Category — Lar’s Style

Hat from Star Provisions, dress is from Ramona West, shoes are from AE (many moons ago), hydrangas from Matt’s garden, sweat courtesy of Southern Humidity.

Isn’t this dress the perfect summer throw-it-on-and-you-can-kinda-look-cute (even in the godforsaken southern humidity)? I think it’s from the 70s. I luuurve the Ramona West online vintage shop: gorgeous, well-priced finds that will ensure you won’t look like everyone else who went shopping at Urban (I do it too!). Oh! And it has pockets.

This hat is made in Africa (they don’t specify where) by free trade crafters. Lovely and guilt-free! I especially love it because it doesn’t have a trendy shape. I bought it at Star Provisions, which is known more for it’s fancy food: sausage and delicious baguettes… and fancy sodas (see below).

Deeelicious blood orange lemonade (tastes like fancy orange soda).

C’est fini.

Hope you all had a delicious Saturday too!

I haven’t decorated yet, but I took a few quick shots of my new home:

Outside: New Orleans style patio.

Heavenly bed (that’s a faux fur throw at the foot of my bed that I lurve year round- even in Hotlanta weather).

Mid-century couch and coffee table (these are much more Cath’s style, but they didn’t fit in her apartment. That couch could comfortably sleep Yao Ming). All the artwork is just temporarily propped up until I can do something a little more exciting to the walls.

Me, oh-so-casually-posed, on “my” patio.

Now, how did I land such a gorgeous place 10 minutes from downtown Decatur/25 minutes to the heart of the ATL? It’s… well, it’s… my parents’ house. And to be more accurate, the basement of my parents’ house (hence the yellow-tinged interior shots- I only have one full-sized widow down there).

No matter how pretty/luxurious the place is, it’s no 20-something’s dream to live in their parents’ basement. Before I start collecting comic books and spending my days by the glow of my computer, I plan to save as much as I can. There’s the boring stuff: car up-keep, trips to the dentist, etc., but the fun stuff (travel, travel and more travel) is the real reason I’m here. Backpacking through Central Asia and (fingers-crossed) northern Africa, is not going to pay for itself.

Also, apart from it being a gorgeous place to live and a great place to save, there are plenty of perks: one of them being Mr. Boo Radley (see above).  I also (knock on wood), get along with my ‘rents really well. It helps to have parents who don’t mind you mooching for a few months so that you can run around the world for a little while.

Cath is about 10 minutes away from me, in a really cute little apartment. She’ll share pics once she gets unpacked and she lets me over there with a camera. (Miss you, Kitcath!)

I’ve been coveting this purse on the Moxsie website for months now, and finally snagged it. At first glance, I just thought “ooo ginormous leather studs- lovely! rahh!” but in hand they look Jurassic rather than trendy – which I love even more.

So I am now the proud owner of a dinosaur purse. Even better? The inside of this dinosaur looks like a boudoir: purple satin, gold embellishments, a sage green on the Deux Lux label- nice eh? I mean, usually 1930s boudoir and scaly monster don’t coexist, which makes this purse all the more delightful.

And what goes better with dinosaur gray than red orange and brown? (Well many things, like buttercup yellow and light coral, dusky purple, sage green… but my giant mound of laundry sometimes limits possibilities). Tunic/dress (Cath thought it a bit too short- eeps!) is from AA, the vesty thing is I think F21 as is the belt which I pulled off another F21 tunic, and the boots are Frye.

ps- You know how I was going on and on about hating to wear my glasses (see them in my left hand), here’s another reason for my disgruntled glasses-wearing disposition: I can’t take a good photo in them. They reflect the light and I look kind of eye-less…creepy. So in all my outfit posts from now on, you’ll probably see them tucked somewhere but not on my face. P.S. you guys had some terrific comments on the glasses post- thanks so much for the spec support

A little side note about sponsorships and ads on AsianCajuns.com:
Some of you readers might notice that Moxsie also has a neat little ad in our side column. We’ve been fans of Moxsie for years. We love supporting independent designers, and we love that a percentage of each purchase goes to a charity of your choosing. We were glad they wanted to be a sponsor of sorts (we don’t get moola unless someone clicks on the ad and buys something). But if any of you are ever wondering if we promote something on our blog because we’ve been given something for free- we’ll let you know in the post and still give an honest to goodness review of it. I paid full price for this lovely purse monster, and I still think it’s the bees knees.

