got an essay to write, three finals to study for, and a concert tonight, and I have pretty much made no progress on any of these things! In fairness, I was pretty productive yesterday night…so that makes up for it, right?

I really do think it’s this wonderful snowy atmosphere that’s got me so easily distracted. I mean, sure, I can be easily distracted on any day, regardless of the weather, but today’s been especially bad. I just want to stand by a window, watch the snow fall, and listen to Christmas music, yo. This studying nonsense is cramping my style.

And with that cringey statement, I’m going to go before I embarrass myself further. Wish me luck on my work!

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!