I know I've been really bad about outfit posts for a while! Work has been really stressful, and honestly, the last thing I want to do at the end of the day is create photographic evidence of my exhaustion.

So you will have to trust me when I say I am growing out my hair, and it is getting longer (oh so slowly).

I've had long hair a few times in my life, and my mother always told me that we just don't have the hair for it. In fact, both my parents have long encouraged my sister and I to keep our locks on the shorter side because it's just "more flattering" for us. I do have naturally thin hair (though it's thick in the sense that there are tons of these fine hairs). For the past few years, I've been a bit unsure of what to do with it style and care-wise when it's long, and I've enjoyed the liberating feeling I get from cutting it all off. So long hair for me? Not so much.

That being said, I decided a few months back to give long hair another try. And boy, is it tedious. I cut bangs into it to keep myself amused, and dyed it brown.

Actually, these changes might work to my advantage. The dark color makes my hair look a bit thicker and the bangs solve a problem I always struggled with in framing my face when I had stick straight, looong hair. I've also been doing research on how to make it look nicer (Herbal Essences and a blow dry just weren't cutting it alone).

Today I stumbled on the site Thread Sence,which has pretty sweet clothes at good prices. Even better for me was the hair inspiration! The model featured my basic hair goal, minus the color. I spent the better part of my time on the site daydreaming about the hair I will have if only I can wait...

 

Sigh.

A Cowboy Boot Guide

You may remember that a little while back I copped to having a pretty fierce cowboy boot jones. It was a bit too eccentric a shoe style for me to splurge on, so I decided to go used (bonus: they would have the beat-up look I wanted).

I checked Etsy, but the ones I liked were all at least $50. A bit pricey. So, to Ebay!

Tony Lamas on Etsy for $80

My dad grew up on a farm in a time/place where cowboy boots were way cool. So he knew a thing or two about good leather, brands, what the boots were worth, etc.

A few things:

- Two brands he specifically recommended for quality were Justin and Tony Lama.

- All natural leather is important (obviously), and some pairs have nice leather soles too. Rubber soles will be cheaper and less slippery, though.

- A quality, new pair of cowboy boots can cost hundreds of dollars. So keep that in mind as you're junking for old ones ($50 actually isn't that bad, I'm just cheap).

- Women's shoe sizes are roughly 2 bigger than men's. I usually go for a women's size 10 boot (to leave room for thick socks) so I went looking for size 8 in men's boots and mine fit great.
- The more exotic leathers (lizard, for example) will wear down much more quickly.

I checked out Ebay with these points in mind. I wanted brown boots for sure, and I preferred men's boots because they looked more traditionally 'cowboy' than a lot of the faux-leather, high-heeled versions I saw for women.

I had to be a bit patient, a bit cutthroat (Ebay bitches!) and a smidge lucky, but I eventually found these Tony Lamas for $20- they're pretty much perfect.

Then I wore them. OUCH.

The ankle of the boot caved in on the side exactly where my ankle curved out. Within minutes of wearing them, I had sores rubbed into my ankles. Dad to the rescue again.

How to Break in Boots

#1. Soak them in hot water for about half an hour. Some dye will probably get in your bath, but don't worry about it.

#2. Wear those suckers wet. Walk around in them. Do not take them off until they are dry. This molds them to your feet. Personally, I got bored and took a nap in them (true story). I recommend thick socks.

#3. Saddle soap is your best friend. Once the boots dry, they will be very stiff (mine also seemed much lighter in color). I bought some Kiwi saddle soap at Walmart and lathered those puppies up. After that they were darker and softer.

#4. At this point, the boots will already be 85% more comfy. You'll be able to walk in them without pain. This is the stage I'm at, and I'm told to just keep wearing them and they'll break in the last bit themselves.

I LOVE my boots. I've gotten lots of compliments and they're surprisingly comfortable now that I put a bit of work into them. All told with shipping and soap, they cost me about $35.

A Little Game.

We're going to play a little game called "Ebay Fail".

It all started when young Robin set out on an intrepid quest to find a dress for an upcoming party. She was soon diverted to a corner of Ebay where dresses were FOUR DOLLARS.

In a tizzy, Robin bought this dress for her party:

Beautiful, right? Kinda artsy, pretty color, nice and short. Looked MUCH nicer quality than $4 can normally get you! Yay Ebay!

Also got this dress just for fun:

Imagine the pure joy at their arrival today/yesterday.

Oh, observe.

Tent dress. It's a cheap, horribly static-y thing. Belt does help a bit.

But the other dress, the happy excited yay dress... it's pretty bad news.

Please keep in mind that I paid very close attention to their sizing guide, too. This is ridiculously over-sized. I wanted it to fit a bit more like this:

I mean, what?? The lace isn't even the same color. It looks Forever 21 sale rack. I guess I shouldn't complain- with shipping these were about $20 altogether.

Please.

Upside is, I still have plenty of time before the party to find a dress, and now I have these on their way...

!!!

 

I waited until I finally got a Christmas bonus-type-thing from work and the day I bought them they sold out of my size on Modcloth. Phew.

!!!!!

!!!!!!

!!!!

!!!!

The Black Leather Jacket.

Sometimes I get an item of clothing in my head and cannot stop thinking about it. For example, a while back it was cowboy boots. I now have a great pair of Tony Lamas, but I'm having a bit of difficulty breaking them in.

Before the cowboy boots it was a good leather jacket. I've been struggling with finding just the right one. At first I was going for a brown bomber because I like the aviator vibe and brown leather is always my favorite. I was very strict that it had to be leather. But of course, this wasn't great for my wallet.

