Update Thursday, May 19: Congrats to Ashley of I Will See You in Far Off Places for winning! We used Random.org to pick the winner. Thank you to everyone who entered!

Hello dear readers! Boy-oh-boy, do we have a great giveaway for you! One lucky reader will win a dress of her choice from Lulu’s.

Most of you are probably familiar with Lulu’s – it’s a fashion blogger favorite. Lar and I embarrassingly didn’t discover this sweet shopping site until a couple of months ago. I actually fell in love with so many items on Lulu’s while I was writing this post that I ended up making a few purchases myself. All in the name of research!

How to Enter: Leave a comment letting us know which Lulu’s dress is your favorite and why, and we’ll choose a reader at random on Wednesday (psst.the dress you mention in your comment won’t necessarily be the one you win).

Contest ends Wednesday, May 19,  at 11:59 p.m.

But wait! There’s more! You can get a 15% discount on your next Lulu’s purchase by entering CAJUNS at check out (it’s case sensitive). The discount is good for AsianCajuns readers throughout the whole site until Thursday, May 20.

Good luck and happy shopping!

Hello dear readers! Thank you for your wonderful comments on the last post. It is definitely going to be hard to be apart from Lar for a few years, but we’ll visit each other a lot and still blog together – just in two different time zones.

Lar and I had a great weekend that included visiting a shooting range, going to see Bridesmaids, watching Eurovision, eating another delicious meal at Miso Izakaya, attending a baby shower at Watershed, going on a day trip to Chattanooga and watching season 2 of Twin Peaks.

Lar’s outfit: secondhand necklace, Zara tank and skirt, secondhand jacket, Jeffrey Campbell heels.

I love, love, love Lar’s Zara skirt. The pleats, the length and the color are all perfect.

But the best part about Lar’s whole outfit is her jacket. It’s a Derek Lam she found at Finders Keepers! She got it for less that $40, which is about a tenth of what it’s worth. That’s almost as good of a find as her Bottega Veneta bag.

Lar and I have decided we both want a hair style change. So we’re going to get our hair cut together in a few weeks. We’re thinking Alexander-Chung-inspired, shoulder-length hair. I suppose that doesn’t sound too drastic, but it’s a big deal for us since we’ve both keep our hair pretty long for the past 10 years.

Before I get my hair cut, I’m taking full advantage of the length – wearing my hair in braids, in a high bun or a sleek ponytail.

Cath’s outfit: Gap cardi, dress from Lulu’s, Aldo shoes.

I hope you all had a great weekend! Expect some future posts on our shooting range trip and Lar’s day in Chattanooga. And don’t forget to enter the Lulu’s giveaway!

I’m ashamed to say that going to see Waris talk was the first time Lar and I had been to SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) Atlanta. The Atlanta campus has been around for a few years now and has a full calendar of events open to the public. I love the images on the outside of the SCAD Atlanta building (above).

Outfit details: tank from Rockit Boutique, skirt from? and wedges from a clothing swap.

Lar is trying to show off the swishiness of her skirt that she bought years ago at a cute boutique in Birmingham, AL – it has a print of some famous painting on the bottom layer. She’s currently in San Francisco with her hubby who is working for a few weeks at Stanford – otherwise I would pick her art historian brain and ask her about the painting.

I am so in love with the Clare Vivier clutch Lar got me. I use it every chance I get.

This sweater might not be the most flattering piece I own, but I’m liking big drape-y tops this season.
Outfit details: H&M sweater and skirt, Clare Viver clutch, and Jeffery Campbell flats.

I hope you all had  good start to the week. The Decatur Arts Festival poster unveiling is this Thursday – I can’t wait!

When: April 29 • 6 am-1 pm
Where: Westminster Abbey, London The Legacy Fountain at Piedmont Park, Atlanta
Who: The Piedmont Park Conservatory, you and us!
Why: Because even though our crush on William has long since faded, we are now loving Kate and Wills together. Oh and telling work we have a friend’s wedding to go to. Friday morning. Champagne cocktails. Feathered hats.
Tickets: $30 includes admission, champagne cocktails, brunch, raffles (win a tea at the Ritz and more!), partying with like-minded folks who love British Royalty and don’t have to pay British taxes to enjoy the pomp and circumstance. Get your tickets here.

