Friday, July 31, 2009

Happy Friday!


Troy, Cath, Lar, Ali, Frances, photo by Dave Kell at Indecatur

Just a quick Friday post, loves! Cath and I did make it out to The Clermont Design Contest last night, but only briefly- I think the rain/monsoon might have scared most people away for the night. We dried off at the Bookhouse Pub afterwards with La Chouffe and peppery grits- yum!

You can read about the design winners on Dave's blog.

Hope you are all having a glorious start to your weekends!

LL

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Lar: The Mean Reds

sunnies from UO, scarf from H&M, dress from Rockit in Decatur, shoes are Tarjay

I don't at all look like I have the Mean Reds here in these picks. I grumbled my way through the work day and then delighted in the fact that Cath and I were going rug shopping at Ikea. (Rug shopping is a lot like shopping for pants to me: not much variety, but a necessary part of your apartments wardrobe- and if you cheap out, you can usually tell).

Apparently my Tiffany's cure for the "mean reds" equivalent is a trip to Ikea and a smooch from the bf. More satisfying than diamonds or a sterling silver telephone dialer for sure!

p.s. We hope to see some of you guys at The Clermont Lounge tonight!

LL

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Cath: Round Sunnies


sunnies from F21, tunic is Rogan for Target, skirt is Old Navy, shoes are Frye via Jac

So I had this marvelous idea (it only took me 2 + years to get here): Cath and I should post our outfits separately so you guys (dear, lovely readers) can get a better understanding of who wears what, and how our styles differ. I'm not really sure if that is ground-breaking stuff, but let us know what you think.

Before we took a jaunt to Ikea this evening, I caught Cath in her mid-week work gear. That tunic she is wearing as a shirt is one of my most favorite things in her closet. Surprisingly we hardly ever share clothes. The only time we are telepathic is when we are sharing something and we inevitably both want to wear it on the same day. No exaggeration, this happens every single time we decide we will share something in our closets. And we usually can't share shoes because my feet are bigger. Go figure.

LL

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The Clermont Hotel Design Competition and Party!


photo by Andy J Scott

We hope all of you can join us and the Whynatte crew at The Clermont Lounge on Thursday night! (Non-locals, we are hard at work at that teleportation device). Gene Kansas (property developer of The Clermont) is throwing a party in hopes to save this Atlanta institution. Gene sent out a call to all architects, creatives geniuses, bell hops, butlers, etc. to redesign a room, the lobby and/or the roof of The Clermont hotel. The design winners are to be announced at the party. Read the invite below- sounds pretty sweet, no?





For those of you not familiar with The Clermont Lounge, let's catch you up. It's Atlanta's longest continually running strip club. Now, before you get too skeeved-out (completely understandable- the AsianCajuns don't usual advertise for such things), The Clermont is a different beast than what you have in mind. The stripers are a more mature set and don't exactly look like your run-of-the-mill pole dancer (we think). It's safe to say that generally Cath and I would stay away from even kitschy strip joints, but when it involves a design competition and cocktails mixed by our favorite people- well, we can't pass it up.

Not really into design competitions and kitschy strip clubs that hold dance parties? Well, do you guys remember us swooning over that caffeinated coffee drink Whynatte last year (see this post)? If you have yet to try this, we think you should hightail down to the Clermont for that reason alone: drinking Whynatte.

Local bloggers, please let us know if you will be there- we'd love to meet up!


photo by Andy J Scott

This is the event we alluded to a few post back. We thought we would share a few more of Andy J Scott's photos of us. He's good. Real good. Check out his other work here if you haven't already. Thanks again, Andy!


photo by Andy J Scott

Down below is my redesign of the Clermont lobby. I'm good, aren't I?

photo courtesy of the New York Times

Wait, you say it looks a lot like Julian Schnabel's redesign of Gramercy Park Hotel in New York circa 2006? For shame! He got all of his genius ideas from me...
In all seriousness, if I were fabulously wealthy and owned the Clermont, I would have Mr. Schnabel fly down to Atlanta in his pajamas and have his way with the hotel.

