Tag: travel

June 27, 2017 – Reggae and Calypso (OOTD #53)

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…won’t you save me, San Francisco?

Had a great night last night with my friend Amanda at a Train concert in Cincinnati.

Admittedly, Train isn’t my favorite band on the planet. I like them well enough, and a couple of their songs – I’m thinking “50 Ways to Say Goodbye” and “Save Me San Francisco” – have been in rotation on my iTunes and Spotify playlists for years, but mostly, I wasn’t too familiar with their work. I actually had to create a playlist of their setlist the day before the concert so I could study up on their library more, since I wanted to be able to sing along at least to the courses of the songs I didn’t know.

But I love concerts, and I will happily drop all of my spending money to go see them, regardless of how much I know about the band. There’s something really spectacular about being in a room full of people connected by music, and whether I love the music or not, I love the vibe.

My first concert, Demi Lovato, was back when I was in fourth grade, and I’ve been hooked ever since. I even remember the outfit I wore to see Demi Lovato – black boots, denim skirt, green henley, denim vest, white jacket, green scarf, straw fedora-like hat. Tacky and awkward as it sounds, I remember feeling really fashionable for 2008, and I actually remember getting a lot of compliments.

Not wanting to be passed up by my fourth grade self, I had to put together an outfit worthy of a summer concert. I feel like Train has an almost country vibe to their music, and I wanted to reference that in my look. But I don’t really have any country-looking clothes, and regardless, I’m not really a country person, so I went for a boho summer festival look instead. Close enough…ish?

But for real, I do like my outfit today. I spent forever trying to find a bralette that layered nicely under the high neck of my tank top (as it turned out, a high neck bralette was perfect for the job), and I layered a sheer kimono on top for “warmth.” Or maybe just fashion. I don’t know, practicality and aesthetic run together in my head sometimes.

I topped it all off with a layered choker and a gold headband, and I felt like I was almost cool enough to stand in the parking lot of Coachella and direct traffic. Almost. Hey 

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 and shorts: H&M

Kimono: Hollister

Bralette: Aerie

Headband: Altar’d State

 

 

 

Saturday Musings + Coffee – Planning for London

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Hey there.

As some of you might know, I’m going on a trip to London in a little more than a week, and I’m beginning to get quite excited!


The whole thing was a little impromptu actually – my friend, Amanda, has a family friend in England, and she was talking to me in January maybe about how she was planning to visit over the summer. So me, being rather jealous, jokingly asked if I could come along, and to my surprise, she was cool with it. 

We’re getting to stay with this family friend for free, so no hotel to pay for, and Amanda’s mother used to be a flight attendant, so our airfare was greatly discounted. It’s all very lucky for me, because there’s no way I’d be able to pay for a trip like this otherwise. I’m still surprised it’s happening.

Anyway, Amanda and I met for lunch the other day (I actually wrote about it a little here) to discuss what we wanted to do while there. We’ve already got tickets to see Cage the Elephant (ironically, a Kentucky band) in their acoustic set at Union Chapel, but otherwise, our schedule is fairly free for whatever we want to do on any given day.

We decided we definitely want to do the Climb the O2 experience, as our means of getting a good view of the city from above, rather than doing something like the London Eye. We also want to hit Shoreditch for its beautiful Instagram opportunities,  St. Paul’s Cathedral (I’m a sucker for old, beautiful churches), Brick Lane Market, and probably way more things than we’ll actually be able to see. 


We’re going to meet again sometime before we leave to sort out our priorities, but, since I know many of you guys live in Europe, and some even in England, I thought I’d ask – what should I make sure to hit while in London? And honestly, even if you’re not English, but you’ve visited the country – or if you’re simply a person who likes giving their opinion – please leave me a comment below! I love hearing feedback, and I know I won’t be able to get to everything I want, so I’d appreciate any advice you can offer.

There’s so much still to do – pack, pick out clothes, order tickets, figure out how many bags I need and what needs to be checked and what can be carry-on – and so little time! I’m beginning to get rather excited though. This is my first time out of the country in years; the last time, I was in third grade and my parents took me to see China. That was such an amazing, memorable experience, so I hope England can compete!

Anyway, it looks like it’s going to be a short post today – my parents are calling me for dinner. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one!

June 20, 2017 – All The Trends! (OOTD #48)

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I like to think of myself as someone who doesn’t feel the need to follow trends.

 

Like I said, like to think of myself – I’m not necessarily always that way. Case in point – today’s outfit, which covers three trends all in one – an off-the-shoulder top, loose shorts, and a choker. Clearly, I belong in an issue of Seventeen, or perhaps an ad for Forever21.

 

(Actually, unlike a lot of days, today’s outfit features nothing from Forever21!)

 

There’s really nothing wrong with being trendy: it’s just that following trends means there’s less room for original thought and creativity. And that’s something I value quite a lot in fashion – I would much rather wear something that makes people go “that’s different” than “that’s boring.”

 

But being original takes effort, and being trendy does not (though it does take a lot more money…), and today, I was rather lacking in the effort department. I woke up a bit late, and I had to rush to get ready for a lunch date with a friend, so trendy it was.

