I love finding new boutiques so I was pleased to go to Lola’s grand opening a month ago on Carrollton Avenue in the Riverbend area.
- 622 S. Carrollton Ave
- New Orleans, LA 70118
I love finding new boutiques so I was pleased to go to Lola’s grand opening a month ago on Carrollton Avenue in the Riverbend area.
I get a lot of inquires from out of town visitors and locals alike about where the best places to shop in New Orleans are. While I usually refer people to just peruse Slow Southern Style it can sometimes be difficult to use the site as a reference, especially when you are travelling.
NOLA Shopping Guide |
So I’m very pleased to announce something that I’ve been working hard on, a handy New Orleans shopping guide! I have 30 of my favorite places to shop listed here. From thrift stores to high end jewelry and everything in between these are the places that I endorse.
This advertisement free guide is the first in a two part series. Part one focuses on uptown, everything from the Lower Garden District to the Riverbend area is included. You get all this hand picked information for just $4.25 via PayPal. A French Quarter guide is already in the works and will come out just in time for French Quarter Fest. So I hope y’all find it useful and feel free to e-mail me at nolagurl@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Two Sundays ago I co-hosted the first official Southern Fashion Bloggers Tea at the Windsor Court Hotel with Leslie of Unmade. We’ve been going group posts for a few months now, and even got a mention on nola.com but it was nice to do a real, live event and meet a few of these lovely ladies in person. I started the group as a way for ladies below the Mason-Dixon line to get together since I couldn’t find any sites with a focus just on fashion bloggers. Our first get together was a great success and I’m so thankful for such a great turn out.
Mardi Gras is a mere two weeks away and the Big Easy is positively electric with excitement. I’m so behind on our costumes that I’m starting to get nervous but I always pull through with the finishing touches, even if that means burning the midnight oil on Lundi Gras.
It feels like we’ve finally escaped winter’s harsh grasp and have moved forward with springtime in New Orleans. While I’m loving these warmer days and having dinner on the back patio I’ve been fighting with allergies and a head cold thanks to the temperature change.
Trust me, I’m not complaining about the beautiful days ahead and I am looking forward to riding my bike everywhere once I start feeling better, which hopefully will be soon with the start of three New Orleans fashion weeks, one of which I am attending this Wednesday at the Contemporary Arts Center. Oh yea, and Mardi Gras, the biggest and best holiday of the year, is wedged in there as well. No rest for the wicked right?
I bought this long, flowy tank top a few weeks ago when it was still cold and I’ve been itching to wear it ever since. The day I purchased it I was wearing a coat and gloves and now I can safely go outside with bare arms. See why I’m feeling under the weather, even if it is perfect outside?
I believe in buying good jeans. This means I’m willing to spend a lot for good denim since I wear it so often. I’d rather buy quality and not have to replace my favorite pair after a few months, hell even a year.
I’ve certainly plopped down the debit card on some wardrobe staples but why shell out big bucks if you can find it cheaper secondhand? My inseam is stupidly short so it is hard for me to justify paying $150-$200 on jeans that aren’t 100% perfect. I’ve never found skinny jeans in petite in New Orleans and even then petite lengths are sometimes still too long. Besides the obvious perk of saving money when you buy secondhand you don’t have to worry about garments shrinking since they’ve already been washed.
Normally I like to buy jeans that are dark wash, skinny or straight leg with nary an embellishment or logo in site. However variety is good at times and since all of my jeans look the same I decided to mix it up and buy these babies:
I haven’t featured an Etsy artist in a while, simply for the fact that I’ve been inundated with other projects but I still love unearthing talented Southern designers and artists to feature here. When Lacey Dupre, an environmental scientist from Lafayette, Louisiana contacted me about Slow Southern Style I was delighted to share her handiwork with y’all. Here’s what she had to say:
If y’all know one thing about me and one thing only it is this: I love Mardi Gras. Just yesterday at the Southern Fashion Blogger’s first event (more on that soon) I was talking to Mallory of Miss Malaprop about how I don’t own very much “real” makeup but I’ve got enough glitter and metallic eyeshadow to last me several Carnival seasons. Of course the makeup plays second fiddle to the wigs, and I have no shortage of those either.
Fifi Mahony’s is the wig shop in New Orleans that everyone knows and loves. I’ve been shopping there for years and it is always a fun, glamorous experience. Their window displays always reel me in, like I really needed an excuse to go in anyway. Once inside the frivolity never ends as each corner you turn something even more glamorous, sequined, and feathered lunges out at you. From rhinestone cocktail rings the size of my head to false eyelashes longer than I am tall (which isn’t saying much) Fifi Mahony’s is one glitzy dream of a store and everything just begs to be brought home.
19 local vendors will be offering up big discounts on clothing for men, women, and kids all together in the Crowne Plaza ballroom in Baton Rouge. The sale is cash only and dressing rooms will be available.
The Burlington Coat Factory will be holding a winter coat donation drive the Warm Coats and Warm Hearts program now through Sunday, February 13th. Receive 10% off your entire purchase with a donation. The coats will be distributed locally through the New Orleans Mission and The Samaritan Center.
I’m not a girly girl. Sure I might dress like it at times but I’m really a tom boy at heart, screwing up manicures while rock climbing and procuring scrapes and bruises while doing yard work. I keep myself feeling feminine and balanced by donning dresses and skirts, and wearing jewelry at all times. SinceValentine’s Day is in four days the Southern Fashion Bloggers are celebrating a little early by showing y’all which V- Day themed accessories we’re going to wear to celebrate. Here are my top three, and no I’m not wearing them all together. Come on y’all, I’d like to think I have better taste than that!
A lot of ladies stray from wearing pink because it can either be obnoxious or sickly sweet but when used wisely it can brighten up a look. I love this necklace and it is a favorite piece in the summer time but I also wear it in the winter with blouses or lower cut tops. I like the mixed metals which means I don’t have to fret about wearing all gold or silver jewelry. This is great for jazzing up a plain scoop neck shirt and looks extra dramatic against an all black outfit.
As a woman with tattooed feet you’d think its weird that I’m obsessed with conservative style shoes. However I like the juxtaposition of preppy style with a helping of ink on the side. These Cole Haan penny loafers perk up my more muted color palettes and the peppy pink keeps the shoes from looking too staid.
Pink overload? Try a more subtle effect, such as this headband with a tiny tuft of blush hued tulle. The little pearls and jewels add a sweet touch and is a great way to dress up a pony tail or a top knot if you want to skip a day or three washing your hair.
The best part of these posts is linking to the lovely ladies that are also participating this go ’round. Go check out each their Valentine’s Day accessories and remember that not everyone will be posting at the exact same time.
Miss Malaprop
Southern Belles and Beignets
Prototype Mama
Trashy Diva
Work With What You’ve Got
Penny Loves Charlie
Odelma Vintage
No(LA) More Chains
Style Cakes
Interested in joining the next Southern Fashion Bloggers group post? Sign up for the mailing list and keep up on our blog and Facebook pages. Our March theme will be Mardi Gras, so be ready to share your costumes or your favorite purple, green, and gold looks!