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!

As promised in the previous post, below are a number of photos from the condo Lar and I grew up going to every summer at Ocean City. I love the place. My dad, along with one of sisters and his brother, purchased the place in the 1970s, decorated it and took such good care of it that hardly anything has changed – or needed changing.

The bumper pool table is the first thing you see when you walk in the front door. And yes, that is plaid kitchen wallpaper in the background.

Most of the condo is covered in faux wood paneling and an amazing yellow and white shag carpet.

The sliding glass doors in the living room behind me open up onto a large balcony.

Here’s a closer look at the kitchen wallpaper, the avocado stove and yellow counter tops.

Apologies for not tidying up before taking this photo, but it’s the only one of the living room that shows off the orange arm chairs. The TV isn’t original to the place, but it gets as few channels as its predecessor.

I love this photo of the stereo and box of pastels. When we were young my dad would always tune the radio to the oldies station. I still always think  of the beach condo when I hear Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye and Aaron Neville. The pastels are my mom’s. She always had us doing fun art projects even on vacation.

With only a couple of fuzzy channels on the TV, my bf and I played A LOT of card and board games on the one day it rained during our stay. Although the box seems to be missing, the monopoly game is mostly intact and so old that the houses and hotels are actually made out of wood – not plastic!

The beach condo has always had a hodge podge of sheets for all the beds. There are exactly four different sets of sheets represented on this queen-sized bed – not to mention the retro bedspread!

The guest bathroom is covered in this fantastic floral wallpaper. They just don’t make wallpaper like that anymore.

I think even the designers at Ikea would find the guest bedroom room inspirational. I was so tempted to take the lamp home with me.

My trip to the beach last week was the first time I stayed at the condo in nine years and as close minded as it sounds, it was so nice to see that not much had changed. I’ll be completely heartbroken if the shag carpet, orange arm chairs, bumper pool table, daisy wallpaper and stereo are ever replaced.

Dear Readers,

Cath and I just realized that around this time three years ago, we  started AsianCajuns: April 26, 2007 to be exact.

We started AsianCajuns because we wanted a creative outlet that would act as a foil to our 9-5s. We didn’t expect anyone to read it. We had no intention of just writing about fashion (we talked about Edith Wharton and mint juleps). We were inspired by Susie Bubble and Agatha from Style Bytes (two of the three blogs we read at the time). This was before outfit aggregators took off and eveyone started documenting their outfits through fashion blogs.

Looking back on our posts from three years ago we realize we had a bit more variety. We do love fashion and style, but Cath and I agree that the old posts we are less interested in are the ones just about an outfit or a piece of clothing we’ve bought. So, from here on out we’ll try to stick to our varigated roots a little better. That said, we do like seeing how our styles have evolved from our 23 year old selves to now (the shoes are definitely taller):

For those of you that can stand a little more navel-gazing and reflection we’d love to know how long you’ve been reading AsianCajuns and what keeps bringing you back. We would continue AsianCajuns even if our mom was still our only reader, but the wonderful fellow-bloggers we have “met” and local readers we run into have made this experience deeply satisfying. I think most long-term bloggers have felt the desire to throw in the towel at some point (especially when things begin to feel more like a chore and less like a creative outlet). What keeps us going is you guys- so, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you, thank you, thank you!

Cath and I are making plans as we move out of our toddler years. We hope to expand into video, highlight more of the glories of Atlanta/Decatur, and keep the posts varied and inspiring. A redesign is also under way… so stay tuned!

Thank you for three awesome and wonderfully fulfilling years on the internets, readers!

Much Love,

Cath & Lar
The AsianCajuns

Okay, I know the Outfits of the Week have been a little music-centric lately, but I’ve been trying to update my stale playlists and there are just some amazingly inspiring chantreuses. I really like how Janelle Monae, like Patti Smith, has a very calculated and streamlined look. In fact, I’d go so far as to call Monae’s “look” a uniform: tuxedo shirt, oxfords/saddle shoes, tuxedo pants, coifed hair.

View the full Polyvore set here. That tuxedo shirt is a K by Karl Laggerfield for under $100 (as is everything in the set)! I’m a little unsure if Monae would actually where these Kenneth Jay Lane earrings, but they are black and white and add a nice texture to the crisp tuxedo pants and shirt.

Cath and I have a soft spot for Monae not just because she is talented and creative, but her artistic birth happened in Atlanta, and she’s a shortie like us. She’s a five foot powerhouse, and featured in the April 2010 shape issue of American Vogue (see below).

Now, I promise this video of Monae’s latest single will totally make your Monday. And if you get a chance to see her in concert, you should (Big Boi joined her on stage to perform “Tightrope”)! We saw her uber theatrical performance last Tuesday. The best $14 I’ve ever spent.

Let me know what you guys think! And happy Monday!!!!

Congrats to our talented writing friends Tom and Jamie for their new boutique editing and writing partnership Chronicle. And thanks for the uh, flattering pic and AC shoutout on the company’s homepage – woot! We think Chronicle is the start of great things to come for these guys.

