AsianCajuns in Pleather

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We hope everyone had a lovely, lovely weekend! We stuffed ourselves silly with Peking Duck (it’s an AsianCajun Thanksgiving: stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, string beans, cranberry sauce and Peking Duck) and other delicious food stuffs cooked up by wonderful family and friends. Ahh warm fuzzy holiday feelings are the best. until you are dragged back to reality with a soggy, blustery, cold Monday and a too-early wake-up call for work. And I was just getting used to the whole sleeping in, hanging out and eating all day schedule.

To cheer ourselves up a bit, Cath and I decided to wear our matching pleather H&M (from a few years ago) bomber jackets. 

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Cath, being a very responsible government employee, dressed her faux leather with faux fur, chic wedge oxfords, and a delicate sweater.

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Faux fur and faux bling= brilliant accessorizing. Way to go, Cath! I’m coveting that diamond-headed bird ring on her left hand.

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At my job, I don’t tend to schmooze with clients on a daily basis, so I opted for a dressed-down approach to the pleather: white tee, gray pants, black boots, and a hair poof (my signature I-didn’t-have-time-to-wash-my-hair fix).

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I think the stud trend has pretty much rolled over and died, but I have residual stud-age languishing in my closet (see DIY collar on mens Hanes shirt below). Studs and pleather/leather still make very happy bedfellows don’t you think?

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Next on the AsianCajun agenda? Prepping for the winter holidays. I love twinkly fairy lights and sugar cookies and the smell of fresh evergreen, but the thought of holiday shopping is making me want to hibernate until the New Year. Does that sound too Scrooge-y?

Happy Thanksgiving!

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It’s 1 a.m. as I’m writing this so that makes it officially Thanksgiving day. I love this time of year – especially the weekend after Thanksgiving because that’s the official start of the holidays for me. This Sunday I’ll be taking out my faux-aluminum Christmas tree and Christmas lights and trying to make our apartment as winter-wonder-land-y as possible.

This week I’ve been wearing clothing that helps me get into the holiday spirit. Exhibit A, red coat:

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Drinking my first peppermint mocha of the season. Sooooo delicious. Tuelle wool coat, scarf – a gift from Italy, H&M black pencil skirt, and nude pumps from Eviva.

You can’t tell in the photo above, but I’m wearing a black turtle neck with the skirt. Since Lar and I are having company stay with us this week I switched my pencil skirt out for black leggings after work and cleaned like a mad woman for a couple of hours – only stopping to take an impromptu, Audrey Hepburn-inspired pose. I wonder if Audrey had also just finished scrubbing the kitchen sink right before she took this photo.

My cleaning outfit: H&M turtleneck, AA leggings, and Salvatore Ferragamo oxfords from Ebay. Seeing as there was no H&M nor American Apparel in Audrey’s day and given the fact that she was a famous movie star, I can only guess that her outfit is Givenchy or something equally as glamorous.

I’m thinking about wearing leggings today for all the eating I have in store. Hooray for elastic waistbands!

Hope you all are having a wonderful Thanksgiving – and a happy Thursday to all you non-United States-ians!

Feminine Menswear for Women

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Not exactly a new idea of course. We ladies have been wearing (the) pants for decades – almost centuries- now. Cath and I have always admired Katharine Hepburn and her ability to look stunning in a boxy mans’ suit. But here is the great divide between Katharine and I: where she is like a tall coat hanger with beautiful cheekbones, I’m like a smaller, slightly padded coat hanger with smaller, less padded cheekbones. I look downright Lilliputian and curvy next to Ms. Hepburn. Because of this, I always veered away from an entire suit that would overwhelm my frame.

I also think the 100% masculine look doesn’t work with me. It could be because I’m just too damn girlie. So I feel more at home by adding a lace trim shirt (thanks, Aunt Mare!) under a three quarter sleeved shrunken blazer, topped with a fringy scarf (both H&M). I also skip on the trousers. I have finally given into the fact that I look bad and frumpy in roomy bottoms. Even when skinny jeans and leggings go out of style, I’ll wear them with everything.

I really like lacy ruffles with this sharp, hard-lined blazer that Marlene is wearing below. Are poet shirts coming back? Because I am so hopping on that bandwagon asap!

What do you ladies say? Are you for a little cross dressing? And gentlemen, do you like your ladies in a suit (or parts of one)?

