Category Archives: Miscellaneous

22 March 2010

Sweet Auburn

Photo by Pam the Nomad.

I hope you all had a wonderful, wonderful weekend! On Saturday we had a tantalizing glimpse of spring here in the ATL (70s and sunny). My bf’s family were in town, so we spent the day taking advantage of the free tours the Atlanta Preservation Center had along the historic Auburn Avenue.

These first three photos of this post are taken by my bf’s talented photog sister. That first one is of me sitting outside of my new favorite place- the Sweet Auburn Bread Company. You have to try their sweet potato muffins! Or if you like something a little richer, the sweet potato cheesecake cooked on top of a thin layer of biscuit is out of this world! Bill Clinton agrees.

Photo by Pam the Nomad.

What makes Auburn Avenue so sweet? Cheesecake! Oh yeah, and gobs of toe-tingling history. Ebenezer Baptist Church is here, so is Martin Luther King Jr.’s childhood home, which is down the street from Big Bethel, the Royal Peacock and the Sweet Auburn Curb Market (still in operation today).

Photo by Pam the Nomad.

Above is our lovely tour guide Mary from the Atlanta Preservation Center telling us about the Royal Peacock’s famous performers and clientele: Louis Armstrong, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, the Four Tops, Ray Charles, James Brown, Sam Cook, Little Richard, Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, Joe Lewis, Jackie Robinson, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Ike and Tina and and Gladys Knight. Amazing, non?

That’s Cath sitting on the steps of Big Bethel AME Church. Historically the church was a spiritual home as well as an unofficial city hall of Sweet Auburn and a landmark for party goers (you could spot the glowing “Jesus Saves” signage on the spire from anywhere in Atlanta).

Atlanta definitely had its very dark and abysmal moments in history, but I love living somewhere with a diverse culture and past. And if the slow revitalization of Sweet Auburn is any indication, I think this city is on track for more toe-tingling goodness.

What did you guys do this weekend? During our rainy Sunday, my bf and I stayed indoors and watched C-SPAN for hours and hours until the health care bill(s) finally passed. Anyone else watch? We kept hoping the House would be as entertaining inspiring as the House of Common debates we sometimes see. I don’t think the orange hues of Rep. Boehner would be allowed near the Houses of Parliament, do you?

Category: Decatur/Atlanta
26 Comments
18 March 2010

Outfit of the Week Inspired by Tim Walker

Lar and I have been big Tim Walker fans well before Juicy Couture got a hold of him. Sure all of his work has an over abundance of fantasy, tulle and giant props leaning up against a manor house interior wall, but he brings a fresh level of creativity to every project. For example, his most recent editorial with Italian Vogue:

See the rest of the editorial at The Fashion Time blog.

As much as I would love to be able to wear deconstructed Marie Antoinette wigs and flouncy tutus, the impracticality of those items force me to find cheaper, more everyday-like clothing on Polyvore. All the items below are under $100 and a watered-down version of the Tim Walker spread. My favorite find is this pair of shoes from Modekungen – I wonder if they ship to the U.S. I have no idea how I’d wear them, but they’re delightfully weird.

The weather is finally warming up here in Atlanta so I didn’t even include a jacket in this set. But come to think of it, I should have probably included an umbrella. It seems like it’s been raining every other day here.

Category: Uncategorized
14 Comments
15 March 2010

Equestrian Chic (Without the Horse)

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.

Category: Lar's Style
33 Comments
11 March 2010

Outfit of the Week: Happy-Go-Lucky

Hello, Lovelies (ladies and gents alike)! Apologies for putting the Outfit of the Week up so late- it’ll be Friday here in five hours! As we’ve mentioned ad nauseum in our posts the last couple of days, we’ve been swamped with work and slowly recovering from our weekend of light debauchery.

So in order to keep things light and airy (while keeping our noses to the grindstone), I decided to use one of my favorite, though not particularly fashion forward, movie characters as outfit inspiration. I present Poppy from “Happy-Go-Lucky.”

Have you guys seen this movie? It’s streaming on Netflix, so if you have a wonderful other half that lets you mooch off his/her account- hop to it (thanks, M!!!).

Now, from the title, this movie might sound a little saccharine, but I swear it’s not. And it’s British, and you know how Cath and I feel about all things British.

To sum up Poppy’s look: lots of color, drapy cardis, lots of plastic bangles, necklaces and earrings, boots and lacy hosiery. It’s not particular trendy or stylish, but it totally captures her effervescent personality.

I toned down the color and the drapyness for work and to fit my own style a little better. It’s a subtle version of Poppy, but it reminded me to “stay happy” (again, not as saccharine as it sounds- try with a british accent) while I muddled through a pile of work.

Uniqlo sweater, H&M tee, Hudson skirt, very, very subtle beige fishnets are from River Island, and the boots are Charlotte Ronson.

I’m a big fan of the back of these boots- self-flagellating leather tassels! Seriously, they whip your calves as you walk-not my favorite thing in the whole world, but they seem to like the fishnets.

If you’ve seen “Happy-Go-Lucky” or will see it soon- let me know what you think! It will make your weekend even if you’ve worked yourself to death the rest of the week.

En-Ra-Ha, everyone 😉

Category: Uncategorized
28 Comments
9 March 2010

Ready for Spring

It’s been absolutely gorgeous this week in Atlanta – finally beginning to feel like spring and Lar and I are feeling a little less grumpy and stressed. Warmer weather means lighter layers and no more winter coats. . . for now. . . there’s the very slim chance that it still might snow in March.

This outfit is as unabashedly girly/Lindsey Price-esque as I usually get. Sometimes I wish I had more fun, girly dresses, but I’m always attracted to darker, simple silhouettes at the store.

