Tag: the loft

June 19, 2017 – Cheap Clothes=Best Clothes (OOTD #47)

Published on by lensembledujour8 Comments

If I remember correctly, I got this shirt for like $3 at the LOFT.

 

I don’t even recall exactly how it happened – I think it was like 50% off on clearance already, and then my mother had an extra 40% off on top of that for her birthday, and it might’ve an additional discount for having snag in the front. Anyway, it ended up being a really great steal, and I bought it without even trying it on.

 

I’ve got a bit of a problem with buying clothes on discount like that – purchasing things I don’t necessarily need simply because it’s on a really good sale. Never follow me into a Goodwill; we’ll be there for hours, and I’ll be down $50 and up 20 pieces of unnecessary clothes in the end. My father can certainly attest to that.

 

Actually, I often look through the sale section when I’m shopping before I even look at the new, full-priced things. The middle school version of myself would’ve been completely embarrassed to have said that – there was once a time when I was a status-obsessed egotist poser child who wouldn’t want to be caught dead doing anything to save money.

 

That’s changed…mostly….I think?

 

Anyway, today’s outfit – in addition to my plain white shirt (which isn’t so plain when you look at it a bit more closely; it’s got a nice architectural silhouette that makes it rather interesting), I wore a bandana-printed neck scarf, which I bought for the pure intention of looking trendy and green skinny jeans that make my legs feel just a tad like they’re being suffocated.

 

But sometimes, that’s the price you pay for looking nice, right?

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

Shirt: The LOFT

Pants: American Eagle

Scarf: American Eagle

 

June 8, 2017 – Grey[pe?] (OOTD#39)

Published on by lensembledujour19 Comments

Get it, like grape?

FullSizeRender 47

But it’s…it’s grey(pe). Because this outfit is has both grey and grape colors in it…

FullSizeRender 57.jpg

See, this is why I should never be allowed in front of a keyboard. I make terrible puns like this that have to be explained, and then probably aren’t even funny to begin with. Look, it’s hard coming up with even mildly clever blog post titles every day! I try 😅😂

FullSizeRender 63.jpg

Anyway, today’s outfit was built for comfort. I just started a new job at a local hardware store where I’m on my feet a lot, so I wanted to be my clothes were appropriate. Thankfully, I’m not doing any heavy lifting or hard labor, so I was still able to wear this comfy knit heather grey dress and a simple purple cardigan to keep things feminine, the colors from which, of course, I pulled the silly title for this blog. I remember the days two summers ago when I worked at a grocery store and I had to wear a uniform – I’m definitely not eager to go back to those ill-fitting khakis and that awful neon t-shirt!

FullSizeRender 56.jpg

Funny story about this little Coach scarf – I got it for my 12th birthday from my best friend from middle school. I have no idea if it’s really or not, though I have a suspicion it’s not, as I remember she went on a trip to New York (where, of course, the famed counterfeit heaven dubbed Chinatown exists) shortly before my party. I mean, what 12 year-old could actually afford a real Coach scarf? It means a lot to me regardless, as it reminds me of our friendship, and I haven’t seen her since I moved about a year after that birthday.

FullSizeRender 61.jpg

Haha, now that I think of it – this dress was a gift too. I got it from another middle school best friend (who, funnily enough, was actually introduced to me by the friend who gave me the Coach scarf!) when she got back from a trip to France. I guess the only part of my outfit that’s really my own is the sweater!

FullSizeRender 62.jpg

In the end, though, I’m very relieved to be back to working again. It’s not the most glamorous position in the world, but it’ll help pay my tuition, and that’s what really counts.

IMG_2269.JPG

Oh, and if you have any clever-er blog title ideas for me, please leave a comment below! I love to hear feedback, especially from people who are funnier than me.

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

Dress: BKS Girl

Scarf: Coach (maybe?)

Sweater: Ann Taylor LOFTFullSizeRender 59.jpg

FullSizeRender 58.jpg

May 31, 2017 – Matchy Matchy (OOTD #33)

Published on by lensembledujour14 Comments

These summer days all seem to run together.


Summer is weird. For me, personally, I like to sleep in late and wake up late, meaning a large portion of my “day” is often spent at night, and a large portion of my “night” is in the morning.


For example, today, I woke up around 11:30, after having been out late until maybe 1 the prior day (the graduation party that I mentioned in my last post was interesting, by the way. It was quite the sausage fest, making my outfit from yesterday quite the interesting choice). After that, I had a meeting at Starbucks to do some part-time work for one of the real estate agents I had worked with in my previous job (so hooray for that!) From there, I had about an hour at home before I had to go out to pick up my dad from work, and now here I am at my local Harry’s restaurant, waiting for my sushi to arrive and typing this blog on my phone.


Was it a busy day? Maybe not in a traditional sense. I sure did a lot of tuning around though.