• Young Blood Gallery & Boutique’s Jolene makes us wish we had a cat of our own.
• Lar and I are determined to make it over to the Civic Center at some point this month for the Diana: A Celebration exhibit. In conjunction with the exhibit there will be a cocktail hour every Friday in April from 5-8 p.m. Visitors can sip martinis while looking at family heirlooms, mementos, paintings and photos of the people’s princess.
• We’re completely addicted to Kate Bingaman-Burt’s Obsessive Consumption blog – ink drawings of her daily purchases and now available in book form.
• Lar and I couldn’t stop laughing after being introduced to these Sassy Gay Friend videos. I mean seriously, Juliet would not have killed herself if she had a sassy gay friend. H/t: Nate, our sassy gay friend.
• I love the library setting of Shopbop’s Marc by Marc Jacobs spread – it makes me want to dress up in patterned dresses, wide headbands and chunky platforms and head over to my local library for some good spring break reading.
• Folk artist Butch Anthony is inspirational in every way. Just to name a few things: he has a discipline dress code (denim overalls), is a self-taught artist, built his own house/cabin, and is the founder of Doo Nanny, an annual alt/folk art micro festival in Seale, Alabama.
• Props to the First Lady for wearing a $60 Talbots blouse the other day!

I know not everyone is enjoying spring/summer-like conditions this week, but we’ve finally hit the 80s in the ATL. The sun and warmth had me digging out my summery dresses and shorts. But even if you aren’t wiggling your toes in the sunshine and clinking glasses of sweet tea, I think this week’s outfit helps you feel like you are.

This week’s inspiration: the new Goldfrapp album! I got my copy from one of my favorite stores in Decatur, Heliotrope (check out their online store here).

Large sunnies, a dash of sequins, a brightly colored jumpsuit/romper, and a pinch of electronica je ne sais quoi, and you’re good to go!

Check out the full Polyvore here. I’m eying the magenta Matt and Nat clutch and the oversized studded clutch/purse from moxsie.com.

I love Alison Goldfrapp’s style, especially in these album shots below (all images courtesy of their blog):

What do you think?

I hope this brightens your Monday morning a bit! Give Goldfrapp a listen here if you do need a lift at work or school and forgot your magenta romper at home.

P.S.- I hope you all had a lovely weekend! Cath and I spent it with friends and family eating my mom’s fabulous cooking and knocking Easter eggs (a post with complete explanation and photos to come soon!).

There are so many reasons why Lar and I love these guys and their sound. We saw them two years ago at Eddie’s Attic and were able to catch them last week at the Drunken Unicorn. Check them out here.

• Sushi is probably one of my favorite things to eat, but I’ve been worried about contributing to unsustainable fish farming every time I have a meal at Sushi Avenue. Then I saw this The Right Fish chart on Good.is. Now at least I know what I’m suppose to be eating. It’s at least a step in the right direction, no?
• I love Louboutin shoes and now after watching this film, The Making of Dancer in A Daydream, I love the designer just as much.
• Am I the last one to hear about Liam Gallagher’s clothing line, Pretty Green?
• A giant health care leap forward for women, woot, woot!
• I’ve always been inspired by Kathryn Hepburn’s style, but never could quite figure out how to do an updated version of her look. Refinery 29 nails it – and gets bonus points for using an American Apparel shirt in a non-hipster way.
• I think Romola Garai is one of the most underrated – and brilliant -  young actresses out there. Read Dazed Digital’s interview with her.
• We’re probably too short to pull off this look, but Lar and I both would love to get our hands on this T by Alexander Wang maxi dress.
• I’m dying to make these raspberry white chocolate scones that my foodie friend Devin featured on his blog, nom, nom, nom.

I can’t think of a lady whose style is more unlike our last three Outfits of the Week (Tim Walker-esque, Happy-Go-Lucky and Unabashedly Girlie). Patti’s style is also the most unlike my own, but I think her style is a good salty to our sweet.

After reading this article about her in the New York Times last week, I realized that her calculated “look” reminded me of so many other fashion icons we admire. It’s not that Audrey Hepburn walked around in cut-up jeans and Ann Demeulemeester blazers like Patti favors, but (at least according to the Times), her disheveled punk gamine look is as consciously “put-together” as Audrey’s cigarette pants and boat-neck tees. And I like that.

Consciously choosing a “look” reminds me that fashion can really be a tool to express who you are (or want to be, or feel like being on a particular day), and that doesn’t necessarily happen just by accident. I mean, some days throwing on whatever you stumble into in your closet really works, but usually that method means I end up wearing something ho-hum (jeans, oversized tee and platform booties).

I love this photo that accompanied the article about her in the NY Times. The article is a must-read to feel inspired to do your own thing- deliberately (but make it look effortless).

Ooo I love the black desert boots from Need Supply and that gorgeous bronzy looking ring from Shopbop. Check out the details of the entire polyvore set here.

I’m also really itching to read this recently published book about her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe (more art history nerdiness – woohoo!).

Do you guys choose to present yourself to the world in a certain way? Or do you do the throw-something-on-and-look-fabulous thing? I wish sometimes I could do the latter, but I’m much more intrigued by the former. Discuss.

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.

Tim Walker Inspired by AsianCajuns featuring TopShop

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