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Cath is heading home from the beach (I haven’t seen her in 5 days- boohiss), just in time for a glorious weekend! Meanwhile, back in the AsianCajun apartment, I’m trying to convince myself that I’m not too sick to enjoy the weekend. I had to leave work early, and I feel like any sort of movement requires far too much effort- except for blogging!

So, I’ve been thinking about glasses and style a lot lately.

Glasses and I are not friends. I hate having something hanging off my face, digging into my ears, and limiting my peripheral vision. I’ve been a glasses wearer since I was nine, and a contact wearer since I was ten.

One frustrating side to living in Atlanta is the pollen and its miserable cohort, allergies. Apart from feeling groggy and sick, I also can’t wear my contacts for most of the spring and part of summer. If you run into me while I’m wearing my glasses out in public, you will also see a thought bubble above my head that says “ARGHHH…” or “&^%$” because I can’t see as well in these damn things.

Also, on top of it all, my glasses don’t go with a lot of my outfits.

Now I know most of you probably think that’s a fairly ridiculous (superfluous, frivolous) statement, but I swear I’m not talking about trends (in fact, hipster glasses are still enjoying their day in the sun) or even fashion. Glasses, as a practical accessory, change the entire look of what you wear. I even alter my make-up (more dramatic) when I wear glasses, as the reflective lenses tend to wash me out.

I know there is the sexy-librarian look, but how many of us love to prance around in heels and pencil skirts every day of the week? There is also the indie-hipster look, but I’m getting long-in-tooth to pull that off (if I wanted to)…

I needed inspiration and found it on Garance Dore (the top photo in this post is her’s too- gorgeous stuff!):

For these four-eyed beauties, accessories are simple or non-existent, and outfits are fairly monotone. So I’m keeping that in mind when I shove my glasses on my face and walk into my closet every morning (grumble, grumble).

Inspiration is always good, even if I still want to run off and get lasik right this minute (Money Fairy, where are you?).

Fellow glasses-wearers, how do things change for you when you put your specs?

Non-glasses-wearers, what is it like to wake up and see crisp lines and shapes?!

BLOG NOTE: Cath and I seem to be having some difficulty with blogger. Our old AsianCajuns site won’t load and we have no access to our emails! Once Cath is back in town, we will confab and see what we can do. We’ll let you know if our email changes. We are planning on new stuff for the site, so stay tuned!

The shoe:

Cath and I mentioned Bensimon shoes over two years ago on AsianCajuns when they came stateside. You can now get them online at Shopbop and Moxsie and at Madewell.

Notice the lack of a heel.

You know Cath and I favor tall shoes. Me especially. My tallest are close to 6 inches, the shortest roughly 2.5 inches (not including necessary flipflops, etc.). We wear them because of our petite stature, but also I love the way they look. I can’t get excited about buying flats.

That said, I can’t walk miles in those gorgeous wooden/leather skyscrappers. So I’m trying to convince myself that I like ranch houses.

Ladies, which do you prefer for yourselves (flats vs. heels) and why? Gents, aren’t you glad that you no longer have to wear heels?

ps- Thanks for all the lovely comments about the art history/photography post!

Blue Stocking- is an educated,intellectual woman. Such women are stereotyped as being frumpy and the reference to blue stockings refers to the time when woolen worsted stockings were informal dress, as compared with formal, fashionable black silk stockings

Growing up I was always under the impression that being a blue stocking was a good thing. That could be because 1) my mom only told me the first part of the definition (educated? intellectual? I like that) and 2) I imagined smart women wearing bright blue (probably silk) stockings that looked rebellious under tweed skirts.