Today’s outfit was much more conservative than yesterday’s since I had that meeting, not to mention much more comfortable. I based it around this fun sweater with bright reddish coral bows down the back, and from there, I pulled from the coral color to match with my coral pants and coral necklace. I feel like coral was a very 2012 color, but it’s not like it’s gone out of style or anything since then. In my optinion, it’s as cute now in 2017 as it was 5 years ago! I tied it altogether with these tan booties, just to add some variation to the color scheme. 


So that’s it for today! Not the most exciting ever, I know, but some days are like that.


Also, I’d like to thank all 60+ of you for following my blog! It means a lot. I can’t believe it’s been a month since I started L’ensemble du jour, and it’s already grown so much. 

Sweater: Grace & Mila 

Pants: The LOFT

May 10, 2017 – It’s Vintage

Published on by lensembledujour2 Comments

I feel like I’m the sort of person to, when asked where I got a particular article of clothing is from, to respond in some sort of super pretentious tone, “It’s vintage.”


As much as I’m not a fan or pretentiousness, I am a huge fan of vintage. I love Goodwill and other thrift shops, but my favorites are those that specialize in vintage clothes. The dress I’m wearing today comes from Street Scene, an adorable little vintage shop filled to the brim with all things 70s. It’s also right next to Coffee Times, which happens to be the best coffee shop I’ve found in all of Lexington.


I feel like people are sometimes intimidated by vintage clothes because they’re afraid that they’ll look dated, but in truth, it’s just a matter of styling. Vintage clothes need to be worn with more modern pieces and accessories, but if they are, they’ll look perfectly trendy and unique. After all, past trends are often recycled into contemporary fashion, meaning vintage clothes can sometimes be just as cutting edge as the things you buy at the mall.


Today’s outfit includes this vintage, 70s era jumper with fun buckles layered over top of a woolen short sleeve turtleneck sweater (lol, it was actually super hot with the turtleneck today; it was like 80 degrees out). In order to stay modern and prevent myself from looking like I walked out of my mother’s closet, I wore heeled black booties. Also, I’m pretty short, and wearing heels makes me feel better about myself.

Dress: Unknown (purchased at Street Scene)

Sweater: Ann Taylor LOFT

And  that’s it for today, guys! Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to give my new Instagram a follow for updates and sneak peaks of blog posts!
Bonus mirror selfie:

May 2, 2017

Published on by lensembledujour1 Comment

Day 2 back from New York, and I think I’m finally beginning to not feel exhausted for once.


Seriously, I never realized, but that trip wore me out. I’ve fallen asleep at 8 or before for the last two nights, and I wake up at like 7 for school. That’s more sleep in one night than I usually get in a week.


All this sleep is actually probably not a great thing, as I’ve got three AP exams coming in the next week or two, and I should probably actually study for once.


Oh well…maybe the sleep will help me remember things better? That’s a thing, right?


For today’s outfit, I was mostly catering to the weather – which was super weird. It was pouring rain this morning and 50 degrees, and within an hour, it was sunny and 70. I didn’t really know how to dress for that, so I basically just went for something that would be tolerable in the hot or cold. I absolutely love this brightly colored crop top that I got on sale from Pitaya, so much so that I thought it was best to keep the rest of the outfit simple. Just some leggings and flats – nothing that would upstage the shirt. That’s not to say they’re boring pieces: the leggings have a fun velvet print up the side, and the flats are a bright neon that pull from the colors of the shirt. Plus, just for the heck of it, I had to add a small, barely noticeable necklace, just to make myself feel a little fancier.


And that’s it for today. A huge thanks to everyone who’s been reading my blog or following my Instagram, and I’ll see you in the next one!
Shirt: Pitaya

Jeans: Abercrombie

Shoes: Target


Bonus mirror selfie:

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 25, 2017

Published on by lensembledujour3 Comments

By some miracle of God, I made it back to school today.


It was so odd; yesterday, I felt like death, with a cold that weighed down my lungs like lead, and this morning, when I woke up, all the pressure built up in my sinuses was gone.


Who knows, maybe it was just the stress of prom weekend that made me feel so awful.
In other news, I had to go back to the hair salon yesterday and have another application of toner on my hair. Can you tell?


Yeah…me neither. If it were up to me, I probably would’ve just left it as it was – I saw nothing at all wrong with it – but the hair stylist insisted I come back for more toner. Two hours later, she spun around the chair and I looked in the mirror at hair that looked…almost exactly the same? Oh well, I’m no expert on hair. I’m glad she managed to “fix” whatever she thought neeed fixing.


Anyway, back at school today, I still felt slightly under the weather (not to mention totally exhausted from staying up late studying for an AP Gov test), so I kept my outfit it pretty simple and no-nonsense – just a sweater, a shirt, and some pants. That’s not to say it’s not still a fun ensemble – the pattern on the pants and the sweater that draws from the tangerine shades of the flowers is definitely a statement – it just has its fun in different ways. Rather than standing out by being an interestingly put together ensemble, it stands out with its fun designs and colors.

Just two more days until I leave for New York for my senior class trip! I haven’t even started packing. Talk about procrastination.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sweater: Target

Shirt: Forever21

Pants: Ann Taylor LOFT



Bonus mirror selfie: