cait +tiff


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C/ Love Letters

Feelings

Hi guys. It’s been a minute since posting, Tiff is traveling and I am lazy. It’s been over 100 in LA all week and I am realizing that a lot of my Cambodia-based grumpiness was due to heat, and how much I dislike sweating. I have been off all week, and trying to kick this funk.

To be fair, it might not just be global warming that has my panties in a twist. It’s rough out there, and it has been for a while. The fatigue of dealing with entitled garbage monsters is real, and it has certainly taken a toll on me. I know I am not the only one.

When the first thing we read ever damn day is “gross white dude with lots of power does gross things to tons of women and gets away with it for a long time and sometimes forever” it’s difficult to muster the strength to get up and fight it. I have friends who have been feeling sad, tired, numb, scared, and just over all this shit. The messages impact how we feel about ourselves, and when we hear it every day, it stats feeling normal.

I am finding solace in little acts recently, and one of the things that seems to help is taking time to love on my lady friends. I have been writing notes to some of the best women in my life, reminding them that they are powerful, interesting, smart, wonderful people. It’s not exactly world-saving, but adding a little bit of positive feedback to rise above the noise of the hateful garbage we hear everyday is helpful to me and to these incredible women. They feel some love, and I am reminded of how lucky I am to have such special people in my life.

I recommend doing this, and putting a few more kind things into the world that we started with today.

Have fun this weekend, try not to dress up as a “sexy-something racist.”

xx cait

 


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humpjump

Photo Credit: Kosten

Tiff is in flight! Cait is on the couch, sort of the same thing. It dipped below 70 in LA, and Cait is trying to jump into pikes of leaves (that aren’t there yet) and find everything “cozy.” She event went to a Hygge party, and what could possibly be better than that. With upcoming travel to Chicago, she will soon remember that not-sweating doesn’t mean it’s cold, but for now, let’s let her enjoy it.

Really digging these little graphics pushing positive vibes for Australia’s marriage equality vote!

Starting classes here, and can’t wait for Twerkshop.

Cold weather, beautiful landscapes, and maybe some gorgeous night lights please.

Christian Bale as Dick Cheney? I don’t understand what’s happening.

Basically what happens when I travel from Southeast Asia to the PNW in October.

This is the sweetest thing. Also great inspiration.

Really want to be in THIS book club.

Yay! More love for being comfortable.

This bag just arrived literally hours before my trip.  Cannot wait to get it dirty.

I’m so annoyed I am not French.

 


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C/ New Music (to me)

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Hi team, I am here to talk about new music, because most other topics right now are so triggering that I just want to stare at photos of this hedgehog all day and pray for sleep.

So, new music. I know, I am not the one that you guys usually go to for music. Tiff is younger, and cooler, and we all know that, and it’s FINE, but I have something to share. I mentioned about 4000 times that I went to a Solange concert a few weeks ago. Solange is amazing, but you already knew that. What you might not know about, is how cool her friends are.

I am here to talk about the crew that came with her, the supporting acts that blew my damn MIND and have changed my world the last few weeks.

  1. Blood Orange

2. KING

3. Kelela

I hope you like this stuff, it has made the last few weeks better for me.

xx cait

Image via AXS

 


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T / happy monday / lush life

Photo Credit: Emily Lush

I met Emily Lush, the super cool Aussie behind the gorgeous namesake travel site Wander-Lush, long after I first noticed her.  It was at Tonle’s Fashion Revolution event in Phnom Penh.  And she was in this amazingly simple yet hyper on the cool dress. So when she wanted to meet up, it was an absolute yes.

That was a couple of years ago.  When Emily was working among all the denizens of the development sector and spearheading Cambodia’s own Fashion Revolution chapter. But she knew her true calling was behind the camera, crafting stories about artisans and ethical fashion, and traveling the world.  She left for the Caucasus region last year and I’ve been following her ever since.  Her Instagram account is gorgeous.  But the must-visit is Wander-Lush, where she is charting her travel story and sharing everything.  And if I was a better planner, this would be an actual interview and I’d have her entire story for you.  You’ll have to settle for a YouTube video for now.

She just posted her first video and I just had to share.  Emily’s currently hunkered down in Vietnam and eating the most delicious sweets, sours and bitters and shooting the most beautiful things that you can check out from your very own screen.  She’s basically being adventurous for all of us.  And I can’t wait to see more!


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humpjump

Photo Credit: Fanny Bryggman Öhrn (via Frankie)

Hi, it’s Thursday and this is late because Cait has been sick and too stuffy to type. Tiff’s in her pre-trip sprint and seriously hoping she gets to see Cait in the west coast! Cait is in LA, where it is weird to be right now because everyone knows someone who has spent time with one of the grossest people on the planet, Harvey Weinstein. The accounts of sexual assault are getting darker and darker.

Digging the New Potato’s new skin!

Thank you, Joanna Goddard, for this piece.

Yes we should all embrace the windbreaker in S/S2018.

Thank you, Beyonce, for this piece.

Always looking for a new lens on things.

Thank you, Samantha Bee, for this piece.

What alt-porn looks like!