Actually, I think being a blue stocking is a good thing. I don’t care about the “frump,” and the word “worsted” is a little off-putting (do they make worsted stockings anymore?), but I like a lady or gent that has a large library. This library could be a double storied room with ladders, or the public library down the road. I just really like people who like books. If they wear literal or metaphorical blue stockings, all the better.

Instead of actual blue stockings, I opted for a blue dress (Rodarte for Target)- it’s already way too hot for stockings in the ATL. All of these photos are taken in my parents’ library. Oh, and you know how Cath and I like to color coordinate our bookshelves. Look who we got it from:

Our mom is actually covering the unseemly paperbacks with recycled paper (the hardbacks are color-coded, if deemed worthy of being…  disrobed de-jacked).

We definitely get our book-worminess from our mom. See that book in the photo above that looks like it’s been placed there to look like someone’s reading it? Our mom actually is!

Our dad’s job in the library? He outfitted the bookshelves. They used to be drab Ikea things, but he refaced them with a wooden veneer and copious amounts of molding and paint.

Speaking of book nerdiness, what are you guys reading now? I usually have about 5 books in rotation at once (usually I finish about half of them). My current favorite is by far Just Kids (the Patti Smith book I mentioned here).

Dress is Jean Paul Gaultier for Target and shoes are from Cherry Bomb (in L5P).

So the title of this post is a liiiittle misleading. Jean Paul Gaultier did not dine at the scrumptious West Midtown restaurant Urban PL8. Nor do I actually own anything truly Jean Paul Gaultier, but! I did wear my new Jean Paul Gaultier for Target dress to consume the deliciousness offered at Urban PL8. (Luckily the dress has some stretch in it so I could happily chug a beer and eat three courses without a problem).

My bf and two of my lovely (recently engaged- so sweet!) friends decided to join us at Urban PL8- encouraged by our 50% off coupon that we scored through Scoutmob (I am my father’s daughter- the Asian in me loves a good coupon).

Old Chub Scottish Ale:

The Lily Nutburger (so deeelicious and very spicy- I swear even meat-eaters would love this vegan-friendly burger):

The best pizza I’ve ever had (duck confit):

And the pièce de résistance! a halved, toasted Krispy Kreme served over vanilla icecream (and why I needed the spandexy dress):

Apart from its ability to stretch, there are other qualities to recommend this dress: stripes (I love stripes, especially ones that look french-i-fied), the drape-y piece that wraps from the front to the back neckline, and the fact that there is so much going on with the dress, I don’t have to worry about accessorizing (unless you count Sally the hair pouf).

The dress came on the hanger with the sashy/drapey bit coming straight down- so i tired it on at first with the sash between my legs. It looks like a jumper/harem pant combo- yipe! So not what Jean was going for, I think.

If I could figure out a way to wear the sash as a hood (without feeling too self-conscious), I totally would. I ended up belting the dress to shorten it and show off the sash (see top photo in post), and I think that’s the way to go with this dress out in public. One day I’ll work up the chutzpah to think I look good in a harem pant jumper- in the mean time… a girl can dream (and/or just take photos for her fashion blog).

Happy Monday, lovely readers! This weekend went by way too quickly didn’t it? After this delicious meal on Saturday night, the bf and I met up with more friends and ate our way through Japanese cuisine all of Sunday (next post you will see a bowl of piping hot Ramen- yum yum yum). I know it’s not just me… who else thinks fashion and food go really well together?

ps- Thanks for featuring me last week, Chicisimo!

This is a tad too summery for a 70 degree Spring day in Atlanta. But when the sun is shining and the birds are singing and the trees are blooming (and my eyes are watering and nose is running- damn you, allergies!), I push appropriate work attire aside. Who needs it?! Also, I  just got this LNA dress via Shopbop and had to wear it the day I ripped open the package, because I believe in delayed (by a few seconds) gratification.

