Fashion – Page 3 – Ensemble of Elan

The Fashion Girl’s Guide to Fitness

For my entire life, I made excuses as to why I couldn’t reach my goals. Being a full time student and having two jobs are definitely good reasons, but they’re still excuses. But in January of 2016, something clicked in my head, and I realized how much control I have over my life. If I really want something, I’m the only person who can keep me from it.

I decided to dedicate my entire life to fitness and health. I began working out for one hour five days a week and eating clean six days a week. My plan was to lose fifteen pounds. I ended up losing thirty pounds.

After losing the weight, I kept setting new goals, and I kept reaching them. I suddenly enjoyed shopping for new clothes because I felt good about myself. I was finally able to wear cute outfits and not feel self conscious. I’d never had this much confidence in my life. Not only did I look better, I felt better. I felt strong and healthy. I felt happier and got better sleep. I started to realize it’s not about how you look; it’s about how you feel. Before losing weight, I was called fat. After losing weight, I was called too skinny. My response? “Well, I love myself and that’s all that matters.” And it truly is all that matters.

It doesn’t matter what type of clothes you wear, how skinny you are, or how much makeup you wear. As long as you truly love yourself, you’ll rock any look. It’s not the outfit that makes you look good. It’s your confidence and how you wear that outfit that makes you look good.

Life is too short to try to impress others. Do things that make you happy, things that make you feel your best.

I now train for at least an hour and a half five days a week and I count my macros. I’m climbing the ladder of the fitness world around me. People are constantly asking me how to look and feel better, and it makes me feel so happy. Everyone deserves to love themselves. This new confidence has not only helped me in the gym, but it has also helped me in front of the camera, with my job, with socializing in general.

People are drawn towards confidence. I think that’s because everyone strives for and wishes to love themselves. At the end of the day, it’s all about being the healthiest version of ourselves. We only have one life, and one body. We’re meant to take care of it and to love it.

-B

Whoever said fashion and fitness had to be mutually exclusive was just plain wrong. Ditch those gray, baggy sweat pants because fashion and fitness have come together and had a baby, and its name is athleisure. From yoga-inspired looks like mine to bold, fresh looks like Sabrina’s, this new take on workout gear is anything but boring.

Last season was filled with bright colors, so I love the fresh take this season has brought with muted monochromatics. A number of traditional ready-to-wear stores have taken on athleisure sections, including H&M, Old Navy, and Free People, and even Beyonce has her own fitness line! Wearing Adidas sneakers instead of a pair of cute flats is the easiest fashion-forward way athleisure can play into your daily life. Yoga pants are no longer restricted to yoga classes, so pair them with a flowy top and hit up brunch with friends.

Quite often, people make the mistake of thinking that you have to wear ‘traditional workout clothes’ when you work out, but I think the athleisure trend has definitely disproved that. There are many ways to incorporate fashion-forward trends into your athletic looks, like the strappy back of my sports bra or Sabrina’s velvet sneakers.

When it comes to fashion, it’s all about your perspective, so rock those silk joggers and feel free to wear patterned leggings until the end of time.

-H

As a full-time student and aspiring entrepreneur, it can sometimes be difficult to find the time (or the energy) to hit the gym. I like to work out in the morning, so if it gets past noon or one o’clock, it’s probably not going to happen that day. Unfortunately, I also do my best work in the morning, so I frequently get caught up writing blog posts or knocking out homework assignments until my ideal ‘workout window’ has passed. So, what’s a morning girl to do then?My solution is to put on my workout clothes as soon as I wake up, even if I don’t know if I’m going to work out that day. Because if I already have my leggings and sports bra on, I’m a lot more likely to make that ten minute drive to the gym.

Changing into athletic clothes doesn’t seem like that big of a task, but when you’re trying to make the decision of whether or not to work out at like 12:59, already being in those clothes is a huge motivating factor. And there’s actually science to back up this idea. The theory of ‘enclothed cognition’ describes the mental changes we undergo when we wear certain clothing. One researcher from a 2012 study on the topic says, “I think it would make sense that when you wear athletic clothing, you become more active and more likely to go to the gym and work out.”

This doesn’t mean that leggings are magical, and as soon as you put them on, you’ll transform into a fitness guru. But, if you’re already contemplating going for a run, wearing the clothes you subconsciously associate with running can give you the extra push you need to actually go through with it.