Shockingly, Kate and William forgot to add The AsianCajuns to their guest list. The cheek! But no matter. We are going to an even better party here in Atlanta at Piedmont Park. (For you non-locals, Piedmont Park is like Atlanta’s Central Park).

The nonprofit Piedmont Park Conservancy is throwing this royal shindig, conveniently located on this side of the Atlantic! So on April 29 from 6 am-1 pm, Atlantans will be sipping our morning champagne cocktails and brunching as the Prince and Princess tie the knot. And we get to watch the whole thing in real time on eight giant flat screens around a gorgeous tent set up by The Legacy Fountain in the park.

So are you guys coming? Please say you’ll join us! We want to wear big British hats with you at 6 in the morning and talk about how we used to dream about marrying Prince William when we were 13.

If Kate and Wills had decided to actually marry in the ATL (which why they would choose Westminster over us, I have no idea), this is what their wedding at Piedmont park would have looked like (below). See, Kate, no rain.

The ladies at Piedmont Park Conservatory totally encourage you to wear your comfy clothes so early in the morning, but Cath and I have wanted an excuse to wear awesome wedding/church hats for a while now. We’re using the bride as inspiration (isn’t she lovely?):

And being the good Anglophiles that we are, Cath and I love kitschy memorabilia especially when it’s this cute:

Tea towel by Gema Correll for To Dry For. Best tea towel ever!! We hope we can get one stateside.

We hope you guys can join us for the Royal Wedding/ATL style!!! Let us know if you’re coming!

xoxo,

Lar

Hamish Macbeth 1990s fashion:

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that Lar and I are a bit obsessed with anything and everything that has to do with Scotland. A couple of months after I returned from studying abroad in Edinburgh in 2004, I discovered ‘Hamish Macbeth’ on BBC America – a 1990s adaption of M.C. Beaton’s mystery novels set in a small Scottish town. Fast forward to today: not only are Lar and I proud owners of the whole ‘Hamish Macbeth’ series on DVD, Lauren has actually been to the town where it was filmed!

I know this post is sounding incredibly nerdy and I’m wearing my heart on my sleeve here, but it’s worth it because I wanted to show you all the clothes in the show. Lar and I were re-watching season 2 the other day and noticed how the women in ‘Hamish Macbeth’ were wearing clothes that, without a doubt, would be snapped by any self-respecting street style photog out there.

For example, this white shirt above. I doubt even The Row could create such a great, weighted shirt. It makes me want to go back to 1996 and snatch up the wardrobe from the whole show.

And look below! Chambray! In the 1990s you could buy a chambray button-up for $10. Now they sell for $80+ at Madewell (this one is on sale for $48!).

I know it’s not really groundbreaking to say that 90s fashion is back in style, but I love how unpretentious and modern-looking it appears in one of my favorite shows.

L’Intrus “the intruder”:

Before this post gets too long, I want to include a video that my talented friends created for a school festival. It was shot in one day and my bf did all the sound editing. Warning: there’s part of it that’s NSFW. So at the very least, watch it with the sound turned down if you’re in a cubicle.

PS: I threw a surprise engagement party for Lauren and Matt this past weekend. I’ll post photos soon!

A cousin of the messy bun, the messy ponytail was inspired by this post on A Cup of Jo, which was inspired by J. Crew’s spring lookbook. Lar and I both took a stab at it on Friday. I love how different our ponytails turned out.

I’m so impressed that so many of you can tell us apart! For those of you who can’t tell, that’s me (Cath) on the left and Lar on the right. The easiest way to tell us apart on this blog is our fall-back, blog-photo-taking faces. I always end up smiling like a goob and Lar does her fish face, kissy look (see above image as an example).

On me: Second hand Echo scarf, American Apparel v-neck, H&M cardi and jeans, Payless shoes.

On Lar: Old Navy cardi, Wildfox tee, Blank cords, Frye boots.

This necklace is one of my favorite Christmas gifts. Pam found it at a craft fair. It use to be a bottle label. The best part? My middle name is Gin. No, I don’t mean that I love to drink gin (I’m more of a beer and wine girl). I mean that my middle name is literally Gin. It was the American first name of my Chinese grandmother. Uh huh.

