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new orleans southern style summer travel vacation

Sweating Season

Front Yard Foliage

     Let’s face it, New Orleans can be downright miserable in the summer. The humidity slaps you in the face like a steaming wool blanket the second you walk out the door. It’s all bad hair days and sweaty clothes from now until October. The city goes into a reverse hibernation, with many people taking the opportunity to travel. For whatever reason, I’m usually the dummy that doesn’t get out of town during the hottest part of the year. This year, that’s got to change.

     August marks our ten year wedding anniversary (when in the hell did that happen?!)  and while we were planning on renewing our vows where we got married, the timing was off (thanks, fall school schedule) so we opted not to say “I Do” again, at least not this year.  Instead, we’re packing up the car for a week long road trip: NOLA>Atlanta>Asheville>Louisville>Pigeon Forge. I’m looking forward to making road trip playlists, visits with friends and family along the way, truck stop dinners and dusting off our trusty two man tent. Goodbye humidity, hello clean mountain air. 

So, what’s your summer travel itinerary looking like?

Twitter: slowsouthstyle Facebook: Slow Southern Style
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food louisiana new orleans southern style

Splendid Pig Is Poppin’ Up All Over

By now you’ve probably heard that pop up restaurants have infiltrated New Orleans. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, I’ll sum it up: an already established business allows a chef to utilize their space during times that the kitchen is closed. Why dine at a pop up when we already have so many options? For starters, the chefs are usually restaurant veterans that are attempting to break out on their own. Many of them do it to flex their creative muscles, often serving underrepresented food in a city that frequently caters to tourists’ palate more than locals. You’ll also be supporting up and coming restaurant owners, winning bragging rights of discovering them first when they (hopefully) open a more permanent eatery. Think of it as being a satiated early adopter. 


     My friends at Splendid Pig, husband and wife team Brandon Blackwell and Jennifer Sherrod,  have been running their pop up restaurant out of Carrollton Station every Monday night since November of last year. Even though Splendid Pig has only been in operation for seven months, the duo brings years of experience to the operation.  Brandon was sous chef at Upperline, as well as a butcher at Cleaver & Co., while Jennifer filled the general manager position at Martinique Bistro for fifteen years. In other words, you’re in capable hands in terms of food and service.  Splendid Pig’s menu is comprised of small plates, ranging in price from $6-$9. As the name indicates, pork is the standout, but their offerings are surprisingly diverse. The focus is Southern, utilizing locally grown and raised produce and meats. Inglewood Farms pecans graces the seared Louisiana drum this week, accompanied by a roasted summer squash polenta, charred tomato vinaigrette and mint. Covey Rise Farms supplied the corn for this week’s chilled corn soup with pickled squash, marinated crab claws and chili oil. For those of you with a sweet tooth, two desserts are always up for grabs. The boozy brownie, the mainstay option, is based on a different cocktail recipe each week. My advice? Bring a friend or two and sample the entire menu. 
 
Last month Splendid Pig expanded, taking over Milk Fish in Mid-City once a month. Starting in July, they will be in Coulis every Tuesday night.  I took these photos for them six weeks ago; keep in mind the menu changes weekly. For the entire month of June, Splendid Pig is participating in the Locavore Challenge, which challenges diners to eat 100% locally sourced ingredients. Several dishes adhere to the local stipulation, even down to the pecan oil.
 
Check out this week’s menu here, and make sure to get on their weekly mailing list. Catch them tonight at Carrollton Station, or this Wednesday at MilkFish in Mid-City. Pssst! Yours truly will be working Wednesday’s dinner service, so pop in (see what I did there?) and say hi. 
 
 
 
Splendid Pig Schedule:
 
Every Monday 6:00-9:30pm (ages 21 and up):
Carrollton Station, 8140 Willow St. 
Liquor: Carrollton Station is a bar.
 
Every Tuesday 6:00-9:30pm (starting July 1st):
Coulis, 3625 Prytania St.
Liquor: BYOB, mocktails and mixers available for purchase. 
 
