Farmer Fashion

I stopped by Agnes Scott last Friday during the Georgia Organics conference to help out at the welcome table. Since I was coming from work I was wearing a fitted dress, pumps and a blazer - a perfectly respectable outfit for the office, but soooo out of place at an organics conference. Most attendees were wearing some combination of cargos, denim, dreadlocks, birkenstocks, shirts made out of flax or bamboo and some kind of reusable tote.

I'm a big supporter of the whole the farm-to-table, organic, living green movement (who isn't?!), but I rarely associate it with the stylish types...that is until I saw this guy:



His outfit is so organics-conference-perfect that I nearly fell out of my chair when he walked into the building. Instead, I played it totally cool by stealthily running after him and pretending to take a photo of the tents outside so I could document his outfit on this blog. The shorts aren't too short, the shirt is perfectly broken in, he manages to rock those mules (usually a strictly European male accomplishment) and how great is that little red feather in his fedora? Even the hipster beard is great. Who's with me?

CL

Members Only

The upside to packing up your childhood home? Finding your dad's Member's Only jacket that he accidentally shrunk in the wash. Add found college aviators from your study abroad trip to Scotland (oh Marks and Sparks, how we love thee)- and you're ready to roll...oooohh yeahhhhh...




LL

p.s. We're on our why back down to the ATL- see you guys soon!

Home Sweet Home

Hi Lovely Readers!

We apologize for our brief hiatus. Cath and I are in North Potomac, Maryland (our true hometown), helping our parents pack up our childhood home so that they can move down and join us in our current "hometown" of Decatur, Georgia.

You've heard us oooh and ahhh over Decatur/Atlanta and all it has to offer, but we've never really called attention to our mid-Atlantic roots. North Potomac is as burb-y as it gets (we're about 25 minutes from Washington D.C.)- it certainly lacks charm and it can be pretentious at times, but this will always feel like home.

We've been packing around the clock and attempting not to get nostalgic and weepy-eyed about old baby clothes or art projects (finger painting and stick figures, anyone?).

Luckily we haven't had much free time because of moving stress, but we wish we could invite you all over (not to take advantage of your strong muscles and packing skills- oh no, no, no), but to check out our mom's gorgeous garden and have some of her gumbo.

Okay... back to packing and good-bye-ing. We'll be back blogging by the weekend!

xxoo,
The AsianCajuns

Blazer #2

Jacket and belt from SA, tee from Dresscodes, skirt from AA, shoes by H&M, bag from Urban

Another steal from Salvation Army. Seriously, these big blazers are dreamy: comfortable and practical in the spring when the mornings are cold and the afternoons toasty.

LL

A Feather Hem

A peep at the hem of my dress that I wore when bartending the other night. I've moved from fringe to feathers. Apart from the molting, I'm quite happy with this cheapie Forever21 number that makes me feel a little couture- again, apart from the molting.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! Helloooo, spring!

LL

Namedropping

Part of Elizabeth's shoe collection.

Tonight Cath, Amelia and I got to put on our bartending hats for a fancy party for the Decatur Book Festival. How fancy, you ask? It was at a guy's penthouse. We'll call this guy Ted (coincidentally that happens to be his real name too). And I got to escort this guy to the door and up the elevator. Namedropping/linking aside, the highlight of the evening was not shaking famous hands or watching the Atlanta sunset disappear behind the CNN building- it was the shoes!

The beautiful Elizabeth Dewberry let us raid her closet: Prada shifts, Zac Posen suits, sexy Cavalli dresses.... and shoes! Christian Louboutins, Manolos (feathery and white), Chanel ballet flats... le sigh! It was pretty dreamy. Move over Rushdie and let me at the red soles.*



Cath displaying a Bottega Veneta.



Here we are with Elizabeth in her Chanel suit. One day, Cath, one day....

*Literary types, please do not cringe. If J.D. Salinger had walked through the door I would've tossed the shoes off the balcony– or at least put them aside long enough to gawk at him.

LL

Ich Habe Genug

Taxes suck. They just really, really suck. Especially if you owe a little and you realize that your next few weeks of penny-pinching lines the (already far too deep and greedy) pockets of the AIG bastards ('scuse the French).

The upside? Realizing that a $220 blazer is not in the budget after all. Upside? Wait for it... wait for it...

I walked into my local Salvation Army today and got this dreamy white shoulder-padded number for less than 10 bucks!

And now I don't mean to be cruel because I love all of RVCA's stuff, but maybe I needed a wake-up call if I thought spending $220 on a blazer covered in lighting bolts was reasonable.

Ich habe genug.



dress by AA, blazer from Salvation Army, booties by Payless, sunnies and bag from Urban, attitude due to the economy

LL

Sequins

I found this fantastic shirt at Vacation this weekend. It's an extra large and I have to roll up the sleeves, but I loved the colors and it was on sale for $15.


