Outfit details: H&M top, AE shorts, J.Crew belt, Aldo shoes.
I’m a few days behind on this, but check out Dana Pop for my LA “Postcards.” I showed you a few photos from my trip already, but there are a few more on Dana’s blog that you can check out. And if you haven’t done so already, check out Lar’s Postcards from Scotland on Dana Pop. Two very different trips, but both wonderful. I’m determined that my next trip will include Lar and I going to the same place together!
I’ve always felt a little hypocritical when I emphasize my animal-friendly purchases: faux fur, vegan-friendly (i.e. pleather) purses, etc. At least fifty percent of my footwear is leather and I eat plenty of meat and do not always buy the cage-free eggs. And the bacon that costs four times more because the piggies have been cuddled, loved and provided decent sties always gets pushed aside for the 2 for $5! cheapo crap.
I’m terribly conflicted. (Guilty glances abound) I like the way real fur feels when you pet it, I like the smell of leather and I looooove bacon. Does one faux fur item cancel out all the other carnivorous sins?
This fall faux fur jacket (fallfauxfur fallfauxfur fallfauxfur) is from one of our favorite local boutiques, Squash Blossom (Jinah works there!). The gingham shirt is thrifted from another terrific local shop called Poor Little Rich Girl (in College Park). The belt is J.Crew, jeans are from Rockit, boots are thrifted from Rag-o-Rama.
Okay, okay. I’m trying one more thing to assuage my guilt. Another photo of Boo Radley (with Troy and Cath) – the best real fur out there.
When it’s 40ºF in the morning and 80ºF by midday, how do you dress yourself? Layers, layers, layers . . . yeah I’ve heard that one before. But quite honestly, I find layering hard. A sweater or blazer over a tee, sure, got it. But to compensate for this much weather variation I’d have to pull a J.Crew layering magic trick (gorgeous, but only suitable for teeny tiny tall models – I find I look hobo-ish at 5’3 in tweed and sequins and fake flowers).
So what do the AsianCajuns do? Well my legs are really cold and goose-bumpy all morning and Catherine’s toesies freeze, but don’t we look . . . transitional? Say “transitional” slowly in a deep voice and it totally sounds like a sexy compliment.
You’ll see Boo Radley in a lot of our photos come winter. He makes a delightfully warm accessory. Real fur? Don’t need it. Live fur is the new fake monkey fur. Really. You heard it here first.
Speaking of cold legs and toes, another tremendously good (and not so original) remedy is a pair of boots. I have more boots than all the other types of shoes in my closet combined. Needless to say, I love boots. I would spend every day in a pair of boots if I could (damn you, Atlanta summers!). These beauties by Frye are the big purchase of the year(s) for me. I plan to wear them forever. or at least until Boo lets me wear him on my feet.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Cath and I are actually full of blogtastic going-ons: a social media panel at our alma mater, a fashion brunch at Serpas (yum and yum), and a photoshoot with this inspiring local blogger. What’s on your Sat/Sun list?
Lar titled this post for me. I like to think of myself as a handy woman, but my handiness is mostly limited to interior decorating. My drill has only ever been used to put together furniture and hang up shelves. Let’s just say I’m aspiring handy woman. The other day my friend asked me to stop by her new place to help her hang some photos so I thought I’d dress appropriately. All I need is my own tool belt!
Outfit details: Uniqlo shirt, J. Crew belt, Gap jeans, old Target faux cowboy boots.
Hard work calls for a practical hairstyle. I usually put my hair up in a messy bun when I’m too lazy to wash my hair that day. TMI? Hope not.
Happy Friday everyone!
This is what I do on a regular basis: slurp a liter of beer out on a patio in downtown Atlanta. By “regular basis,” I mean . . . once. I do like a tipple, but I’m (not surprisingly) a light weight and get tipsy on half a pint. But when in Rome (or Germany or downtown Atlanta).right?
So a few weeks ago, my friends and I tried out the brand new Der Biergarten right by Centennial Olympic Park. I put on my lederhosen (i.e. a romper from Bombay Gal Boutique in North Highland) and pretended I could drink an entire liter of Paulaner.
Guten Tag, Bf! He also dressed for the occasion, sporting a German army shirt from an army surplus store in Scotland for $6. (p.s. when he drinks beer, his mustache curls).
And do you know what goes really well with beer? Spatzle and strudel.
Ende.
Boxy, smushy jackets that say things like “great for blocking wind” are usually not my thing. Especially not in “moss green.” But I think I must have been in a mushy pea mood when I was getting ready to go to Scotland this past August. I saw this Windy Day Jacket (that’s its official name!) by Madewell and snapped it up.
Here is why a boxy pea green jacket is sometimes a good thing in a wardrobe:
1) It de-girlifies my penchant for florals and lace. It’s like pitching an army tent in your grannie’s living room, home to multiple chintz couches and doilies. Instant eccentric granny chic.
2) This Windy Day Jacket is actually perfect for windy days. The weave on the jacket is so tight, I don’t even feel a baby breeze.
3) It’s not as trendy as this season’s ubiquitous/popular parka, more like its less popular (but equally adorable) cousin.
