thrift – Page 26 – L'ensemble du jour

November 23, 2017 – Thanksgiving Thriving (OOTD #166)

Published on November 28, 2017December 9, 2018 by lensembledujour1 Comment

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh wait, you mean to tell me that Thanksgiving’s passed?

Yes, as I’ve discussed before, my blogs are on a few days’ delay (the delay varies quite a bit depending on if I’ve kept up with posting and if I’ve photographed my outfit every day or if I’ve skipped a few), which is all fine and dandy until a holiday rolls around and I don’t have an appropriate holiday-themed outfit to post on said holiday.

So here’s my Thanksgiving outfit, even though Thanksgiving was nearly a week ago and I have not relevant Thanksgiving-related things to say since I discussed my Thanksgiving thoughts on actual Thanksgiving.

It’s funny – the day before Thanksgiving, I stayed up fairly late hanging out with some friends, so on the morning of Thanksgiving, I slept in pretty late, like, until noon. I missed both the parade and the dog show, which was a little bit unfortunate, but I don’t usually watch those closely anyway so it wasn’t a big deal. Anyway, I woke up at noon to my dad telling that I needed to get downstairs because my grandmother was already in and everyone was getting ready for dinner, so I had very little time to pick out an appropriate festive outfit.

But despite these tremendous obstacles, I think I still managed to put together a pretty decent Thanksgiving-ready outfit. The skirt is reminiscent of both fall and Christmas, with a nondescript pattern of what might be fall leaves or Christmas poinsettia petals, and the sweater is just loose enough that I could eat basically whatever I wanted without feeling uncomfortable.

I think I’ll use this anecdote the next time an interviewer asks me about overcoming adversity.

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: Unknown (thrifted)

Skirt: Vintage: (thrifted)

(Huh…my entire outfit was thrifted here. I didn’t even realize that until just now when I wrote where they were from. Interesting)

November 21, 2017 – Southern Soccer Mom Style (OOTD #165)

Published on November 28, 2017November 28, 2017 by lensembledujour3 Comments

Christmas in July? More like…July in Christmas.

Yesterday’s outfit was the sendoff to fall, so logically, it follows that today’s outfit should be a sendoff to summer. Since, obviously, summer comes after fall, and summer didn’t end like, three months ago.

No, the real reason behind why this outfit is so summery (and also kind of like a rich Southern PTA-attending mother) is because on this day, I was heading home for the Thanksgiving holiday, and I knew I wasn’t going to have much use of a neon Lilly Pulitzer jacket and a when it’s 20 below in South Bend, Indiana. So, to save space in my suitcase, I just wore them home, and then I left them there.

And in their place, I brought all 8000 of my Christmas sweaters.

Sure, it looked a little weird dressing so out of season, and sure, I looked more like I was going Memorial Day shopping than getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, but I don’t mind. It also looked a little weird to have my short grey hair and black Hot Topic earrings that I forgot to take out (and which you can’t see here – probably for the best) paired with such a preppy outfit, but when has that ever stopped me?

It’s uh…eclectic, not erratic, yeah?

Jacket: Lilly Pulitzer

Dress: Vintage (thrifted)

November 20, 2017 – Sendoff to Fall (OOTD #164)

Published on November 26, 2017 by lensembledujour5 Comments

Welp, it looks like this may be it – the final explicitly fall-themed outfit on LEDJ until next year.

I could be wrong – I know I still have a few sets of OOTDs from my Thanksgiving break, and one or two of those may have involved some fall colors, but I do believe this is the last grossly “fall” (I mean, really, look at the pattern on this dress – does that say “spring” to you?) outfit I’m going to post here for a while!

As far as I’m concerned, now that Thanksgiving is over (well, it is at the time of me writing this blog – it was still a few days away on November 20, the day these photos are from), it’s Christmas season! And that is definitely something I’m excited for.

I’ve already busted out the Christmas playlists and everything. I know it’s not likely that I’ll really be 100% onto the Christmas bandwagon until finals are over (because school and obligations are tragically more important than any festive cheer…), but I still like to start getting prepared early.

