Last time I got my hair cut, Lar and I decided to do the twin thing and get our hair chopped the same length. It was the perfect summer cut, but now that the weather is getting a little cooler I want my hair to grow long again. So on Wednesday I had a microscopic trim and got bangs again!

See the comfy-looking scarf and hoodie I’m wearing in the photo above? Those are courtesy of Alternative Apparel. I went to their Holiday 2011 and Spring 2012 preview party at JCT Kitchen last week. Of course I wouldn’t turn down any invite to a party that promises good fashion and delicious food. What I hadn’t anticipated was all the great people I would get to meet. The Alternative Apparel reps were very friendly and I got to meet a couple of Atlanta bloggers that I’ve been wanting to get in touch with – including Jess of LadyFlashback. We’ve been blogger friends for years and although live in the same city have shamefully never meet until this party.

The Spring 2012 line (above).

It was so inspiring to see how much the Atlanta/LA-based company has evolved in just the past few years. They’ve always taken the quality of their materials very seriously, but now they’re branching out in a more feminine direction.

The fringe shawl from the spring collection and gray tank for the holiday collection both belong in my closet. So many companies brag about being fashionable and comfortable, but I think Alternative Apparel really gets it more than most.

I fell in love with their leather bags. I will take all of them, please!

The Alternative gang introduced us to their new magazine, Common Thread. It focuses on creative-types,  community and the people behind the brand. In the inaugural issue Young Blood Boutique, a great indie art boutique in Atlanta, is featured.

Outfit details: Alternative Apparel hoodie and scarf, Gap tank, Blank cords and AE booties.

One last word on Alternative Apparel, they’ve teamed up with Susan G. Komen for the Cure: for every pink ribbon item you buy, 10% will go towards Susan G. Komen through the end of this year.

Dear Lar,

I wish you had been in town to meet LadyFlashback and to get your hands on a super soft hoodie. Also, as you know, the Decatur Craft Beer Festival was this past Saturday. It was so fun to see everyone carrying around glasses with your logo on it. People loved it on the shirts too. It was so popular, all the shirts sold out within 5 hours!

Miss you bunches! I can’t wait until you get real internets so we can video chat again!

So a new hat isn’t as exciting as a new apartment in Scotland (see Lar’s post below), but I’ll take what I can get. I’ve been trying not to spend any money on clothes to help save for my trip to Scotland in December (I can’t wait to see my sister!). However, being the self-respecting fashionista that I am, I’ll splurge every once in a while – responsibly.

I was at Tarjay the other day when this hat caught my eye. I’ve been looking for a wide-brim fedora, plus I had an American Express giftcard, which means it was FREE! That, my friends, is some satisfying accessories shopping.

Troy and I have been working late this week, which means it’s usually too dark to take outfit photos once we get home. We were trying to find the best light in the house. Not a lot of options in a 900 square foot house. There’s the living room/entry area (above) with yellow-ish lighting. Then there’s the mini-hallway (below) with not enough lighting and baseboards partially chewed on by Wheatie.

Outfit details: Tarjay hat, New York and Co. cardi, Squash Blossom top, bib necklace from some children’s store in Las Vegas, The Limited skirt, and Frye boots.

Anyone else going to the Decatur Craft Beer Festival this weekend? Lar actually did the logo for the festival this year. I love it! And she gave me the two free tickets she got for being the logo designer. Woohoo!

Thank you Lar! I’ll get you a Beer Fest tee and glass!

It’s 1 a.m. here (6 a.m. in Scotland), I’m taking a break from working on my midterm due in a few days, but I’m happy. Why? Oh because I just happen to be eating the most delicious sorbet ever! AsianCajun readers, meet High Road Craft Ice Cream and Sorbet. High Road, meet the AsianCajun readers. I’ve already inhaled half a pint of Berries and Prosecco sorbet. It’s amazing. And I purchased it at my local grocer, Oakhurst Market.

