A couple of weeks ago the lovely people behind Glamour.com’s Smitten blog asked us to write up an Atlanta travel guide. Lar and I love doing anything that helps show off our adopted home city. Check out the write up here.
On a side note, we’ve been slammed with work and family stuff this week, but we’ll be trying to post as often as possible. In the mean time let us know what you think of our guide and when you’ll be coming for a visit!
Last week Lar and I were invited to a little shindig to celebrate the premier Atlanta season of TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress – at least we thought it was little. We realized our mistake when we pulled up to the party location in downtown Atlanta, saw the red carpet and the 800 plus guests – most of them dressed to the nines (think prom gowns, professional updos and dapper suits).
We hadn’t heard of Say Yes before, but after experiencing the party and hearing from our friends about how they’re obsessed with the show, we realized that somehow we’ve totally missed the boat on the show AND the whole wedding business in general. Just as a disclaimer, Lar and I aren’t really wedding girls. We get super excited if a close friend is getting married, but apart from the obvious, we don’t really know what it takes to put on a wedding.
Luckily, there are plenty of talented wedding experts out there – like Lori Allen, owner of Bridals by Lori Atlanta.
That’s Lori on the left in the photo above during the party. Bridals by Lori is one of the largest wedding salons in the nation, which also makes it the perfect spot to film a reality show following soon-to-be brides around while they find THE dress like this one:
No, silly, I’m not talking about Lar’s Paul Gaultier for Target dress, I’m talking about the gorgeous bridal gown on the 10 ft model. Eat your heart out Chelsea Clinton! (Actually, I loved Chelsea’s dress, but that’s a hole ‘nother blog post)
Here’s my WTF-how-did-everyone-get-so-dressed-up-for-a-6:30 p.m.-party-on-a-weekday-? look:
I’m wearing a dress Lar gave me for my birthday from Ramona West.
Apart from the gorgeous dresses and giddy vibe, the best thing about the evening was the jars of candy and cupcake-covered tables. Lar helped herself to a big ol’ bag of M&Ms and chocolate covered raisins.
Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta premiered last Friday. Seeing as I don’t have cable I asked my bf to DVR the show for me. I can’t wait to check it out and see what all the fuss is about.
First of all, thank you to everyone for voting for us in Atlanta Magazine’s Head to Toe contest. Having such amazing support from the blogging community is one of the things that really keeps us going.
Now, on to some fashion/style/outfit talk. I’m always on the hunt for Rolan Mouret/Black Halo/ Victoria Beckham-inspired dresses (read: cheap knock-offs) that I can wear to work. I love the lady-like lines and the fact that I can just thrown on a dress and look pulled together.
Outfit details: Cassius sunglasses, necklace from Vacation, Zara jersey dress, shoes from the Banana Republic outlet.
I swear I didn’t smear Vaseline on the lens of my phone camera – it just needs cleaning, which I didn’t realize until I pulled these photos up on the computer – eesh!
Lar got me this necklace a while back at Vacation, one of our favorite Atlanta shopping spots, and I love it. It’s got a kind of Flinestones feel to it but somehow it works with this dress.
Hope you are all having a great weekend! Lar is away camping. I don’t envy her, but I’m sure she’ll have some fun photos to share when she gets back.
1.) My new Dolce Vita Blakely top – asymmetric sleeves, soft jersey, loose fit around the middle (no need to suck in the stomach!) and perfect for work or going out. In the photo, I’m wearing it with a pencil skirt and heels, but I’d love to pair it with some super skinny, cropped black trousers and ballet flats.
2.) Arrow ring by Low Luv x Erin Wasson. I’ve been looking for an inexpensive gold ring that has stacking potential. Plus, Low Luv is Erin’s only design partnership now that RVCA has dumped her.
3.) Popeye’s Red Beans and Rice. I always love red beans and rice, especially when my mom makes them, but sometimes I get a HUGE craving for the Popeye’s version. I don’t know what they put in it, but it’s delicious, fast food, Cajun goodness in a cup.
Books and clothes don’t seem like much of a combination, but they’re two of my favorite things. If you made me choose between the two, I wouldn’t know what to do. Lar and I grew up in a house filled with books and our mom got us hooked on reading at a young age (John Bellairs books used to be our favorite summer reads – pre Harry Potter goodness). It freaks me out a little when I go into house that doesn’t have any books. How is that possible?
In the photo below, I’m standing in my parent’s current library/sitting room. They gave away most of their books when they moved down to Atlanta last year, but with monthly trips to the local thrift stores, book sales, book festivals, local book signings and indie book stores, we’re building the collection back up.
Outfit details: Shirt from Evolve Boutique, Asos denim pencil skirt and Seychelles heels.
It’s that time of the season where I start getting really sick of the clothes I have. My summer work wardrobe consists of a small rotation of sleeveless shirts and skirts. Maybe once the summer sales start I can stock up on some floral pencil skirts and cute silk tanks.
I think I’ve shown this necklace on the blog before. The pendant is a prehistoric squid fossil. Don’t believe me? Call Vivid Boutique, they’ll make one for you!