Wednesdays 6:00-9:30pm (once a month, date changes):
Milkfish, 125 N. Carrollton Ave. 
Liquor: BYOB
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abita springs art local flavor louisiana northshore southern style travel

Worth The Drive: Abita Mystery House


Unexpected free time this summer has afforded me the luxury of taking random day trips from New Orleans. My first stop? A trip across Lake Pontchartrain to Abita Mystery House. Tucked away in the charming town of Abita Springs, this quirky museum houses owner John Preble’s impressive collection of tchotckes, vintage arcade games, painstakingly detailed dioramas and taxidermy that looks straight out of Rob Zombies’ House of a Thousand Corpses. I mean that in the best way possible.

 I was downright giddy when I first drove up to the museum. My friend Rebecca described it as a “Pee Wee’s Southern Folksy Playhouse” and I couldn’t agree with her more. The collection is split up among a vintage gas station, a 100 year old Creole cottage and the House of Shards. Each building contains an amalgam of the ordinary, the odd and the downright delightful. Make sure to allow yourself a few hours to explore. While the Abita Mystery House is small, it’s chocked full of wonders. Photos are highly encouraged, so bring your camera and a roll of quarters if you want to fiddle around with the arcade games. 

The Abita Mystery House is definitely worth the hour drive from New Orleans and the three dollar admission fee. 



Abita Mystery House     
22275 Hwy 36 
Abita Springs Louisiana 70420 
985-892-2624
AbitaMysteryHouse.com


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#girlboss book review fashion reviews sophia amoruso

Book Review: Nasty Gal’s #GirlBoss



I’m not gonna lie, I surprised myself when I purchased #GirlBoss, the new book out from Sophia Amoruso, Founder and CEO of Nasty Gal. (Hash tag as book title? Really?) The book touts itself as a  how-to guide for young female entrepreneurs, chronicling Amoruso’s own success in the process. By now, Nasty Gal is ubiquitous among twenty-something cool girl types. You know, the ones that wear trends before big box retailers snap them up. While I have yet to buy anything from Nasty Gal, I am familiar with Amoruso’s enviable success story: eBay shop owner slinging vintage clothing transforms her little ol’ business into a multi-million dollar company in just seven years. 


I endured so many motivational-slash-business advice books at my former retail management job, most of which where written to strike a chord with the suit and tie wearing, moving-up-the-corporate-ladder types, not a bunch of young women in charge of running a hip clothing store. For this reason alone, it’s no wonder #GirlBoss is a bestseller. Amoruso’s rag to riches tale is relevant to the Nasty Gal customer, told through the lens of a self-made young woman. It’s about sticking it to “the man” and carving out your own path in life, regardless of your lack of experience. “If it feels right, do it” is the unspoken mantra of the book.

 #GirlBoss isn’t short on inspiration, such as Amoruso’s commendable feat of building Nasty Gal with zero debt. That alone is remarkable, as well as her innate ability to stand out in an over saturated industry by tirelessly keeping her brand’s image relevant in the fickle world of fashion. However, she tends to beat the reader over the head with the basic principles of the book. Most chapters simply rehash what’s already been said, but with a hash tag for a book title, perhaps she’s just taking the social media obsessed reader’s short attention spans in mind. 

I found much of the book too idealistic for my taste. Amoruso stresses, for example, that she was a high school drop out, never bothered to go to college, ate bagels out of the trash in order to feed herself, then started an eBay store with stolen goods. As someone who dropped out of college myself, I understand where she’s going with this: you don’t need a fancy degree in order to kick start a career, but how many dumpster diving shoplifters actually turn into millionaires? Amoruso also stresses that she winged her way to success: she busted her ass and just hit the ground running in lieu of doing extensive market research in order to realize her vision. There is something very empowering in just putting in the work versus overwhelming yourself with mapping out a business plan, waiting for the most opportune time to start, which I can definitely relate to. When I started Slow Southern Style back in 2009, I had no clue what I was doing. If I had waited until I had professional photos, a slick blog layout and an ad sales manager, well, I’d still be waiting. However, the chances of creating the next Nasty Gal- just winging it with zero business knowledge- is slim. How many people are disciplined, and lucky enough, to create that kind of success for themselves, no matter how how much work they put into it? There must have been a smidgen of kismet working in Amoruso’s favor. 