So start expecting the Christmas sweater outfits at any point from here on out. I’ve packed my bags full of them, and I’m taking several back with me to South Bend now that Thanksgiving break’s over. I’m a firm believer in the sanctity of Thanksgiving, but you could say I’m even more so for the sanctity of Christmas, literally and figuratively.

Anyway, I’ve been writing this blog from the inside of a dark Greyhound traveling from Indianapolis to South Bend, and people are starting to look annoyed that I’ve got my bright little phone screen out while they’re trying to sleep. Guess I should go.

Allow me to leave you with this cute photo that some of my friends and I took under the dome before we all left for break.

November 13, 2017 – Citrusy (OOTD #158)

Published on November 17, 2017February 14, 2018 by lensembledujour6 Comments

Sorry for the late blog today; I’ve been kind of distracted watching an animal documentary about robotic animals that were used to film wildlife social interactions up close.

It’s really fascinating, actually – both for the sake of the technology that must have had to go into these robots to make them realistic enough to blend in in wildlife, and for the sake of the relationships that they’re able to film. I’d highly recommend you check it out, at least the first episode – it’s just the right amount of cute and informative to be wholesome without being sappy.

I remember as a kid, when the first Planet Earth films came out. My dad asked for the box set for Christmas, and I distinctly remember, because of how novel the concept of Internet shopping was to me back then, that my mother had to order it online for him. We sat down that Christmas night to watch the first episode – one that I got to select actually, “Caves,” – and we were all pretty impressed with what we saw. I was a kid and didn’t really care about or understand the years of filming and editing that had to have gone into the making of that series, but I remember enjoying it anyway. The music was a bit loud though.

And I still do. I haven’t gotten around to watching the sequel yet, Planet Earth 2, but I really want to. Maybe I should order the boxed DVD set on the brand new and completely novel concept of the Internet.

Admittedly, nature documentaries have little to do with today’s outfit blog, unless you’d like to think of this blog as something of a nature documentary – it is, after all, a bunch of photographs of a human going about her daily life and engaging in social interactions. Now that would be a clever transition from discussing Planet Earth to discussing fashion, wouldn’t it?

Actually, there’s not a lot to say about Monday’s outfit, other than that I thought the colors were tropical and citrusy, like that of a mango. Not that the weather in South Bend is anything tropical right now – it’s already getting down into the 30s and feelings like winter.

There is some nice color in the trees though. If you forget the cold and look at a tree while squinting your eyes, you can pretend you’re on a tropical island looking at the sunset.

Coat: Vintage (thrifted)

Sweater: Forever21 (thrifted)

November 12, 2017 – Dementor Style (OOTD #156)

Published on November 14, 2017 by lensembledujour4 Comments

Alternative title: fashion for mourning Notre Dame’s playoff hopes and dreams.

You know how I wrote a blog yesterday about enjoying switching up my style from day to day, going from goth teenager to preppy Cher Horowitz wannabe – yeah, I went back to the goth teenager phase.

I’ve always wanted to look like an impending vaporous phantom of dark soul-sucking depression, and on Sunday, I did!

For real though, that Saturday game against Miami was an unfortunate display. I made it to the third quarter before I gave up and curled into a ball sobbing – I didn’t even do any homework that night, just fell asleep feeling sorry I ever hoped we could win another National Championship.

Granted, I often neglect to do my homework, regardless of Notre Dame’s winning-losing history. Like right now, when I’m watching YouTube videos and writing a blog instead of writing my history paper or memorizing the work of Arius or Athanasius.

It’s a hard life, getting distracted so easily and then leaving all of your work to the last second, but I make do. It’s nearly Thanksgiving break, meaning if I can manage to wing it for another week, I can reward myself by eating copious amounts of turkey and mashed potatoes.

Shawl: Unknown (thrifted)

Turtleneck: The LOFT (thrifted)

November 8, 2017 – Edgy Teen Aesthetic (OOTD #154)

Published on November 12, 2017November 12, 2017 by lensembledujour8 Comments

Get you a photographer you points out that one of your socks isn’t pulled up all the way before she starts taking photos.

