J'adore, Mon Amie

Please pardon my French.  Oh New Orleans -- you provide such amazing cultural experiences: great music, unique creole cuisine, humidity that rivals a sauna, a slow, easy pace of life.  You also provide something that isn't quite as easy to find --  gorgeous fashion and the best French food this side of the pond.  Mr Bama and I went to dinner with a couple he knows through work.  Since they live up in Jefferson Parish and are new to the area, they mentioned they would like to eat somewhere near us, in Uptown.  My task of hunting down an affordable, yet tasty and unique place began -- and quickly ended.  Enter one of New Orleans best kept secrets: 

La Crepe Nanou

photo court. of lacrepenanou.com

I orginally dined with Mr Bama and a few local friends there back in July when we were still engaged and RIGHT after I returned from my visit to Paris.  Is it bad that I thought their beef bourguignon crepes rivaled those of the little sidewalk crepe cafes that I dined at in France?  Their retro art nouveau decor is heaven to this little early 20th century architecture lover.  And their strawberry dessert crepe, Crepe Lucie, is easily one of my favorite desserts anywhere -- hands down.  Mr Bama talks about how much he loves their escargot -- I am still a little too much of a coward to try them, but even I can admit that sitting on their little plate swimming in butter and garlic they did look like they had the possibility of being very tasty.

I think though, what I was a tad bit more excited about for our dinner out was an opportunity to wear my newest purchase: an Audrey Mini Dress in the Mid-Century Print from Trashy Diva.

(photo court of Trashy Diva)

Trashy Diva is a NOLA based clothing company/store established in 1996 by designer Candince Gwinn.  All designs are inspired by retro patterns and then tweaked in one way or another to make it a tad bit more modern.  I like to think of their Stretch cotton line as the "Mad Men" clothing line for women (even though Candice was designing and selling her clothing WAYYY before the series even began), while their Rayon and silk dresses have a much more late 30's early 40s inspiration.  Its a gorgeous store, where wonderful people work and is really uniquely New Orleans.  The best part, if you cannot make it to NOLA to check it out, is that their line is carried at stores across the country AND you can even order online directly from the Uptown store. 

The best part about both of these NOLA treasures is that they are affordable -- a definite plus in this economy.  People in this day and age still have a taste that they aquired during the 90s but do not have the budget to match.  Both Trashy Diva and La Crepe Nanou are exceptional establishments where you can buy a gorgeous, well-made dress for a little over $100 or a dinner for two (minus alcohol) around $30.  THIS is how you survive the economy without feeling like you're denying yourself absolutely everything.