thrift – Page 24 – L'ensemble du jour

January 24, 2018 – Return of the Brick Walls (OOTD #209)

Published on January 26, 2018January 26, 2018 by lensembledujour7 Comments

That title makes it sound like a Lord of the Rings installment.

Unfortunately, my life is significantly less interesting than either of the Bagginses’, and significantly less full of beautiful Middle Earth scenery. I also don’t have a magical ring that can grant the wearer unlimited but horribly corrupting power, so I guess that’s one point to me, at least.

Even though some Notre Dame buildings looks to be straight out of a Harry Potter film and the amount of snow we get makes it comparable to Winterfell (look at me go with these fantasy references), it’s still a lot of tan brick and fancy doorways. It’s fairly nice tan brick and fairly pretty fancy doorways, but it makes me miss some of the more variable, natural scenery I got in Kentucky.

Today’s photoset reflects my attempt to get some more variation in scenery of my Notre Dame photos – by including some snow covered bushes! It’s no babbling brook or rolling mountain range, but at least it’s not a wooden doorway with a brick border. I’m trying.

I must admit, Notre Dame is much more more varied in architecture than my high school ever was, not to mention the fact that it’s so much prettier. I never would have done my OOTD at my old school – partially out of the embarrassment of having to go through my various awaked fashion poses in the visibility of judgment teenagers, and partially out of the fact that my high school looked like a prison.

Good thing I’ve totally gotten over my embarrassment of having to ask a friend to go out of their way to indulge this narcissistic hobby of mine, and good thing it’s not all awkward anymore to have to pose in from to people’s dorms and classrooms! I’m so glad the end of high school meant the end of all my social anxiety!

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: H&M

Sweater: Forever21

Skirt: J Crew (thrifted)

January 22, 2018 – Little Miss Grey Cloud (OOTD #207)

Published on January 24, 2018January 24, 2018 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

“On this grey Indiana day, you look so bright and colorful!” Shouted my friend, MaryKate, as she passed me on the way to class.

“Thanks!” I responded. “It totally matches my personality, how I feel on the inside, and is not at all ironic!”

If I actually dressed for how I felt every day, I probably would look like this – head to toe black, edgy hair color, sunglasses to avoid eye contact with people. But, as days like this one illustrate, I sometimes like to dress differently from how I actually regard myself. It switches things up, keeps things fresh, and prevents people from making generalizations about me too quickly.

That’s not to say I’m uncomfortable or somehow less genuine than usual when I dress brightly and colorfully – it’s just a different outfit, after all. The way I see it, fashion should be used for whatever you feel like doing with it, and, contrary to what a lot of people seem to think, it doesn’t always have to be about self-expression. Sometimes it’s more about self-creation – with each unique outfit, creating new identity, slipping out of yesterday’s personality and into some new character each morning.

In a roundabout way, maybe that is a form of self-expression – an expression that fashion can be both a reflection of your identity and a costume to try out different versions of your identity with. It’s a mirrored shield.

That, or maybe I’ve just too much time reading my philosophy textbook, and I’m trying to turn this into my next essay. This should at least be worth a little extra credit though, right?

Coat: Target

Sweater: Forever21 (thrifted)

Skirt: Pitaya

January 19, 2018 – Pippi Longstocking (OOTD #206)

Published on January 23, 2018January 23, 2018 by lensembledujour2 Comments

I actually know very little about the Swedish children’s book character Pippi Longstocking – I’m just going off of the fact that a friend said I looked like her in this outfit.

I guess it was the short jumper and the striped motif that was reminiscent of the character? I don’t really know anything else about her, admittedly, though I do remember watching a TV series from the 70s about her adventures occasionally in my third grade class as a reward on Fridays when we were good.

The theme song was super catchy. Pippi Longsticking is coming into your town /
The one no one can keep down, no no no no…That’s all I recall from the show though. In terms of television from the 70s that my third grade class watched sometimes on Fridays, I was more of a Gilligan’s Island or Little House on the Prairie kind of person.

I much prefer to think of this outfit of reminiscent of the 70s themselves rather than of a Swedish character from a 70s television show, though. I’m a sucker for late 60s/early 70s fashion – it’s just modern enough to be relevant but just old enough to be vintage. This denim dress actually came from a vintage shop in London, so you know – I’m really authentic.

