Hi Cath!

See what I mean about the gold leaf?

Look at this behemoth! It stretches for miles. In fact, it is so large that back in the days of Marie-Antoinette random people just took up residence in the numerous hallways:

Cath and I had to take a photo together in this hallway because we had both used this Marie-Antoinette screen-saver (below) for months when Sofia Copola’s “Marie Antoinette” came out:

Speaking of Marie Antoinette, here is her beautiful bedroom:

I’ve had a bit of a soft spot for Marie A since reading Antonia Fraser’s biography on her (highly recommended read, btw). History has condemned her a bit too harshly. I mean, sure, she was extraordinarily rich and turned a blind eye while people in Paris starved, but really, that’s no more or less than any royal in any country had done and was doing at the time.

For instance, her grandfather-in-law Louis XIV was much more bombastically monied than she. He called himself the Sun King, pranced around in extravagant costumes (see below), and built Versailles to be the largest palace ever seen. This rich megalomaniac got to keep his head.

Right place and right time eh, Louis? You certainly couldn’t wear this now (Louis’ sun king costume… really):

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Marie Antoinette was wrongly accused of saying “Let them eat cake” indirectly by Monsieur Rousseau in his autobiography. He says, “Finally I recalled the stopgap solution of a great princess who was told that the peasants had no bread, and who responded: “Let them eat brioche.” At the time of his bio, Marie was just a mere nine years of age, living in Austria, and not even princess yet:

Lady Fraser attributes the dismissive saying to Maria Theresa of Austria (daughter of Phillip IV of Spain and married to Louis XIV), but there seems to be some doubt about that as well. (I’m getting all my “scholarly” information from this wiki article):

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Marie A definitely deserved being stripped of some of her wealth, but not being brutally beheaded. A bit harsh, don’t you think?

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I think going to a beautiful, gorgeous place like Versailles just makes me a bit thoughtful about how something so awe-inspiring came to be: the good and the bad of it.

Anywhoddle, enough of my history lesson mumblings… if you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading, lovelies! And thanks for tagging along on some more of our Paris adventures. There’s a few more installments to come!

——

Dear Kitcath,

Hahaha! I loved your outdoor outfits for Edi and Paris and always wished I could feel as warm (that Primark coat is more like a jacket).

I can not wait for the summer! Even if it’s still only 55 degrees, at least we’ll be together again!

xoxoxo,

Larbar

So here are some un-postcard shots of what we saw:

We stayed a bit north of all the touristy sites, so most of our days included a lot of metro rides. This is the metro on an empty-ish day:

Lots of cute pups all around, most begging for a bit of croissant (can’t blame them):

Site-seeing (at Sacré Coeur):

This is what Cath site-saw:

Many breaks for espressos and hot chocolates:

An empty hall in the Louvre:

The same hallway peopled:

Sisters standing in front of sisters:

A fluffy pink Christmas tree in the Repetto store window:

Catching a glimpse of Mr. Karl Lagerfield, or rather Mr. Lagerfield as a doll multiplied, set in the window he designed for Printemps:

Another Printemps/Lagerfield window (see them all here):

Puppies invited in for dinner at our local restaurant:

Fluffy clouds of pink meringue:

Sitting with friends inside works of art at the Pompidou:

Another hot chocolate and croissant break:

The best part of all, getting to see Kitcath again!

—–

Dear Kitcath,

Doesn’t this all already feel like it happened ages ago? When I think back on Paris I mostly think of our flat there and riding on over-stuffed metro cars.

I really hope you can make it back across the pond this summer! I promise not to make the weather so cold and windy if you do!

Love,

Lar

Cath and Troy just left Edinburgh yesterday and I am totally heartbroken. Two weeks with Cath just wasn’t nearly enough. It might be another year before we see each other again and the thought of that makes me just want to sob over my labtop keys. So enough of that! I’ll distract myself (and you!) with some photos of when we were together… in Pareeee!!!

On Cath: Maison Scotch sweater/jumper • Blank black cords • black boots from Nordstorm Rack

We stayed in a flat in the less fashionable and touristy, but oh so wonderful 19th arrondisement. You will see gobs about the flat in upcoming posts because we loved it so, but here’s just a preview. Above: Cath sitting outside, making our patio look warm (it wasn’t) and lovely (it was!).

