Friday, April 3, 2009

Black Betty


Last night after Uni I went shopping with my sister and a class mate. I hadn't been shopping since Japan (and even then I didn't buy much) so it was really fun, plus its really fun shopping with a fellow styling student, we speak the same language!!! The reason why I could actually shop was because of the $900 Rudd money i.e Government stimulus package. So in effect the government bought me a new dress. Yay. The dress was $99.95 down from $169.95 at Sportsgirl, and its the first item of clothing I have bought there since 2003 (normally I don't like the cut of Sportsgirl clothes) but I think this dress is to die for. I love the bell sleeves and the brocade lace. Its like the exact dress I have been dreaming of.

The dress in action:



I wore the dress tonight to the Expression Fashion Gala showcasing student fashion.
Outfit details:
Dress: NEW Sportsgirl black dress $99.95 down from $169.95 (expensive for me normally but it was FREE money and we do have to stimulate the economy and all)
Leggings: NEW black and white printed leggings from Supre $30 (also bought in same shopping trip)
Shoes: NEW black flat shoes 2 for $30 at Rubi Shoes (my Uni friend bought 1 pair and I bought 1 pair so actually only $15, bargain, especially as they look like those $100 Alphaville shoes!)
Pom Poms: I made for the Pocketto shoot, free.
So a whole chain store outfit, but styled in a non chain store way. The only issue I have with the dress is that you can see my bra. I like that for night time, but for the day? like could I wear it to Uni?

This weekend Hachiko is finally home. I haven't mentioned this on my blog yet but while I was away in Japan Hachi missed me and started to bark A LOT so some mean neighbour complained to our real estate who then phoned Henry and said if we don't get rid of him we will be evicted as its a breach of our lease to have a dog. Ahhhhh that was stressful for me to find out while I was away. So poor Hachiko has been living at my Mum's house, having a nice holiday playing in the huge backyard and fighting with my Mum's two cats. He is only back for the weekend because while we are home we can stop him barking, but during the week its impossible for someone to always be home. We are still trying to work out what to do. We want Hachiko back home, but we don't want to be evicted. We started looking into pet friendly rentals in the inner city, but they don't exist. So we are thinking of getting this collar that sprays the dog every time they bark. It isn't cruel like those electric shock collars, we actually already have a spray bottle that we spray him with when he barks while we are home so its no different to that, and that ALWAYS stops him from barking. The only problem with those collars is they cost about $150 and if it doesn't work that's a huge sum down the drain. Ah who knows.


Hachiko, being a pervert exposing my breast.

20 comments:

  1. That dress is fantastic! And from Sportsgirl!
    I'm going shopping in the city tomorrow and really want to buy a pair of those shoes but I adore those funky leggings. I only have $40, oh the dilemmas!! :p

    I'm going to have to do a post about Sportsgirl on my blog. I'm loving a lot of what they are doing at the moment although on my student budget I'm not too fond of their prices.

    Good night, sleep tight x.

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  2. I have been eyeing the same dress but have not bought it. I love lace and i love the cut of this dress. What you can do is invest in buying a slip or a long length singlet so you can wear it during the colder days ahead.

    It reminds me of something that Stevie Nicks would wear during the Rumors era, black and lace, love the look.

    Stef...

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  3. i don't know of my last comment was lost to cyberspace! i am a confuzed.

    tell me hayley where i can buy those shoes! i must have them!

    i LOVE the dress!

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  4. That dress looks amazing on you!

    I hope it all works out with Hachiko. He's so cute!

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  5. Nice to see you posting again! The dress is great (I was going to suggest a long-line singlet for uni as well), but I have to say it's the leggings that I'm really loving. I can't believe that they are from Supre. May have to pay them a visit.

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  6. about the barking problem, i would recommend you get an e-collar if you are planning on buying a spray collar for hachiko. the spray ones are pretty ineffective - you'll find that they work for the first few times but once the dog gets used to the taste/smell it will be a waste of money.

    I know electric collars are a bit of a controversy but if used effectively it is actually a quick method to control barking. I would only use it as a last resort and NEVER EVER leave your dog with it on when you're not at home. Cannot stress that point enough.With all anti-bark collars you should be there to supervise, so if you are thinking of using it as a method of controlling his barking when you're NOT at home it would be dangerous and not recommended.