See you Thursday!

LL

Monday, July 27, 2009

Top Flr Decor

The other night Lar and I decided to check out Top Flr in midtown. It's been open for a couple of years and we've been meaning to go ever since we read about it on Daily Candy Atlanta. It's a hipster's dream come true: Domino Magazine-worthy interior, a perfect blend of comfy and chic, and a simple à la carte, fusiony menu.

We sat upstairs that had this great wallpaper and black laquer floors:
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On Lar: F21 tunic dress, necklace from Salon Red in Decatur, Jeffrey Campbell shoes.

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On me: June Shin necklace, H&M dress, shoes from Eviva in Decatur.

Here's what the Top Flr looks like:
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I spend way too much money eating out each week, but it's hard not to when there are so many great restaurants in Atlanta/Decatur. My boyfriend and I just discovered Ra Sushi on Peachtree and 11th (a sushi chain based in Arizona that serves surprising good sushi for it's overly-polished decor) and Ri-Ra Irish Pub on Crescent and 12th (also a chain, but has the best historically-preserved bar in town).

CL

Saturday, July 25, 2009

On Being Sporty

Lar and I have never been the sporty types. When our mom asked as five-year olds if we wanted to do ballet or soccer, we told her we'd cry everyday if she forced us to play soccer instead of do ballet. So somehow, even at an early age, we've been biased against sports.

That being said, I've been trying to be more open-minded about sports and have gone to a few games recently. Plus, I like the whole social aspect of watching sports - hanging out with friends, eating junk food and drinking ice-cold cokes and beers.

About a month ago I went to a Braves game with some friends. Being more of a skirt and dress/ non-sporty type, it took me a couple of moments to figure out an appropriate game-watching outfit. A summer dress with sandals seemed too dressy, so I went with a denim skirt and tank. Lar took these photos of me when I got back from the game. I actually wore my red Toms Shoes to the game, not these impractical heels:

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Hat from a local boutique in Decatur, skirt and tank from H&M.

I don't like wearing a lot of jewelry with casual outfits, so Lar let me borrow her trucker hat - I think it added a little bit of sportiness to an otherwise ho-hum outfit.

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I know some of you non-fashion-obsessed out there can't understand planning out an outfit to wear to a baseball game, but I think that's half the fun. Who's with me?

CL

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Andy J Scott Shoots The AsianCajuns



Not fatally of course! Just for fun.

Cath and I are promoting an upcoming event (more to come in a few posts) with the lovely people at Whynatte. We thought it would be great to get some photos on location and hoped to wrangle a local photographer into helping us out.

Enter Andy J. Scott:


There he is saying hello. Such a friendly bloke. www.andyjscott.com

Readers might remember Andy in this post (with photographer Wes Sumner). Not only is Andy a very talented photographer and super sweet guy, he can sweet-talk like nobody's business (the hotel manager was a little reticent at our picture taking proposal) and will lie down in a sketchy parking lot to get the best angle. You should check out his other work here.

We'll be posting more photos in a following post, and explain what's with the Clermont Motor Hotel sign. Locals might have an inkling.

LL

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

AsianCajuns Plus One







This weekend one of my best friends came for a visit. Being from Charleston, a city chiefly known for not having an H&M (oh and beautiful historic homes, fresh seafood and the beach), we had to take Nate shopping. And what better way to cap off a day of shopping? Taking overly pose-y photos of your purchases!

I was trying to be good to my credit card and only got this tube dress from H&M with studs down the side (yup I fell into the stud trap again- I guess that trend isn't quite out of my system). Nate's summery oxford (also H&M) has a detachable collar that made me drool. Cath wore her American Apparel dress to offset all our H&M. Doesn't the color make you want to eat lemoncello gelato? Is there such a thing? Yum yum!

Cath's sweet bf took all of these photos. He's a bit of a Renaissance man- check out his myspace page here. My sweet bf got out of most of the shopping and our "photoshoot"- there's always next time- muahahaha!