Usually when I buy a purse I wear it for about six months straight. The last new purse I got was a Christmas gift from Lar. It was great for the winter and spring, but lately I’ve been itching to tote around something a little more summery. My search ended at Vivid Boutique where I found this gray, vegan satchel. Perfect for work and big enough to carry around a book or two on the weekend.
I’m sitting on my couch in my new studio apartment. You can’t really tell, but I painted the walls of my living area Iced Mauve. I think it brings out the green of my couch and the gray of my new purse very nicely.
Scoutmob happened to offer a 50% off coupon for Squash Blossom Boutique on our birthday and I took that as a sign that I should buy something. That’s only logical, right? Lar got some really cute sandals and I ended up buying this striped, ruffly shirt. The coupon was clearly meant to be.
The shirt is very light-weight, black and white (well, cream) stripes and tunic length so I’ll be able to mix it up a bit with future outfits. It was the perfect summer top for our July 4th picnic with the family: hamburgers, hot dogs, pasta salad, 5-cup salad, brownies and watermelon.
Outfit details: Boater hat from Nasty Gal, Mystree shirt from Squash Blossom Boutique, Urban Outfitter shorts, Dolce Vita shoes, leash from the Animal Rescue Shelter and our family dog Boo Radley.
My favorite part of the outfit:
My bf made me this necklace for my birthday and I LOVE it. He knows I’m a huge Wizard of Oz fan (Lar and I have both been fans since we were 2) and couldn’t find anything Oz related that wasn’t super cheesy. So he cleverly made the pendant and attached the silver himself. I think he should have his own DIY blog!
A few weeks ago Lar and I attended a party at 1010 Midtown (my bf was playing music for the event and got us tickets). The party was like a taste of Atlanta, open house and networking event all rolled into one. We had fun eating our way around the open condos and oohed and ahhed over the interior decorating.
Dress Urban Outfitters, necklace from Moxsie (gift from Lar), Dolce Vita shoes.
Note to self: start making more money and buy a place in midtown with floor to ceiling windows and a view of the Atlanta skyline. Also paint the bedroom a blue/gray color with white accents.
Lar is wearing a Forever 21 maxi dress and Nine West shoes.
Speaking of living spaces, I’m still putting the finishing touches on my new place. The painting is done and about half my pictures are hung. Has anyone ever nailed into plaster walls before? Do you find it alarming when you hear bits of the plaster falling inside the walls? Is this normal?!
Also congrats to Maritess for winning this lovely Shabby Apple dress:
Thank you to everyone who entered! We used this random student name generator to choose the winner. We’ll be emailing Maritess soon with the details!
Lar and I haven’t done a give-away in a while, so we’re really excited about this! After discovering Shabby Apple through Dressed Up Like a Lady, we’ve been hooked and now we can get you hooked too.
One lucky reader will get this fabulous Shabby Apple summer dress:
Readers, meet the Shabby Apple Tuileries dress. Gorgeous, non? This is the point where I’d write something impressive in French to stick with the theme, but Lar is the only one out of the two of us who actually took French. So instead, I’ll post another photo of the Tuileries:
To enter the give-away, leave us a comment on this post telling us your favorite item (dress, accessory etc.) on Shabby Apple and why and we’ll randomly pick a winner. Also make sure to leave your email address or a link so we can get in touch with you.
Good luck – and all that!
ps- We’ll choose a winner Friday and post about it Saturday. Comments for this post will close at 11:59 pm on Thursday.
Hello dear readers! Apologies for being away from AsianCajuns for so long. Immediately after moving I had to go out of town for work and am still unpacking and organizing. I’m so lucky to have a wonderful twin sister that picks up the slack when I’m buried under boxes and furniture.
Outfit: Bf’s aviators, shirt from Limited Too (13 years ago!!!), American Apparel skirt, H&M belt and Dolce Vita shoes.
I have yet to unpack all of my accessories so my outfits have been a little bland as of late. The photo above was taken before the move when I still knew where my sunglasses and belts were. The shirt is from middle school (it was not as fitted back then), but I can’t seem to part with it because it’s so classic.
Picasso and Hepburn were fans of the black and white stripes:
Same goes for Audrey Tautou as Chanel (navy and white is equally as timeless):
As much as I love my 13-year-old Limited Too version, I’d like a black and white piece that’s a little less fitted. I love this Rebecca Minkoff shirt. It would look great tucked into a black pencil skirt for work or un-tucked with black shorts and a boater hat for the weekend.
It’s a little too warm in Atlanta to justify buying a sweater, but I love the boyfriend cut of this Vince sweater. I’m really tempted to buy the Gemma dress because it has a pocket in it – I love pockets in dresses!
Come to think of it, I’m going hold off on buying anymore clothes for a while. I need to find room for the clothes I do have. The “walk-in” closet in my apartment is more like an entryway into the bathroom. I think I’ll have to store my shoes under my couch – eesh!
I’ll be taking photos of my new place once I paint the walls and get the artwork hung. My goal is to have it all done by the end of the month. Here’s hoping!