Tag: the loft

December 30, 2017 – Resolutionless (OOTD #189)

Published on by lensembledujour1 Comment

Happy New Year’s Eve!

I guess this will be the last blog I publish before 2018. In that case, I hope you have a lovely time partying tonight or whatever it is you’re doing, and I hope you start of 2018 right, whatever that means for you.

My New Year’s Eve will consist of eating an obscenely unhealthy pasta dish I found on Pinterest, and watching old Disney Channel movies with my friends. I’ve got no parties to go to, or else I’d have a more exciting, glittery outfit to show you. As it is, I do have this fun Hollister sweater I found at Goodwill for $4; it may not be glittery enough to pop champagne in, but it’s fuzzy enough to keep warm.

I’m not really one for New Year’s resolutions; I personally feel there’s no need to designate certain goals for yourself at this arbitrary time when you could be striving for improvement at any time during the rest of the year. If I were to set one, though, I guess I should post more and more consistently to this blog.

In fairness, it’s far from my main priority – I do have to put school first – but I definitely could do better. I feel like I’ve got to give myself a little credit, though: 500+ followers on WordPress and 6000+ on Instagram over the course of a few months isn’t half bad. If nothing more, this is a hobby I enjoy, and I enjoy that some of you like to follow along with my hobby.

Anyway, here’s to hoping you have a wonderful 2018, and that you succeed in whatever your resolutions may be. And if you’re like me, and you consider the concept of resolutions that you probably won’t keep inhibitory to progress, then I hope you enjoy not making resolutions and moving on with your life like normal!

Sweater: Hollister (thrifted)

Skirt: Zara (thrifted)

Shirt: the LOFT (thrifted)

December 28, 2017 – Not A Bowling Outfit (OOTD #188)

Published on by lensembledujourLeave a comment

If you’re wondering: yes, I did make it out of bed before 2PM today.

Look at this shirt. Doesn’t it just scream “bowling?” Or maybe “Hawaiian vacation?”

Unfortunately, I did neither of those things yesterday. Instead, I tried to go bowling, just to find there was an hour long wait (on a Thursday night of all times!), followed by driving around aimlessly trying to figure out what to do before finally giving up and going home and watching The Cheetah Girls 2.

That’s all fine and good, but I’m still a little disappointed that I didn’t get to go bowling with my bowling shirt on. I mean, honestly – it looks like something straight out of The Big Lebowski. Alternatively, one could also say that I look like I should be selling knockoff Rolexes out of my coat in a dark alley, and that would be equally valid.

Actually, I didn’t buy this shirt with the intent of looking like a bowler or a street vendor a or even a 90s Leonardo DiCaprio – it was inspired by this one girl in my art class my freshman year of high school. She used to always come into school with these really cute,  vintage-y outfits usually consisting of a jacket, some sort of patterned shirt, and leggings. There was some variation of course – a scarf or other added accessories – but it was always very chic.

Also very formulaic, which I was less a fan of, but I’m nitpicking.

Anyway, I have no idea what this girl is up to, or if she’s still wearing the same outfits because she was a few years older than me and graduated my sophomore year, but I guess you could say this outfit is a tribute to her. Also bowling.

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: Forever21

Shirt: Thrifted

Leggings: The LOFT

December 27, 2017 – A Very Lazy Day (OOTD #187)

Published on by lensembledujour3 Comments

Wanna hear something disgustingly indulgent and also mildly impressive? I didn’t get out of bed until 2pm yesterday.

I can’t even argue that it’s because I was up late the night before, or because I’m recovering from the lack of sleep I’ve had for the last four months of college – I’m just indulging in a little extravagance and privilege because I can.

In fairness, I wasn’t asleep until 2pm: I did get up and do some work on my computer before finally crawling out of bed and shamefully pondering if it was even worth the effort to get out of my pajamas. Ultimately, though, I decided that it was worth it. I have a fashion blog to maintain, after all.

Since I didn’t have anywhere to go today, it wasn’t really necessary that I get dressed up or make any sacrifices of comfort in the name of style. My outfit, then, was put together so that I would be comfy and warm while still maintaining some personal flair.

I call this my tent shirt because it’s huge and billowing and surges out like a tent when I twirl. Conveniently, it’s a very good outfit for when you do that thing where you don’t eat all day and then you suddenly realize you haven’t eaten all day, so you consume like, 2000 calories in one sitting.

It’s a staple of any lazy day; anyone who’s ever had one can probably relate.

Tomorrow, hopefully, I’ll actually make it out of the house, if only to go for a walk or something. Even though I personally believe that this time between Christmas and New Year’s is liminal space, where nothing really exists and time doesn’t go on, I do feel like I ought to be doing something more productive than sitting at home and blogging.