Lar is wearing a necklace from one of our favorite local jewelry designers, June Shin. At any given time either Lar or I are usually wearing one of June’s pieces.

Now for a bit more about the ponytails:

I didn’t follow directions very well and didn’t realize it’s suppose to be a side ponytail, but I’m happy with the way it turned out. We took these photos after work, so my poof had fallen a little bit. I’ll probably tease a bit more next time and wrap a bit of hair around the band to give it a more polished look.

Lar adorned her side sweep with this cute clock pin. I have no idea where she got it, but once I find out I’ll let you all know.

Even though this weekend started with Apple support telling me I need to spend $130 for a new battery (thank you worthless, expired Apple Care!), I think it’s going to be a good couple of days: three parties that will include a mac & cheese tasting, homemade brews and a delicious meal cooked by a friend.

Hope you’re having a great weekend, lovely readers!

On Cath: Blouse, thrifted Ralph Lauren; Cords, Blank; Boots, Frye; Bracelet, Aldos
On Lar: Sweater, Lands End; Blazer, thrifted; Belt, Madewell; Jeans, Blank; Booties, Zara; Earrings, June Shin

I think I (Lar – the one in the gray) totally takes it for granted that you guys know who is who in all of our photos. One of the weird things about being a twin, is kind of forgetting that you are a twin. I don’t go around thinking that there is another person that looks a lot (okay, sometimes exactly) like me. But at the same time, I tend to always talk in the plural even when Cath is not around, or when said person doesn’t even know I have a twin (“We love gumbo.” “That used to always happen to us.”) In case you were curious, speaking in plural when you first meet a guy realllly freaks them out. There have been many an awkward moment in my dating life – “Oh, oh no! Not you and meeee. We’ve obviously just met. <tense laughter>I have an identical twin!” (The twin thing usually softens the initial panic).

So not only do I forget that I am a twin sometimes, I forget to mention it to people I just meet. A few days later they inevitably run into Cath and confusion ensues. We really never, ever have minded the confusion, but we feel bad because the confused person gets flustered and super-embarrassed. This past weekend at a party, a girl came up to me (whom I had never met) and literally turned white-as-a-sheet when Catherine sidled up to her a few seconds later. She did the classic double take and then spent the rest of the evening avoiding me (mebbe it was the nacho breath who knows) and trying to look at me when she thought I wasn’t looking (“Is that Catherine? Or is that Catherine? What is the difference?”).

So I’m sorry if you guys have been confused! I forget about this twin thing, and I’m bad at it in person so understandably it has taken me three plus years to realize it might be a problem on the blog. When Cath and I blog separately, we’re pretty good at mentioning who is writing the post, and you guys are geniuses and usually can fill in the details if we don’t. But just let us know when we are confusing. Oh! And do leave a comment and let us know if you can indeed tell us apart or not. If you can’t, let us know how we can make it easier (short of major surgery or drastic hair color changes). If you really insist, I will consider growing a couple of inches for you. That’s how serious we are I am!

At least I think it’s the first tutorial – it’s definitely the first video tutorial.

Lar has been trying to get me to do a tutorial on styling my hair in a messy bun for months. We finally got around to filming it last weekend. I hope you find it useful!

Since you can’t really tell what products I’m using in the video, here’s a photo of them:

Goody Ouchless Hair Elastics, a mix of hair pins and bobby pins, Tresemme dry shampoo, my hair brush from the 1980s, and Pantene hairspray.

A SNEAK PEAK OF LADY GAGA’S LATEST ALBUM (out in May).

I know not all of our readers might be Gaga fans, which I completely respect (kinda ;)), but I am beyond excited! My bestie and I have been Gaga fans from before the beginning and have been waiting none-too-patiently for her long awaited new album. We’ve had tickets to her next Atlanta concert since early summer 2010 (the concert is this April 2011). Like I said, FANS!

And just in case other less fanatical followers were wondering what she was up to apart from wearing wonderful/outrageous apparel, this video is sneak peak. It’s a remix of one of the songs to the new album (Born This Way) that was used for the Thierry Muglar men’s show.

Tell me what you think of the music and/or the tattooed Canadian model. And, should I walk down the aisle in slow mo with this remix playing? (Just kidding! Mostly.)