Seriously, I owe so much to the spectacular people who have agreed to take my photos after lunch every day. I don’t know if they really do it because they want to…but they never complain and don’t look too judgmental when I inevitably ask “Hey, so uh…could you do my pictures today?” so for that, I’m eternally grateful.

You know what else I’m eternally grateful for? Finally being over with my edgy teen years.

What…you mean to say that my outfit still looks I’m a 16 year-old with a My Chemical Romance obsession?

Though my days of exclusively listening to the Emo Trinity and obsessively waiting for new tweets from Gerard Way are over, I’ve kept some of the stylistic influences from the era. That includes my grey hair, which is totally not at all hearkening back to 2006 Gerard Way.

That also includes a taste for black clothes and anything that looks vaguely punk! While I can hardly claim to be a true punk – have you seen the effort that icons like Vivienne Westwood put into their looks? – I like to wear things that have a punk influence.

After all, I am only 19, meaning that I only have one year left during which I can blame my pessimism on teen angst – might as well dress like it.

Sweater: Forever21 (thrift)

Skirt: Target

November 1, 2017 – Birthday Blob (OOTD #150)

Published on November 7, 2017November 7, 2017 by lensembledujour11 Comments

That’s not a typo, friends – I really meant “blob,” rather than “blog.”

I had actually originally titled this post “birthday blog,” but that was simply too generic and boring for me, so I had to take the self-deprecating route and refer to myself as a “blob.”

I mean, I don’t think that that’s really a bad thing here – that’s simply the way the dress was designed. It’s another one of my vintage pieces, which means perfect fit is probably not going to happen, so you’ve just got to settle for whatever doesn’t drag four feet on the floor behind you. In which case, something a little bit too blob-like is perfectly acceptable.

So now you know the relevance of the word “blob” – but what about “birthday?” Could it possibly be that November 1 was my birthday, or something ridiculous like that?

Yes, on November 1, 1998, I was born into this world! I’m 19 now, which means I only have one year left that I can blame my angst upon being a teenager; after that, I just have to that I’m an unpleasant human being. How unfortunate.

Dress: Vintage (thrift)

Top: Forever21

Tights: Target

October 26, 2017 – Plaid Is Rad (OOTD #145)

Published on October 31, 2017October 31, 2017 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

(Alternative title: plaid is bad, depending on your opinion of plaid.)

I’m sitting here writing this blog in my Astronomy lecture.

And by that I mean, of course, I’m not paying attention at all to my Astronomy lecture. My poor Astronomy professor is horribly sick, and every five words he manages to wheeze out, he’s interrupted by a 30 second coughing fit. It makes listening to him rather difficult – he sounds like he’s dying. It doesn’t help that he wears a microphone, and every time he licks his lips or exhales a rattling breath, I have to hear it like he’s right next to my ear.

It all just makes you want to fall asleep, if only to escape the horrible, pained gasping. Or maybe write a blog.

The Meilin of today (Halloween, by the way – happy Halloween!) is rather jealous of the Meilin of October 26 – the Meilin of October 26 was wearing pants, and today’s Meilin is not. And now, as a result, today’s Meilin is cold.

It, of course, doesn’t help that I’m drinking an iced coffee from Starbucks – yes, I’m one of those people. Allow me to explain myself – I like to have something with a bit of sugar in it in the afternoon to wake me up. However, I don’t enjoy things that are both hot and sweet, and thus, I’m not a fan of Starbucks’ hot, dessert drinks. I’ll go for one every once in a while – see my blog about pumpkin spice lattes – but in general, hot drinks are best bitter, and cold drinks are best sweet.

And so, even though it’s 30 degrees out outside, I don’t mind the cold drink. Or rather, it’s not that I don’t mind it, but I need it, and so I grimace through the negative effects. Is this what addiction is?

Anyway, happy Halloween! Even though the post that depicts my ~sPoOky~ Halloween outfit isn’t going to come for another few days, because that’s what happens when you have your blogs on a several day delay. I hope you have fun doing whatever festive things you’re doing tonight, or, if you’re like me and you did your festive stuff over the weekend and now that it’s Tuesday you have too much homework to do to bother doing any more festive stuff, I hope you have fun being non-festive!

