Decatur Book Festival!

Fellow Atlantans/Decaturites, we hope to see you this weekend at the Decatur Book Festival. Click here to get the inside scoop on all the hoo-ha. Apart from being self-professed book geeks, we also will be working at the festival.
Fellow Fashionistas, stay tuned for ways to stay somewhat presentable when wearing a volunteer t-shirt 5 sizes too big and sweating for hours on end... well, actually, I can't make any promises. We'll try our best to have some intriguing photos up before the end of the holiday weekend.

LL

Twinkle Toes

The fall Gap Classic Redefined ads that seem to be in every single magazine this month haven't really done much for me - they're pretty soulless. At least that's what I thought until I saw this one with famous American choreographer Twyla Tharp. Forget the fact that she's won Emmy and Tony awards - I just hope I can do a grande battement like her when I'm 67!

CL

The (Ashley Watson) Bag

I've mentioned it before (see post on evolve boutique), my big purchase of the summer (apart from the beloved Ibanez)....The Ashley Watson bag. It's chic, buttery soft, practical and fits so perfectly under my arm. I hope you don't mind me waxing poetic for a moment, but this is my first fashion splurge of my 20s. The Watson bags are really reasonably priced in the fashion world, but that is a world we glance at in Vogue and replicate through thrift finds and H&M.

When splurging on a purse, one might think classic, structure, demure, goes-with-everything... names like Hermes, Prada, Gucci float about. Again, apart from being grossly expensive, I didn't think one of those beautifully crafted bags would fit my lifestyle at the moment. I needed something I could wear to work and out-and-about, and something that would hold a good-sized book (I'm never without), my large wallet (full of receipts, not money--- understandably), camera, prettifying acoutrements, etc. And it couldn't be too huge. I think the oversized-bag trend does have it's place, but not on my 5ft3 (on-a-good-day) frame. This bag fits the bill in every way. Oh... and as all interesting things do, this bag has a past. It once was someone's black leather jacket that's been repurposed. The pockets now adorn the front of my Bag. See, what did I tell ya? Perfect in every way.

LL

Furniture find at Art House

Yes, that's right, we're mentioning yet another Decatur gem! Art House is a local gallery run by two very inventive, creative SCAD lads. Not only do they attend art school fulltime, they also exhibit innovative, very accessible, interactive art in their "spare" time. Earlier this week the gallerinos were having a furniture sale and (surprise, surprise) I bought something. Cath looked at me skeptically, but I envisioned it as the perfect paint cart (it's got wheels!) - perfect for pushing around an easel and canvas. Right now it is a glorified Ikea pitcher pedestal, but I see great things ahead. Keep an eye on Art House- those guys always have something cooking....
LL

Wonderful Wordsmiths

Wordsmiths Books is a great independent bookstore in Decatur. It's located in the old post office building and has a white marble, Washingtonian exterior. The inside, however, is very different. In the mid-1990s an architecture firm set up shop inside and turned the building's interior into a stylish and modern office with exposed brick, white walls, original marble and wood flooring and a very open floor plan. Wordsmiths has kept most of the architect firm's work intact, which makes a surprisingly cozy, yet airy bookstore. If I could, I would spend all my free time there.


CL

Sunday Morning

Our perfect Sunday morning: Woke up late. Went out and got coffee. Stopped by Wordsmiths and picked up the paper. Strolled around Decatur.


CL

When Street Stylists Collide

I know I can't be the only one to have noticed this. In the past week Stockholm Street Style and The Sartorialist have photographed two of the same people. It's interesting to see the difference between the lighting and stances in each picture. The girl in the bottom two photos clearly has her pose down: one leg bent and turned out, clutch in front, one arm behind her. On the other hand Mr. Plaid here changes up his stance, but the length of his pants seem to vary (perhaps they rolled down throughout the day?).

In both sets The Sartorialist image is on the left and Stockholm Street Style is on the right.



CL

Khaki and Black

I haven't done an outfit post lately because I'm sick of summer clothes and it's been so hot here that I've been dressing more for comfort than style. It rained last night, so I took that as an excuse to add a jacket to my outfit, which makes it more interesting than just wearing a tank top and pants.


Faux leather bomber jacket from H&M, bottom tank from American Apparel, top tank from DressCodes, pants from Victoria's Secret and belt from Tarjay.

CL

Last Chance Finds

Lately I haven't had much luck at my local Last Chance Thrift Store, but I decided to give it another go on Monday. I'm so glad I did! Although I only came away with two items, they're accessories that I can really put to good use.

My first find was this black leather purse. It's the perfect size - not giant like last year's YSL knock-offs - and it doesn't have that weird thrift store smell that sometimes accompanies my Last Chance purchases. The "label" inside the purse says "Carpet Bags of America - made in China." I love it. So much happiness for only $2.