So I tried Etsy and Ebay. I did eventually find a leather jacket and buy it, but it was a really wrong shape for me. I sold it on Craiglist (and profited a little!).

I then decided that a more sleek silhouette is better for me. Also, I'm kind of smitten with the rolled sleeve look. I realized that I would need to allow for faux leather ($$), and switch to black because my purse and shoe collections lean very heavily toward brown leather land, and I was getting pretty matchy. Now I'm looking at one very similar to this:

For $50 on Overstock.com.

I already have daydreams of wearing it (and being able to justify buying it).

Ha-HA!

I would just like to tell Nina Garcia and Michael Kors to suck it.

Project Runway.

Spoiler-y!

I finally watched the Project Runway finale last night and am just as dismayed and bummed out as everyone else. I adored Mondo and have yet to see a single person say, "You know, Gretchen winning made total sense to me." I could go on and on about rewarding boring clothes that women aren't interested in and dismissing fun, lively, unique clothes that I would wear daily, but it's all kind of been said.

I. want. these. leggings. so. bad.

I didn't realize they were selling the designer collections immediately after the show, which is a huge bummer. But then again, I doubt I could have afforded these right now anyway. I mean, I know they'll make my large thighs look larger. I just kind of don't care.

Things I Am Currently Crushing On:

1. Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra. Specifically, her makeup. The movie is a bit slow for me (and I'm barely into hour 2 of 4) but her makeup is totally worth it. Look at those eyebrows!

She also has a bunch of great dresses that are all slit down practically to her navel. I'm constantly on the lookout for dresses that are super low cut (I have a smaller chest, so it looks less risque on me) and I would love to have one of these!

2. This Fossil bag. I made the collossal mistake of going into the store yesterday and was totally mesmerized. Fossil bags are generally my aesthetic anyway (leather, lots of detail, kind of rugged, etc), and this new one is loooovely. I keep looking at my existing Fossil bag with some sadness. This one folds over!

Modern Cargo Convertible Tote

When I went in, the salesgirl told me they'd just set up for Christmas, and that I looked a lot like the models in the Christmas catalog. I was flattered (but baffled) until I realized a lot of them are pale with blunt brown bangs. Ah.

3. Nail buffers. Did you all know these existed? I feel totally out of the loop. This girl in the mall pulled me aside and buffed my nails- they looked like they had clear polish! I turned down their increasingly discounted offers, figuring I'd pick up a buffer at Walgreens. It was only $2, but the results are noticeably different. I'm trying to justify spending $35 for nails that always look shiny and polished...

4. Fable 3. 'Nuf said.

Lhuillier Bridal.

I'm having a rough week. Just feeling hormonal and stressed. I could eat elf cookies, sleep on the couch and escape into movies, but I have been doing that all week have something more cheery in mind.

I need some Monique Lhuillier. Some Monique Bridal would be great.



I have a huge silly crush on this last one!

Hm. Still in a funk, but a bit better. Wedding dresses always help.

The Mysterious Modcloth Restock.

Ah. As soon as I complained about the Biscotti Flat selling out at Modcloth and bought a different pair that I liked less, they restocked them!

Of course, my solution was to buy the Biscottis too. Can I afford it? Probably not. Will I have the willpower to send one pair back? We'll see!

The Gentlewoman Flat is adorable too. But I really wanted brown shoes! Hm.

Items I Would Like to Add to My Wardrobe:

Beaten, vintage leather cowboy boots to wear with dresses or skinny jeans.

A corset top dress:

Cute brown oxford shoes. I've been stalking Modcloth, hoping they'd get something similar to these. I found a black and white pair and I'm trying those out:

I know what you're saying. "Robin! Corset top dresses and cowboy boots with dresses? It's October."

What can I say? I'm a rebel. A rebel with sweaters and tights.

McQueen.

I've been interested in McQueen for a while, but it wasn't until I saw these two photos that I really got it.

Siiiiigh.

Photos from Jezebel review

The only thing my brain can formulate to say about these is the ever-eloquent, "These are stupid pretty."

Just a Hello!

Hey kids!

Still haven't been as active here as I like! I've been reading my regular journals but haven't always had the chance to comment. Even my wardrobe choices have been a bit blah! I'm trying to save up some money and buying clothes (and blogs that remind me of buying clothes) have been a bit off limits.

This is the only effort I've made in a while worth blogging about (minus some going out outfits that I didn't bother to stop and photograph).

It's a remix of pieces I've worn before. But I got a lot of compliments! Also, pinky swear, my carpet isn't nearly as dirty-looking in real life.

Hm. I should smile more in these photos. Here's hoping I get some more time soon so I can get back to pouring over your blogs!

Monique Lhuillier Covered by Jezebel.

I was just jamming through Jezebel.com and found their coverage of the new Monique Lhuillier line. It completely took my breath away.

I had an incredibly hard time picking a favorite!

I love the lace detail, the bright colors, the romantic and flowy shapes... sigh. So pretty.

My former tomboy self would cringe, but this tulle and sparkle number made me absolutely smitten. Dying to see a celebrity I love rock this one! I hate to sound one-note, but wouldn't Zooey Deschanel pull this one off nicely? She already wore my favorite designer dress ever, so it's not a stretch to imagine her in all the ones I like.

photo taken from here

I actually loved this dress before I loved Zooey- the defined waist, low low neckline, volume at the skirt, the color... pretty much my perfect dress.

Anyway, I would highly recommend you all go check out Jezebel's photos of the runway show- there really isn't a dress in the line that I dislike! Many stunning ones that I didn't feature.