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!

Shirt: Altar’d State

Scarf: The LOFT

December 15, 2017 – A Long Day (OOTD #183)

Published on by lensembledujour1 Comment

Christmas Outfits Challenge 2017: Day 13

Fun fact: by the time these photos were taken at about 4 in the afternoon on December 15, I had been up for over 24 hours.

Well, nearly. See, it all started at 6 AM, December 14. Why was I up that early, you ask? I had my final final, that morning at 8 AM, and I wanted to get up early enough so that I could relax (sort of), have some coffee, and get ready before I made the ten minute walk to the building where my exam was held.

This was the final I was most worried about too – Theology. I had an A in the class, but I needed an 87 on the final to keep that grade, so I needed to make sure I actually did well. Thankfully, the exam went well (well enough… I forgot to memorize the quotes I was supposed to by Nestorius and Cyril, but…y’know – you can’t win them all), and by 10 AM, I was finished with my first semester of college.

Then, I managed to sneak in an hour-long nap in my room before my roommates came in and we had to clean up our dorm before we left.

After that…well, I didn’t do much. I really had no reason to be awake – I had a bit of remaining work to do, I guess, and some blogging to work on, but I probably should’ve napped so I could be up in time for my 4 AM bus to Midway Airport.

Should’ve. Instead, I stayed up all night with some of my friends were also waiting to catch buses to catch plains that Saturday after classes ended. It was kind-of a weird night…

Anyway, I wound up on that 4AM bus with only one hour of sleep under my belt. I managed to get another hour of sleep whilst on that 4AM bus, and by 6AM-ish, I was sitting at my gate at Midway Airport. My plane, though, didn’t leave until 9AM, so I just kind-of sat there bleary-eyed for three hours watching the people go by and thinking about how I wanted to nap but I didn’t really want to in the middle of an airport.

Time-skip ahead a few hours, and I was standing in front of my grandmother’s house in Louisville at 4PM taking my photos with only three hours of sleep over the course of 34 hours – one hour after my Theo final, one hour on the 4AM bus to Midway, and one hour on the plane from Chicago to Louisville.

It’s great being home though, and it’s great being done with my first semester of school. It was worth a very long day of being awake.

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!

Jacket: H&M

Shirt: Forever21

Turtleneck: The LOFT

Pants: American Eagle

Boots: LL Bean

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

Published on by lensembledujour1 Comment

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

Published on by lensembledujour2 Comments

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

November 28, 2017 – A Tourist at My Own School (OOTD #170)

Published on by lensembledujour5 Comments

Real talk: why is there a missing bush to the left of me?

You know, I’ve been here for nearly four months now, and I still feel a bit like a tourist at my own school. In particular, if I’m walking through God Quad (which is the main bit of campus, where the Golden Dome and the Basilica are) in the evening, and there’s a pretty sunset and a cool breeze, I’ll stop and just take in how pretty it all is.

It’s not uncommon actually to see Notre Dame students posting on their Snapchats pictures of the Golden Dome, even though we all literally walk past it every day and can see it from just about everywhere on promotional materials.

To be honest though, the Main Building with the Dome isn’t my favorite building on campus in terms of looks. I do still love it, as evidenced by my tourist-y poses here, but it’s just not for me. I don’t know, I get that the Dome is iconic and stuff, but it’s a little tacky – I mean…it’s literally a giant shiny gold sphere with Mary on top of it. It gives me ever-so-slight cheap jewelry vibes.

Don’t tell anyone I said that though, or else the ND Secret Police might come for me in my sleep. I can’t die now, I have to pass my finals first!

The honor of my favorite architectural design on campus has to go to the Basilica. I don’t often go because I don’t often go to mass, but I’m always struck with how huge and and gorgeous it is, no gold paint required.

The point being – I like my school, and I’m really glad to be here. Sure, I’m still pretty bitter that it’s in the middle of Cornland, Indiana, but it’s pretty cool on the whole. Our football season was less than ideal (though it was going really well early on), the weather is windier than ideal, and my upcoming finals have me wanting to hurl myself off the eighth floor of Hesburgh Library, but the fact that I can still get struck with a sense of awe when I think “Hey, I go here” makes me think it’s pretty good place to be. G’Irish!

Jacket: Vintage (thrifted)

Sweater: The LOFT (thrifted)

Shirt: Forever21

November 17, 2017 – Thanksgiving Aesthetic (OOTD #162)

Published on by lensembledujour2 Comments

Just kidding, this outfit couldn’t possibly be a Thanksgiving outfit – this dress is way too fitted for any of the hardcore eating I do on Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is such a weird holiday in terms of clothes – you want to look nice because you’re seeing all of your family, but you also want something big and comfy so no one can see your inevitable food baby.