 

One of the nice things about trends is that they come in all varieties, and these varieties are very easily mixed and matched. Today, for example, I mixed the off-the-shoulder trend with the loose, boho-ish shorts trend with the choker trend. It made for a very simple, stylish outfit that required very little thought on my part and still looked very good in the end. That is something you risk when going with more unusual outfits – you may put all this thought and effort into creating interesting layers or silhouettes, and you can still just wind up looking weird.

 

Also, about today’s lunch date – my friend and I used it to discuss things we wanted to do in London, when we visit in early July. So I figured I would ask you guys, anyone who’s visited London or lives there or just feels like offering an opinion, what should we make sure we do while we’re there? We don’t necessarily feel the need to do the super-touristy things and would actually really love to go for something a little more off the beaten path, so if you have any suggestions, please leave a comment below!

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: Hollister

Pants: Francesca’s

Band-aid with little fish on it: UK Hospital

Top 5 Pinterest Picks for the Week 6-11-17

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For those of you who know me well, you probably know that Pinterest has been a huge obsession of mine for years. Huge obsession as in before I was even using Instagram, Twitter, or Snapchat regularly, I was pinning away on Pinterest.

Before I got interested in blogging, before I even knew what “aesthetic” meant,” Pinterest was there. Like, I remember being a member of Pinterest’s beta phase, where I had to have a friend who already had an account send me an invite to even join!

Anyway, I figured this blog was a great excuse to share with you guys some of my favorite Pinterest finds for the week! Plus, I know all about having a small blog and trying to get some exposure, so anything I can do to help some other bloggers out, I’ll do. If you have a blog with original Pinterest content and you want to be featured on this series, hit me up with a comment below with a link to one of your pins and I’d be happy to give you a shoutout!

Oh, and if you’d like to check me out on Pinterest, please do! I’m constantly pinning – it’s like an addiction. I have boards on fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel food – you name it! Also, it would mean a lot to me if you’d go repin some of my fashion content from this blog – you can find it all on this board – to help me get some more exposure.

Anyway, without further ado, here’s my top 5 Pinterest picks for the week!

1. Elie Saab – Spring 2017 Couture

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I’ve been a huge fan of Elie Saab since forever. If I had $100,000 to go out spending willy-nilly on evening gowns, you can bet I would own at least 10 of his spectacular evening gowns. His designs always manage to be so alluring without being to showy, and I think that subtlety is what makes him a great designer. Other designers, like Alexander McQueen or Marchesa, like to make their haute couture stand out by having outlandish silhouettes or embellishments (and trust me, I have absolutely no problem with that!), but Elie Saab takes a more understated route. These are the kind of dresses you could wear to a red carpet event or wedding and get comments like “how elegant” rather than “how unusual.” Again, nothing wrong with unusual, but sometimes, it’s better to go for the crowd-pleaser.

2. Srevolrof – Messy Braids

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By the looks of it, this girl has an absolutely fabulous blog; the only downside is – for me, at least – it’s all in German! Regardless, blogging is a rather visual medium, so language doesn’t also act as such a barrier as it does in other endeavors. Thankfully, there’s this little thing called the Internet, so, after hours of pouring over German dictionaries (or about 3 seconds on Google Translate), I found out that this blog post not only showed off a fabulous messy hairstyle, but it was also in support of a charity for Nepal! I do love a girl with good hair and a good heart ❤️ Definitely go check her out!

3. Gal Meets Glam – Charleston in January

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It was actually rather difficult trying to find a fashion pin that actually linked back to its original source. The Internet is a wonderful place that allows us content creators to share and promote ourselves to a wide variety of audiences, but it also means it’s very easy for others to steal content and repost it without crediting its owner. I’m not saying everything on Pinterest has been stolen, of course, but it’s definitely worth being aware of, and I’m usually more likely to pin something if I see it comes from its original owner’s website, rather than another source, like Tumblr or Instagram. Anyway, I thought this girl’s style was really cute – effortlessly chic and feminine – and something I might try to recreate here on L’ensemble du jour. A lot of my outfits are inspired by what I see on Pinterest, actually, and that’s part of why I love the website so much,

4. Sunrise on Kilimanjaro – Hudson Henry

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Doesn’t this photo just speak for itself? I follow a lot of travel bloggers and photographers, but this guy’s work really stands out above the rest. In addition to just being a really beautiful location, it’s also a really intelligently staged shot, with the tiny silhouettes of the adventurers peeking out from the bottom corner. It allows the beautiful scenery to shine, while also making commentary on how small we humans are in the grand scheme of things. I’m not trying to wax poetic here – it’s just a really pretty photo in the end, regardless of interpretations you can take from it.

5. Noel Badges Pugh Art

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Those of you who’ve seen some of my OOTD posts from art galleries know, I’m kinda into art. I mostly consider it a hobby because I know I’m not really talented enough to make a true career out of it, but that’s part of why I love seeing artists who have been able to make it their profession online. This guy does some really detailed and colorful ink work that mixes the human body and nature, creating a really interesting, psychedelic look. Have a look at his Tumblr and go show him some love!