Outfit details: DIY necklace, Derek Lam jacket from Lar, H&M skirt, Aldo shoes, Kate Spade bag and Wild Heaven Ode to Mercy four pack.

Oakhurst Market opened in the summer and it’s the type of intown grocery market you dream of having on your street corner. I feel pretty gosh darn lucky to live within a ten minute walk to this place – chock-a-block with local treats (hello High Road, Wild Heaven and Wynatte!). I ended up driving there tonight because I was coming from work and wearing heels – go ahead, judge me if you must!

I was laughing in the photo above because Troy and I had spent the previous five minutes trying to find a place in the market with enough lighting to take an outfit photo. Right before he took the photo, one of the guys working at the market walked by and said, “Pretty picture time!” or something like that and made me feel more at ease. I know I’ve been doing this style blog thing for a while, but I still feel awkward every time I have to pose for a photo.

I usually feel really self conscious taking outfit photos in a very public place. Most of my shots come out looking like this:

Luckily Troy is patient enough to put up with my antics and take photos using my not-so-great camera phone. I promise I’ll start using the better camera once I can remember to pack it with me everyday!

Do you guys remember Lar blogging about this necklace? She diy-ed it from a curtain tie and I love it. That and her Derek Lam jacket (she wore it here) are just two of the amazing things she left me as she headed off to Scotland.

Oh crap. I just dripped some sorbet on my keyboard. That’s a sure sign that I’m up way too late. I’ll leave you with these two other images from the market (and some botched outfit photo attempts) so you can get a better idea of what is offered there. For those of you who live in Atlanta, you must make a visit to Oakhurst Market! And for those of you who don’t, you can buy High Road ice cream online!

P.S.: Last night I went to the Alternative Apparel Preview Party at JCT and got to meet a few of the local style bloggers that I’ve wanted to meet for years. What a great evening. A post is coming soon!

Most of you know that Lar and Matt adopted a dog, Toby, about a year ago. Well, it was more like he adopted them by coming to their back door everyday until they let him in. Of course Lar and Matt looked into taking Toby with them to Scotland but 1.) it’s crazy expensive to ship a doggie and 2.) dogs shipped to the U.K. are quarantined for six months. SIX MONTHS! So without hesitating (or checking with Troy – sorry Troy!) I offered to take Toby – a super hyper active, untrained, scared-of-everything dog. I’m crazy, but I have three things going for me:

1.) Troy is a huge dog lover and has an immense amount of patience for training Toby.
2.) Toby is the sweetest dog ever. He was clearly abused as a pup, but he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.
3.) Look at his cute face!

Welcome to the family, Toby!

The family includes me, Troy, Wheatie and Toby in a 900 square foot house. It’s pretty tight quarters, but we have a large backyard by Decatur standards and live within walking distance of a dog park.

I spent most of the weekend doing school work. I’m finding it a little difficult getting back into school. It’s been six years since I finished undergrad and I’m a little rusty. Juggling work, school, blogging and an extra dog is not turning out to be so easy. I’m trying to enjoy the few moments when I’m not working – like taking the dogs to the dog park.

Outfit details: Head scarf is a piece a fabric that Lauren gave to me, Target shirt, Blank pants and Jeffrey Campbell boots.

I love that the weather in Atlanta is finally getting cool enough to wear a sweater. There was one person at the dog park today bundled up with a coat and knitted hat in 55 degree weather – I love Southerners!

Back to the dog situation. If Troy and I weren’t already crazy enough to have two big dogs in our little house, this weekend we’re dog sitting for some friends. That’s Kubrick below. He’s pretty darn big.  Needless to say, my clothes are completely covered in dog fur and my house needs some major Fabreezing.

I just talked to Lar – she found a great Chinese restaurant in Edinburgh tonight. I think before the year is up we’ll be posting some Atlanta and Edinburgh AsianCajun city guides.

Hope you all had a good weekend!

While Lar started her search for her future home in Scotland last week, I went off gallivanting to Charlotte, North Carolina. The trip was for work, but I was able to convince Troy to come with me so we could explore the city together.

