Tag: river island

September 12, 2019 – Order in the Court (OOTD #561)

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I almost titled this “Supreme” in reference to the overpriced fast fashion company that everyone was super into for a hot minute in 2018, but I ultimately decided I disliked Supreme so much that I didn’t even want to give it a reference in a blog title.

After our class visit to the Capitol, our next stop was the Supreme Court. We’re making the rounds to the three branches of government, meaning the White House will get a post later in the semester.

If I had to choose one of the three main government buildings in DC to work in (the Capitol, the Supreme Court, or the White House) based on design alone, I think the Supreme Court would be my pick. The Capitol is huge and rather lacking in windows, and the White House just feels too much like a rich person’s house than an office building. I feel like the Supreme Court strikes a nice balance of austerity and beauty, though it too could use some more natural light.

I know these big important government buildings have to be secure so that no one can just shoot a Supreme Court Justice through a window or something, but there must be some way for them to not be so dark and cold. Maybe they could get some of those natural light bulbs that they use on plants.

To their credit though, at least they’re not in the brutalist style of some of the government agency headquarters here in DC, like the State Department or the FBI. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a building as ugly and sad-looking as the FBI — to be honest, I think that was the designer’s intent. Sure, the Capitol building could use more plants and windows, but I would say that about every structure that’s not an actual greenhouse, and those are nitpicks in comparison to some of the buildings that look like they come straight out of 1984 (the novel, not the year — in terms of years, they look more like 1964).

The Supreme Court tour my class went on was fairly short — as is the case with a lot of these tours of functioning government buildings, they won’t let you see a whole lot. We went before the court season began, so we didn’t get to see any proceedings, but they let us into the main courtroom to sit and look around for a minute. While it’s not a picture sitting in Justice Ginsberg’s chair while wearing a powdered wig, I did get this shot from the doorway, which is more than most people can say.

That’s about it for today. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one with more updates on my life this semester in Washington, DC. 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!

Top: The LOFT

Skirt: River Island

November 28, 2019 – Bowties Are Cool (OOTD #415)

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A long, long time ago, back in the Stone Age that was 2013, I tried to get into the Superwholock fandom.

I was really into Tumblr at the time, like many young teenage girls, and there was nothing hotter to me than Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock. And back then, you couldn’t look at anything Sherlock-related without also coming across content for Supernatural and Doctor Who; for some reason, the fandoms often overlapped.

And so, for a person who’s never really been interested in Supernatural or Doctor Who, I know a lot about their fandoms by extension/ And by “know a lot about their fandoms,” I mean I know some of the major catchphrases and references — notably the 11th Doctor’s quip, “Bowties are cool.”

2013 was the age of hipsters: hipsters with horn-rimmed glasses, oversized sweaters, and bow ties. I’m not yet sure if I’m proud to admit that I bought into the trend. Somewhere out there on the Internet are probably images of me with fake hipster glasses, an infinity scarf, and a Starbucks coffee. In five more years, it’ll be horribly dated, and in another ten, it’ll look classy and vintage.

Anyway, this outfit was my tribute to my brief Doctor Who phase and the “bowties are cool” meme. Should outfits be based around  years-old memes? Maybe not. The last thing this blog needs is a Grumpy Cat or Rage Face outfit.

But Karamo Brown himself complimented my outfit, so maybe it wasn’t such a bad inspiration. He was here at Notre Dame giving a talk (a talk that I helped organize, I’ll mention), and afterwards, a few of us from student government got a brief meet-and-greet. Little did he know, my outfit was based on 2013 Matt Smith. I’m not sure if he would have been so complimentary had he know that.

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!

Shirt: Banana Republic

Skirt: River Island

October 31, 2018 – I Know What You Are (OOTD #401)

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Edward: Say it. Out loud. Say it!
Bella: Vampire.

I don’t remember quite what I thought about Twilight when I was 11 and I first read it — I don’t think I thought it was any kind of great literature, but I also don’t remember thinking it was as bad as people said. I didn’t really want a boyfriend who acted like Edward…maybe just one who looked like him. I also thought the vampire powers were cool.

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i was always more of a team edward person

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As someone cleverer than me once put it, everyone had a Twilight phase. You were either weirdly obsessed with it, or weirdly despised it to the point of obsession. Either way, you cared way more about it than you should have. 2008 was a simpler time.

Anyway, this Halloween, my friend Lan Anh and I decided to channel our inner 2008 vampire personalities for these outfits. We went to a cemetery and everything for our photos. It’s about as extra as I’ve ever gotten for an OOTD post.

But this outfit seemed to call for it. Plus, whenever I’m with Lan Anh, I know with confidence that I’ll get some good pictures. She doesn’t blog, but she likes to have a colorful, aesthetically-pleasing and up-to-date Instagram, so we’ll often go out and get pictures together.