And that’s all for today! I hope you liked the first in this Pinterest Picks series. If you do, there will be more to come! 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.

 

June 5, 2017 – Bardstown in Black (OOTD #36)

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Kentucky’s a pretty cool state.

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I do still find it hard to consider myself a true Kentuckian, though I’ve spent almost all of my life here – all 18 years of it, actually, excluding the 8 months that I spent as a baby in China. My father’s a true New Jersey guy and my mother’s from Chicago, so none of us have ever truly fit in to the southern lifestyle. Still, while Kentucky’s a little on the boring side, it has its merits. It’s always been my dream to move to a big city like New York, but I do rather like the small town feel that Kentucky’s got. 

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While I live in one of Kentucky’s biggest cities (though I usually think of it as more of a really large college town rather than the small city it touts itself as), it is pretty cool to go in to visit one of small country towns. Today, my family and I headed into Bardstown, KY, at the request of my visiting uncle and cousin from New Jersey. They’re both super into vintage stuff, so we figured this was a pretty nice place to get lunch and do some antique shopping.

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And it really was. We had lunch at this really cute burger place, and spend the rest of the afternoon wandering in and out of the little boutiques and consignment shops that lined Bardstown’s downtown Main St. area. I didn’t find anything I really wanted (except for a cute little Burberry sweater in a second-hand shop for $100; sadly, it had a tear that wasn’t going to be easy to fix), but I think my uncle and cousin enjoyed themselves.

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Today’s outfit was actually inspired by my uncle’s style, funnily enough. I wish I had some pictures of him – he’s a really interesting dude. He’s into hot rods, skeletons, local bands, and likes to wear workers’ shirts with random people’s names on it.  Though I don’t have any shirts that label me as a Jerry or an Andres, I do have these fun hair clips that look like skeleton hands. I paired them with a black sweater with detailing on the neckline, maroon pants with detailing down the legs, and, for extra detail, I added a  black velvet choker.

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(Look, writing is hard sometimes, especially trying to avoid sounding repetitive)

And apparently, my uncle liked it because he said I looked cool, in particular the skeleton hair clips.

Sweater: Francesca’s

Pants: Ann Taylor LOFT

Shoes: Converse

That’s it for today! Don’t forget to check me out on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr! For business inquiries, shoot me an email at lensembledujour@gmail.comFullSizeRender 46FullSizeRender 44FullSizeRender 40FullSizeRender 36.jpgFullSizeRender 41.jpg

 

April 30, 2017 – Until Next Time (OOTD #10)

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New York City: Day 4.

I’m gonna keep this one short because it’s getting late and I’m about to catch my plane home. In truth, I’m glad to go. I’ve been raving about how much I love New York, and trust me, that hasn’t changed, but what I love is the city, and I don’t want to leave – but that’s not necessarily true for the people I’m with.

That’s not really anything against these kids – I can’t think of any group of 40 people who I could tolerate spending 24 hours a day with for 4 days. We’ve had a ton of fun together, but I’m ready to get away from them for a while.

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Today was a pretty-low key day. We went to the 9/11 museum, went back to Little Italy for lunch, and then did some shopping around Chinatown and Times Square. The 9/11 museum was easily one of the highlights of the trip. It was such a moving experience, but I didn’t take any photos there – it didn’t seem appropriate.


Outfit-wise, things were pretty low key as well. I went for all black – not for any particular reason, but sometimes I just feel a little edgy. You really can’t go wrong with black.

And that’s it for today. I should be home before too long, and then it’s back to school tonorrow. Goodnight for now.

Top and shorts: H&M

Choker: Francesca’s

Bonus mirror selfie:

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 29, 2017 – On Top of the World (OOTD #9)

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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.

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新年快乐 / happy chinese new year !🏮

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I changed into something a little fancier – a traditional Chinese silk qipao dress.

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boom boom (qi)pao

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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.

 

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Concrete jungle wet dream TOMOATOOOOOOOO 🍅

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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 28, 2017- Springtime in New York (OOTD #8)

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New York City: Day 2

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An oldie but a goodie #throwbackthursday

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Another long day has passed, and lemme tell you – I am exhausted.
Today’s agenda has included a visit to the The Today Show, The Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, Little Italy, Chinatown, a Yankees game, and the Empire State Building.

If that sounds like a long day to you, believe me it was.

It was a ton of fun though!

The best parts were when me and a small group of friends were able to split off from the main group and explore the city in our own, such as our excursion to Little Italy.

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Street art is cool! (New York edition)

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I had the best food at a restaurant there called La Bella Vita. The pasta almost brought tears to my eyes, it was so delicious. Another bonus: our waiter had beautiful hair and an even more beautiful accent.
The outfit for today was built for both style and comfort. A high neck bralette layered under a lightweight canvas jacket meant I was prepared whether it was a sunny afternoon or a chilly morning (we experienced both). High waisted jeans meant I had more skin protected from the dirty New York surfaces, and my old black booties with a squat heel was comfortable to walk in.

That doesn’t mean my feet didn’t still feel like lead at the end of the day.

Jacket:

Bralette: Aerie

Jeans: Hollister

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 😀