personal blog – Ensemble of Elan

Pink + Red: How to Rock Clashing Colors

Hello lovelies!

Spring has officially sprung, and we are loving the fresh color combinations that are blooming this season.

As you can probably tell, one of our favorite color combos is pink + red.

A year ago–hell, even a couple months ago–if you had asked either one of us what we thought about a pink and red outfit, we probably would have encouraged you go with either pink OR red and add some neutrals to keep your look balanced and not over-the-top. (Sorry, went into stylist mode for a second.)

But now, we are kind of loving looks that are over-the-top.

When paired together, pink and red clash in a way that’s somehow charming and delightful. Especially when it’s a red jumpsuit paired with a pink blazer or vice versa. (Can you believe we found every one of these pieces at Goodwill?!)

If you want to try out this trend for yourself, our advice is to grab all of the pink and red pieces in your closet and lay them out on your bed

Try out different combinations of pieces and don’t get caught up in whether or not they match–they are not supposed to!

If the clash bothers you too much, add another pink or red piece in a different shade (like Hannah’s beret).

It sounds counterintuitive to add yet another clashing piece, but having three clashing shades together can actually give you that cohesion you are looking for.

We would love to see some of your pink and red outfits, so please feel free tag us in them on Facebook or Instagram!

Xoxo,

H & S

Photos by: Daniel Nansel

Editing by: Hannah Lewter

Winter Outfit Ideas That Are Anything But Dreary

Are you in a winter fashion rut? (Don’t fret, it happens to the best of us.)

By the time mid-January rolls around and you’ve exhausted the number of sweater and jeans combinations you can throw together, what on earth are you supposed to wear and feel amazing in?

We’ve got you.

Throw in a Pop of Color

Many people tend to gravitate towards neutrals in the wintertime, but you don’t have to wait until spring to start rocking your favorite hues!

Pull that brightly colored sweater out of your closet and wear it with pride.

Lavender is Pantone’s color of the year, so you might want to get a head start by wearing this shade before you start seeing it everywhere.

Wear Something Metallic

Yeah, yeah, we know you’re wondering how we can consider an almost entirely gray outfit to be “fun”, but let us prove it to you.

The key here is adding something metallic, like these sneakers.

The eye-catching metallic combined with the on-trend plaid trousers and an edgy beanie makes this look unconventionally exciting.

Rock Your Spring-iest Embroidery

Embroidery has been going strong for a while now, and it isn’t poised to slow down anytime soon.

So, look forward to spring by wearing your favorite embroidered pieces now!

A pair of embroidered booties or an embroidered leather jacket adds a fresh touch to any outfit (and will remind you that spring isn’t far away!)

XOXO,

S & H

Sabrina’s Wearing:

Hannah’s Wearing:

T’Neria Ransom’s Wearing

Moving Up

2017 brought about many great moments, but it was also one of the most challenging years of my life. From starting Ensemble of Elan to putting on our first fashion show and opening our online store–it flew by in a whirlwind of hard work and dedication.

Now going into 2018, I am simply elated for the new opportunities that are in front of me.

I’m going into the last half of my junior year, and I’m taking classes that challenge me as a creator and a student. I’m taking my first watercolor class, braving Spanish ll, and diving deeper into my marketing minor.

I’m also starting an internship with local fashion designer, Linda Rowe Thomas. I can’t wait to be in an environment surrounded with beautiful fabrics, innovative design, and raw inspiration. In this internship I’ll get a first-hand look at what it means to be a designer and to assist in editorial shoots.

On top of all of this, I have finally gathered the courage to pursue modeling professionally, and I put in an application to be a model at Sculp agency. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed modeling for our own photoshoots, and I think I am ready to take it to the next level.

When I was a kid and used to think about what I wanted to do when I got older, I remember knowing that I wanted to be in the creative industry- and that still hasn’t changed.

There’s something amazing about your childhood dream beginning to come into fruition. I can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store.

-H

When people ask me what I do, I usually tell them “many things.” I work as a personal stylist and shopper for Google’s innovative new app, Tailor; I (obviously) operate this fashion blog and our online store; and I am about to embark on two new adventures: interning at a fashion house and pursuing modeling professionally.

When I want something, I will do whatever takes to get it.

For a long time, I yearned to work in the fashion industry, but being from Arkansas, I didn’t know quite how to do it. So, in 2017, I took some leaps of faith and planted the seeds that have blossomed into the opportunities I have before me now.

I want to learn the ins and outs of the fashion industry from every angle: designing, marketing, modeling, merchandising–all of it.

So, this year I am doing all of it. With my master’s degree under my belt at last, I can fully focus on growing in both my craft and my character (yup, I did just borrow that line from my cover letter).

We are almost to the one-year mark of the blog that started it all, and I would not have traded this past year for the world. We’re moving up, and I’m so grateful to all of you reading this because it would never have been possible without you.

-S

Sabrina’s Wearing:

Hannah’s Wearing:

| Goodwill Turtleneck Sweater (similar) | Goodwill Knit Pencil Skirt (similar) | Old Navy Burgundy Pea Coat | Goodwill Multicolor Faux Fur Clutch

More Than Just a Pretty Face

Gigi and Bella Hadid. You probably know them as the faces of fashion houses and the faces on magazine covers. The ones who jet set around the world to glamorous photoshoots and post Instagram stories of themselves with teddy bear face filters.

But, they are more than that.

Why is it that when someone is naturally inclined towards playing the piano or building a model rocket, they are applauded for it, but when someone has a talent for modeling, they are dismissed as just a pretty face?

Let us tell you, modeling is a helluva lot more work than you think it is. It’s standing out in the freezing cold for hours to get the perfect shot. It’s putting on some hip hop music and practicing different expressions in the mirror for hours on end.

It’s essentially creating and embodying an entire character in just one still frame.

Gigi and Bella are some of the best at it, and we frequently turn to them for both modeling and fashion inspiration (can you guess who was inspired by whom?).

Sure, having a pretty face helps, but not everyone can do it.

There are plenty of beautiful people out there who don’t know the first thing about modeling.

But we do know a few things about it, and it is still a daily challenge for us. If you don’t believe us, just come shoot with us sometime! Or think back to the last time you had photos done and recall that the way you held and moved your body naturally did not look natural on camera.

Modeling is an art, and it’s a skill. And it’s one that deserves your respect.

xoxo, S & H

At Long Last, An Ensemble For You!

We started Ensemble of Elan almost a year ago, and our intention was never for it to be just a blog.

We always wanted to do something more and provide our fans with a tangible way to join in on this experience with us.

Over the course of 2017, we learned that starting a business takes a lot of trial and error. We began by offering a wardrobe creation service where we helped clients clean out their closets, alter their current clothing items, and find new ones from our original collection. That did not last long, so we then thought about starting a clothing rental service where fellow fashion bloggers could rent clothes for their photoshoots.

Long story short, neither of those ideas turned out to be feasible because they cost too much money & effort, and we could not make it profitable and keep it affordable.

So, we decided to go back to an idea that was simple and relatively inexpensive: an online clothing shop.

We launched our debut collection last Friday, and we will be releasing new items on a weekly basis. Almost all of the clothes we are wearing in this shoot are from the collection (Save for the metallic coat. We did not have a warm enough coat in our collection for the below freezing temps, so sue me -S).

We hope you love these pieces as much as we do, and please let us know if there is anything else you would like to see in the shop!

Xoxo, S & H