Jacket: Vintage (thrifted)

Turtleneck: The LOFT (thrifted)

October 24, 2017 – On Trend (OOTD #143)

Published on October 29, 2017 by lensembledujour5 Comments

Look and me – grey hair cut into a lob, oversized cardigan, crop top, boyfriend jeans…just make me Instagram famous already; my ability to follow trends deserves it.

If that painfully millennial statement didn’t make you run away cringing, then congrats! Here’s your medal.

(In all actuality, I don’t consider myself a millennial – I believe I fall more under the definition of Generation Z, as I have been using the Internet since a young age, and it has almost always been a large component of my life. That’s the key component that distinguishes millennials from Generation Z, and it kind of peeves me to be lumped in with millennials…but that’s a rant for another blog).

Anyway, I am, admittedly, quite a fan of the Fall 2017 trends. It was no secret that Summer 2017 didn’t particularly impress me – firstly, because summer fashion never impresses me because it tends to rely upon pieces that are worn alone, rather than intelligent layering that winter and fall fashion revolves around, and secondly, because I felt like it had nothing new to offer. Off-the-shoulder tops and high-waisted denim shorts have been in style since Summer 2016; Summer 2017 just seemed like a re-hash of old trends we had seen before (and seen very recently).

But oversized sweaters combined with oversized pants – now that’s something that’s a little more unique. And also, way more comfortable than tight skinny jeans! It’s all very 90s, which is a decade that’s been trending for like, four years, making me think it’s possibly on its way out, but in the meantime, I’m enjoying it. I feel like skinny jeans have consistently been in-style since I was about 11 (I don’t believe I owned any other fit of jeans from 6th grade to senior year), so it’s refreshing to see something new.

I was just recently in a Forever21, which, to me, is the epitome of trendy fashion, and for the first time in a while, I actually liked a good deal of the things I saw. Forever21 clothes are all pretty cheap, meaning they’re really good at churning out pieces as soon as the Instagram influencers and fashion magazines declare something to be in style. They also tend to lean trashy and juvenile, but I saw less of that there than usual.

I’m optimistic for this winter’s fashion scene. I like the 60s and 90s influence we’re currently seeing, as I’m always here for vintage fashion, and I think it’s quite possible I could go a few months without complaining about the state of the fashion industry. Because you know, I, a teenager with no connections to the fashion industry and no educational background in fashion, am the de facto authority on what should and shouldn’t be trendy.

Sweater: Forever21

Top: H&M (thrifted)

Jeans: American Eagle

October 16, 2017 – In Which Meilin Forgets When The Sun Goes Down (OOTD #137)

Published on October 22, 2017 by lensembledujourLeave a comment

I’ve discussed this so many times already, but allow me to say it again, in case you missed it: lighting really makes the photo.

Over the summer, I was in the habit of taking my fashion photos after dinner, around 7:00pm or so. At 7, the sun was just beginning to set, making for some lovely golden natural light for my photos.

And now that I’m in school, I’m in the habit of taking my fashion photos around lunchtime, maybe noon or so, due to the convenience of asking the friends I eat lunch with “hey, would you mind to take pictures of my outfit real quick before you head to class?” At noon, I don’t quite get the beautiful fading light, but, since it’s usually overcast in South Bend, I don’t have to worry about weird shadows.

So over fall break, I was back home again, and, since I don’t think anything through, I just figured I could do my pictures around 7:00pm after dinner, just as I was doing in the summer, and get the same golden light effect.

Not so much.

To my surprise, when I looked out the window as my family was beginning to clean up from dinner, the sun was completely down. I had forgotten that it’s late October, and by late October in Kentucky, it’s getting fairly dark fairly fast.

Flash photography to the rescue.

Of sorts. Flash photography didn’t quite solve my problems, and my photos from Monday suffered from having to be taken in the dark. I got some taken outside with the flash on, some taken by a garage light, and some taken indoors. It’s not the best work I’ve ever done, but hey, tomorrow’s another day. At least I got this nice selfie with my mom.