Today, I wound up as her shorter but sparklier vampire counterpart. We didn’t plan out outfits to coordinate like this, but when we realized they did, we knew we needed to go out and get pictures together. I would have gotten photos by myself anyway, but I’m glad I had a friend with me. I’m mostly used to having a feed full of just photos of me at this point, but I like it when I can get others in it with me. Feels less lonely.

Plus, when you’re a million year-old vampire like me, you need as many other vampire friends as you can get. Why do you think Edward lives with the rest of the Cullen family?

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 home. 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: Anthropologie

Top: River Island

Skirt: Zara

Tights: Target (apparently Target is the source of all of my Halloween pieces!)

August 2, 2018 – Steak n’ Shake Aesthetic (OOTD #339)

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I don’t remember this episode of Riverdale.

Believe it or not, the way my outfit perfectly matched with the aesthetic of this Steak n’ Shake in Louisville was totally unintentional — in fact, I put this outfit together for a show Amanda and I went to that night.

This will likely be irrelevant information to solid 99% of my readers, but for anyone who was curious, the show I went to was Interactive Introverts, the live stage show by the popular British Youtube comedians Dan and Phil. The stage set up and aesthetic of the show very much matched the red, black, and white of my outfit, which was why I coordinated it that way.

Regardless, I didn’t take any photos of myself at the show, so I guess it wasn’t very important that I matched so well.

Interestingly, though, I matched perfectly with the Steak n’ Shake we stopped at on our way back home after the show was over! To be honest, I’m still in awe of the fact that I didn’t end up clashing horrifically or something with the red of the walls — that’s serendipity if I’ve ever seen it.

You know what else was serendipity? This was my last day of work! It kind of came as a surprise though — see, my last day wasn’t supposed to be for another week, August 9th. My boss came in as I was working though, and told me that due to a scheduling conflict with another employee, they were letting me off early while still paying me for the final week.

That leaves me with the rest of the summer free, save for two more days with the Secretary of State in Frankfort. We’ll see if I make good use of those days, preparing for school, packing up, and being productive, or if I spend most of my time sleeping and procrastinating. My money’s on the latter.

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 home in Kentucky. 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: Adidas (thrifted)

Top: River Island

Skirt: Zara

May 1, 2018 – Pop Punkish (OOTD #277)

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One of these days, I’m going to accidentally miscount these OOTD numbers and I’ll never notice because I never check.

I love fashion because I can go from feminine and soft one day to punkish the next. I don’t really have any claim to the title of a real punk person, but I like the aesthetic.

I’m pop punk, if you will — an easily digestible and more mainstream version of the real culture.

For as much as I like my punkish fashion and my pop punk music, I’ve never really gotten into a real punk scene. Maybe it’s because there really wasn’t one in Kentucky — and there certainly isn’t one at Catholic School ™. If I was ever to shave my half of my head and participate properly in the punk renewal of the 2010s, I’d probably have to move to London where I’d feel less alone about it.

Besides, I have no tattoos. Can you really be punk without tattoos covering at least one of your appendages?

I can’t imagine having a sleeve of tattoos at Notre Dame. Not that it’s against a dress code or anything — there is none — but I would certainly be alone in that fashion statement. I’ve complained about this before, but Notre Dame students are about as vanilla as it gets, which is interesting, given how much money a lot of their families have. If they wanted to dress more interestingly, they certainly have the resources to do so, but you don’t really see anyone flaunting it in that way.

High school fashion is, in my opinion, still where it’s at. You get a nice mix of neon-haired emo kids along with the Lilly Pulitzer-wearing preps (did I just say “prep” to designate a  culture? Is this 2006 MySpace?). It’s a good, diverse environment for creative expression.

Of course, most people still just wear yoga pants and sweaters everyday…but I can’t blame them. The diversity of cultures in public school (at least in mine) was nice, but that was about it. My school was also freezing 99% of the time, and you never knew which teachers were going to be sticklers about dress code, so dressing up wasn’t always the most practical option.

Anyway, 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!

Top: River Island

Pink top: Forever21

Skirt: 

Boots: Doc Marten

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

October 31, 2017 – Even More Late to the Halloween Party (OOTD #149)

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Fun fact: I had to look to a WordReference forum to find out how I should word this blog title – “even more late” or “even later.”

My findings: neither one really sounds right, and no one on WordReference knew what was proper and what wasn’t. One user suggested saying “even more behind schedule,” but then I wouldn’t have the fun continuity from the October 30 blog titled, “Late to the Halloween Party,” and the October 31 blog titled, “Even More Late (Even Later?) to the Halloween Party,” so I just went for what I felt like.

Feel free to leave me a comment telling me I’m wrong.

Seeing as I already devoted an entire blog to the topic, I’m not going to whine today about the issue of my blog delay resulting in awkward moments where I’m posting about a festive Halloween outfit days after Halloween is over.

Do note, however, that it bothers me, and I’m still trying to think of a way to post topical date-specific blogs on their respective dates without giving up the comfort of not needing to rush to take my outfit photos and write about that same outfit in a single day.