Wet Drapery

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I bought this (loud) coral silk shirt a few months ago at a local thrift store (see Kudzu Antique Market). I put off wearing it because I couldn’t figure out what went with this color. At the time, I succumbed to purchasing it because it’s silk and only $12! I don’t think I own anything that drapes this well on my body (and I definitely don’t own anything this pinky coral). Apologies for the craptastic photos (they don’t do justice to the drapey-ness of the blouse), but indoor photos during the dark wintery months are a challenge.

And what does beautiful fabric make me think of? Art history! But of course!

Enter (mainly) headless Hellenic statues:

Before Common Era, Greek sculptors had mastered the perfect fall and drape of fabric in stone. They magically turned marble into gauzy, rippling pieces of clingy fabric. Before the Hellenic era, poor sculpted bodies had to endure all sorts of uncomfortable stony attire. Hellenic artists created haute couture in stone.

Skip ahead a few centuries to the Dark Ages; a return to Walmart-quality stone wardrobes for all. Even Jesus and Mary had to put up with pointy, rigid gowns and shrouds that did absolutely nothing for their figures.

Skip ahead a few more centuries to the Renaissance and Baroque eras (deep sigh of relief); both sculptors and painters perfect the verisimilitude of fabric out of stone or paint. Below, Artemesia Gentileschi so convincingly paints the folds and fabrics in bed sheets that you (almost) barely notice ole Holofernes getting his head chopped off by strong-armed Judith. Go drapery!

And now we come full circle back to fashion. Long, long before the first wet t-shirt contests were even thought of, Josephine Bonaparte and her fashion lemmings (I would have been one of them) discovered a way to make wet drapery literal. Under their barely-there empire-waisted gowns, ladies would wet their slips (the only other layer they wore) so that their dresses would cling to every curve and leave even less to the imagination. Herve Leger’s bandage dresses have nothing on these 19th century gentlewomen.

Now don’t you want to go out and buy more silk things?! I mean who wouldn’t? The next time you wear something that feels deliciously liquid as it drapes over your body, you can imagine yourself a Greek god or goddess, a mighty biblical figure (on bed sheets!?), or the wife of the most powerful emperor of the era. Not bad, eh? Do you already have something in your closet that makes you feel that way?

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Present You. . .

Boo Radley:

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Ever since my parents moved down to Atlanta, I’ve been trying to convince them to get a dog (I’d love to get one of my own, but I can’t afford it and my landlord doesn’t allow pets – boo). So finally after much hemming and hawing, Lar and I took our parents to the Atlanta Pet Rescue last weekend.

That’s where we discovered this little guy. He’s a Shih Tzu mixed in with a few other things, which makes him part Chinese, just like us!

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He’s very gentle, not a yapper and has a sweet temperament, so I thought “Boo” Radley was a fitting name. He’s a little rough-looking around the edges because when he was rescued his fur was all matted. Plus, he’s a couple of pounds under weight and he has a slight under bite. I think he’s perfect.

AsianCajuns in 944 Magazine

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We are absolutely floored and flattered by the wonderful people at 944 Magazine to include us in their 09 List of people to know in Atlanta. Do you remember that photo shoot we coyly alluded to a little while back? That’s what the shoot was for!

We spent an afternoon shooting at Space in Midtown with the 944 Mag peeps, Jesse and Hannah from Whynatte, fellow blogger Nikki from Fashion Gatherer, and Chad and Caren from Caren West PR. Cath and I felt nervous in front of the camera (since when have my hands seemed so unnecessary? where do you put those things?!), but the photographer, Shane Durrance and his crew were awesome. I wish you could see some of the outtakes. They had me pulling Cath’s hair and smacking her on the back of the head (I think I left a bruise with my owl ring- sorry, Cath!).

944 Magazine (known as “the bible for trendsetters”) is actually new to the Atlanta area. They run editions in cities around the nation, including San Francisco, Miami, Detroit, LA, Phoenix, Orange County and Las Vegas. Local metro-Atlantans can pick up the premiere issue around town (see full list here), and everyone else can take a look at the mag on-line: it’s gorgeous and free!

Thank you to Isoul and everyone at 944 Magazine for this honor! We love you!

We love you too, readers! Go get yourselves a copy and let us know what you think!

In Addition to Lady Gaga.

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So a few posts back I gushed about my adoration for pop phenom Lady Gaga while swearing that I’m usually much more of an Indie rock kind of girl. I should stop pigeon-holing myself into such music genres. Our gorgeous fellow alum of Agnes Scott College, L.A.T.I. (Latisha Cotto) just put out her first video, the single “Spaceship” off of her debut album (out next year).