I honestly didn’t read this article, but I like that dancing guy at the top.

Vintage German bowling alleys!

Never have I ever wanted an ice bucket more,


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T / happy (sort of) monday / like a double shot latte

Photo Credit: Leah Reena Goren

It’s still Monday somewhere right?  Because this whole “trying to get everything done before you go on a long ass trip” thing is maddening.  I am desperately trying not to get distracted (example: watching all two seasons of Insecure in one week).  But of course I am.  Always.  There is no other way.

So I thought I’d share some more distractions.  There are more than a few illustrators out there that I adore and who’s Instagram feeds I probably pay a little too much attention to. But really, their honesty, drive and inspiration are generally the things that keep me afloat.  It also turns out that all their wisdom are being turned into tiny compact readable things this fall.  Of course I’m buying multiples of all of them (because sharing is caring).

Artwork Credit: Adam J Kurtz for Design Sponge (here and here)

Adam J Kurtz isn’t an illustrator (it’s technically calligraphy I guess). But I almost consider him to be one because his dance with words is just so perfect.  He’s not even 30 yet and Things Are What You Make of Them: Life Advice for Creatives is his third publication.  The name says it all.  It falls into my own mantras and the person I hope I’m trying to be.  But he makes it so much more amusing.  You can basically hear his voice (Instastories!!!!) through ever single word.  Furthermore: at under $10, it’s much cheaper than therapy.

Lisa Congdon is probably the oldest and most established of the illustrators I follow.  So naturally she’d write a book about getting older.  My appreciation knows no bounds for this as I just read this article and it’s freaking me out about the impending middle years.  And at this point, I am going to take all the advice I can get.  I can’t wait to see all the beautiful things her hands have made inside.

Photo Credit: Leah Reena Goren

This one isn’t out yet.  In fact, illustrator Leah Reena Goren literally just announced it.  But I’m really excited about it because it’s probably the book I need right about now.  It’s not coming out until May 2018, but in the meantime, check out Ladies Drawing Night and Besties.


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humpjump

HJ

Tiff is getting ready for her trip out West, and Cait is trying to find a way see her. Cait feels like she deserves a helicopter on call for free, but no one seems to be buying it. For both of us, it’s the silence before the storm right now. It’s about to get REAL BUSY UP IN HERE, and while that’s exciting, and visitors are awesome, we are packing our emotional go-bags and stocking up on water. I don’t totally know what that means, but you’ll be fine.

Check out Jane Fonda and Helen Mirren killing it at PFW.

I saw this lady in concert last week and she blew my damn mind. Listen.

I still cannot get over how dapper our new party leader in Canada is.

I am really, sincerely happy for her. And jealous.

Really want to work here.  (And congrats to Katie on her first exhibition!)

WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK. STOP IT.

I really do think those “influencers” need to get on the politicking.

Finding all kinds of inspiration in this art.

I’m doing the same thing. Except it doesn’t really include anything designer.

Ok, this came out. I had hear it was coming out, it’s a big fucking deal, and it’s certainly not a surprise after living in LA for 20 minutes. I have opinions on a lot of it, but I keep coming back to the woman that wrote the memo, that didn’t ask for her life to be set on fire right now, and couldn’t comment in the piece, due to legal restrictions in her settlement. Sending her love, and sending love to all the women that don’t feel like they can come forward.

Photo via A Well Traveled Woman


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C / Full of Surprises

bethenny

We are currently living in a world where Bethenny Frankel is doing visibly more to support the relief efforts in Puerto Rico, than 45 is. A reality star, known for her Skinnygirl product line, and for trashing Ramona, like, hard on Real Housewives of New York City, (it’s fine, Ramona deserves it, she’s honestly batshit crazy), wasn’t the person I would have expected to step up and charter 4 planes full of supplies to bring to Puerto Rico. But I love surprises, and this is impressive to me.

I think people get stuck in the stages of HOW to help when it comes to something like this, and there is contradictory information on who is doing the best work, and where the money is going. Fatigue is reasonable, because it feels like there is constantly something horrible to help out with, honestly because there is. Feel that, for like an hour, and then do something. The most productive thing you can do, if you can’t dedicate your time to the effort, is donate money. Here is a good list.

Call your local government and remind them that climate change is a real thing and that someone with a legitimate scientific background should probably be in charge of the EPA.

Also.

I started writing this piece over the weekend, before the shootings in Las Vegas. I don’t have any unique thoughts about it, only that it’s insane that this is still happening, and the current administration is refusing to do anything about gun control, or even talk about it. While you are on the phone with your representative to talk about the EPA, also let them know how you feel about gun control. Learn about Everytown, donate if you can. This isn’t something that is out of our control. No more guns. No more guns. No more guns.

Trevor Noah said it well yesterday,

“I can’t give you thoughts and prayers. I can only say that I am sorry that we live in a world where there are people who will put a gun before your lives.