Dress and cardi from H&M, Spanx tights from Kaleidoscope, boots from Carrefour in Murcia Spain seven years ago, Urban Outfitters hat, Ann Klein watch.

The outfit below is basically my fallback look for fall/spring weekends – skinny pants, boots and my faux-leather bomber, which is slowly peeling apart – damn you H&M for your low quality, but brilliantly trendy clothes!

H&M faux-leather bomber jacket, Uniqlo plaid shirt, AA tank, Cheap Monday cords and Naturalizer boots.

Category: Cath's Style
24 Comments
8 March 2010

Beware the Ides/All of March

It’s been a stressful couple of weeks at work for both Cath and I. We come home late and a bit grumpy; grumpy we don’t have time to catch up with our girls for frozen yogurt, grumpy we can’t see our men folk as much as we like, and especially grumpy that we don’t have much energy for blogging.

Well, this work week is more of the same but we had a much needed break this past weekend visiting one of my besties in Charleston!

(That’s my bestie to the left looking like a GQ model. That’s me on the right looking like an over zealous talk show host interviewing a GQ model).

Now normally I don’t like to have facebook-y photos of us up on the blog. We really have no desire to bore our readers with our social going-ons that we might find exciting, but you all might find repetitive (smily group photo #547, etc.). All that said, this is the stuff that keeps me from becoming Jack Nicholson in The Shining (all work and no play. le scary).

Any other Charleston fans out there? Outside of our beloved Decatur/ATL, Charleston, Savannah and New Orleans are our favorite dirty south locations to be in. We spent the weekend drinking margaritas, eating delicious food, watching Alice and Wonderland, going to a drag show, and driving around downtown Charleston with the sunroof open and Lady Gaga on the radio.ooo-la, ooo la la!

We hope you all had equally wonderful weekends, and are successfully avoiding Julius’ Caesar’s darkest day. Come March 15, I’m keeping my head down. or heading back to Charleston.

Category: General AsianCajuns Info
20 Comments
3 March 2010

Things We’re Loving

So apparently there was a giant pillow fight in Piedmont Park last weekend. I didn’t hear about it until I saw this photos on Josh Weiss’ blog. Damn! How did I not hear about this?!

  • Lar and I are in love with these hipster/cheap-ish glasses available at Warby Parker.
  • One of our favorite Atlanta fashion bloggers, Jinah, looks absolutely gorgeous in her Atlanta Magazine feature.
  • The folks behind this New Zealand Book Council ad are brilliant.
  • Of course we know how wonderful Alexander McQueen’s fashion was, but you’ll also love his art direction throughout the past 13 years for Dazed Digital.
  • Refinery29’s top 5 spring fashion issues is our idea of March Madness.
  • We love the fact that Tesco is making a line of clothes out of its leftover stock.
  • Wondering if Forever21 will make a knock off version of the sunglasses snapped by The Sart and Vanessa Jackman.
  • Currently lusting after this Madewell bag.
Category: Uncategorized
23 Comments
1 March 2010

Outfit of the Week: Unabashedly Girly

Can you think of one current (i.e. trendy) fashion icon that dresses in an unabashedly girly way? I don’t mean the occasional feminine blouse with brogues (a la Alexa Chung) or a floral mini dress with black leather and hardware (thank you, Chloe Sevigny). I mean, really girly: ruffles, hour glass silhouettes, lots of color, big rings (with nary a cross or pyramid stud), heels without the clunk.

I miss it. I really do. I mean, Cath and I still lust after Alexander Wang tees and fell for the tomboyish bodycon charm of Erin Wasson. But after a few months of wearing leggings and oversized sweaters and heavy chains, I’m yearning for something a little more like this:

Today’s inspiration comes from Ms. Lindsay Price (aka Victory Ford on the now defunct television series ‘Lipstick Jungle’). Apart from her girly wardrobe, Cath and I are also fans of Price because she’s a biracial baby just like us (KoreanGermanIrish vs. our ChineseFrenchDanishGermanIrish). There really aren’t a lot of women on television who look like us, so we always get a little excited when we someone kind of AsianCajun-ish. For many years, the only celebrity people could think to compare us to was Michelle Kwan.

Back to the girliness. here’s your Polyvore for the week:

To see a full listing of where all these goodies are from, click this link. Every item is under $100.ahhh so tempting!
I think I’ve included these Rachel Leigh gumball rings in nearly every Outfit of the Week polyvore I’ve done. Mmmmnomnomnom. gumballs.They are available at Shopbop for $68 a pop.
Yeah, a lot of girliness, I know. After a few days of this I’d probably throw some baggy tees, skinny jeans and chunky heels back into the mix, but isn’t the frilly froth nice sometimes?
 
Category: Uncategorized
24 Comments
24 February 2010

End of a Rut: Hello Lace Tights and Sparkle!

viagra ioofgrandlodgeofohio.org

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.

Category: Lar's Style
30 Comments
23 February 2010

Alexander Wang Inspiration: 40-54°F

Photos: Style.com

I’m not super crazy about Alexander Wang’s velvety/goth look for the fall (see the complete collection here), but I do love the deconstructed suits and drape-y sweaters. Plus, there’s no denying the fact that Wang is probably one of the most popular/well-known designers of the moment. So in honor of all things fashion week(s), Wang’s show is the inspiration for our Outfit of the Week. . . this week. . .

Everything pictured below is under $100. Velvet might seem a bit heavy for the spring, but it’s still February, we did have snow IN ATLANTA less that two weeks ago, and the mornings can still be a little chilly. So, I think velvet is a perfectly appropriate material for Atlantans in February. Who’s with me? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Category: Uncategorized
15 Comments