When I was in my early twenties, I thought by now (28) I would be going to work wearing something like this:

I’d be able to afford these beautiful pieces from Shopbop and walk around in killer pumps all day long.

Or if I was really lucky, something like this:

PC
I’ve always secretly (hello, public blog) wanted to be an artist, work in a light-filled studio and get to wear whatever I wanted — and that “whatever I wanted” would be unique to me and beautiful and come from a place of intense creative expression (read: not sweatpants).

Just last year, it wasn’t so bad. I worked in an office (just a few minutes from Cath’s) and wore normal people clothes:

P.S. Cath always wears gorgeous stuff to work, so if you want some more tips on how to dress for an actual office, leave a comment and let her know. Once I work around other people again, I will use her as my guru.

Now this is what I wear (I can’t even show you the whole body shot, out of shame):

You can get your stylish tips from Cath on AsianCajuns because my fashion advice now goes something like this.

Purchase you sweatpants in a variety of colors, so you don’t “accidentally” wear the same pair all week long (err…cough, cough…obviously this has never happened to me). Or how ’bout this. . .

Cold in the morning? Stick your sweatpants on the radiator before you put them on to go to work (i.e. the kitchen table). Nice and toasty bum-bum guaranteed!

Before I moved to Scotland I hadn’t bought a pair of sweatpants since gym class in middle school where they forced you to get a pair in black with a bobcat on it. Rahhh! (Cat claw hand swipe).

Now, I don’t blame my sartorial deterioration on such a fair country. Plenty of ladies look gorgeous traipsing around Edinburgh on the weekdays regardless of how cold and blustery it gets. It is true that they will probably be sitting face to face with something more than a two-month old poinsettia plant during the course of the day (she never makes cracks about the sweat pants or lack of make-up, so we get along). And there’s the key to this whole decline… being alone in my flat 8-10 hours a day means that there is absolutely no one to impress.

Once my husband comes home I can kinda pretend it’s just about pajama time, so it doesn’t really matter that I’m in sweatpants (right, Matteo, right? You lucky devil, you!). And sitting by myself in my kitchen working at my mac all day is really not conducive to a pencil skirt or even skinny jeans or even jeggings (too thin for a cold Scottish flat)… Really the only thing that will do is sweatpants.

The End (of being a self-claimed fashionably attired person).

p.s. Please do not feel as if I’m being derogatory toward anyone who prefers to wear sweatpants all day, every day. I sing their praises and have converted completely! In fact, I apologize for not understanding their magnificence sooner.

—-

Hi Cath!

Do you even own a pair of sweatpants? I don’t think I can remember seeing you in a pair since our ballet days.

How was the SuperBowl party? Oh sheesh! I realize that I don’t even know who won. That is easy to do here. Yesterday when I mentioned it someone said “now is that a sporting event or just kind of like a party?” That is a valid question really because I much prefer just the party part. Either way, I hope you guys had fun!

Miss you mucho as usualo!

Luv,

Lar

Disclaimer: I am one of those people that has become so accustomed to wearing heels that I’ve, at least temporarily, fore-shortened the tendons in my calves and feet. Eeesh, I know that sounds bad, but it’s true that my feet now hurt if I don’t wear heels. So when I was looking for wellies for Scotland, I decided to see if they made any with a stacked rubber heel. I was in luck and found these:

Hunter Boots with a wedge! But I don’t just love them because they are easier on my shortened tendons (again, I know, eeesh!), but they are in fact better than their flat-footed cousins. You know why? They keep your feet warmer! There is at least 1-4 inches of rubber between you and the cold stone pavement. It’s the same reason why people wore pattens during the 14th-20th centuries in Europe:

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For centuries, pattens, or chopines, kept ladies and gents from getting their feet stuck in the mud and errr… other stuff in the street. Luckily I only have to combat cold puddles and the occasional snowy mixture here in present-day Edinburgh.

I’ve worn my green wedge wellies so much, I thought maybe I should buy another pair. If I were still in Atlanta, two pairs of wellies would be unnecessary, but in Edinburgh you can wear these bad boys all year round.

(Gabby Hunter Boots)

If you are in a less rainy and cold climate, but still like the look of a wedge wellie without the cost, here is a round-up of less spendy versions:

Target boots • Wedge Welly boots from Amazon • Walmart boots (available in store)

So what do you think? Have I convinced you of the awesomeness of a rain boot with a little bit of a lift?