On Lar: Cath’s cardi • Saint James top • Madewell skinnies • Calvin Klein leg warmers • Hunter Verbier lace-up wedged

This was my uniform in Paris. I only packed a carry-on for seven days, so I wore these wedge Hunters every single day: so comfortable and perfect for Parisian puddle jumping.

And a requisite shot of our AsianCajuns necklace on Cath:

We hope you guys have had a lovely holiday. Happy happy New Year!!!

I’ll be back with more snippets of our trip soon!

—–

Dear Kitcath,

I sobbed like a big fat baby when you and Troy pulled away in the cab. I don’t think we can go one whole year apart. The longest has been this three month stretch and that was too long.

Miss you sooooo much!

Love,

Lar

Lar and I have been trying to make the most of our remaining sister time by eating and shopping our way around Atlanta. For example, Mozart Bakery on BuHi. It’s a great Korean Bakery with a couple of locations in Atlanta. This particular one (above) is where they do all the baking. I personally feel that Asians don’t use nearly enough butter and fat in their pastries, but that must just be my Cajun side coming out!

Look at Lar in her element! She has a big sweet tooth. I expect her to find the best bakeries in Edinburgh by the time I come to visit.

Lar’s outfit: top from Rockit Boutique, Squash Blossom Boutique necklace, Ashley Watson bag from Evolve Boutique, Zara skirt, Mango booties.

There’s me munching on some type of biscuit bread – it was delicious. Lar and I have been trying to eat less gluten lately. . . we clearly haven’t been very discipline about it.

My outfit: Target sunnies, Forever 21 top, Norma Kamali for Walmart sweatpants, shoes from Eviva Boutique (closed), and purse from a boutique in New Orleans given to me by Lar.

A couple of things you should take note about my outfit: I’m wearing sweatpants. I love getting away with wearing elastic waistbands in public. Also, my awesome purse? It’s just one of the hundreds of items Lar is leaving me – she’s only taking two large suitcases to Scotland, what?! My closet has pretty much doubled since Lar starting packing. Expect a post on my closet soon.

The lovely lady on the right is our Cool Cousin Genn (we never just say “Genn” – you always have to add the “Cool Cousin” part if you want to be accurate – see below). She and her hubs are uber-creative and spent a year art directing/designing their awesome carnival-themed wedding. Every bit of the decor was designed and executed by these arty love birds, including this photobooth (and her fascinator):

Hand-made bunting and table cloths (those are hand-painted strips, ya’ll!):

The carousel/ticket themed center-pieces:

And not only was it a beautifully designed wedding, it was tremendous fun too because they had it at Glenn Echo Park: a historic amusement park in Washington D.C. The reception was under the old bumper-car pavilion. And how do you make a historic bumper car pavilion even better? A traditional Chinese dragon dance! Awesomeness on top of awesomeness:

The old carousel actual works, and Pastor and Genn took all their guests for a spin:

Cath and I both ended up on some taciturn-looking ostriches:

Loved the old amusement park buildings:

Guests were encouraged to wear fascinators and bow ties. Cath and I did our best cramming in feathered headwear into our carry-on luggage:

Doesn’t Cath look awesome?! I just loved the back of her dress especially. She looks vaguely flapper-esque without looking like she is wearing a costume:

Here’s a sneaky pic of our dapper dad (our mom has made me promise to never put a photo of her on this blog – harumph – but she looked stunning!).

Thanks for such a great party, Genn and Pastor! You guys are such a loverly couple!

—–

On an unrelated note: I’ll being taking a brief break from blog land (sniffles) because I leave for my big move to Edinburgh with my mans in less than six days (breathing deeply into paper bag). I haven’t started to pack and I’m trying to squeeze tons of friend and family time in.

BUT! Be ready for a blog design update and posts between Atlanta/Decatur via Cath and Edinburgh via moi, very soon! Wish us luck! We are still sniffly when we think about moving apart from each other. It’s sure to be an emotional next few days/weeks!

xoxo,

Lar (on the move!)

When Cath and I first moved to Atlanta we had a mighty hard time finding good Chinese food. We grew up going to the Cantonese restaurants in Chinatown D.C. (which is sadly nonexistent now except for a few authentic places nestled between a Legal Seafoods and Urban Outfitters). Our mom (the Cajun part) cooks delicious Chinese food, as does our dad (the Asian part) – though his is a little too authentic for us (“too many pickled cucumbers, dad!”). So we’ve been spoiled little AsianCajuns.

