Hi Lovely Readers!

We apologize if there are a few days between posts this week. Cath and I (and my bf) are all struggling through the flu, so we’re moving a little more slowly. We hope a few more Halloween photos keep you entertained!

Cath and her bf went as Yoko and John. My bf and I went as Lady Gaga and. the Dread Pirate Roberts. Not exactly a couple, but I think their natural flamboyance (pirate boots, shirts, mustaches!) draws them together.

We also found a connection between Gaga and Yoko. After Lady Gaga performed Imagine a few weeks ago (see the performance here), Yoko called Gaga and told her how choked up she got watching the performance, and Lady Gaga said that Yoko was one of her idols. Awesome, non?!

Yoko’s Costume: Lar’s hat, Asos sunnies, H&M sweater, AA skirt, thrifted boots. Wig from Party City.

Lady Gaga’s Costume: AA leotard and metallic bandeau, belt from Asos via Anywhere But Here, River Island nude fishnets, Jeffrey Campbell thigh-highs, wig, lashes, gloves from local costume shops.

Cath and I only had to buy wigs and a few make-up items to create our costumes. I hate spending a lot of money on Halloween, but I love to dress up (not obvious, is it?). I decided to go as a pantsless Gaga because I was at house parties most of the night. I don’t think I would have been gutsy enough to wear this ensemble in public. maybe I need to channel my inner Gaga more often.

Thanks for all the sweet comments in the post below! For those of you curious about the rotating image of me as Lady Gaga in the previous post, I made an animated .gif in Photoshop. This guy gives a great tutorial here.

Hope you wonderful people are having a great week and are flu-free!

xoxo,

Lar (i.e. Lady LALA)

We hope you guys had an awesome Halloween last night! This is just a little preview of our Gaga and Yoko costumes. Let us know what you think!

ps- Cath didn’t get as photo crazy as I did (hence the moving Lady Gaga graphics), but there are some great shots of her with “John Lennon” that you’ll love!

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At the moment I’m snuggled up in bed feeling a little under the weather (boohiss), but I’m totally optimistic that by this time tomorrow I will feel 100%. I’ll be putting the finishing touches on my costume while scarfing down handfuls of candy corn.

And anyways, I can’t be sick because I don’t think Cath and I have missed a Halloween together- ever. Back in the day we used to always dress up as the same thing (except when we were 5; Cath was Super Woman and I was Wonder Woman). In recent years we’ve mixed it up a bit and done less of the twin thing (twin Dorothys might have been cute back in the day, now it would just be a little creepy in the wrong way).

Two years ago I was Amy Winehouse and Cath was Frida.

Last year I went as a vampire and Cath was Pocahontas.

This year, I’m going as Lady Gaga and Cath will be Yoko Ono.

I kid you not, Cath and I based our costumes this year (and most years) on what we have in our closets. Cath had to buy a black Yoko wig (Yoko does not have Cath’s bangs) and I had to buy a Gaga wig, but other than that we are both set. I’m not sure what that says about my closet/fashion sense that I didn’t have to shop for fishnets, thigh highs or numerous leotards, but there you have it.

Oh! And Happy Pride!!! Woo-hooo!!! We’re going to try to make it to the ATL Pride Parade on Sunday.

We hope you have a very happy Halloween, readers! What are you going to be/do?

Even though Lar and I moved into this apartment about four months ago, we’re still in the decorating phase. Why is it that we never seem to have enough bookshelves? Last weekend I decided it was about time to put up these floating shelves from Ikea. My dad was kind enough to help me anchor them on to the wall. Two hours, six giant holes in the drywall, some books and two paintings by Lar later, my weekend project was complete!

I wore this outfit a couple of days later and thought it kind of fit in with the bookshelves somehow. You can’t see the shoes, but the dress is from Miss Selfridge (years ago), H&M belt and cardi and my favorite Nixon watch.

The lighting wasn’t great when we were taking these photos, so I’ve only included one closeup view.

Urban Oufitters ($228) vs. Jildor ($140) for the same exact shoe, my Jeffrey Campbell thigh-highs.

Now, why am I babbling about these shoes again? Because it shocks me that Urban marks their wares up like they do. I have always had a love/hate relationship with UO (the clothing design is great, but the quality for the marked-up price is less than mediocre). So I wanted to let you lovely readers know. if you are contemplating the thigh-high purchase, it seems Jildor is the way to go.*

*I’m not getting a commission form Jildor- I had never heard of them before my thigh-high search- but I hate that you guys might be scammed out of $88! Happy “thrifty” boot shopping!

While in New Orleans, Cath and I were attracted to the same small, dark and handsome knit dress. I think it all had to do with the puffy sleeves (a big selling point for us since we were three). 

You might think as twins one of us could purchase the dress, and we could share it. Nope. We don’t share. I know that’s disappointing to most people, because that’s one of those assumed perks of being a twin: twice the clothes, twice the shoes. It just doesn’t work like that. Every (and I mean every) time we try to share, we want to wear that one item the same exact day. A fight ensues, and someone ends up feeling very put out.