Thrifted Wrangler shirt • Blank Denim black chords • Beret from Debenhams • Hunter Boots

—–

Dear Kitcath,

Now that I have two pairs of heeled wellies, you can wear a pair while you are here too!

I hope you are having a wonderful time dim-summing! Wish I were there!

Mucho Love,

Lar

(Me with about 15 pounds of groceries on my back and Matt with about 35 pounds- ahhh true love!)

Not owning a car in Edinburgh is no biggie. The bus system here is great and the entire city is really very manageable by foot. There are even trains and buses that take you to nearly every little town in Scotland that your heart desires. But even with this cornucopia of public transport at my disposal, I still sometimes fantasize about my gas-guzzling Chevy that I left in the states.

Starting to eat an uber-healthy diet has changed our lifestyle in a number of ways: no more cookie time; no more quick stop to the local fish n chipee when our tummies growl; and no more hopping on a bus to Asda or toddling a few blocks down to Tesco. In order to be able to afford all this fruit and veg that we are eating, Matt and I now walk about 1.5 miles round trip to an inexpensive green grocer.

(On Lar: snood from Vivid Boutique in Decatur • thrifted shirt from Armstrongs in Edinburgh • Next pink skinnies • Hunter Boots wedge wellies) • hiking backpack is from a random outdoorsy store in Murica, Spain circa 2003 • Eugenia Kim hat • Primark coat and gloves)

I like to feel all noble and Lance Armstrongy because we are walking to buy healthy food, but really I just get whiny and grumpy-pants. I pine for the days of yore in Atlanta when I could drive .75 miles to my grocery store, fill up my trunk (or do I mean boot?) with tons of food, and then drive home and congratulate myself for…erm… finally going grocery shopping, with a nice cookie or two… or five. Horrible I know! Bad for the planet, bad for my health, bad for my cookie jar (always depleted).

I would like to think that if I did have a car in Scotland (and could drive manual, on the wrong side of the road!) that I would never use it except for romantic weekend excursions to castles and lochs. But I know that if I could, I would drive nearly everywhere — especially when it involves totting 20 cucumbers, 5 sweet potatoes, 2 bags of kale, innumerous cans of chick peas, jars of almond butter, peppers, squash, romaine, onions, avocados, etc.

(Daily green juice: cucumber, romaine, kale, apple and celery… not very good for cookie dipping if you were wondering)

The annoying part of all of this is that because I’m eating all these veggies and whole grains, I have a lot more energy and walking back up a hill with a hiking backpack full of veg isn’t as much of a problem as you would think. Sure, I gripe and groan the whole way (sorry, Matteo!), but — blast it all!– this eating healthy thing is working.

This above pic is actually a new favorite recipe of ours. We feel so decadent eating it: roasted sweet potato, black beans (cooked with onion and garlic and some veggie stock), lightly steamed kale, and kiwi (yes, kiwi!) salsa on corn tortillas – soooo good!

—-

Don’t forget to enter Cath’s give-away, lovely readers! To find out how to win a pair of these awesome Feiyue sneaks, see this blog post (the one below). These sneaks were favored by Shaolin monks and now loved by Parisian hipsters. I feel these would go well with my new active lifestyle, non?

—-

Dear Cath,

Do you find yourself more grumpy on this diet? I’m trying to over-come some of it with some ommmss and journaling, but it’s so much more satisfying to gripe. Why is that?

You should definitely try that sweet potato meal above though! It’s one of the only recipes that isn’t too salady and I don’t complain a jot when I eat it.

Love,

Lar

p.s. This was a photo from yesterday morning out of our kitchen window. Pretty ooo lala – non?

photo credit

The Danish television crime drama “The Killing” hasn’t made it stateside, but British readers probably know the show and will roll their eyes at hearing yet again about Sarah Lund’s famous jumpers (that’s “sweaters” for you/us Americans).

I’m not a huge fan of crime detective shows unless it’s quaint or period (e.g. “Pushing Daisies” or “Poirot”). Too much crazy psychopath nonsense gives me the hibbie jibbies. But “The Killing” is totally worth the mind-shivers because of its kick-ass, female lead who wears these awesome sweaters/jumpers:

photo credit

Sarah Lund (see above right) is the crime-solving Danish bad ass/leading lady in “The Killing.” Her character isn’t Carrie Bradshaw. She wears the same sweater/jumper nearly every episode (she has 2-3 she rotates in the first two seasons), but it’s because of these sweaters that she has become a style icon. In fact The Guardian listed her as #1 on their best dressed celeb list of 2011.

photo credit

You might be thinking “Sweater, schmeater (or jumper, schwumper) — who cares?! Wearing a woolly knitted pattern on your torso does not a style icon make.” I think it goes something like this: It’s winter time and cold and windy. You wear lots of layers, but still walk around shivering. You know why? Cuz you don’t have a 100% Danish wool jumper that not only keeps you warm, but makes you feel like an intensely-focused, crime-kicking lady detective that doesn’t care what others think. In fact, you care so little, you wear the same outfit for 10 days straight without showering. It’s the ultimate in I-don’t-give-a-s*&t clothing. And who doesn’t want more of that in their closet/lives?

