Word Lily's Look

I've been growing my hair out, and I'm still happy with that plan. 

But in the summer (which we have several months of) I can't stand having my hair heavy on my neck. I default to ponytails or messy pseudo-buns, because they're easy, quick and effective, but I don't like how I look with my hair pulled back so severely.

I recently started attempting some other up-dos, but so far I haven't found any that work with my hair length and/or moderately long layers.

I need a cut (it's been a number of months that I'm embarrassed to admit), but all the pictures I can find of hair roughly my current length or a bit longer that are either a) impossible for my hair b) would require tons of time making it happen every time or c) all look the same, assuming I don't spend hours applying heat and products in front of the mirror (which I don't).

My hair is coarse and very thick. Mostly straight with just a little unpredictable wave. I have TONS of it. Since late high school, when I discovered the magic of layers to help combat the weight of my hair (and Triangle Head), I've never been without. 

So. Are there up-dos that will work with layered hair? Will it be more feasible when my hair's a few inches longer? 

And are there medium-length cuts/styles that won't take me backwards in terms of growing it out, but that are still interesting? Also: No bangs.

#1: My hair now. (Oh yeah, I'm growing out color too, but I'm mostly fine with how that is at this point. Not eager to go chopping it off to get rid of the red; I'm enjoying the length too much.)
#2, #3, #4: My hair now (#4 is from March, so more in-between times).
#5: Right after my last cut. 
#6: The photo I took in for my last cut. Could I stick with this inspiration, just longer?
#6: Another one that looks basically like #5, just longer, and modeled with thinner hair. And I probably wouldn't part in the middle.

Here's my pinterest board of hair.

Twice in the last week I ended up with light grey semi-tucked into ... I guess I can call these boyfriend jeans, with my brown belt and thus brown Birks.

(The updo in #1 was completely unsuccessful and fell out about 15 seconds after I snapped that photo.)

In #2 you can see my new sunglasses, but my face looks oddly 5 miles long.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Usually I wouldn't pair grey and brown, but ... 

Obviously, inspiration can be found anywhere and everywhere. I'm that way with some areas of life, but I'm not there with my wardrobe, at least not at this point. I've struggled to visually pin down what I'd like to aim for because whenever I look, it's just more of the same, and that's not what I want. 

Am I lacking the lingo for what I envision, so I can't find it when I search? I'm hoping I'm just not looking in the right places.

Surely I'm not so fringe that no one else is doing it? (Although I certainly don't find it in stores ...) I can't draw, so conveying it that way would take a while.

I want to be boho, but practical. I strongly prefer natural fibers. I love color and texture. I love wearing my handknits, but sometimes I fear they add several decades to my age (lace shawls, hmm). 

I returned the black boots because I finally acknowledged that they didn't fit. I took a different shopping companion, had a different sales associate, and came home with ones I'm (finally) really happy with! 

It's been a long time since I had rounded toe footwear, but I really like it on these, it makes them more feminine, I think.

I hadn't considered a color like this (the brand calls it "tan," but it doesn't exactly seem that to me; putty? taupe?), but I think it'll be versatile, and then when I get another (ha!) pair of non-Western boots, they'll still fill different roles. I'm hoping the light color will help me pull off the mid-calf height with a skirt, too, eventually.

I can't wait for the weather to cool off so I can really start wearing these!

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

Outfit Lab? Is that what we call it here when we're looking for help fixing / deconstructing a piece/outfit? 

Anyway. This tank is my newest handknit, in reclaimed hemp/cotton (60/40). 

I'm not happy with it, for a number of reasons. Hopefully it won't fit me next summer, so I'm trying to decide if a) I should do a couple quicker fixes, b) redo the whole thing to fix larger problems or c) it's not worth it for such a short time of wear / it won't make it fab enough to make it worth all that work.

I put my hair up for the pix so you can hopefully see the tank a bit better.