My second - and last - find was this navy blue belt. It's adjustable, so I plan to wear it around my waist with my navy blue American Apparel tunic. I've been looking for belts that can add a little je ne sais quoi to my outfits and this one might do the trick, oui? (apologies to those who can actually speak French)

CL

There's Esperanza for Atlanta

After reading Lauren's post on Evolve, I realized that we've never properly discussed Esperanza Clothing Company on this blog. Well, this post is being made to right that wrong! Esperanza is a local fashion company that takes pride in its roots by creating clothing inspired by Atlanta. Better yet, the company gives back to the city by contributing to local charities.

In a nutshell, Esperanza is fantastic: comfortable fashion, great design, love for Atlanta and social responsibility all rolled into one.

EsperanzaClothing.com

CL

evolve (that's not a suggestion, it's one of our new favorite boutiques!)

After spending a terrifyingly large sum of money on last weekend's purchases you would have thought we'd have scared ourselves frugal. Unfortunately, as long as there's still money in the bank, I have found ways to successfully overcome the nauseating feeling of buyer's remorse. Hence a Saturday afternoon visit to the wonderful evolve boutique in search of the-bag-of-my-desire (evolve is the only boutique in the Southeast to carry the coveted Ashley Watson bags).
Here are just a few compelling reasons why you should high-tail it over to Emory Village:
• everything in the store has evolved (i.e. been recycled, re-purposed, reused), but with such ingenuity. You would never guess that lux leather purse you're holding used to be an oversized-80s jacket.
• the owner Joyce is one of the nicest, least pretentious boutique-owners we've met (though we find this is generally true of most Decatur-area shops)
• apart from being socially/environmentally aware, everything in the store is really gorgeous and not just trendy
• they carry one of our favorite ATL labels: Esperanza as well as the aforementioned Ashley Watson line


LL

DressCodes

As excited as I am about H&M finally opening up in Atlanta this spring, I still love the city's great, independent clothing boutiques. Atlantic Station is great if you're looking for your typical mall stores (Ann Taylor, Victoria's Secret, Dillards etc.), but Decatur, Virginia Highland and L5P is really where you'll find the good stuff.

DressCodes in Decatur is one of our favorite boutiques. The store carries labels that you can't find anywhere else in the city. The friendly store owners, cleverly placed kitsch-y Asian items and doggie bed in the storefront window make it a completely unpretentious, yet chic shop.


CL

Band Crushes

We've been harboring these crushes for a while now: pining, you might call it. But the heartache is totally worth it (visit their respective myspace pages for a listen: the selmanaires; peter, bjorn and john). We thought we'd give these two bands a mention today as both will be playing locally this month and next (yippee! huzzah! wooohoooo!).
First up:

THE SELMANAIRES
Where: The Star Bar (Little 5)
When: August 23 * 9pm

******************************************

PETER, BJORN AND JOHN
Where: Variety Playhouse
When: September 12

(photo courtesy of: www.peterbjornandjohn.com)

The Paris Flea comes to the Swan Coach House

At first glance the title of this post really doesn't make much sense - especially for non-Atlantans. Let me explain. Pictured above is the historic Atlanta landmark know as The Swan House and part of the Atlanta History Center. The Swan Coach House is the former carriage house of the Swan House that was turned into a tea house/gift shop/gallery a couple of decades ago.

Every year the Swan Coach House hosts Atlanta's Paris Flea, a giant upscale market filled with clothing, furniture, trinkets and books donated by Atlanta's have-mores. Word on the street is that someone found a Chanel suit in mint condition there for $100!!! I can't believe I've never been to this market.

This year it's taking place on September 21, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and September 22, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. I can hardly wait!

CL

Simply Vera ads

A sneak peak at Vera Wang's clothing line for Kohl's. The ads have that fantasy/fashion theme that has been so popular in the past two years with British Vogue and American Vogue.

It'll be interesting see how the quality of Simply Vera differs from that of the Go International Target lines. I'm a little skeptical about the cut and fit of each piece, but I like how the clothing has Vera Wang's signature feminine touches. I guess I'll just have to wait until the line available at stores on September 9th. The countdown begins!

[Photos: fashionista.com]

CL

Le Shopping during le weekend!

We don't know if it's the oppressive heat, the thrill of back-to-school shopping (even though we're fully employed college graduates), or the huge Fall magazine issues stuffed into our mailbox, but we've caught the shopping bug. There's no cure that we know of (ok maybe a heavy dose of Adbusters and meditation, but we were too late). So how does one assuage the spending guilt? 1) Convince yourself your purchases are necessary (Didn't Coco Chanel say something about being naked if you didn't wear perfume? I can't walk around naked.) and 2) say it's all in the name of fashion-blog research!
So here's the damage (those not pictured here will, no doubt, show up in future blogs):
• Black Reebox hightops, Urban Outfitters (CL)
• Gold, anklet-boots with button detail, Bill Hallman, Little 5 Points (CL)
• Black cord Cheap Mondays, Bill Hallman, Little 5 Points (LL)
• L perfume by Gwen Stefani, Nordstorms, Phipps Plaza (LL)
• used Ibanez (guitar), Firehouse Guitars!!! (LL- very excited)