I’m still taking showers regularly and have only worn my sweater once, but, yes-indeedy, I now own what I call my “Sarah Lund Jumper” for those days when I feel like “ooo sooo cold {shake, shake}” and need to feel like “F*&%, the cold and that stupid guy who cut me off in line at Tesco!”

Here I am in all my bad-assery. Yeah, I’d scare the pants off all those bad guys:

I got this 100% wool, Danish jumper at a lovely vintage shop here in Edinburgh called Godiva for £25. Mine is real-deal Danish wool, but it’s not the actual sweater/jumper Sarah Lund wears. Lund has a $300 version by Gudrun & Gudrun. It’s self-cleaning and much softer than my itchy wooly job, but I think you can kick ass in either version.

So ladies and gents, lesson learned today: buy a crime-fighting jumper and you too can run after bad guys and solve intricate crimes or, you know, at least give that Tesco line-cutter guy the evil eye with Danish aplomb.

—-

Dear Cath,

I’m so bummed we didn’t get to watch this together when you were here. I still hope you guys can get your hands on a copy! I wonder if the sweater would work as well in Atlanta. Even in the winter I think the humidity would take down anyone wearing a Scandinavian jumper faster than any psychopathic serial killer, so maybe don’t try this until you come visit me again.

Skypie date this weekend?

xoxoxoxo,

Lar

Hello Ladies and Gents!

I thought I would follow up Cath’s post with a little more about our visit to Shakespeare and Co. We meant to go last time we were in Paris about eight years ago and were so crestfallen when we didn’t make it. This time around we had a bit of a bother finding it, even though it’s almost visible from Notre Dame – we seemed to prefer a circuitous route when “finding” things in Paris. We made up for our grumpiness of stumbling around the same block for an hour by spending a good 2-3 hours in this wonderful place of books, beds, and old furniture.

A Brief History:
American George Whitman went to Paris to study at the Sorbonne on the GI Bill after WWII. While studying, he grew a large collection of English books and he used his apartment as an informal book store and library. In 1951 he opened Shakespeare and Co. in Paris’ Latin Quarter, just on the banks of the Seine. It became and still is, in my mind, the ultimate bohemian book store. Frequented by the Beat poets/writers and the likes of Henry Miller, Anais Nin, and Richard Wright. George passed away this December, but the store is now run by his daughter.

The shop window, with flowers left by George Whitman’s mourners.

But this place isn’t just a twee little book shop, snuggled next to cafes. If you are a working writer and wish to stay (for free!) to do a bit a writing, there are a number of beds tucked next to the packed shelves (I didn’t take any photos because cameras were prohibited in the upstairs rooms). There’s also a little writing nook with a typewriter on a desk, replete with fairy lights and notes stuck all around from fellow travelers and writers. Mr. Whitman strongly believed and followed Yeats verses, “Be not inhospitable to strangers / Lest they be angels in disguise.”

One of the many hand-drawn signs in the store.

Cath caught mid-browsing.

I thought I would throw in this outfit pic below because it’s what I wore when we went to Shakespeare and Co. Troy and I acted as the camera crew on most of our outings in Paris, so I don’t have a ton of photos of myself on our adventures. This was taken in our flat before we sent off:

Outfit details: thrifted shirt and necklace from Armstrongs, Edinburgh • Belt and jeans from Madewell • CK leg warmers • Hunter Boots wedge lace-up wellies (the laces are in the back)

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

So the best place to get natural light in our flat is by the bay window. That also happens to be the coldest spot in our flat. The glass acts less like a barrier to cold weather and more like a conduit (“See these cute cracks, wind? Just sneak through here!” Damn you, window). It was roughly 3°C (that’s about 37 °F), so I would guess our bay window area is about 4°C with wind gusts of 10 mph. Hence the lovely I’m-so-freakin’-cold pose:

Another classic pose (“Matt, I swear I can actually see the wind whistling through the window frame”), but I had to include it because it shows the actual gorgeous color of this paisley shirt jacket I picked up at vintage clothing store Armstrongs the other day.