I just threw the top on over a pair of jeans so I could take a photo for this post, but I'll probably pair it with black leggings when I wear it out. Hopefully I'll have my bangs trimmed by then too!


Hope you all had a great weekend!

Check it: www.vacationisawesome.com

CL

Chanel-lo

I bought this Chanel-inspired cardi at H&M two seasons ago and love it because it's jersey and work appropriate.

And check it out. My first magic trick for this blog. I only have one and half legs!!!


AA v-neck, H&M cardi, necklace stolen from my mom's closet, Old Navy skirt, ? tights and H&M wedges.

Happy weekend everyone!

CL

Red Black

Jacket from Walmart, Skirt from AA, tank from Tara Jarmon for Target, shoes from Jeffrey Campbell for Free People.

This outfit is entirely built around The Shoes. I know for some people these floppy, corsety wonders border on the too-fugly-fo-the-money, but I slipped into a happy shoe coma when I first saw them. And the best part, they feel even better on than they looked on the Free People site. They hug my feet, are buttery soft, and boost me up an extra 4.5 inches, so all in all, the perfect shoe.

The jacket (a Walmart score a year ago!) matches the floppiness/volume of the shoe, complete with metal grommets and unnecessary ties.

These shoes probably seem like a frivolous way to splurge during the recession, but to my mind Jeffery Campbell can do no wrong. I hope to be wearing these 20 years from now- even when people on the street give my feet stranger stares than they do now.




LL

They Aren't Ray Ban

I never buy expensive sunglasses because I'm guaranteed to loose or break them within a month. So I mostly stick to Forever21 and Target for my sunglasses needs; I never spend more than $10 on a pair.

Now, the fancy, colorful pair I'm wearing in the photo below is even better than my Target and F21 versions because they were free. I got them in a gift bag and I think they're meant to be a cheesy party favor, but I love them. To some they might seem dated and down-right ugly, but to me they have potential to look like a Proenza Schouler-inspired accessory.


Sunglass ?, Gap tank, McQueen for Target pants, Dolce Vita shoes from Eviva.

Still questioning the sunglasses? Well, let's just say the price was very recession-friendly.

CL

La Dolce Vita

Cath got these beautiful Dolce Vita shoes from Eviva in Decatur last weekend. They hug her feet just perfectly, and she swears they are a delight to walk in. Ladies who aren't intrepid heel-wearers, try these on for size.

LL

Urban Hiking 101

Lauren and I have been supporters of the Atlanta Beltline ever since its inception - or at least since we first heard about it over a year ago.

(For our non-Atlanta readers, the Beltline is a HUGE city-wide urban development project. It's still in the initial stages, but will eventually encompass new development, public transit and greenspace that follows 22 miles of historic rail circling the city center.)

So when I found out about a group of urban hikers getting ready to go on their third Beltline tour, I (easily) convinced some friends to come with me:


(L to R: me, Matt, Ameila and Lain)

I was foolish enough to let Lar take all the pictures, so there are none of her from our hike. Needless to say, she was the most fashionable of the bunch.

There were about 25 of us total in the group. We ended up walking about 6 miles of the Beltline in about 3 hours and spent a lot of the time listening to Angel, our tour guide who knows everything about the Beltline AND use to be a train conductor (he's the one in the orange shorts).


Of course no urban hike would be complete without graffiti. Scarface and the cow face were our two favorites:


The best part about the hike was getting to see the city from a different perspective. Imagine taking a train through your local city, but on foot - if that makes any sense. Some of you Atlantans might recognize the local spots in the photos below.

Starting at the top, left to right: Taking a break in Atlanta's Glenwood Park neighborhood, City Hall East (formerly the Sears building), Krog Street tunnel, and the rail bridge over Ponce de Leon Ave. facing east (that's Paris on Ponce on the left).


By 3 p.m. we were all exhausted, hungry and sunburned, but it was so much fun we're all looking forward to the next hike. For some more photos from the hike, check out the Urban Hiking Atlanta blogpost.

After a couple of hours of walking on rail, rocks, sand and branches, Lar, our friend Amelia, and I agreed the following would make up the perfect urban hiking outfit:

• Shorts, tank top and hoodie.
• Sneakers and tube socks.
• A large water bottle that won't leak in your backpack or one that attaches to a beltloop with a carabiner.
• Sunglasses that aren't so cheap they leave indentations on your checks (these are the only type of sunglasses I own).

So, dear readers, we hope this post inspires you to go out and explore your own city by foot - preferrably with a great group of friends and, if at all possible, a guide named Angel.

- CL

Shout Out to KingFly

A big thank you to KiNG FLY for sending us these amazing hair do dads! Lauren and I have had a lot of fun playing around with them in our hair and I've determined why these bird wing-inspired hair clips are so fantastic:

1. The clips are made from recycled maps. I freakin' love maps. I'm serious. Put a map on anything and I'll take it. Give me a map and I'm entertained for hours.
2. Rachel P., the lovely creator of KiNG FLY, is a local Atlanta crafter - woot woot!
3. You can order these do dads through email or purchase them at my favorite Atlanta indie craft/ gallery boutique, Young Blood.
4. My magenta clip will go perfectly with the Alexander McQueen Target dress I'm coveting.