LL

Monday, July 20, 2009

Night of the Iguana: The Fantastic Level and The Realistic Level


Night of the Iguana is one of my favorite movies/plays. I won't babble about it too much here, but you should watch it when you get the chance. It's especially appropriate for the summer time (what Tennessee William play isn't) because it takes place in gorgeous, sunny and hot Puerto Vallarta.

Throughout the entire movie, Ava Gardner wears this drapey poncho shirt with leggings and large earrings. If I wasn't going to work I would go barefoot too. Isn't that the perfect summer uniform? Before Lindsay even touched a pair of leggings, Ava was rocking them out in 90 degree heat, while serving rum cocos to her guests off the beach.

shirt from F21, leggings from Zara, shoes are Max Studio

I didn't have a shirt like Ava's (though now I'm on the prowl in thrift stores) and I had to forego the earrings because I've been wearing too many cheapie ones so now my ears need a rest, but I think this works when your beach is an office and your hammock is an office chair. Eesh- I need a vacation!



Courtesy of LIFE

This is a photo of Elizabeth Tailor visiting Richard Burton and Ava Gardner on set. Makes you want to get on the next plan to Mexico (circa 1960) doesn't it?

LL

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Men and Shoes

Courtesy of the Sartorialist

The always inspiring Jon from Getting Beat Like You Stole Something, asked us to expound on men and their footwear. I'm always a little bashful about helping my fellow man friends with their fashion dilemmas. I tend to spend more time drooling over Louboutins and Kate Moss's latest TopShop offerings than the cut of a good suit. But lately I've been asked by a few male friends (bfs included) to help them with their attire.

Jon et al. got us thinking a little more about men and their fashion choices. Read our post on Getting Beat Like You Stole Something here. And we'll try to be a little more gender inclusive in our blog as well. A few our our fellow fashionistas have started including men's fashion in their blogging as well. Check out Wrecked Stellar's first Menopoly post here.

Fellas, don't be shy about emailing us with any questions. Thanks for asking us, Jon, and getting us out of our drooling Louboutin rut!

LL

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Styled by the AsianCajuns






Photographer: Jamie Hopper

Model: Haley

Make-up: Amy Weissenberg

Stylist: Lauren and Catherine

Location: The Wren's Nest, home of Joel Chandler Harris, the author of the Brer Rabbit tales (Thanks, Amy and Lain)

Clothing: Jac and Kaleidescope

Let us know what you guys think!

Happy, happy Friday!

LL

Photo Shoot at the Wren's Nest: Take 1



So you guys have heard us babble about this photo shoot we styled this past weekend. Well we've got some of the photos back to show you how it went down. We'll post more photos tonight!

Some of you were asking about the details of the shoot. Cath and I were approached by photographer Jamie Hopper to style a fashion shoot for her portfolio. Kind of a dream come true for ladies like us (into fashion and design- oh and working with other creative peeps!). Jamie was dreamy to work with and got in touch with the make-up artist Amy Weissenberg (check out her site here) and the lovely model Haley (I'm completely blanking on her agency at the moment). I then contacted some local boutiques to borrow some lovely things, organized props (including cupcakes from the Cookie Studio- nom nom nom), and got in touch with The Wren's Nest for location (you should check out their blog here- it's a hoot).

We had no budget, so we had to be creative (i.e. rely on the generosity of others). Jamie was lovely to work with because she gave us complete reign over the location and entire "look" of the project.

Can't wait to show you more photos! Stay tuned...

LL

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Work Outfit, meet Zorro


The Zorro mask is leftover from our photo shoot on Sunday. I used the mask here to cover the fact that my eye make-up had slid off my face throughout the course of the workday.

I've worn this faux Yves Saint Laurent/Mondrian dress before, but added the Asos belt I won from Wanderlusting a few weeks ago. Without a belt, sheath dresses can make me look a little too young because they tend to swallow up my frame- especially with strong lines and shapes like this one.


Cath used the Zorro mask as a fascinator. I think she looks tres chic. She's got you beat, Antonio.