Jacket from Armstrongs • H&M turtleneck • Next pink trousers • Frye boots • thrifted leather bag (Finders Keepers, Atlanta) • necklace from Snoozer Loser

Isn’t that a lovely use of paisley? I think someone hand made this shirt/jacket because there isn’t a label and certain bits look hand-stitched.

I added my Eugenia Kim hat and snood before piling on my jacket and coat (four layers!):

Below is an outfit photo of my kitchen chair. S/he decided to wear my other Armstrongs purchase: a floral printed shirt. I personally wouldn’t wear it open like that, and I would pair it with skinnies instead of a beige pillow, and put my hair in a top knot. To each their own, Chair.

Oh and look at our lovely prezie last weekend. More snow! Snow, I love. Wind, screw you! As I type this the wind is attempting to batter down my kitchen window and is succeeding in giving me palpitations.

Sorry AsianCajuns has been so Lar heavy this week. Cath has been wrapping up a hectic week at work and getting ready to come visit us – yipppeeee! I promise we’ll have more Cath posts post-Paris!

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Kitcath!!!!! Pastries together in Paris in just THREE days. THREEEEE!!!

Here’s an actual outfit on this here lifestyle-used-to-be-more-fashiony blog! A nice way to ease into a busy holiday week… talking about scarves and Ab Fab!

About the Outfit
Most of this outfit is Madewell. There are times when I’ve walked into a Madewell store (in the states) and have been a bit disappointed with the $100 thin acrylic sweaters they have, but generally their clothes are really made (fairly) well.

For instance these skinnies are my favorite pair of jeans ever: they hold their shape and their color even after a year and half of lots of use and washing. The jacket isn’t thick, but it keeps out the wind — Scottish wind! And now this wool scarf — my most recent purchase. It also looks thin, but because it’s made of wool, it keeps my neck uber warm — and the colors are gorgeous. The green version of the scarf is currently on sale at Shopbop, but I think this red/gray version is sold out.

Jacket, scarf and skinnies are Madewell • St. James shirt • Frye boots

About Ab Fab
Do you guys remember me mentioning The Lady magazine in this post? Well, I did a little happy dance in the Tesco magazine aisle when I saw these ladies gracing the cover. Apparently Ab Fab is coming back this holiday season with three new episodes!!! Eeeek! So exciting!

Cath and I started watching Ab Fab with our mom on PBS way back in the day. I know the show never really took off in the States and I always found that kind of disappointing. Anybody else an Ab Fab fan out there?

Happy Monday, Sweetie Darling(s)! I hope this week treats you well and isn’t too holiday-hectic.

—–

Dear Kitcath,

See what I did? I brought back Ab Fab for you, just in time for your visit!!! I know the first show airs on Christmas Day – yipppeee!

I wanted to show you where Matt and I are shopping — it’s even cheaper (and greener) than going to Asda:

Do you like my Brussels sprout bouquet?

FIVE more days until PAREEEE!!!!

xoxoxox,

Larbar

I hope our American readers had a lovely Thanksgiving and that everyone else had a beautiful weekend! Matteo and I staved off homesickness by doing nothing turkey-day-ish. We had friends over for Tex-Mex (not something you can easily get over here) and then headed to the German Christmas market in the middle of town. It would have all made a brilliant post if I had thought about bringing my camera along — drrr!

Instead, I offer you the much less photogenic Saturday adventure we had — a foray into the wilds of the Edinburgh suburbs!

Matt and I are hoping to cut our weekly food budget down a bit by shopping at Asda. For those of you who don’t know, Asda is owned by Walmart (I know, shudder, shudder). We rarely went to Walmart in the states, but are happy to take a bus to Asda (and the burbs) here if it means saving a few quid. Cost of living is higher here than in Atlanta, and in order to afford going to fancy places in Edinburgh (pastry shops! castles!) we have to lower the bar by genuflecting to Walmart/Asda’s lower price point.

Growing up in American suburbia and watching Masterpiece Theater (my intro to all things British), I thought the UK was made up entirely of beautiful farm land and quaint little villages. And that does very much exist, but so does mega box stores with large car parks (i.e. parking lots). Shocking! Don’t all Europeans use public transport or bikes, and buy their daily groceries at little local shops?!

