Frocks & Frou Frou

Well, I caved today and bought the drape-neck cashmere dress that I've been hankering after from Pure Collection (www.purecollection.com)

It's exactly what I was looking for earlier this year when I went on the hunt for a sweaterdress (before I compromised, and bought the puff-sleeved black dress from Donna Morgan, which didn't quite meet my expections, and has since been retired) : long sleeves, draped neck, and a beautiful yarn that won't make my skin crawl. I ended up getting it in the chocolate (to go with the red boots, y'all) and with the 15% off discount that I found (SAFEB, in case anyone else wants to fall off the wagon with me) it came to 173 quid, which should be around AUD$406.

Because it's a total, ridiculous indulgence - both something I don't really need, AND something I'm unlikely to be able to wear for 6 months - I've decided to be a Good Little Girl and cross off a corresponding amount of items from my Lemming-List.

Now, it can't be things that I sort-of, maybe wanted, but things that I was pretty much definitely going to get, as soon as I talked myself around to it. Off the list with them. Because the cashmere dress is certainly not a necessity, and if I've decided I must have it, then I also have to make sacrifices.

So here we go:

1. PURE COLLECTION DRAPENECK CASHMERE SWEATER DRESS (AUD$406)=

plus 1 x Yellow-Flowers Wallpaper Necklace from drawflowers @ etsy: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17213059

plus 1 x two-in-one dress from Garinvaplus on eBay:

plus 1 x pair of Manhattan Boots from Ayla Boots:

Cardigan: City Chic www.citychic.com.au

Top: Dorothy Perkins www.dorothyperkins.com

Skirt: Sussan www.sussan.com.au

Boots: Boots For Broads www.bootsforbroads.com

Have you ever wanted something so badly that it seems universally unfair that you've been built the way you are and not the way you apparently need to be to get what you want? For me it's always been red boots.

Maybe that's greedy. Maybe I should be happy to find boots that fit around my - frankly ginormous - calves at all, much less have demands about heel height and hue. Certainly as soon as I found knee-high boots that zipped up (thankyou God for Duo Boots www.duoboots.com) I was perfectly content to wear black knee-high boots.

But the more available wide-calf boots have become, the more obsessed I've been with find a red pair, damnit.

I scoured the internet, stalked Duo Boots and Wide Widths (www.widewidths.com). I posted requests on eBay, and even contacted bespoke designers. Finally, all the hard work has paid off, and it's closer to home than I might have expected.

Behold, Boots For Broads www.bootsforbroads.com

This new Canberra-based company custom makes leather boots to fit any size foot and leg. Really.

You send the wonderful Janice & Elizabeth a plethora of measurements: foot width and length, calf length and width at 5 cm intervals; and they send you a pair of boots literally built to fit your delightfully individual legs.

And at AUD$195 plus postage it's an absolute bargain!

There's six different styles, and three different leather choices. Imagine my delight when I discovered that one of those leather choices was red (!!!)

If you're in Canberra you can check the range out at the Old Bus Depot Markets on the first Sunday of any month. They can take your measurements then and there, and a few weeks later you'll have your spunky new boots.

Now, I know we're coming into summer, and the last thing most of my Aussie readers want to wear is a pair of leather knee-high boots, but please bookmark www.bootsforbroads.com and keep them in mind once the mercury starts to drop. The boots are wonderfully made, and Janice and Elizabeth are a dream to deal with - I had a bit of a problem fitting into the first pair they sent, and without hesitation they provided a second pair that fit perfectly - from my scrawny ankles to my fence-post calves. And if you're still not convinced, they offer a full money-back guarantee. On custom-made boots. Leather ones. Give them a go - you won't regret it!