    The electric shock itself is only a sting and hopefully through the strong aversive conditioning hachiko should get the point after a week or so.

    Sorry for the long message, I'm a bit of a dog obsessed nut and my puppy had a bit of a barking problem at first so I did extensive research into e-collars and the like. He's barking is under control now so thankfully I never had to result to using that option. Anyway, hope it all works out for you! If you need more info into collars let me know.

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  7. P.S
    E-collars aren't cruel if used in a controlled way, I honestly think if there are no alternatives it is much better to use them then to have to rehome or put down a dog due to barking. They are pretty expensive though, around $250 - 300 from memory. You shouldn't leave the spray collars on a dog when no one is around anyway, so really it's going to have the same sort of effect as a spray bottle which won't really work when you're not around.

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  8. That last picture is gorgeous, good luck with finding something to stop his barking! He is adorable!
    Anyway the dress is amazing, you look beautiful :)

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  9. you look so pretty. hope you get the doggy situation fixed. something similar happened where I used to live. So we would leave the radio on when we left the house, it kind of worked. We would leave it on a talk station as opposed to music so that maybe the doggy thought someone was home?!

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  10. That dress is cut wonderfully.
    I love finding bargains in chainstores, especially being on a small budget.

    You rock patterned leggings so well! I wish I had the guts to give it a shot.

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  11. Oh wow what a coincidence I tried on the say dress yesterday! But sadly I walked past RUBI with my chin high up in the air, arhgggg why ego why?? I need new/more flats!

    XXASAB

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  12. Love the dress, it looks amazing on you. Great find for Sportgsgirl.I agree that free money means it's our national duty to stimulate the economy. Yea for Rudd Bucks!

    Poor Hakicho, it must be stressful for not only you but him as well. We went through the same thing with our dog. He now spends week days at my parents (chasing the cats, sleeping on the beds, ebing feed from the table) and weekends at our inner city apartment (where the rules are a little stricter!).

    Have you looked at Bark Busters? They are meant to be very good...

    Good luck!

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  13. your outfit looks fantastic! that does not look like sportsgirl...or supre!! :D
    lol, hachi really misses you. prob couldn't stop from being perverted.

    hm. good luck with the barking problem. i don't have any advice on that.

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  14. Great dress, as always Hayley! You have a talent for spotting out the good things at the chain stores.

    Regarding the barking problem, please don't use those barking problems without trying some positive reinforcement behaviour training first. I'm a vet and more than happy to have a chat if you'd like, just send me an e-mail or whatever, some way outside of blog comments! I'm not a behaviour expert and as I'm not currently working I obvioulsy can't do anything that needs equipment or a lab etc.. but I can try and help you in any way I can. Leave me a msg on my blog or e-mail me if you'd like.

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  15. Ahhh beautiful dress! You work it well!
    Sorry to hear about your troubles with Hachiko, it's so heartbreaking when you can't be there for your pets! xx

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  16. I don't think you really notice the bra under the dress. Well I didn't until you mentioned it.

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  17. Waah, love that dress. Did you go to the Bourke st store? Any left?

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  18. aww, hope it works out with the baby (dog!) and you look great in the dress :) i see the pompoms are still going strong, love them too! xxx

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  19. Hi, just had to put my .2cents in about the barking debate.I'm a vet nurse who specialises in animal behaviour and think electric collars are unconscionably cruel, so can't help you with them,
    The best way to approach barking situations is to figure out whats causing them, in this case perhaps separation anxiety? and then addressing that problem using positive reinforcement, rather than positive punishment (which is where collars come in), Your best bet would be to talk to a behaviouralist who can do a consultation at your home with your and your dog, observe you in action, then give you some steps to follow to resolve the issue.

    :o)

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  20. Any fans of the pom pom should check this out!

    http://cgi.ebay.com.au/wonderful-pink-Rabbit-fur-scarf-cape-fox-mink-raccoon_W0QQitemZ400017083667QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item400017083667&_trksid=p3286.m63.l1177

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