Problem 1: the armscye is way too large/low, requiring a cami (here), which defeats the purpose of a loose light summer tank. To fix this, I'd rip out the top third or so and rejigger the math. 
Problem 2: the bottom edge curls up (not easy to fix, even if I start over completely).
Problem 3: I don't think there's enough contrast in the hi-lo / left-right of the hem.
Problem 4: The high side of the hem feels too high.
Problem 5: It's just not as flattering as I hoped. Would making it larger at the bottom help this? I didn't grade between sizes, instead hoping it was designed with enough ease that it would be OK, but I'm not sure I was correct.
Problem 6: Is the neckline dramatic enough to even be noticeable? Should it be deeper? Should it be symmetrical instead?

The first photo is the pattern photo. (Nice concentration face in pic 5, eh? Ack.)

Edit: I added another photo from a different vantage point so you can hopefully see the hem better.

Is anyone familiar with this company, Darn Good Yarn? 

I'm waiting for answers to a couple questions, but I'm hoping I can get one of their sari silk wrap skirts and that it will be a good piece for me. 

I don't love wrap garments in general, but maybe this would work as I continue to lose weight, since it's adjustable? 

Another question. Is it still a good option even if I can't get an ankle length (34-inch) one (the other option is "just below knee"/24-inch? 

Saturday we took a day trip to Railroad Days — 2.5 hours in the car followed by very crowded train displays at several locations, in the heat (it got up to 95°) and then back home.

I threw on a baggier pair of jeans, which necessitated the belt. And a lightweight cotton tank. Brown Birks from a few years ago. I added the hat and scarf for sun protection (and sunglasses, but they're not pictured).

And then today's outfit, just staying at home with the 3-year-old, mostly. I've always hated this tee, because of the raglan lines, but I like the volume over these somewhat slimmer jeans. 

Also, trying out the semi-tuck.

Thoughts? I don't really feel like I'm expressing myself today, especially, but it does work for my day.

I went looking for a belt, because my pants were falling down. And then we looked at boots. I was drawn in by the motorcycle boots, but they didn't really fit (too narrow). And then I ended up trying on a ton of boots and going home with a pair. 

But let me back up. I've wanted boots for years and years — I started trying them on 10+ years ago, and I've never found ones that I liked and that fit. The footwear situation in my own closet reached a crisis point this past winter, when I didn't have a single pair of shoes that kept my feet dry in the snow/slush. I ordered a pair of snow boots, but they didn't fit and were returned.

Back to this summer: I liked these boots, but I wished they were black instead of brown. And then two days later I couldn't get them on without crying — my feet were bruised on the top, whether from these or from trying on so many other too-small boots I wasn't sure.

But I returned them. And went looking in the men's department, because I had finally been told what I'd long suspected: my feet are wide (at least at the ball of my foot). I measured at an E width. Most of the men's were too narrow too (regular width of a mens shoe being D). They were happy to special order, though, and so we picked something out — in black. The wide option available, though, was EE. They finally came in this week, and I brought them home. I can't decide if they fit. They're leather, so they'll stretch. But then will they be too big?

How do they look? I'm not a cowgirl, by any stretch, but I do like boots. And if I can't get knee-high all-leather boots that actually fit, I think I'm OK with western boots. How do you know if a shoe/boot fits, is comfortable before you've walked miles in them? 

I can't seem to find these at a retailer that will let me collect them, but here's a link: http://www.ariat.com/10015265_884849833032.html 

I know skirts on the bias are a big no-no for pears (I found YLF and read Angie's advice about how to dress and not dress these shapes after I made several bias linen skirts so I can attest to that, even when they're A-line, alas), but what about tops on the bias? Is bias always bad for these bodies? Or would a woven tank cut on the bias be OK? 

After hearing echoes of how the top I posted yesterday matched my eyeglass frames, today I picked up my new frames. (I have to laugh, right?)

I generally get new frames every year or so, and I like to switch it up.