Plus, athleisure is as comfortable and cute as it gets, so what other reason do you need to stock up on track pants and funky tennis shoes?

-S

Britney’s Outfit Details

Top: Express

Sports Bra: Forever 21

Leggings: Forever 21

Tennis Shoes: H&M

Hat: Nike

Sunglasses: Aldo

Hannah’s Outfit Details

Top: Forever 21

Sports Bra: Forever 21

Leggings: Target

Hoodie: Forever 21

Slip On Shoes: ASOS

Sunglasses: TJ Maxx

Sabrina’s Outfit Details

Top: Goodwill (revitalized by Awaken Atelier)

Track Pants: Forever 21

Tennis Shoes: Target

Sunglasses: Rue21

Half the Story

Our mission at Ensemble of Elan is to dress with purpose.

To explore ideas that intrigue us, to celebrate those who inspire us, and discover who we are through fashion.

As part of that, we try to be as authentic and honest as we can, but like anyone, there are still sides of ourselves that we don’t exactly broadcast to the world.

We want to inspire those around us to take on the world with confidence, but we don’t want to give you the idea that this is something that comes to us with ease. Because like anyone, we sometimes doubt ourselves and our abilities.

So, we wanted to share with you our #halfthestory, which is a movement to share the half of yourself that you don’t normally share on social media, and we hope our stories inspire you to do the same.

Have you ever gone somewhere and felt like you were out of place?

Now, have you felt that way almost every day of your life?

Most people probably haven’t, but I have.

I suffer from what is called impostor syndrome.

Impostor syndrome is a concept describing high-achieving individuals who are marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a “fraud”. I graduated as valedictorian from my high school, got accepted into one of the most prestigious honors colleges in the country, graduated summa cum laude with my bachelor’s degree, and I am currently holding a 4.0 GPA in my master’s program.

People have always regarded me as the “smart girl,” but for a long time, I honestly never felt that way.cI always discounted every accomplishment with something along the lines of “I went to a small school, so there wasn’t as much competition,”or “I got in the Honors College because my sister was already in it, and they liked her,” or “The work wasn’t very hard, so it didn’t take that much effort to get an A.” I never credited myself for a single one of those feats.

I hadn’t heard of imposter syndrome until about a year ago, but when I finally read an article about it, something clicked because it perfectly articulated something I’d felt for years. I was truly afraid to write this because I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging; I’m not that kind of person (rather, quite the opposite). I know there are a lot of people out there who feel the same way, but don’t know how to talk about it without looking like they’re fishing for a compliment. From all of us out there who struggle with this, I promise we aren’t ‘humble bragging’ because outside validation does nothing to help us.

I wanted to share this anecdote from Neil Gaiman because it helped me realize that I wasn’t alone:

Some years ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to a gathering of great and good people: artists and scientists, writers and discoverers of things. And I felt that at any moment they would realize that I didn’t qualify to be there, among these people who had really done things.

On my second or third night there, I was standing at the back of the hall, while a musical entertainment happened, and I started talking to a very nice, polite, elderly gentleman about several things, including our shared first name. And then he pointed to the hall of people, and said words to the effect of,

“I just look at all these people, and I think, what the heck am I doing here? They’ve made amazing things. I just went where I was sent.”

And I said, “Yes. But you were the first man on the moon. I think that counts for something.”

And I felt a bit better. Because if Neil Armstrong felt like an impostor, maybe everyone did.

Maybe there weren’t any grown-ups, only people who had worked hard and also got lucky and were slightly out of their depth;

all of us doing the best job we could, which is all we can really hope for.

The older I get, the more I realize that nobody actually ever feels like they know what they’re doing.

We look at people who seemingly have it all together and forget that they’re people too.

People just like us.

So, if you do feel way out of your league or completely terrified that people are going to discover that you actually aren’t as intelligent or creative or whatever as people think you are, keep going. Someone (probably a lot of someones) saw something in you, even though you couldn’t see it yourself. Try to give yourself a little credit, and if that’s still difficult for you, remember it’s better to be humble and keep striving to better yourself than to think you are the most amazing person who has ever existed and stay exactly where you are.

-S

This year, I took on quite the workload with being a full time student, working 20-30 hours a week, starting Ensemble of Elan, and taking the first steps to open our sustainable fashion company, Awaken. I’ve learned that being an aspiring entrepreneur often means accepting stress as part of your life.