Outfit details: Lulu’s dress, Kate Spade bag and American Eagle boots.

I have a tendency to pack a lot of black clothes for conferences, but check out my hotel closet for the weekend – only one black item:

A big reason for all this color? Lar left many so many of her clothes that I can now go a whole day without wearing black (accessories not included).

Obviously this day wasn’t one of those non-black days:

Outfit details: Sweater from Lar, FCUK for Sears skirt, American Eagel boots, Maison Scotch necklace (came with a dress).

I wore heels the whole weekend while walking around the city. It wasn’t nearly as painful as it sounds. I found these American Eagle boots online and they’re the perfect height for walking. I know that sounds crazy, but I have yet to find a pair of ballet flats that are comfortable.

Unfortunately I didn’t discover any hidden boutiques in downtown Charlotte, but that probably has more to do with the fact that I was working most of the time and only there for two full days. I’d love to go back and explore more. Troy and I had a great meal at Enso the first night we were there and found some decent beers at Growlers Pourhouse in NoDa.

Have you guys ever been to Charlotte? Any favorite spots?

A Lar Edit (10:00 pm British Standard Time):
I can’t believe I almost forgot! Do you remember that wedding inspiration shoot I styled for photographer Aharon Hill this past July? Well it also made it onto Style Me Pretty – the Georgia edition! Woohoo! Click here to see more photos.

Photo by Aharon Hill

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!

It’s finally fall here in Atlanta – at least for a few days. I mean, it’s been downright chilly at 65 degrees! Perfect jacket weather – my favorite kind of weather. To celebrate, I wore the TopShop jacket Lar got me in Scotland last year.

Outfit details: TopShop blazer, Gap blouse, Limited skirt, Aldo shoes, Vivid Boutique necklace, cuff from a boutique in LA (forgot the name) and Kate Spade purse.

I can’t wait for this weekend. Our cousin Genn is getting married in Maryland, so we’ll be having some great quality family time for the next few days and eating lots of Chinese food. Lar and my parents flew up to D.C. today and I’ll be joining them Friday morning. Lar brought her computer so we’ll be blogging from our home state!

Of course this means we won’t be in town for Fashion’s Night Out – bummer. Any of you Atlanta fashionistas attending the local FNO events? They all look like so much fun – especially all of the pop-up shops. Let us know if you go! And FYI: Shopbop is selling the 2011 FNO gear here. I’ve had my eye on the printed shortsleeve tee – it’s very Suno-esque.

I have to finish up this post since its past midnight and I need to start packing. Lar was able to fit a week’s worth of clothes in a carry-on so surely I can do the same for five days, right? Here’s hoping!

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!

Oh lovely, lovely bags!  Bloomingdales threw a terrific shindig for the Current Elliot/Kate Spade collab called Westward. Unfortunately the bags are a bit spendy for our budgets, but they are definitely the sort of thing (classic with a whimsical twist) that we would save our pennies for. And it was so fun to play dress-up for a while. You likes “my” new bag?

We got to meet the lovely designers behind Current Elliot: Emily Current and Meritt Elliot – such sweet and talented ladies.

(Below) Cath taking a nip of a champagne:

We also got to meet one of the creative directors behind Kate Spade – loved her dress (Kate Spade of course):

Cath and I loved this Pride and Prejudice Kate Spade clutch:

And back by popular demand, our friend and fellow blogger Eli hamming it up for a Westward flip book (we’ll show you the flip books in a future postie):

Here was my favorite bag: the Westward Adventure Satchel. Ooo lala my dream bag. So classic and would look even better after a few years of wear:

Cath and I went on a sister/sister shopping trip through the mall after the partay. We both had mall gift cards to console our empty-handed walk-away from Westward. I almost ended up with this smushy cute bear from the baby section of Bloomingdales until Cath mentioned Zara, and I had to put him down (she also might have rolled her eyes and asked if I needed him in Scotland – or anywhere for that matter. Reason #97 for why I should always shop with my twinie).