I did actually need perfume (Sweetpea body splash from bath and body works just wasn't cutting it), and part of what sold me on this brand new scent was the packaging- the design-eye approves.

yep- that's a man's bum, not mine. I promise i'll take a proper picture once it's cooled down a bit outside. Hot weather plus tight fitting cords- the taking-on-and-off process is not pretty- especially in those teeny tiny bill hallman fitting rooms.

oooo...ahhh...This was my big purchase for the weekend (possibly the year). I've only been taking lessons for about a year, but I thought it high time I had mine own guitar (I'd been borrowing an old german Jumbo for a while- a bit difficult to handle)- this Ibanez quite literally makes me drool (yes, bad for the satin finish on the solid top- got it), it's got a great sound- and i like the fact it's used and has a past....

Jenny Lewis

[Photo: alarmpress.com]

In honor of the soon-to-be-released Under the Black Light album (August 20) and Rilo Kiley's upcoming performance at Variety Playhouse in Atlanta (September 29), I'm devoting this post to the band's lead vocalist Jenny Lewis. Her sense of style (not to mention her voice) is something to be admired. Somehow she's developed a wardrobe that's cute not cloying, country not Daisy-Dukes-with-cowboy-boots, updated retro not shag carpet retro, fashionista not fashion victim... The uniqueness of her style and versatility of her looks is impressive - especially when you learn that she's a former child star (Jell-O commercials, Growing Pains, Mr. Belvedere just to name a few). Lucky for us, she realized indie rock was more her thing and I couldn't agree more.

[Photo: timmcmahan.com]

[Photo: andrewkendall.com]

[Photos: last.fm, fujirockers.com]

[Photos: wendylynchphotography.com]

CL

Ozone - Dragostea Din Tei

Ahhhh, a little bit of Eastern European kitsch. Lauren has convinced me that every college student has seen this video and was shocked that I have never seen it.

I don't blame her! I can't believe I've been missing out. This Romanian trio sure knows how to make video. It has everything! Airplanes, suspenders, lip syncing, tight white jeans, comic book overtones...Needless to say, it's got style.

China times in Teen Vogue

My friends always make fun of me for liking Teen Vogue. Grant it, the magazine is no Economist - in fact there's hardly any text in the publication - and it's geared towards teens. Nevertheless, the true substance of the Teen Vogue can be found in it's fashion spreads. The styling and creativity that goes into these shoots make it a high quality fashion magazine in it's own right.

Not convinced? Well then take a look at the images below. They're from the September issue - completely saturated in color and other-worldliness. It's hard to beat.





CL

Prep School

I usually don't shop at J.Crew because I'm never really drawn to super preppy clothing, but these two images from J.Crew's fall preview make me want to spend my whole paycheck at the store. The company has always been good at selling their WASP-y lifestyle image, but the photos below have a hint of Bloomsbury-ness to it - almost like outfits that Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell would have worn today.



CL

Why London is so Great: Reason #1027

I first learned about Persephone Books on Rita Konig's Girl About Town blog a few months ago. It's a charming bookstore in London that sells 72 reprinted classics. Their collection of novels, short stories, diaries and cook books are mostly written by women and each book is bound by a gray-colored jacket with fabric end paper.

I'd love to visit the shop one day. Until then, I'm grateful enough that Persephone books can be ordered from the store's website. So the only problem remains, which book do I choose?


Below are just three samples of the fabric used as end paper - reprinted classics, just like the books!

(All photos are from www.persephonebooks.co.uk)

CL

The Wizard of Oz as Fashion Inspiration

We've been huge Wizard of Oz fans practically our entire lives (might explain our love of shoes). We sat down and watched the entire classic MGM version for the first time when we were 18-months old. Apparently, we didn't cry once, nor did we show any visible signs of fear towards the Winged Monkeys or The Wicked Witch of the West - it all made sense to us (this coming from the girls that got spooked from a Brady Bunch episode). I've never really connected my red Mossimo Target pumps with Dorothy- they are more Jessica Simpson that Judy Garland, but when my coworker mentioned they looked like the ruby slippers, I couldn't have been more pleased (considerably more pleased than looking like a rather vacuous entertainer). In this pic, Toto's stand-in is our Agnes Scott scottie- hence the purple beret and scarf.
As it so happens, I received this shirt as a gift yesterday (thanks, SA!): my new favorite tee.
LL

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

We apologize for the brief hiatus. We've had a bit of a bumpy weekend, but Asiancajuns is back and well. Here are a few images from the new Elizabeth movie (Elizabeth: The Golden Age) due out in October. We loved the first Elizabeth movie and even though we know there is always a bit of fudging and muddling of history when Hollywood gets hold of the past, a larger-than-life biography of a strong, independent woman, we're always ready to support. The beauty of these stills helped to get us out of our funk- particularly the last one of Mr. Clive Owen as Sir Walter Raleigh (bravo casting director).
LL