While picking up some lovely things at Jac this weekend, Cath swiped these Frye platforms for 40% off. Is it weird to any one else that Frye makes things other than boots? Don't get me wrong, I have a pair of Frye platforms too, and they are dreamy. It's just weird. To me Frye's are distant relatives to the things cowboys or pioneers used to wear. I can't imagine cow herders in platforms- kind of like imagining the New York Dolls working on a ranch. Inspiration for the next photoshoot? Yee haw!

LL

Monday, July 13, 2009

Behind the Scenes: Styling a Shoot

Our gorgeous model Halley working hard with the very talented Jamie.

Yesterday Cath and I spent all morning styling a photoshoot at the Wren's Nest (home of Joel Chandler Harris, author of the Brer Rabbit stories). We had an awesome team of talented people to help us (including our model in the above pics and the lovely people below):

Lar, Cath, Amy (the make-up artist), Jamie (the photographer), Lain (executive director of the Wren's Nest) and Amelia (program director of the Wren's Nest).

I got in touch with the lovely ladies at a few local boutiques to borrow some clothes for the shoot. We borrowed playful, but elegant dresses and blouses from both Jac and Kaleidoscope.
This sparkly tunic ended up on our model in the bathtub with sparkly fairy lights. The yellow blouse looked great against all the green in the backyard of the Nest.

Amy's hand looking all professional and make-up artisty.

For the "sets" I wanted to take advantage of the fact that we were using a historic home. Amelia and Lain let us pile up old books and do-dads, blow up balloons, place fairy lights in an old claw-footed bathtub, scatter cupcakes around the rooms- essentially do whatever Tim Walker would have done with an old Victorian/Queen Anne interior and no budget.
A few Joel Chandler Harris books piled amongst dictionaries and other stories of the South. 


In Joel Chandler Harris' daughter's room I scattered the fairy lights (I'm a big fan of those if you can't tell), and Cath and I batted some balloons around as Jamie took photos of Halley in a sweet magenta frock.

We can't wait to see the final product, and will definitely show you guys the photos once Jamie has put her final magic touch on them.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend too!

p.s. We'll be moderating comments for a bit, only because we are being spammed like crazy. Has anyone else been attacked by this asian spammer and come up with any remedies?

LL

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Fashion Stylists for a Day

Lar and I are super excited about this weekend. We'll be acting as stylists for a photoshoot with talented, Portfolio Center-educated, local photographer Jamie Hopper.

A few months ago Jamie found us through this blog and asked us to help style a fashion shoot for her porfolio. Of course we jumped at the chance. Playing around with clothes? Dressing someone for fun? Having someone who knows what they're doing with a camera take photos? We're in!

Stay tuned. We'll be posting some behind-the-scenes photos followed by a post with the actual photos Jamie takes. In the meantime, check out some of her fantastic work:

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See more of Jamie's photos on her website: www.jamiehopper.com.

CL

Friday, July 10, 2009

Painted Walls

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tunic/dress from AA, shoes Jeffery Campbell via Free People, bag from Mingei

Cath and I wandered into Little Five Points the other day (non-locals, that's an Atlanta neighborhood that used to be a bit indie/avant garde and now is comfortably mainstream, but still a sweet place to stroll) and ran into some great graffiti.

I'm being scooped up into an AIG cup- I think those greedy execs would have been disappointed if I ended up as their bonus, but tax payers could have rested easier.

Cath is standing on a crime scene. It appears Chalk Victim was shot once in the head, and fatally wounded. Tough way to go, Chalk Man.

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shoes by Seychelles via Eviva, shirt from Evolve Boutique, skirt from Asos, bag from a boutique in Kentucky, sunnies are Cassius via Moxsie.

Happy Friday, you wonderful people! Hope you have a great weekend!

LL

Thursday, July 9, 2009

The Same But Different



Middle of the week workwear. 

On Cath: dress from Banana Republic, bandeau from AA, shoes are Vera Wang for Kohl's, necklace is June Shin

On Lar: oversized tee from Tarjay, skirt from AA, shoes from Jeffery Campbell via Free People, necklace from Snoozer Looser

LL

Three Lovely Bloggers

These beautiful bloggers below, all honored us with awards or mentions in the past few weeks, and we wanted to return the favor.