Atlanta doesn’t really have a Chinatown or a Japantown per se, but it does have a magnificent road called Buford Highway that is home to some of the best Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Mexican places in city. You can get amazing “ethnic” foods elsewhere too, but this particular road has it all.

The other day, our foodie sister took us to one of the best Cantonese places in town, Bobo Garden. You can’t resist a cartoon, mustachioed Cantonese chef, can you?

A Bobo feast: sea bass, tofu, squid, crispy noodles, Chinese fried chicken, chow fun (my personal fav), pork, lots of ginger and lots of green:

We let Chowdown Atlanta navigate the menu for us, but we were all stumped at what “At the End Powder, Face The End of The End of Noodles” was. And “Risotto” on a Cantonese menu?:

This delicious, light and gingery soup, gave me my first taste of “1,000-year-old egg.” It looks off-putting but I swear it’s delicious:

My favorite dish was this deep-friend sea bass. It was light and delicate, but full of flavor:

We had to have the wait staff help us stack all the dishes to fit on the table. The dude in the glasses did a little dance every time he put a plate down (best service ever!):

After Bobo, we hit up Quickly for some bubble tea – just across the street. So yummeh! Read Chowdown’s review of Quickly’s Duluth location (they have really good fried chicken and ramen too):

On Moi/Lar: Target sunnies • Bobi tank • Citizens of Humanity skirt • silk corset by I Heart Norwegian Wood • shoes are Jeffrey Campbell

On Cath: H&M top • skirt from Boogaloos Boutique • Dolce Vita sandals

We hope you guys are having a terrific weekend! We are up in D.C./Maryland for our cousin’s wedding and more Chinese food – woohoo! to both!

One of my favorite places to go to Sunday brunch in Atlanta is Sun in My Belly. Just look at that delicious fruit and granola, and lox and bagel!

It was doubly delicious this past weekend because we met up with the genius sister duo behind the blog Whisk Away (hi, Nicole and Katie!). I hope you guys enjoyed the Boursin eggs and honey glazed bacon.

Ah ha! Tricked you guys! Here’s some “fashion” too (sorry, foodie purists)! In order to get to delicious food, we sometimes have to walk by toothy, hairy monsters. They are pretty nice once you explain to them that they will be on a “world famous” blog (sometimes you have to stretch the truth a bit when convincing monsters, especially those that carry big sticks).

On Lar/moi: Ella Moss dress • June Shin and Snoozer Loser necklaces • necklace worn as bracelet c/o Novica • thrifted leather woven purse • (old) Jeffrey Campbell shoes

On Cath: Athropologie tee • F21 pants • Madewell shoes • bag from a small boutique in New Orleans • Target sunnies

Hope you guys are having a great start to the week!

With all that purging, I have whittled my entire wardrobe (summer and winter clothes) down to a set of dresser drawers and a weenie 1920s closet (see this post for the closet size). Are you not impressed?! (Sorry for the self-back-patting, but that’s pretty good, right?). And! That’s not all. All of my much-loved summer clothes will be going to Cath when I move (cuz I sure as heck won’t need shorts and stiletto sandals in Scotland). Take away that chunk of summer clothes, and I should just be able to fit everything into two suitcases. Yup. Two measly suitcases for 1-3 years.

In the meantime, I’ve been wearing my favorite summery outfits so that I don’t miss them too much. See those strappy red/magenta/purple stilettos (in the pics below)? Going to Cath. That pink Zara skirt? Cath. Maybe that will make the blow of moving thousands of miles away a wee bit softer? I hope so, Kitcath!

On Cath: H&M vest and tank • Limited skirt • Aldo shoes • thrifted Long Champ bag

On Lar/moi: Large-sized tee from Target • Sunnies are a present from Cath • Zara skirt • Payless (yes, Payless!) shoes

Oh here’s that AsianCajun necklace again! Sorry, guys, just can’t help it! I love how Cath always perfectly pairs her’s with another necklace. The second necklace is from our favorite jeweler June Shin. I love the little carriage – just whimsical enough without being too cutsey.