If you like these clips, check out the KiNG FLY bags and bangles on their blog.

CL

Rockabilly McQueen

So Cath and I joined the ranks and scoured our local Target for Alexander McQueen finds. I snatched up the jumpsuit and Cath got the TRS pants and a cute zip-up hoodie.

I had to work some magic with the jumpsuit. I love the studded shoulders and the cut and weight of the fabric feels pretty good, but it still needed some tweaking. The attached belt is sewn on at the waist and looks awkward, so I dropped the waist using an old studded belt I already had. Also the length and crop of the pant is really unflattering so I scrunched them up my leg using hair ties (a la Bleach Black- genuis!).

That might seem like a lot of back-bending for a jumpsuit, but I'm pretty happy with the results. And, hail to the jumpsuit, the most pajama-like non-pajamas ever!

I know a lot of fashion bloggers are pretty disappointed with the McQueen/Target collaboration, but we figure we'll settle for this McQueen until we can afford this McQueen.


sunnies, Nordstorm; cuff, Eviva; belt, Walmart (yes, ma'am!); shoes, Max Studio.


See the scrunching in action. Without the hair ties, the pant legs come down to mid-caf.


Ahhhh the backpack (Urban)- it's my new favorite thing.

So, two questions:

1)What did you guys get from the McQueen/Target line?

and

2) Are you jumpsuit people? Seriously, you should try one on! So comfortable! (Though I did get a few jokes about prison-wear)

LL

Safari-ish

So this is more safari meets rocker chic in the wilds of a Decatur coffee shop. Cath embraces animal print with an Asos scarf and hand-painted necklace from Vacation. Her boots and purse are thrifted and her faux-Chanel sunnies are from Forever21. This is how Jane Birkin would have dressed driving a jeep and photographing elephants. We're sure of it.



LL

Public Art in Decatur!

Last Saturday Catherine and I took a stroll around Decatur to visit some of our favorite spots (hello, Heliptrope, Eviva and neighbors!). We also made sure to stop by the mysterious bag art right next to Melrose on Ponce. After seeing it on Decatur Metro last week (great photos, Carl!), Cath and I decided we had to scurry over and see it for ourselves.

We have deduced that it is a baby elephant (though DM says "pup"). Our Decatur Dumbo is made of white plastic bags and gallops (do elephants gallop?) jauntily over a vent all day/night long. Recycled, public art! It doesn't get better!

* A note to readers not familiar with the AsianCajuns' "home"town, Decatur is located just 6 miles east of Atlanta. It's a small town that hugs a big city. We're very friendly.

Post Edit, 9:00pm Wednesday:
Meet the artist! Joel has done a bunch of other awesome public art installations- check them out on his blog here. He calls our elepup (good one Lady E!), Baby.

Also, for those of you who want to see Baby in action, check out Carl's video here.

Lastly, the outfit: hat, jacket and shoes by H&M, tee by alternative apparel, "wet" leggings are from Rockit.

LL

Wine for Work

Regular readers know that Catherine works in a more conservative setting than I. And even though I know she hates to shop for "boring" work clothes, I know most of us have to follow some sort of dress code at our pays-the-bills/nine-to-five. So these work outfits aren't the most ground-breaking in the fashion department, but they are elegant and practical, non?

Having a slew of dresses that you can just throw on and walk out the door looking smashing is a great way to make the alarm beeping at 7am a lot more pain-free. This wine-colored dress is actually something I picked up at a little boutique in Kentucky a couple of years ago. Cath paired it with black tights and platforms for a little twist.



I also really like Cath's understated jewelry. The necklace is thrifted, and the gold ring is from Bitten. My favorite is Cath's new Frank Gehry for Tiffany's ring (it's the silver one). I like the idea of architecture for your finger. Bilbao, eat your heart out.

Alexander Wang-y

Just like most fashion bloggers, Cath and I have drooled over all things Alexander Wang for the past three season. Most of his trends aren't our personal style, but it doesn't mean we don't have delusions of wearing black mesh and oversized tees and sweaters everyday.

This brings me to The Backpack.

I was trolling around Urban yesterday (another tumble from the recessionista bandwagon indeed), and I spotted IT. I didn't realize it was a backpack, just that it was big and smushy with zippers. In short, everything a perfect bag should be. Upon closer inspection I noticed its similarities to Mr. Wang's backpack- but even better! For starters, it's still fairly wallet-friendly (if anything still is- gulp!). The U.O. version also has thicker (i.e. friendlier) straps- helpful to fellow book-luggers.

For those of you who also have dreams of Alexander Wang tee-filled closets, but can't foot the hundreds of dollars- make due with Wang-esque accessory in the form of a practical, roomy backpack. Pick it up here.

LL