Apologies for more kissy poses- after three years of blogging I still feel uncomfortable in front of the camera and the kissy-pose is my goofy response to awkwardness. Awkwardness masked by goofiness. Works perfectly every time.

I threw a vintage sweater over the dress to be a little more office friendly. The earrings are from Heliotrope, the belt is F21, shoes are from Zara a couple of years ago, the big yellow bag (in the top photo) is from a little boutique in NOLA.

For those of you readers that noticed Cath and I color-coordinate our bookshelves- well spotted! We know this method of cataloging may make literati cringe, but we find it pleasing to the eye and practical. I usually remember the cover/color of a book more than a title. I do love a good book cover!

Lovely little souvenirs from this week: flowers from the bf (le swoon) and a free preview cd of the upcoming Harper Blynn album (picked one up at their concert at the Drunken Unicorn on Tuesday).

Speaking of concerts…my cure to smoky-smelling hair? I washed it at night immediately after the concert and braided it when it was mostly dry- et voila! Next morning… textured, wavy things! I used to do this in middle school when I wanted curly hair, but I would do far too many braids and wake up looking like I’d slept with my finger in a socket all night.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend full of sunny, warm days and chirping birds and mounds of sleep.

I was never a horse girl. Cath and I might have had one forgotten My Little Pony between us. We went horse back riding once, when we were five. And all I remember is pinching my nose against the offending manure smell (tomboy I was not). That doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a good buckle and a bit of leather.

The belt (from local boutique Rockit) has a built-in pocket that fits a cell phone perfectly. I doubt real equestrians carry cell phones. Hunting horns and riding crops, maybe (I’ve received most of my equestrian knowledge from period English films). The tee and blazer are from H&M, the jeans are Blank Denim, and the boots are Frye.

Do you think this belt crosses a line into bum bag/fanny pack zone? Bags attached with belts kind of give that impression, don’t they? I think real equestrians would never wear such a thing on the … er …field? countryside? fox hunting hills?

Some subtle bling to go with the To-the-Manor-Born look, Agnes Scott College ring, June Shin earrings and a necklace from Vivid Boutique.

Did you all have a good Monday/Ides of March? I find a Monday directly following daylight savings absolutely brutal. Another brutal aspect of this week? Having to wear green (and look good in it) on Wednesday. Why isn’t there a holiday where we all dress in flattering shades of blue? Maybe we should celebrate St. Andrew’s Day instead of St. Patty’s.

You guys are angels! I’m crediting you all for getting me out of my winter doldrums! After reading all your helpful suggestions of what you would do to stave off the layers of black I’ve been schlepping around the past couple months, I did it! Colorful tights! Accessories! Sparkle! I really had forgot I had a lot of this in my closet.

This might be less impressive to some, but Cath and I haven’t been shopping in over a month. The last time was at the Decatur Boutique sale. So I shopped in my closet for these two outfits. Above: dress is forever21, H&M Jacket, AA tights, boots from Cherry Bomb (local L5P boutique), necklace from Evolve Boutique (another local boutique by Emory).

Isn’t this necklace gorgeous?! I did buy this at the boutique sale last month from Evolve Boutique. It’s refabbed from an Indian sari. I love to think about the history of a reused piece. If a piece of fabric could talk, huh?

I love the rust color of these tights. I know AA isn’t cheap when it comes to their hosiery, but they are really soft and fairly durable.

Now I loooove these tights. They are lacy, but not itchy. I got them at Rockit boutique in Decatur, but they are by Look from London and sold online.

Everything else in this outfit is anywhere from one year to five years old.

So what do you have planned for the weekend? A little closet shopping? I think I might do more now that this week’s shopping “trip” was so successful. Thanks again for all your help with the fashion doldrums! This is just another lovely perk to blogging- fantastic advice from fellow fashionistas/os.