I know that the death of mom and pop shops and other independent groceries is a sad loss. But I think most people can’t afford shopping entirely at little local places, especially in-town where prices are higher. How about a balance? Support independent shops while simultaneously shopping where it’s cheaper so that you can afford those independent places as often as possible. I still feel a little guilty and bashful for “going suburban” while living here, but my wallet seems somewhat relieved.

One difference between Edinburgh’s suburb and much of the American suburbs is the public transport. It seems most people do drive to this Asda just outside of Edinburgh’s city center, but the bus is there for those who don’t have a car. It runs every 15 minutes and costs about $2 one way. Without the bus we would have to walk about an hour one way, and then back again laden with groceries. (The photo below is taken from the top deck of the bus sitting in the front row of seats — my favorite spot):

Even our little five block wall home (uphill! in gale-force wind!) with our groceries bags and backpacks nearly outdid me (the photo on the left is a much more accurate depiction of how I look after walking around the city):

Outfit details: J.Crew puffer coat • Eugenia Kim hat (stayed on my head even when the wind rammed me into a stone wall) • Land’s End sweater • Scarf from Vivid Boutique in Decatur • Skinnies from Next • Hunter wedge, lace-up wellies (I got them via Shopbop earlier this year, but you can still find them online and on sale at Neiman Marcus!)

I live and die by these Hunter wellies. I’ve always loved the look of the classic Hunter wellie, but never was convinced they would look good on me (tall rubber boots on a shorter frame), when I saw these shorter ones with a wedge, I went all google-eyed. They keep my toesies warm and dry and are quite easy to walk in.

Speaking of battling the wintry elements here in Scotland, I just purchased this awesome scarf from fellow blogger Laura (Blog of Worldly Delights) from her new Etsy shop. All of her items are so cute and so reasonably priced — do check out her etsy store. I can’t wait to wear Sly Pete around Edinburgh and make the Fantastic Mr. Fox whistling noise.

—-

Dearest Kitcath,

It was so nice to “see” you on Thanksgiving, but made me miss you guys terribly! I’m so glad you will be here in just a few weeks -eeeee!!!

I think winter has finally come to Edinburgh, so I think your giant puffer coat from Eddie Bauer is going to be perfect. Don’t worry about not being “fashionable,” I’ll be right along there with you! I’m trying to not go out shopping so that we can spend a bit at Merci in Paris. I need to reread the Haute World’s post on Merci (found it here ).

Hope we can skype chat tonight! Good luck on your paper!

LOVE,

Larbar

On Lar: new red beret from Debenhams • vintage scarf from Stefan’s in Atlanta • thrifted gap shirt • Blank black cords • Frye boots

(Apparently I like to dress franco-phoney when I go to American places.)  You like our new clock (above my head)? It’s from Pound Stretcher and slows down about every two days or so.

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Matteo and I stumbled on Katie’s Diner on our way to the pub one night, and thought we should try it out. It looks a little more bistro-y than diner-y, but its menu claims to be American: steak and potatoes, hamburgers, and a few other main courses.

I have to say Katie’s reminds me more of American places circa 1989 or so. We started with breaded mushroom caps:

And each got a burger with fries for our main course (iceburg lettuce included!). It made me a little nostalgic for my childhood — pre low-carb and/or gluten-free diets:

To top it off, a delicious, buttery apple crumble and vanilla ice cream!

I missed you, 1980s/90s Americana! I just didn’t expect to find you in Scotland of all places!

Oh and I meant to update those of you interested in treacle when I mentioned it a few weeks ago. Turns out that treacle isn’t some wonderful sugary concoction to be eaten by the likes of Alice (in Wonderland), but just the British version of black strap molasses! I was appalled. Something called treacle shouldn’t be so nutrient rich or taste like iron… but it does:

I’ve been eating it with my oats and nuts every morning to offset my baked-goods and burgers that I eat later in the day:

——

Dearest Kitcath,

Two things:

1) This is what your package looked like when it arrived! Came at such a perfect time — feeling a little blue that day, missing everyone. I’ve actually got the Vivid Boutique candle lit now and we plan to use another packet of the taco seasoning tomorrow night (for our non-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving):

2) Should I get this as an early giftie to myself from Shopbop via Madewell? A good size for carrying around french pastries and museum guides whilst we stroll arm and arm down the Champs Elysees, non?

(edit: Nov. 24 • 10 am BST) I just saw this in my email, maybe a sign? (Even if I don’t plan to spend that much ):

Miss you, Kitcath!!!

xoxox,

Larbar