Oh! And it’s on sale at Shopbop.
So after Lar’s trip to Scotland and my trip to L.A., we were finally reunited last weekend and made sure to make the most of it with some quality sister time. Sister time usually involves a lot of shopping (mostly of the window variety) and eating at our favorite Atlanta spots. For example:
1.) Drinks and dinner at Leon’s. We’ve mentioned Leon’s a couple of times mostly because we love any place that serves bacon in a glass, but the pub also has a great selection of beer and an amazing mixologist. We tried out the all new Decatur-based Wild Heaven beer. Sooooo good.
2.) After a big brunch on Saturday we headed over the North Highland/Little Five Points area for shopping. Very little slows us down when we’re on a shopping mission, but the smell of Top Chef’s Hector Santiago’s burritos stopped us in our tracks. Every weekend he sets up shop across from his restaurant (Pura Vida) and sandwich shop (Super Pan Latino Sandwich Shop) and makes the most delicious burritos ever. We were still too full so Lar and I sipped on some aqua fresca.
3.) We’re suckers for used book stores. The Book Exchange on North Highland is one of our favorites. I’m a borderline neat freak, but something about a space that’s completely covered in books makes me feel right at home.
4.) You can’t walk along North Highland without stopping for the King of Pops. Atlanta locals know all about these $2.50 Popsicles – homemade deliciousness worth every penny. Lar had the Mandarin orange basil and I gobbled up my blackberry mojito pop.
I realize now that we really only took photos of what we ate last weekend, but rest assured that we were successful in the shopping portion of our sister time too.
Alas, this weekend Lar and I are separated again – boohiss. I’m at a conference in Fort Worth and she’s traversing the North Georgia mountains with some friends. Hope you’re having fun Lar! Do you want me to bring you back some cowboy boots? How ’bout a pink cowboy hat with a tiara on it?
I’m so glad a few of you commented about my last outfit post being in front of the bookshelves in the library because I think that may be my new “blank wall.” I spent forever looking for (what I call) The Swedish Blogger Background: white wall (no outlets or aircon vents of any kind to distract from the canvas), high ceilings, large old picture windows with window seats and ruggedly finished hardwood floors. Apparently I do not live in a place that has anything in common with Sweden. So, bookshelves (and non-socialized health care) it will be.
Speaking of books, have you guys read anything about David Sedaris’ latest? You have to, have to, have to go pick up a copy right now (or if you are short on funds or patience, click here to go to this NPR excerpt). Who knew a bestiary could be so hilarious and apt? Not me. Who knows what a bestiary is? I do! (Because I looked it up here after hearing the NPR interview.)
Oh right, the clothes and things.
Isn’t this t-shirt great? It’s so soft that I end up running my fingers up and down the loopy sleeves all day (the fashionista’s version of twiddling her thumbs). Cath got it from Rockit Boutique for my/our birthday.
The scarf is gifted from Donni Charm, the watch (also gifted) is Michele Watches, the belt is Madewell, skirt is Citizens of Humanity, the shoes are from Mango, the nail polish is by Priti (love, love, love this line of nontoxic polishes).
Ever since I started dating my bf he’s tried to convince me that L.A. is a great city. Whenever he’d talk about L.A. I’d usually role my eyes, snort and saying something like, “Yeah, a great city if you love urban sprawl and plastic.” He finally convinced me to take a trip with him this fall and I will totally admit that my bias against the city couldn’t have been more wrong.
Why did I love my L.A. trip so much? It could have been the fact that my bf knew every amazing restaurant in town or that the weather was heavenly compared to our never ending Atlanta summer or that everyone I met was incredibly nice and unpretentious. Highlights included tandem bike riding along the beach in Santa Monica, shopping along Melrose and eating the best sushi of my life.
I’ll be posting a few more photos from the trip in the next week and will be doing a postcard series on Danapop just like Lar’s Scotland postcards. A big thanks to Lar for keeping up with AsianCajuns – I missed you!
Photos clockwise from top: Shopbop, The Sartorialist, Garance Dore, and Vogue.
When wearing shorts last summer I received this. er. compliment:
“Mmmm-hmmmm. you’ve got tasty Popeye thighs!!”
I consider this a compliment because 1) I’m sure I would like Popeyes fried chicken a lot (especially with a buttery biscuit and red beans and rice on the side) even if I weren’t part Cajun and 2) by the sound of it, this man liked Popeyes fried chicken maybe even more than me.
The problem? My thighs are what I like to critique the most when I’m in a body image slump. And even if they might look tasty to some, they don’t always do what I want them to do in a pair of shorts or skinny jeans.
So I have a pair of wide-legged jeans for those days when I want my thighs to stand out a little less. Wide-legged pants happen to be trendy at the moment (see above), but I’m gonna keep these in the closet even when the trend passes. Wide-legged pants are there for the days when you want to focus on the fried chicken thighs on your plate instead of your own tasty gams.
P.S. If you guys want to hear any more about my trip to Scotland, I did a guest post for Dana at Dana Pop here (she’s a local Atlanta blogger you guys must read!).