OOTD: Kim Possible Camo

It’s a sunny day this morning in the East Bay, and I’ve been waiting to pull this outfit out and wear it around town. It’s been so rainy that wearing strappy stiletto slides wouldn’t be very practical – I like my toesies warm and dry, thank YOU.

I feel so lucky right now to have a lot going on – I have two trips coming up, back-to-back, and I’m helping coordinate a street festival in San Francisco (shoutout to Thai New Year SF! Heres a link if you want more info) that will have – gasp – a fashion show. So lots of meetings and emails and model castings and FaceTimes and all kinds of exciting things happening.

On Overwhelm and Gratitude

When I get overwhelmed, I remind myself of how I felt a year a go. There’s a backstory here; if you haven’t read the post on how this blog came to be, it’s a bit of a read, but it also provides some context for how I’m feeling now. I was – and very much still am – recovering from a nasty concussion that changed everything for me. As a result of the concussion, my body lost the ability to produce somatotropin (aka human grown hormone). The replacement therapy hadn’t kicked in yet, and I was so exhausted and week that I could barely walk a block. I lost that afterburner most of have, that ability to push and build stamina. It was just gone.

I realized how much of a privilege it is to be ABLE to work hard. It was one of the hardest things about my injury – feeling like a was dragging my body around with not enough energy to even wash the dishes.

Thanks to science (!!!) and my family working like hell to get me on the right treatment, I’m at a place where I can push harder. I can set goals (even though nowadays some of them feel unreachable), I can go out with friends, go to the gym, and maintain the blog.

So even though I feel at times absolutely overwhelmed – and thinking, omg what have you gotten yourself into – when I think of how this crazy schedule I have is actually a big GIFT, something shifts in me. It’s not unlike that feeling of sliding into fresh sheets hot from the dryer in your favorite jammies.

Kim Possible Camo

All of that to say that this look, which I shot the other day but will be wearing around town for errands today (maybe I’ll scoot the sweatshirt down a bit for my neurology appointment – pretty sure that’s a midriff-free zone), has some psychology behind it. Actually, maybe it’s because my mom and stepdad (heeeyyyyy you two) are retired psychologists, but I firmly believe that there’s psychology behind EVERYTHING.

This look is, above all else, F U N. I bought the top with my sister at Forever 21 in Michigan last week, and the camo pants are a Rent the Runway find.

But it’s also a bit aggressive. Camo implies tactical focus and intentional strength. The sporty sweatshirt sends a similar message, one that I associate with agility and more levity than camo.

I call these pants the “Kim Possible” pants. What an appropriate mascot for my current state of mind.

This isn’t something I set out to do consciously. In fact, it’s only sitting here and writing about it that I realized the message this slightly ridiculous outfit was sending me. It’s “work hard, stay focused, and have FUN.”

So many people think that dressing has to do with how other people see you. Maybe, sometimes. But every time you dress yourself, you’re sending yourself a message.

How does that feel to you?

Today, for me, it feels like I’m showing up for myself in a way I couldn’t before. What a brilliant way to start the weekend.

love

Stig.

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