Anywho, I’ve barely left my room all day today, and it feels fantastic. The Meilin of October 31 was put-together, dressed for a festive holiday, and posing in front of the most beautiful building on campus (the Basilica); the Meilin of November 5 hasn’t looks like a slob, hasn’t gotten out of her pajamas, and has been sitting in the same place that she has been for several hours, alternating between doing her French homework and looking at WordReference forums.

It’s been a dull, unproductive day, but that’s alright. Some days are like that; they’re balanced out by days that are exciting and productive.

…which, you know, I can’t remember the last time I had, but I’m sure they’re out there. Look, I just want to feel justified for being lazy today, okay?

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: Target

Top: River Island

Skirt: Rue21

September 22, 2017 – Bright Sun, Wet Hair (OOTD #118)

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While in yesterday’s post, my hair looked odd because it was greasy, today it looks odd because it’s clean. And still wet.

But hey, at least it’s clean now. It’s unfortunate it wasn’t dry by afternoon when I did my pictures, but trust me, it would have been more unfortunate if it were still dirty.

Ho hum. I swear, one of these days, I’ll have a post where I don’t have any complaints to make about the state of my hair, the quality of the photo, or what’s going on in the background. I don’t know when that day will be, but I’m sure it’s going to happen eventually.

Actually, I have no complaints about my outfit at all in this set of photos – I’m legitimately pleased with how it turned out. I’m even more pleased that I managed to put it together in one of my before-class frenzies with no pre-planning at all. There’s something a little unconventional going on there with the layering of the halter bralette under the ruffled off-the-shoulder top, and the skirt is exquisite all by itself – no creative styling required.

In the end, it all just made for a nice outfit. I like to think all of my outfits are nice (if I didn’t, I probably shouldn’t have a fashion blog, right?) but this one is especially so.

As this was a Friday outfit, I actually only wore it for half a day. On Fridays, I’m done with classes by 11:30, so I bother a friend from my residence hall to snap a few pictures for me, and then I change into my pajamas. If I’m lucky, I even snag a nap! It’s too bad that such a nice outfit didn’t get more exposure, but that just means I’ll have to wear a variation of it again some time in the future. I try not to repeat outfits, but I have no problem with drawing inspiration from past ensembles.

Wish I could stay and write longer, but I’ve got two exams tomorrow that I haven’t studied much for, so I’m afraid I need to get going on that. Wish me luck!

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: Hollister

Bralette: Aerie

Skirt: River Island

July 6, 2017 – Full But Fulfilling (OOTD #60)

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London: Day 2


We headed into the city for the first time today, and I feel like we did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself.


We purchased travel passes for a week so we’ll be able to make it around the city via bus, train, or the Underground (it’s still very hard for me not to say subway, haha). Took the Greater Anglia train into Liverpool Street from Broxbourne, and from there, we can hop on the Underground to get about anywhere.


I love the Underground. It’s ridiculously easy to navigate – totally different from the subway system in New York, which is a mess that I’ve ridden plenty of times and still don’t quite understand. Another huge help is that I downloaded an app called CityMapper, which helps you decide what transport to use based on your location and where you want to go. 10/10 would definitely recommend – I don’t know where I would be without it!

Today was a pretty full day – we saw St. Paul’s Cathedral (didn’t go in because it cost like 20 pounds and we’re cheap), and then we got lunch at a place called Ask For Janice, where we heard they had some of the best crumpets in town.


I’ve admittedly never had crumpets before, so I don’t know how they compared to other crumpets, but they were really good! I’d definitely go back. Crumpets, if you haven’t heard of them, are basically small pieces of bread kind of like an English muffin that have been coated with about 5 cups of melted butter – terribly unhealthy I’m sure but also terribly tasty.


From there, we got back on the Underground to get to the British Museum for afternoon tea. Amanda and I both ordered elderflower, and it was absolutely delicious. Probably some of the best tea I’ve had in my life. And the little sandwiches and cakes – oh, it was all so amazing, and I was sad I couldn’t finish it all. The British Museum itself was also quite interesting, very warm and crowded though.


The rest of the day was spent shopping on Oxford St., where I very specifically wanted to see a Zara. I don’t believe we have any in the US (and if we do, it’s only one or two in a major city, none of which I live near), so I probably spent more time and more money there than I should have, but it was worth it.

And in the evening, we went to see Wicked on West End. Now, I saw Wicked many years ago in Louisville, when the US had a tour of it, and I fell in love. It was my first Broadway musical, and I was in awe of the talent and production that went into a show. The West End performance was no different – it’s probably been 10 years since I saw Wicked last, and yet I was still blown away. Plus, this time I knew the songs, so I was able to hum along a bit.

By the time the show got out, it was probably 10:30 in the evening, so we got the Tube back to Liverpool Station and then a train back home.

Like I said a very full, but also a very fulfilling day.

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: Free People

Skirt: River Island