Many days last semester consisted of waking up and starting my day in school, doing work for two of my jobs in class (sorry mom), racing to business meetings or blog photoshoots as soon as I got done with class, then in the wee hours of the night I would finally start on some homework. I’m only twenty years old, but I have a lot of dreams, so I knew I needed to find a way for me to take them on without my brain exploding from so much stress.

I noticed the weight of the anxiety and tensions start to creep in, and I continually pushed it to the back of my mind or ignored it until I was on the verge of a meltdown every other day. Rather than sharing my feelings with my friends or family, I employed the “fake it till you make it” method, or as some social psychiatrists put it, “impression management”.

Many of the things that make a great entrepreneur- creativity, passion, energy- are also the things that can lead to them feeling worthless and sapped of motivation, especially when things don’t go as planned.

There are almost entire days when I lay in bed, just mentally exhausted from all of the tasks I have to do on regular basis. On those days, the last thing I want to do is to post another social media post or create another graphic. But many times, I don’t really have a choice.

So what are we supposed to do to keep stress from overcoming our lives?

Are we just supposed to give up our dreams altogether because they’re too stressful?

What has helped me deal with the stress and burdens of being an aspiring entrepreneur is remembering why we started Awaken in the first place: to help promote sustainable clothing in the fashion industry (and because going into fashion has always been my dream). When I refocus my purpose and intentions of why I am doing all of this, it makes it all worth it.

There are days when I am the most positive, encouraging person and I am ready to take on the day, but there are also days when the doubt and fear crashes down like a thousand ton elephant on my shoulders, and I can barely get a single thing done.

On those days, I like to hit up the gym and let out all of my frustrations.

ANOTHER TIP IS TO JUST TAKE A BATH EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE. IT HELPS.

Many of us worship the ideal of perfection, but letting that go can help us release all stress we compound on a daily basis.

-H

Be sure to check out the Half the Story Project for more life unfiltered!Hannah’s Outfit Details

Camisole: Target

Robe: Victoria’s Secret

Earrings: Amazon

Sabrina’s Outfit Details

Slip Dress: Target

Robe: Gift

Earrings: Gift

A ‘Make It Work’ Moment

As many of you know, the two of us live in Arkansas. Physically at least. Mentally, we live in places like Paris and New York City, and our sense of style reflects that urban, fashion week-street style vibe.

As such, it’s a challenge to make our photographs appear as though they could have been taken on the streets of Manhattan rather than Little Rock, Arkansas.

We love our home state and all the wonders of nature it has to offer, but when it comes to fashion, we certainly prefer stilettos and skyscrapers to cowboy boots and cornfields.

When we initially started this blog, we were open to taking photos wherever.

Greenhouses, college campuses, the downtown area of the small city we live in.

As we continued to develop our aesthetic, we decided that we wanted to stick to more ‘urban’ backgrounds and colors to make our blog feel as though it could have originated from a big city. Little Rock is beautiful with its river bridges and river market, but it can be difficult to find places to shoot photos without resorting to the same old spots over and over again.

Yet, somehow, some way, we’ve made it work.

What is life without a little challenge? Hannah and I would love nothing more than to travel and take photos in the fashion capitals of the world, but unfortunately as students and budding entrepreneurs, that is not exactly in our budget. So, for the most part,we take the thirty minute trip to our state’s capital to scout locations and show off our sense of style.

Sometimes we get disappointed because we are not able to capture some of the shots we really want, but we kind of enjoy the challenge of making Arkansas look urban. When we end up with photos like these, I don’t think we’re really missing out at all.

Plus, it’s kind of cool to show the people of Little Rock that fashion is not nonexistent here. So many times, we’ve been out for a shoot and people have stopped their cars to tell us that we look amazing or that they love what we’re doing. Just because we don’t live in a big city, it doesn’t mean we have to give up on what we truly want for our blog and for ourselves.

-S

From a photographer’s perspective, it would be much easier to live in a city with a color scheme similar to ours and the sort of aesthetic the bigger cities have to offer.

We quickly ran out of locations to use when we started Ensemble of Elan, so we had to look at the situation differently and see how we could make places in Arkansas look more chic and sophisticated. When I’m scouting for places, I usually like to start in an urban area that has pretty tall buildings to create depth and interest in the background. Sabrina and I usually drive around until we see buildings that fit our color scheme, so for us, we usually look for white/gray, modern or architectural structures. Buildings with tall windows are also helpful in creating an intriguing, reflective background.