The lesson learned? Buy two of everything.

Look how happy we look when we don’t have to share:

As you guys have surmised from this blog, we also have different styles. We thought we would take this puff-sleeved opportunity to show you how we style the same item of clothing.

Cath: 
Belt and leggings from Tarjay, shoes are Dulce Vita via Eviva. 

Lar:

Belt and shoes are Tarjay, skirt is from Anne Taylor (about nine years old- eesh!), feather earrings are June Shin

Oh! And we also have different size feet. Mine are nearly a whole size larger than Cath’s. No shoe sharing. I know!! Where’s the justice in that? Though, come to think of it, we’ll probably be even worse about sharing Louboutins if we ever get the opportunity.

We hope you guys had a wonderful weekend! We spent ours at the Decatur Beer Festival and getting to know the great people behind 944 Magazine (more on that to come).

Catherine and I are both girly girls. Okay, I might be girlier (see above outfit for proof). That doesn’t mean I adore pink and ruffles, I just like a bit of softness and beauty every once and a while- not exactly the trend at the moment. I mean, I’ve embraced the studs, bandage dresses, leather, flannel and cut-offs of the last couple of seasons, but I get really excited when I see something unabashedly feminine. 

Earlier this week we took our mom to see Bright Star, a gorgeous movie by Jane Campion about John Keats’ love, Fanny Brawne. The music, the scenery, the clothes, the art direction, the acting- everything in this movie is beautiful. Watch the trailer here. This movie isn’t snarky or action-packed or gory, nor does it contain a single vampire or zombie- but I love it for that. I had forgotten what it was like just to revel in something that is beautiful and true (their love story isn’t a fairy tale and is based on real letters between Keats and Brawne).

Fashionistas, you’ll enjoy Fanny’s costumes most of all (see the photos below). Who doesn’t love a Regency era fashion designer? Apparently a present-day Keats would have totally swooned over our blogs. Yeah. I’ll keep this thing up if I get a sonnet it out of it. 

Get thee to a movie theater and watch it. You too, gentlemen readers- especially if you like literature and/or history. I think more of this sort of thing in everyone’s life  balances out all the turdiness that life can throw your way. (Did I just write “turdiness”? Oh yes, Keats would have loved this blog).

Happy Friday, Everyone!!!

So a few weeks ago my new Norwegian Wood Corset reminded me of a Sargent painting, today it’s my bf’s hat (and mustache) that reminds me of a Van Gogh painting. I think I’m a little starved of art history classes (it’s been a few years since university), so I hope you guys don’t mind me getting all Sister Wendy on you (Don’t know who Sister Wendy is? Go here and listen to her tell Bill Moyers about art. You’ll be a changed person. Or at least entertained by a nun- I swear).

My bf is less hirsute than Van Gogh’s gentleman, and their hats differ in design, but they relate as a portrait pairing. Or maybe I just really, really like men in hats (and mustaches) with a hint of fauvism. Rahhh! (cat claw motion).

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Let me know when you guys get tired of the art history lessons. Working in design I don’t have much of an outlet for my secret desire to just sit in museums all day and drool at paintings, so it seeps into this “fashion” blog.

Happy midweek! It’s almost almost Friday!

Maybe we are divided by continents, time zones, cultures, beliefs, but one way you know we are actually all the same? Fried dough. Delicious, aromatic, crispy on outside, pillowy on the inside. every single culture around the world has created some delicious something made of fried dough.

One of the best places to experience this is at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. It’s a little tourist-trap-y because it’s such an institution (they are open 24/7 except Christmas and “on the day an occasional Hurricane passes too close to New Orleans“), but you have to go for the cafe au lait and the beignets.

Our three orders of beignets.

My cafe au lait. Nom, nom, nom.

The devastation of our table post-beignet devouring and au lait slurping.

There’s also a place in New Orleans called Cafe Beignet that I think makes better beignets (blasphemy, I know!). They are a little over-cooked at Cafe du Monde. Regardless, you have to stop by at least one morning and evening in NOLA (the rest of the mornings and evenings go to Cafe Beignet- and then roll yourself back to your hotel) for the ambience.

Hope you guys are having a good Monday! I need a beignet and cafe au lait right now to combat the drizzly, cold of this Atlanta morning.

Do you remember that gorgeous black Givenchy bag from a few seasons ago? Mary Kate (or is that Ashley?) is wearing it in the photo below.

Well, me neither, but I found an awesome knock-off in NOLA. My Urban Outfitters purse had bitten the dust and I was carrying it around like an oversized clutch (visualize large football under arm) when I saw this vision in yellow. It wasn’t until I got home and was browsing Olsens Anonymous that I remembered drooling over this Olsen twin photo.

My version is obviously made of not-leather and the yellow makes it far more New Orleans than New York- but I love it! It’s huge and has plenty of room for books and candy and those other purse necessities.

It was $58 and also came in a beautiful teal. If you are interested contact Jackie’s in the French Quarter. They don’t have a website, but this link will get you their number.