Cath and I have been trapped in our respective homes this weekend painting (Cath her closet, moi my kitchen). But we managed to slip in a bit of sister time and do a bit of (window)shopping and get a little nosh.

On Cath: Target hat • Alternative Apparel T-shirt • Thrifted belt • J Brand jeans • Mia clogs • thrifted Longchamp purse

On Lar: Target sunnies • French Connection for Sears cargo vest • Snooser Looser quarter-holder necklace • AA shorts • thrifted Anne Klein oxfords

We didn’t have much time after “licking the windows,” so we hopped on over to one of our favorite restaurants/markets in the Highlands for a quick tasty treat. Unfortunately, our flaky pastries were a bit bitter – in the metaphorical sense. Upon purchasing said goodies, I was given the incorrect change. When I explained the situation (“oops! think you forgot a dollar”), the mademoiselle behind the counter said “I’m sure I gave it to you, but I guess I’ll give you another one.” Right O. This was after repeating my order a few times (“Two raspberry croissants, please!” Very complex) because she would start talking to other wait-staff mid-order. Alrighty roo.

On to Kitcath and her ill-fated cafe-au-lait ordering. After purchasing said drink (with a card, smart lady), Cath was standing near the register, stirring in her sugar, when the same charming mademoiselle said, “Did you take the receipt you were supposed to give to me?” Mind you, she could have said “Oh! Did I give you the wrong receipt?” Or even, “Is there a chance I gave you both copies of the receipt?” She decided against the less accusatory tact and went straight for the I’m-not-very-good-at-this-whole-customer-service-thing route. She did manage to find the receipt by the register a few moments later. Well done.

Nothing earth-shatteringly rude, ’tis true. But it was enough to turn us off our ‘au laits and $3.50 croissant, and actually make us think this isn’t a place we’ll be returning to any time soon. We have had pretty good service at this establishment in the past and the food is pricey but worth it… until today.

Has that ever happened to you? Just a mini bad experience that taints a place? Locals, if you know where we’re hinting/talking about, let us know what you think! Maybe we’re being too quick to judge.

Poor, unwitting, raspberry croissant! It wasn’t you, it was your madame!

On to the next sister adventure! (We promise they’ll be more Southern charm next time and less peeved AsianCajuns ).

Matt and I bought our tickets for our big move to Scotland – flying out of the ATL Sept. 21. That gives me just over a month to 1) finish the kitchen remodel 2) get rid of, or pack away, most of my belongings and, most importantly, 3) spend time with all the people I love. So I’ve been trying to work on #3 as much as I can: see this post’s pics for confirmation. 

On Lar/moi (left): thrifted dress worn as top via Ramona West • AE shorts • Duex Lux purse • Unleashed espadrilles • Target sunnies
On Cath (right): Top is Son of John • UO shorts • Madewell shoes • thrifted Longchamp purse • freebie sunnies from college orientation
Twinsie photos by Troy Cono 

I have a little confession to make about my short hair-cut. I don’t like it. Not how it looks or the way it was cut (lurve my stylist). I just can’t control the natural body/wave of my hair at this length. You can see in these photos that I’ve beaten it into submission with a hot iron and a hair pouf, but I hate high-maintenance hair. That said, Cath makes it look gorgeous (see below), don’t you think? She just washed it and let it air dry and it has perfect Alexa Chung waves. Shouldn’t our hair act the same? I mean we do share the same DNA and whatnot – come on, Lar hairs, make like Cath hairs and stop freaking the &^%$ out!

The above image is a close up of the fabric of my dress-worn-as-a-top. I looove the marbly paper pattern and the gold with the pops of color.

Just let me know if you are getting sick of photos of our AsianCajuns necklaces Cath got us for our birthday – I just loves them. Who knew it was so easy and painless to brand yourself.

‘Scuse these last two images, they are a bit random and for a selfish purpose. Even though I still have a month left in Atlanta, I’m already getting nostalgic for all things Southern. I want to remember summer flowers and the Georgia evening sun when I’m living by sun-lamp in cloudy ole Scotland. This first photo is from a yard in Oakhurst, a neighborhood in Decatur. The second photo is an image of my backyard, looking out of my bedroom window (cue premature nostalgic sigh).

So let the countdown begin. One more month of twinsie togetherness (cue massive and absolutely warranted sigh).