It’s not impossible to make Arkansas look sophisticated; you just have to know what to look for.

-H

This summer, we are looking forward to traveling to places like Fayetteville, Dallas, and Memphis to do photoshoots in new, exciting locations because we will finally have the time and money to do so.

For once, we won’t have to scour the same square mile of Little Rock in search of somewhere fresh! It is an engaging challenge in creativity to find new angles and new crevices of our state’s capital where we can hold photoshoots, but it would be a welcome change to shoot somewhere completely untouched by us and our camera.

Traveling frequently won’t be an option during the rest of the year until we are both done with school, so until then, we have to–as our idol, Tim Gunn, says–make it work.

Sabrina’s Outfit Details

Jumpsuit: TJ Maxx

Button-Down Shirt: Goodwill

Tennis Shoes: Adidas

Glasses: Coach

Ear Cuff: Badgley Mischka

Purse: BCBG

Hannah’s Outfit Details

Dress: Target

Long Sleeve Shirt: Goodwill

Ankle Boots: Lulu’s

Backpack: Goodwill

Hair Piece: Target

Earrings: Amazon

The Rules Are Meant to Be Broken

There are a lot of so-called ‘rules’ in fashion.

“Don’t wear socks with sandals.”

“Don’t show your bra straps.”

“Match your shoes to your purse.”

“Dress for your age.”

Thankfully, all of these rules are completely irrelevant in 2017. The new era of fashion is all about expressing yourself however you so choose. If you are a fashion novice, it might be a smart idea to use the rules as guidelines until you get more comfortable creating outfits, but after that, feel more than free to shatter and stomp all over them.

I remember when I was a teenager, it was a fashion faux pas for your bra straps or your underwear to peek out from your clothes. It was such a pain to make sure my bra straps were tucked away at all times and that my underwear wasn’t showing above my low-rise jeans. Now, I love that undergarments are made to be shown. We as women shouldn’t have to worry about constantly covering up what we’re wearing underneath our clothes. It’s ridiculous!

And impossible at times!

Trust me, there’s nothing scandalous about a visible bra strap. There might be something a little scandalous about showing off Calvin Klein or Victoria’s Secret undies, but is there really anything wrong with that? (No. No, there isn’t.)

Dressing in a sexy manner isn’t a crime.

Although, I honestly did feel a little awkward during this shoot because we were at the Clinton Presidential Library and guests were arriving for a fancy wedding while I was chilling and modeling for photos in this outfit. I probably could have planned the timing/location of that shoot better so that I didn’t feel underdressed, but it wasn’t the end of the world, and I didn’t let it bother me.

-S

There are a couple of fashion myths that I simply do not agree with.

For starters, whoever said that you have to be as tall as Karlie Kloss to wear long pants and maxi skirts is dead wrong. Many short girls, including myself (I’m 5’2 and proud), have ventured into the world of over-the knee-boots and wide-leg pants, and you know what? They look just as fly on us as they do on our taller counterparts.

However, there are several challenges when it comes to pulling off jumbo pant legs if you are not a pro in stilettos. Just remember to have your tailor on speed dial and that high waistbands can add several inches to your perceived height

Another misconception that used to exist in the fashion industry is that you cannot mix prints, but that has certainly been disproven over the past few seasons. From mixing florals with stripes to even leopard and plaid, fashion in 2017 is on a new level that does not follow any rules.

I read an intriguing quote the other day on the fashion blog, Racked:

“A fashion ‘don’t’ thoroughly owned by you is always going to be a much more interesting look than a fashion ‘do’ worn with resentful compliance.”

So don’t hold back; break the rules. Remember that rebellion has always thrived in fashion.

Without it, would fashion ever evolve?

-H

All that said, you do have to know the rules before you can successfully break the rules. So, please don’t pair Hanes crew socks with your Birkenstocks or show off the straps of your ratty, old, Maidenform bra (please). But you can wear fishnet socks with black heels or show off the straps of a lacy, new bralette!

Keep in mind that fashion icons do not get remembered for wearing what’s conventional or appropriate. Wear what you want to wear, and let it roll off your back if people have a problem with it. Right now they might be mocking you, but before you know it, they’ll be imitating you.

“Well behaved women seldom make history.”

– Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Hannah’s Outfit Details

Button-Down Shirt: Goodwill

Jeans: Target

Heeled Sandals: Goodwill

Sunglasses: Rue21

Purse: BCBG

Sabrina’s Outfit Details

Crop Top: Target

Bra: Aerie

Jeans: Zara

Undies: Victoria’s Secret

Purse: Aldo

Ankle Boots: Lulu’s

Less is More, More or Less

What does ‘less is more’ mean to you?

The definition of this phrase is: “the view that a minimalist approach to artistic or aesthetic matters is more effective,” but people extrapolate and transfer this definition to fit a variety of ideals. Some see ‘less is more’ as a reason to limit the power of various authority figures, like law enforcement or the government. Others use it as grounds to write a one-page Lean Canvas instead of a full-fledged business plan.

Many still see it as a lifestyle choice where they learn to live with fewer possessions or a smaller social circle,so they can fully appreciate the value of each of those possessions or individuals. We can easily say that this last one is something that we aspire to, but also frequently struggle with on a day-to-day basis.

We’ve grown accustomed to the fast-paced life that comes with fashion photography, where we typically select the 8-10 photos for a blog post from about three hundred raw images. It’s time consuming to edit and narrow down all of those photos, but we love it because it gives us more than enough options to choose from.

As we were collaborating on this photo shoot with the Green brothers, we kept thinking to ourselves, “We need more photos than this!” when we noticed that they snapped far fewer than we were used to. We were worried that we would not be able to do our meticulously crafted outfits justice in only a couple photos at each location.

Yet, as we began looking through them, we realized that we really only need one or two killer photos in each spot, and we actually did have enough. (And it was kind of nice to only spend about a quarter of the time as usual editing them!)

I used to feel remorseful for simplifying my circle of friends so significantly when I started attending UCA. I felt an obligation towards people that meant so much to me in the past, but the reality is that if they are not improving your present or your future, they have no business being in your life.

Life is too short to constantly preoccupy yourself with this kind of guilt. People will always come and go; that’s just the way life works! At one point in your life, a friend will be exactly who you need, but as you grow and change as a person, that friend may no longer serve in your best interest (or you in their best interest).Simplifying your circle causes less frustration and less stress, more freedom lessens anxiety and lessens worry, and more meaning in your life allows you to focus far less on life’s excess in favor of what’s truly important.

When I started to focus on the people who added more value to my life and inspired me to chase after my passions, I began to become more successful in my aspirations. Now I have professional photographers and videographers as my close friends, and computer scientists and incredible artists. Allowing more time to connect with them truly helped me see the value in having less.

-H

I remember ‘less is more’ as one of my dad’s key phrases when I was growing up. As a teenager, I wholeheartedly opposed this idea, especially when it came to clothing. My dad even used to joke that I could go an entire year without doing a single load of laundry! That was a stretch…but not by much, I’m afraid.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve moved towards higher-quality, staple pieces, and I’ve (begrudgingly, I’ll admit) begun to see the value in having fewer, better pieces in rotation.

There’s nothing I love more than giving my wardrobe a refresher every season, but I do find myself turning to many of the same pieces when I’m looking for something to wear. I didn’t used to, but now I do see the value in having less. When I’m limited to only ten or so pieces to create outfits from (like on a vacation), I tend to create better outfits than when I have an entire walk-in closet at my disposal.

An art teacher once told me that creativity is best expressed within limits, and for me, that is inescapably true.

-S

Like anyone else, we would love to have lots of people, places, and things in our lives, but if we spread ourselves too thin, we won’t be able to see the true value of any of them.

We love the fast-paced world of fashion, but it’s also nice to step away every once in a while and get back to the simple artistry of taking photographs. We’ve seen that minimalism isn’t any better or worse than other styles of living your life, choosing your friends, or partaking in artistic adventures; it’s just different.

And who better than us understands the value of being different?

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

Leonardo da Vinci

Hannah’s Outfit Details

Top: TJ Maxx

Jeans: Target

Loafers: Forever 21

Hat: Target

Earrings: Earthbound Trading Co.

Sunglasses: Eyeglass Direct

Sabrina’s Outfit Details

Top: Impressions Boutique

Jeans: Impressions Boutique

Cardigan: Impressions Boutique

Heeled Sandals: Impressions Boutique

Purse: BCBG

Necklace: Amazon

Earrings: Fred Meyers

Photos by: the Green Brothers