We love Lady Gaga for her gutsiness, the power of her voice and her disciplined focus on her passion. L.A.T.I. is the same but for the R&B world- and we actually know her! Cath, ‘Tish (as we knew her then) and I all lived in the same dorm our first  year at Agnes Scott, and I remember hearing ‘Tish belt out songs in the shower. Normally this would be annoying (sitting in your dorm room trying to study or get much needed sleep), but she was so talented I didn’t give a hoot and wanted her keep singing. and she has! From the ASC dorm showers to a sound studio in Miami!!!

Congrats, ‘Tish!!! We see big things ahead for you (and hopefully we’ll see you at our 5 Year Reunion– eesh has it been that long? — in the spring!).

Check out L.A.T.I.’s video above and her myspace here.

Dress Up Time!

In honor of Fashion Over Atlanta, Lar and I headed over to Kaleidoscope Boutique tonight to check out their new stuff. Camille, the owner of the store, was there even though she’s nine months pregnant (her due date is next week!). Since the store just got in a bunch of new stuff, Camille asked us to play dress up and try on a few items.

Trying on flirty dresses and military jackets is tough work, but someone’s got to do it. So Lar and I eagerly graciously agreed. And of course we took some pics to share with you all!

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Lar ended up getting this leopard print dress because we both loved the draping so much. Isn’t the red dress gorgeous? It’s one size fits all (Camille wore the purple version of that dress to her baby shower) and the jersey is draped perfectly. I think Lar is already counting down the days until her next paycheck so she can buy it.

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I’m all about the print and cut of the halter dress on Lar above. It would look great with some nude-colored, strappy heels. The military dress is totally my style. I think I could get away with wearing it at work under a cardi or blazer.

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I loved, loved, loved this purple wrap dress. The shinny material had a lot of stretch in it, so it was really comfortable AND the dress has pockets. I can’t tell you how much I love dresses with pockets. I was wearing my Payless booties tonight, but I would probably pair this dress with more ladylike shoes. On the right I’m wearing a military jacket over a really cute, Swedish-looking sweater dress.

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I loved this silk Milly dress (left photo), but it was slightly too big for me. It’s hard to see the actual colors of the dress in the photo, but the pattern looks great and not too busy in person. On the right I’m wearing a Tuelle sweater dress/cardi set, which I would totally buy for work and wear with my cream, platform Mary Janes.

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I will not spend money and save up for this dress. I will not spend money and save up for this dress. I will not

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A close-up of the dress Lar got. Even though the pattern makes it look a little crazy, it’s actually a really versatile piece. She can dress it down with a boyfriend blazer and boots or dress it up with lace black tights and 10-inch McQueen Alien heels – Lady Gaga style FTW!

The Uniform

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We apologize for the lack of outfit posts lately. Cath has been running around being a super-awesome City employee, and I’ve been . uninspired in a rut discovering my cold-weather uniform! Black leggings or skinny jeans, large blouse/shirt, blazer and boots (thigh-highs preferable). It’s the most comfortable uniform yet, and apart from the boots, darn cheap! The shirt and blazer were thrifted and the leggings are from Tarjay. 

I always have grand plans for awesome next-day outfits in the evening, and then come morning, I’m crawling out of my nice warm bed looking for the next best thing to my robe. And do you know what’s comfy? Leggings! And you can hide this cop-out version of pants with some chic boots and a boyfriend blazer. Nice, huh?

(Lord, someone get me out of this shopping-freeze/fashion rut I’m in or I’ll start wearing sweat pants to work!)

Do you guys have a uniform for cold, early mornings when you’re in a scramble to get ready for work or school? My closet would be eternal grateful for your inspiration.

Fashion Over Atlanta

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Sure, New York has its Fashion’s Night Out, but Atlanta has a 4-evening fashion event known as Fashion Over Atlanta. Boutiques around the city are celebrating fashion with trunk shows, live music, bourbon tastings and personal styling opportunities, from November 12 to 15.

Lar and I are super excited (like the local shop owners in the photo below) because some of our favorite Atlanta/Decatur clothing boutiques are participating: Boogaloos, Evolve, Kaleidoscope, Squash Blossom, Meringue and Jac . For a full list of participating shops, click here.

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There’s even an awesome t-shirt involved designed by Pecan Pie Couture (which we’ve gushed about previously here and here). See? Even Mara Davis of Dave FM loves hers.

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Lar and I are planning to hit the town Friday evening to show our love for local boutiques. Hopefully we’ll see you out there!

Update: Daily Candy Atlanta has a great rundown of Fashion Over Atlanta events today and a sweet photo of Clint Zeagler wearing the FOA tee with tulle skirt. Nicely played Clint, nicely played.