Please be extra kind, extra gentle, extra welcoming, and extra understanding of the humans around you. Connection and empathy are desperately important always, and damn near vital right now.

cait


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T / happy monday / creeping on dorsu’s new line

There is pretty much only one brand I turn to when I think of sustainable and ethical basics that are also affordable and look amazing.  Ask any girl in Phnom Penh and they’ll have one, two or perhaps even an entire wardrobe filled with these black, grey, striped tees, tanks, T-shirts, shirt dresses.  The whole kit and kaboodle.  And did I mention that the entire biz is packed with amazing ladies committed to upcycling all that remnant fabric waste that gets chucked out of Cambodia’s garment factories on a regular basis?  So yeah, that.

I’ve admired Dorsu from afar for ages.  And with this blog handy, Cait and I quickly became pals with co-founder Hanna Guy.  She’s a freaking awesome lady who hails from gorgeous Australia and, together with co-founder Kunthear Mov, is committed to producing clothing that you’ll actually wear everyday and everywhere, in a workshop that pays everyone ethically, and is constantly pushing the edge of what can be done in sustainable and ethical fashion.  They’re the kind of pieces that you’ll tell your friends that the very jersey or French terry you’re wearing was once considered waste (you can read more about that here).   There’s so much of it that Hanna and her team can produce entire collections that you can purchase both in Cambodia at their store in Kampot or at retailers in Phnom Penh, or online, where they’ll ship basically anywhere.

This year Hanna got together a Dorsu crew to add some ideas to the collection.  This means the classics are still around, but there are some amazing new pieces added in their Core Collection and Classic Capsule wardrobe.  More items that you can transition from office to night to weekend  She’s been teasing about this for ages.  And this past Friday, these new pieces were released, and the interwebs is going nuts.

In August, I got a sneak peak at the line (and colours! check out that millennial pink), when Hanna invited me to shoot some behind the scenes photos.  This also meant I got to shadow the uber talented Rita McNeill, Hanna’s pal and awesome lady behind the lens for all the official Dorsu shots, and watch the styling feats of Dorsu’s sales and marketing guru, Ellen Tirant.  Creeping on their creative process was exactly what I was doing.  I walked away with a bunch of shots and my eye on some periwinkle items. 

I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a weekend.  And I’ve been trying (and failing) to plan a trip to Kampot for ages.  I just want to hang out with these amazing ladies again and learn all the things from them (yes this means a future interview of course).

All photos by Tiffany Tsang. Please request permission for use.  Cait+Tiff are not liable for that spending spree.


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T / how to get the shakes in chiang mai

There are only two things in Chiang Mai.  Maybe three.  Mostly just two.  This post only focuses on one.

When I arrived in Chiang Mai, I felt like I had been adequately prepared to have myself some good coffee (thank you coffee Yoda!).  And I was with some people who wanted good coffee.  Because there is nothing worse than to be with people who are not willing to have more than three cups of coffee within a 24 hour period when all you want to do is drink coffee.  Because it is literally all around you.  You can drive 100km up a mountain through a national park and still find a decent latte from an Italian machine.  And if Ponganes Coffee Roasters turns out to out to be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, that’s totally cool.  Akha Ama is just a hop and a skip away.  What about brunch? Well, Overstand, The Larder and Rustic & Blue make food their primary objective, but their lattes are still above the norm of what you’d get back home.  Also: see chicken and waffles.  So thanks to the massive list that blogger to the north, Alana, put together, I thought I’d leave you the top three ways you could have your coffee.

Sriracha Maple Syrup Chicken Waffles at Rustic & Blue.

Stay at an Airbnb in Chiang Mai.  For only one reason: you don’t get screwed by a hotel breakfast. Wake up and immediately leave the premises. Don’t be confined to very restrictive breakfast hours.  Walk around any corner and you’ll probably find a really good. Like a latte that’s shares a table with Sriracha Maple Syrup Chicken Waffles at Rustic & Blue, Or The Larder’s Chorizo Breakfast Hot Dog if you’re in the Nimman Haeminda neighbourhood.  Or the damn good breakfast pizza at Overstand in the Old City.  The list is literally endless.

So many delicious, coffee-adjacent cuppas at Graph Table and Graph Cafe.

So many points for innovation, going outside boundaries and being a little nuts here.  Sometimes it’s a little showy (yes, we get you won world’s best latte art), other times you’re thinking “how the heck did you get there?”  And sometimes your coffee winds up tasting like a Christmas chocolate orange.  Whether it’s fancy lattes with equally fancy names at Ristr8tto, or charcoal-laced concoctions at Graph Café and Graph Table, you’re going for something a little outside of the box.

So many coffee adjacent creative things at Graph Table and Graph Cafe.

Really get to know who’s growing your coffee at Akha Ama.

When more than one friend asks you to bring back coffee from Akha Ama, you get yourself a piccolo latte and their signature orange-infused Manee Mana cold brew concoction. The coffee served here is literally single sourced, when families from the Akha tribe in a northern town in Thailand cut out the middle man and began to not only produce, but process the beans themselves, all in a sustainable and ecologically free way (read: reduced use of chemicals).  Inside the cafe, they’re equally proud of what they’re making.  Baristas are coffee nerds to the highest degree. 

All photos by Tiffany Tsang.  Please request permission for use.  Cait+Tiff are not liable for the shakes.