At times I wanted a tinge more humility from Amoruso. There’s a scene in #GirlBoss where she is meeting with investors for the first time, with just a small mention that she admittedly feels out of place, like a young, naive girl in an adult world. There’s so much bravado in her writing style that I wanted to see a more vulnerable side to her. We don’t really get a glimpse into those “holy shit, what have I gotten myself into” moments, even when she admits that she was in over her head in that board room. I also felt the book was part Amoruso sharing her knowledge, part trying to prove herself.  Still, you’ve got to hand it to her for saying *$%! the straight and narrow  path by creating her own company on her own terms. 


If you’re looking for a manual on how to start your own company, I’d  hardly call #GirlBoss a guide book to creating your own business. Instead, take it for what it is: a motivational book for young women that hold “bad ass bitch” as the highest compliment paid. 

Twitter: slowsouthstyle Facebook: Slow Southern Style
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festivals french quarter local flavor louisiana new orleans

French Quarter Fest

 
I’ve been in a festin’ mood thanks to the balmy, seventy degree weather (finally!) so I decided to head out to French Quarter Fest with a friend to indulge in alligator sausage, po-boys and a frozen daiquiri to wash it all down with. The main music stages and food booths can bring out the claustrophobia in most anyone, so if you’re not the crowd lovin’ type I’d suggest hanging out at the equally entertaining yet relatively more intimate stages away from Woldenberg Park and Jackson Square.  It was also the perfect day to play around with my camera (no iPhone snapshots here!) and get some practice in. We’ve had the most beautiful, picturesque skies that just beg to have their photo taken. How could I not comply?
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hiking louisiana outdoors

Born on the Bayou: Jean Lafitte Park

Some of you who follow me on Instagram (here too) might know that I’ve been taking photography lessons for the past two months. I’ve wanted to improve my skills, or lack thereof, essentially since I started Slow Southern Style back in 2009. SLR cameras always frightened me, but I finally got myself one this past December and now I practice whenever I can. Annie Leibovitz I ain’t, but hey, I’m getting better. Just don’t look at any of my old, cringe inducing photos, which is basically every single picture taken before oh, last week. These photos were taken in Jean Lafitte Park just a few days ago. I didn’t run into any wildlife this time, but the alligators and snakes usually start poking their heads out around this time of year. This park was my backyard growing up, and I still enjoy trekking out there sometimes for a little solitude.
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events fashion louisiana new orleans shoes

Yeah, You Write

After clocking far too many hours on my laptop this semester, I’m happy to say that I’ve been chosen to read my original work “Blue Laser Beams” at the University of New Orleans’ Yeah, You Write series. If you’d like to listen to me attempt to not stumble on my own written words, check out the event this Thursday night. My non-fiction story is about a teenager whose fashion choices alienate her from the rest of her classmates. She wants to stand out, yet secretly wants to fit in as well. Here’s a sample:


         

Baker’s neon sign was a laser beam cutting through my fog of teenage angst. I was a product of the 1990s grunge era: a crushed velvet dress, worn with a flannel shirt tied around the waist, and clunky shoes is the look I lusted after. I blended in at school about as well as a duck hunter sporting a safety orange vest on Wall Street. “Sassy Magazine” was my fashion bible, but the clothes featured in the editorial spreads were either too expensive or unavailable to me. Shipping costs were deemed a waste of money in our household, so catalog orders were off limits as well. Little did I know that my shoe fantasies would be fulfilled at Baker’s. And sure enough, tucked away in a forgotten corner of the store were the flashiest shoes I could find and they were seventy-five percent off! Of course they were deeply discounted; no one in my town would be caught dead wearing platform lace ups with the veneer of a diner seat booth. The baby powder blue vinyl, embedded with a million holographic sparkles, reflected the joy I felt in being  one sales transaction away from being just as cool as my rock star idols. The white platform rubber soles with the wrap around faux blonde wood would proclaim my status as someone more worldly than my suburban roots. Everyone I encountered would think “That girl! She listens to Mazzy Star and Nirvana and would pierce her nose if her mother let her!”

