Tag: vintage

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

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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 23, 2017 – Thanksgiving Thriving (OOTD #166)

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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)

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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?

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: Lilly Pulitzer

Dress: Vintage (thrifted)

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

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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)

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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.

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: Vintage (thrifted)

Sweater: Forever21 (thrifted)

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

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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.

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: Vintage (thrift)

Top: Forever21

Tights: Target

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

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(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!

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: Vintage (thrifted)

Turtleneck: The LOFT (thrifted)

October 11, 2017 – Candy Apple Red (OOTD #133)

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You know what I haven’t had yet this season? A good caramel apple.

Okay, so admittedly, that wasn’t the smoothest transition from a blog title to the actual blog that I’ve ever written, but I tried. I thought my outfit looked like it was candy apple red, and I thought about how I liked caramel apples, which are sort of like candy apples, so I thought I would smash them together.

Anyway, caramel apples! They’re wonderful and there are none to be had at the Notre Dame dining halls, neither at North or South. I thought maybe I’d be able to get one when I went to the apple orchard a few weeks back, but alas – no caramel apples. Not even a candy apple.

In my sorrow, I decided to create an outfit out of my desire for an apple smothered in caramel and chopped nuts. Or rather, I created an outfit Wednesday morning out of the fact that I was rushing off to Theology class and I had very little time to put anything together, and then I decided to title this blog out of my desire for an apple smothered in caramel and chopped nuts.

It’s okay though, because my dad and I are headed out tomorrow (at the time of my writing this, I’m on fall break, so I’m presently at home even though my OOTD photos are from while I was still at school) to a pumpkin patch where I know they sell good caramel apples. You readers won’t get to see that post for another week, likely, since these posts are on a delay, but no worries – you’ll see it eventually.

I’m so excited to get and carve pumpkins. Since I was a kid, my father and I have been carving pumpkins together, and each year, we try to do something more and more elaborate. Last year, I did a large pumpkin being eaten my smaller pumpkins, the year before, I did a pumpkin with an exposed brain, and the year before, I did a pumpkin with a split skull.

I haven’t yet decided what I’m going to do with my pumpkin – guess that’s what I ought to do now.

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!

Top: Vintage (thrifted)

Skirt: Forever21

Jacket: Vintage (thrifted)

October 6, 2017 – In the Midst of Midterms (OOTD #130)

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Concept: an AU where I’m never late to post a blog, and I’m not constantly stressed about getting my crap done.

Actually, if such a universe were even to exist, I don’t know if it would be me anymore – I’m pretty sure part of my inborn character to be running late for everything. And by running late, I mean it – I’m not sure a day passes where I don’ have to book it to at least one of my classes. I’ve yet to be late for anything though…let’s not jinx it.

Today, I had my first and only midterm exam of the midterms week – Descriptive Astronomy. It was…eh. It wasn’t the hardest exam I’ve taken in my life, but it was also far from easy.  Parsecs far from easy, I guess you could say. It’s whatever though – I’m mostly just glad it’s over. My grade’s not too much in jeopardy, I don’t think, as I’ve raked up a lot of extra credit points already, but still.

I do have one more exam, Intro to Anthropology, after Fall Break, but I’ll worry about that then. Probably, I’ll be cramming for it the night before I had back to school, kicking myself for not preparing for it sooner (like now), and wondering why I’m always late doing things.

But like I said, it always gets done, and it always gets done on time. Well, on time enough. Like this blog – it’s going up later than my preferred 5:00pm time, but at least it’s getting done by the end of the day.

Also like the friend who’s waiting for me downstairs so we can go to dinner together – I told her 10 minutes, and it’s been more like 15, so whoops to that, but at least I’m still going to make it. 5 minutes late is still on time enough, right?

I feel like this entire blog post is just me asking potential future employers to never hire me, lol.

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: Forever21

Jacket: vintage (thrifted)

September 26, 2017 – Vaguely 60s (OOTD #121)

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I love vintage-inspired fashion.

Take a little glance through the “vintage” tag here on this blog and you’ll see – there’s no shortage of old clothes in my wardrobe. I love the exhilaration of a hunt for a good piece in the bargain bin of a second-hand shop; alternatively, I also love the feeling of walking into a trendy vintage shop full of high-end designer items. There are so many ways to enjoy vintage clothing; there’s no “one” way of doing vintage.

Unlike, say, trendy fashion, in which there is usually has a very clear and defined method of wearing the trend, vintage fashion throws the rules out the window. You can do whatever you want, as long as you make it work.

And how does one make it work? My preference is to pair them with contemporary pieces to create a remixed look that’s stylish without being too basic. Current trends tend to borrow from history, so, given the right vintage piece, it’s no trouble at all to make it look modern.

Take this outfit, for example. This dress comes from the greatest vintage fashion market I’ve ever seen – the Brick Lane Market in Shoreditch, London. I talked about it extensively on the blog from day that I visited there, and I have been talking about it extensively ever since. I’m pretty sure I’m going to still be talking about it when I’m on my deathbed.

Anyway, the dress is vintage, but the styling is not. My bag, thigh-high socks, sunglasses, and shoes are all contemporary, and thus, the outfit doesn’t come off as a 60s costume.

For extra flair, I went for the closest thing to a 60s-inspired Bridgette Bardot ponytail that I could get without a curling iron and without teasing my hair. In other words – it was a pretty sad excuse for a Bridgette Bardot ponytail, but it’s the best I could do. Do I get my participation medal now?

TL; DR: Vintage pieces are such a great way to stand out from the standard fashion trends, while still being stylish. I like them and you should too.

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: Vintage