I’m actually going to a film series here at Notre Dame as a part of my Peace Studies class over 1968 and its 50th anniversary. I think the series is supposed to be a discussion of the impact of films released in 1968 on the social and cultural climate of the time – though I’m not really sure because when I went to the first one, a showing of Oliver!, there wasn’t enough time for the discussion portion and all we did was watch the film. I don’t really know what a film about a little boy singing and dancing through the streets of 19th century London has to do with America in 1968 (or peace studies as a whole), but I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

In the mean time, I guess I’ll just keep dressing like I’m from 1968 and see if I can pass the class on the merit of my authenticity and enthusiasm for the time period.

Dress: Vintage (thrifted)

January 18, 2017 – Just Bro Things (OOTD #205)

Published on January 22, 2018 by lensembledujour2 Comments

Note to self: menswear + pixie haircut + minimal makeup = Meilin looks vaguely like a guy.

I don’t really think there’s anything particularly wrong with that – just that looking like a dude isn’t really what I’m personally after.

I forget what a difference in appearance this new haircut makes for me. With long hair, I really never had to worry about how masculine or feminine I looked; I could go out in guys’ clothing with no makeup and still look very definitively female (maybe not particularly nice, but female). Now, with the pixie cut, I have to be careful to actually wear lipstick, put on earrings – you know, the culturally-determined feminine things – to look feminine.

I guess it especially doesn’t help that the jacket I’m wearing here was found in the boy’s section of a thrift shop, and I’m wearing so many layers of clothing (it was a cold day!) that whatever vague hint of a feminine figure I have is hidden.

In fairness, I’m like, three feet tall, so I don’t think anyone’s ever going to actually mistake me for a male. And if they did, it probably wouldn’t be the end of the world either; I’m just a little self-conscious about how this new haircut makes me look. It’s taking some getting used to, you know?

I think part of it is that I’m going back to being brunette after having had unnaturally-dyed hair so long long. I was so used to seeing myself as long-haired and blonde (though I was shorter-haired and grey for a while) that it’s strange being brunette again – not to mention also having shorter hair than I’ve ever had in my life. I’m thinking I’m going to let it grow out again, though the low-maintenance of a pixie is particularly nice.

Or maybe I’ll dye it some unnatural shade of pink or blue for the fun of it while it’s still so short and easy to manage – because clearly what my chemically-treated hair needs is more chemical treatment!

Jacket: Thrifted

Sweater: Abercrombie

Shirt: Banana Republic

Leggings: Thrifted (from a second-hand riding apparel store, of all places)

Boots: LL Bean

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

Published on January 19, 2018August 14, 2019 by lensembledujour3 Comments

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.

Jacket: vintage

Sweater: thrifted

Jeans: Abercrombie

Scarf: the LOFT

January 7, 2018 – Average Teen at the Mall (OOTD #196)

Published on January 10, 2018 by lensembledujour3 Comments

The mall used to be one of my favorite places in the world.

Maybe it sort of was for every middle school girl – you know, when you’re in that phase when you’re just starting to shop for yourself, so getting to pick out clothes and put together your own outfits is a whole new experience? I distinctly remember getting really excited when my mother would agree to take me to the St. Matthew’s mall in Louisville because it was one of the only places to have both a Forever21 and a Hollister, which back then were my two favorite stores.

While malls aren’t as cool and interesting as they used to be for me, I do still rather like to shop. I find, now, that I tend to buy fewer things at a time – as a kid, I could go on a mall shopping spree and come out with five complete new outfits, but now, I tend to only buy a few things at a time.

Uh…minimalist living, I guess?

Alright, so not really – I love my excessive possessions and consumerist lifestyle as much as any American – but I do think I’m getting a touch better. Before I went to college, I actually went through my closet and got rid of a ton of stuff, which was something I hadn’t done for a while.

In fairness, I do believe I wear most of my clothes, even if they don’t get worn often. Take, for example this jacket – it was my dad’s originally, but he handed it down to me, meaning it’s huge and barely fits and I probably should have let him just give it to Goodwill. Regardless, I really liked the oversized look, and even though I have to roll up the sleeves like eight times and can’t move my arms normally when I wear it, I still choose wear it sometimes. I would just hate to get caught in a situation where I had an outfit that just needed an oversized denim jacket and I had given it away because I didn’t wear it often, you know?

…and that’s why I will perpetually live in clutter and disarray!