That’s alright, though – I can still dress nicely in anticipation of Thanksgiving while still dressing in pajamas and lazing around the house on actual Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a truly spectacular holiday. I mean, the significance of the event is pretty nice – you know, the whole Native Americans and Pilgrims getting along for a day to feast, and to be thankful for what they have – but mainly, I just really like the eating part.

How many other holidays are so focused upon eating? I mean, Christmas and Easter and the Super Bowl tend to involve lots of cooking and feasts, but they don’t revolve around food like Thanksgiving. I mean, obviously, Thanksgiving also revolves around being thankful – which is important, don’t get me wrong – but second most important to its celebration is the food.

At my family’s Thanksgivings, we tend to have turkey and cheesy mashed potatoes and pecan pie, which are all lovely things that I don’t eat very often and that I adore to have for Thanksgiving. If I’m lucky, my mother will also do garlic green beans, some kind of rolls, and maybe an appetizer.

My point? I really like Thanksgiving. You could say I’m thankful for it.

(Just like I’m thankful for Internet platforms like WordPress where I can share my stupid word plays like that and no one cans stop me)

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!

Dress: The LOFT

Jacket: Forever21

November 16, 2017 – No Clever Title Today, Please Try Again Tomorrow (OOTD #161)

Published on by lensembledujourLeave a comment

Today’s blog is coming to you from the back of my friend’s car as I head into Chicago to catch a flight from Midway back to Lexington for Thanksgiving.

It’s been a long two days of class. Monday, I had to get up early to register myself for classes for next semester, and Tuesday, I had a huge term paper due in my history class. Admittedly, that’s less than I usually have to do, but for some reason, it just felt like a lot.

It’s all good though, because like I said, I’m heading home tonight. And this time, I’ve got a regular ticket, so there should be no chances of me getting caught in the Atlanta airport for two days because I flew standby.

I do rather like to fly, though. I hate how expensive everything is in airports, but otherwise, they’re really nice places as long as you’re not rushing about. I think 75% of my airport experiences have been highly positive – the only two distinctive times I can remember not enjoying myself in an airport were the ATL fiasco I just mentioned and once, when my family and I were flying through Orlando and we had like 10 minutes to sprint across the airport to catch a flight.

Hopefully though, everything goes smoothly with this one. I figure if I’ve managed to take the Greyhound by myself, flying through Midway should be a breeze.

Who knows, maybe I’ll even get lucky and get bumped to first class like what happened on my outgoing flight to London from Detroit this summer. Probably not since it’s Thanksgiving weekend and the airport is bound to be somewhat busy, even though it’s late, but I can dream.

Anyway, please enjoy this super glamorous shot of the wind catching my hair in an odd way as I try to push up my sunglasses. I’m a beauty.

Skirt: The LOFT

Sweater: H&M

November 15, 2017 – Notre Rain (OOTD #160)

Published on by lensembledujour2 Comments

You know, my photographer made a very valid point as she was taking these photos – this is a very discordant outfit.

I’ve got the rainbow raincoat and yellow rain boots, but also a plaid scarf, and sunglasses. What am I dressed for? The rain, the cold, or the sun?

The rain and the cold are actually completely accurate answers – it was very rainy and drizzly that day. But in late November in South Bend, IN, what day isn’t rainy and drizzly? Who can escape the permacloud of the Northern Midwest?

In fairness, the sunglasses are only there to conceal the fact that I’m not wearing any eye makeup here. Let’s just say it’s quite obvious without sunglasses how much of a sleep-deprived college student I am.

Not to mention, I’ve got my short grey hair, which I’ve already discussed looks kind of strange with preppier pieces, like rainbow raincoats and plaid blanket scarf. I also wore my black gauge-like earrings, just to confuse people even more.

I like to keep people guessing with my outfit, but I don’t necessarily want them to be scratching their heads either. I personally feel like this outfit’s a little closer to that “head-scratching” territory than I would’ve liked, but you know – you win some, and you lose some. I do really like the colors going on here, regardless.

Just because the sky and the weather is going to be dreary and grey, that doesn’t mean my outfit has to be as well. I mean, part of it, sure – my hair, my earrings, and my personality will always be there to bring the melancholy – but some part of me gets to be cheery. Or at the very least, look that way.

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!

Coat: Target

Pants: The LOFT

Scarf: Chinatown

Sweater: Kohl’s