Yeah, You Write: UNO Undergraduate Reading
Thursday, March 20 6:00pm
Sandbar at the Cove, UNO Campus 
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costumes DIY local flavor louisiana mardi gras new orleans secondhand what i wore

Mardi Gras: Look ma, no pants!

Oh, Mardi Gras. It was one of the coldest and rainiest Fat Tuesdays ever, but that didn’t stop the die hard crazies from heading out, including us. Since I never take the weather into consideration when planning a costume, wool socks under wool tights under green tights under fishnets was the only way to go. I felt like a contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race underneath all that hosiery. Despite how nasty it was, we managed to laissez les bon temps rouler anyway. Needless to say, I didn’t bring my camera in fear of getting it wet, so these were the only non iPhone pics we took. 
This year, I decided to make our hats. With about 12 hours total of hand stitching ( I rarely glue anything, unless sewing isn’t an option) I gave myself a bit of a break and thrifted our tops, minus some embellishments that I added. It’s always fun to play dress up, but I’m allowing myself a sweatshirt and jeans day today after freezing my toes off. Hopefully we’ll have better weather next year but hey, a little rain never stopped me from having a good time anyway. 

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boutiques louisiana new orleans secondhand shopping southern style

oh hey now

Oh hey now, I went and started a Slow Southern Style Instagram. I’ll be sharing some of my favorite snapshots of New Orleans culture, served with a side of personal style. Of course y’all can still keep up with my personal account if you’re so inclined. We’re in the thick of Carnival season this weekend. Parades are rolling all day, every day and I’ll be out on the streets snapping pictures all weekend long. Of course Mardi Gras Day is basically my Christmas morning; I’ll be up at the crack of dawn on Fat Tuesday, ready for some carnival adventures. See y’all on the parade route. 

Necklace Bayou Bohemian| Sweater LnA via Rise| Jeans Banana Republic|
Jacket vintage Levi’s via Buffalo Exchange| Oxfords Frye via Buffalo Exchange

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back to school fashion mardi gras propaganda southern fashion bloggers southern style year in review

My 2013 Year In Review: Lose Some, Gain Some

Custom portrait by Maggie Covert | Confused? Look here and read this. All will be revealed.

Oh hey 2014, you crept up on me with the quickness, didn’t you? I didn’t announce it to the world, but Slow Southern Style turned five years old this past year. I know I’ve been neglecting my baby (see below for the reasons why) so here are some of the highlights of 2013:

  • I officially re-enrolled at The University of New Orleans (as a senior!) after a ten year hiatus. If you’re interested in the full story click on over to Propaganda, where I share my experience of entering the academic world as a non-traditional student.
  • I got the courage to quit my job of eight years. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was an important one. While I occasionally miss talking about clothes all day, it was time for me to evaluate my long term goals and make them happen. 
  • After three beautiful years with Nadia, our beloved greyhound, we gave her one last throat rub. We also unexpectedly lost Proteus, one of our cats we had for eight years. 2013 was rough, to say the least. However, the pitter patter of little paws was not absent for long. We welcomed  Izzy (Greyhound), Beignet (Rat Terrier/Catahoula mix) and our two kittens Piper and Lorenzo (formerly Loretta: oops!) as our newest roommates. We still miss Nadia and Proteus, but the newest additions help ease the pain. 
  • I took on the role of Managing Editor of Propaganda New Orleans, which shifted my focus from writing about fashion to editing and writing on a much wider variety of subjects. Food, art, history and travel were just some of the topics I wrote about. Here’s the list, if you’re so inclined. 
  • My brother, sister and I had a sibling reunion after not being in the same room together for two years. My siblings are the world to me. I’m hoping to take a trip to Louisville, Kentucky to visit my brother later this year. 
Things I’m looking forward to in 2014:
  • The biggest, and most important, is my ten year wedding anniversary in August. Yea, we’re getting old. We’re renewing our vows in the same spot we got married: below the rim of the Grand Canyon. 
  • Mardi Gras. Duh. It’s the holiday that trumps all other holidays. 
  • After years of pining for a fancy camera, I bought myself  an SLR. I’m looking forward to signing up for classes so I can figure out how to work the damn thing and stop uploading mediocre photos here. Maybe. 
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