Jacket: thrifted

Sweater: thrifted

January 5, 2018 – Welcome To The Matrix (OOTD #194)

Published on January 8, 2018January 8, 2018 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

Red pill or blue pill?

I actually didn’t much like the Matrix films; the first one was alright, had some good action scenes, but the ones afterwards were so bloated and wordy that I think I fell asleep halfway through the second one and I skipped the last one. To be honest, I can’t actually remember which pill was the one you’re supposed to take to go back to normal life and which one takes you to the Matrix – talk about a fake fan.

If nothing else, the Matrix series certainly had style though, in a leather duster coat and sunglasses kind of way. And I feel like this outfit is definitely something of a Matrix-y style – for good or for ill.

For good in the sense that it has that post-apocoyptic cyberpunk feel, which was honestly probably the best part of the Matrix films, and for ill in the sense that I feel like my haircut plus this jacket plus the shades gives off a 90s vibe.

Is it retro or just dated? Honestly, I’m not sure.

At any rate, it is all black, and I do love an all-black outfit. I think I’m trying to make up for having worn so many colorful outfits during Christmastime; I can only do so much color during the cold months at once, you know? I’ll bring out my bright colors again come spring.

Jacket: thrifted

Sweater: Francesca’s

January 3, 2018 – The Game Is Afoot (OOTD #192)

Published on January 5, 2018January 5, 2018 by lensembledujour6 Comments

This jacket is giving me Sherlock Holmes vibes, and to be honest, I really don’t mind.

Alternatively, I guess I also look a little like Nancy Drew – another comparison I don’t mind.

I had a detective novel phase as a younger kid brought on by my parents buying me a few Nancy Drew books for Christmas that year. I later graduated to Sherlock Holmes and then some Poe, and that’s about when the mystery phase stopped – simply ran out of time to read anymore. I personally count Harry Potter as something of a mystery series as well, just without the typical mystery story setting.

Anyway, I found this jacket at Goodwill for $5, which is more than a steal considering it’s Ralph Lauren. The fit is also amazing, which isn’t normally something I can say about my Goodwill finds. It’s typically a place more suited to finding oversized sweaters than well-fitting jackets, you know?

I paired it with a camel turtleneck (that I probably were too often…), a black skirt and black tights because apparently color is too much for me. Actually, looking back at the last week’s worth of outfits , it appears that I haven’t really worn much color at all in the last few days. I should probably do something about that tomorrow.

On the plus side, I haven’t fallen back on my old crutch of wearing all black like the 2006 emo kid I once was, so that’s something.

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: Ralph Lauren (thrifted)

Skirt: Forever21

Sweater: Forever21

December 31, 2017 – To Grandmother’s House We Go (OOTD #190)

Published on January 2, 2018February 14, 2018 by lensembledujour5 Comments

Grandmothers are the best.

If you’ll remember, I mentioned that over Christmas, my parents were too sick to visit my grandmother like we usually do. Instead, we hung around home and opened presents by ourselves – which was totally valid, don’t get me wrong, but it wasn’t quite Christmas without my grandmother.

On Sunday, we made up for that by driving over to Louisville to see my grandmother and doing something of a “Christmas part 2.” We exchanged the last of our presents, ate the cheesecake we were supposed to eat the weekend prior, and watched the Eagles lose to the Dallas Cowboys (at home, of all places). That last bit was a little depressing, but otherwise, it was a fun day.

Seeing as it was New Year’s Eve, when I made it back to Lexington, I went party-hopping with all of my 500 friends and had a crazy fun time until the dawn of 2018.

What? Does that really sound so terribly unlikely to you?

Yeah, so in actuality, I had no real New Year’s Eve plans – so instead, I went over to Amanda’s house and cooked dinner before playing some old video games and watching Eclipse with our other friend, Zach. I’m not sure it was what the kids would call, “lit,” but that’s about what happens when you put three introverts in a room together and tell them to have fun on the last day of the year.

We did venture outside once to pick up some ice cream, which was such a terrifying and harrowing experience that I think I’m going to hide myself in my room indoors for the entirety of 2018.

While it was no exciting party, it was still a perfectly fun night with friends. Also, I fell asleep shortly after midnight, meaning I spent the first moments of the new year unconscious – which is arguably the best way to spend any year.

Jacket: thrifted

Sweater: Forever21

December 30, 2017 – Resolutionless (OOTD #189)

Published on December 31, 2017December 31, 2017 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!