Trains and Sewing Machines
is one crafty and creative lady. Check our her inspiring blog and Etsy store.


Ana B from On Dressing Up is the fashionista poster girl for New Zealand in our opinion. She wears gorgeous get-ups whilst rambling around her beautiful homeland.


Haute World is your ticket on where to go to shop and experience culture in Paris, London, Amsterdamn, Glasgow, Hamburg, Warsaw, etc. This brilliant Parisian gives you a peak into shops, exhibitions and less well-known designers around the world with delightful and thorough description of all she experiences.



Thank you, lovely ladies! You made our day!

LL

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

L'uomo


I found my new favorite magazine: L'uomo Vogue. Men's Italian Vogue, but it sounds so much better in Italian (like everything). Say it luu-ohh-mo. Try it. Nice, eh? I'd been eying it (okay, ogling it) for a few months on the newstand, but $15- mama mia (the italian version, not the swedish)!

But this month they got me. Front cover reads, "Richard Prince" (that's him on the cover) in big letters and "A unique journey into the artists' studios." I covertly flip through and Cindy Sherman (Cindy Sherman!!!!) has a spread in the middle. As a fashionista I too love seeing into the lives of models and designers, but I'd shove those over in a second to "visit" an artist's studio or read... hey, wait a freakin' second here... it's all in Italiano!

I'm really not that dense, but I got caught up in the moment. And during that moment, in front of the newstand, the photos satiated my voyeuristic appetite. But now I want to know more! And the entire magazine (not just the cover) teases you with its showy bilingual talents: nearly all the article titles are in English. My one semester of Italian gets me about three words in the first paragraph.

In all honesty though, I would still shell out $15 in a few more months for this magazine. For one, I can convince myself this is how I'll teach myself those other (thousands of) words in Italian. For another, the photographs are always stunning and not overly airbrushed. It makes the entire magazine a lot more powerful visually than all the other fashion magazines rolled into one.

Also, is anyone else getting tired of bandage dresses, spikes, shoulder pads, and leather in the women's fashion magazines? I feel like we've been bludgeoned over the head with those trends. Don't get me wrong, I still have a black purse I'm studding, but it isn't exactly inspirational anymore. L'uomo is a different perspective. It's not even the women's Vogue Italia. But I think there are worse things than taking a few cues from some stylish Italian men folk.

LL

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Pocket/Necklace Change


So I got this beauty last week from my oh-so-awesome boyfriend. A necklace that holds quarters: practicality and beauty rolled into one- I love it! It comes from a delightful online shop called Snoozer Looser, often highlighted on the wonderful blog, Getting Beat Like You Stole Something.

I had eyed it a few weeks before and left subtle hints for my boyfriend. It went something like "{cough, cough} I want this for my birthday." Sometimes the magic works.


I apologize for the excessive posing above. I also got/bought myself a remote clicker thingy for my camera, as any serious amateur, amateur photographer should have. So I took about 50 photos of myself with the clicker and now feel like I could successfully give any narcissist a run for their money. 

You would think as a twin (living with her twin), I wouldn't need a remote shutter release. Unfortunately Cath and I hardly see each other during the week because of our separate schedules (boo) and separate boyfriends (good!). It's a good thing my face resembles hers or I would forget what she looked like. 


LL

Monday, July 6, 2009

Neon



I know this is a little bit kid-ish, but I still pick out my birthday outfits (not be confused with birthday suit- why aren't we allowed to pick those?). So this year I wore my new neon (sear- your-retinas neon) crop top from American Apparel and a black zip-up dress from H&M. I'm a big fan of the comfort of crop tops, but I'm not much for showing my belly to the world. I think it has something to do with exposing a belly-button which feels a little too Britney circa what? 2002? That said, I know things like neon and crop tops (regardless of how they are worn) are big no-nos on most people's wardrobe list. Would you wear either?

ps- Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Even if you weren't stateside for fireworks, I hope you were swamped with massive quantities of delicious food. Good times, noodle salad.

LL