Mostly pantsless 2011: aiming for badass

I had a fun photoshoot on Monday, followed by my minor sore threat suddenly turning into a flu that had me out of commission from Monday night through Tuesday night, thus the late update.
I am pantsless today as well, but it's a rather unremarkable outfit, and I don't feel like plastering my ill looking self all over the internet.

So, Monday's outfit was aiming for a vibe that would be loved by high school me... tight mini skirt, black and red, a Tripp blazer, and layers of edgy necklaces.






Soo, the breakdown
Blazer is from Hot Topic
Skirt was a present from my sister
Tights are from Nordstrom Rack
Boots are from Nordstrom rack
T-shirt is from Target
Rose necklace is from Hot Topic
Charm necklace was a present from a friend
Earrings are from Fuego, a present from my wonderful boyfriend

So simple, so fun, a look I'm slowly trying to reincorporate into my wardrobe.

Continuing the my year of mostly pantsless living... in Turkey

I'm not really one for owning "appropriate" clothing (at least not by the definition of the super modest portion of the world... DEFINITELY appropriate and then some by local standards)... but chances are, I will be spending a good chunk of time in Turkey in about 3 months
So to perpetuate my year of mostly pantsless living, I have a shopping mission: cute, non shortening, almost knee length skirts and dresses. I have that awesome black skirt from Target which I think will be totally ok to wear in Turkey, but I'd like more than just the one to genuinely be MOSTLY pantsless. We shall see if I succeed!

Mostly pantsless 2011: the girlier, softer version of Tuesday's outfit

There is a reason everyone tells you to own a LBD. You can do SO MUCH with one, from casual to fancy to everything in between.

Today's outfit took the basic premise from Tuesday's outfit, but I swapped out black tights for purple, red cami for a purple cami, and gray fitted cardigan for a loose blue-ish one (and though not pictured, I used my other pair of black pumps just to switch things up), and voila, using the exact same sort of pieces, I got a totally different outfit with a much more feminine vibe to it.
Also, I think this would make a great Valentine's Day outfit (or any sort of dinner date, really)
I also swapped out my bolder, darker jewelry for softer colored, flashier, girlier pieces. Check it out!

Mostly pantsless 2011: I feel like me again

Today, an outfit was born that is so perfectly "Kathryn", that it made it easier than ever to keep the pantsless thing going (3 days in a row!!!! If anyone cares, that makes 7 out of 11 days in 2011)

My ability to feel cute plummeted drastically after my brother's cat decided it was "maul Kathryn's feet" day, but on the bright side, black tights are a great way to go pantsless and still cover up numerous cat scratches (trust me... there are a lot... 10 hours later, I'm still in pain)
Nonetheless, I did a photo shoot at Lara's house, and this was the result:




Dress is Kensie, about $90 from Nordstrom
Cardigan is either Mossimo or Xhileration (I stick to the juniors section at Target, if anyone hasn't noticed... the regular women's section looks like it should all be worn to an office), can't be bothered to check which, about $17
Red cami is Vol. 1, as usual
Tights are HUE from Nordstrom Rack, about $4
Shoes are Madden Girl by Steve Madden, $50 at Famous Footwear
Belt is ancient and from Target and I have no clue how much it costs
Necklace is from Hot Topic, about $12 (I think that's about standard for their chokers, which even if you're not into Hot Topic style, they have some downright lovely, extremely feminine chokers there... check it out)
Headband is target

I love this look! It's very, VERY me

Mostly pantsless 2011: the pantsless barista (no, not that kind)

Being a barista with a "Starbucks" dress code (anyone noticed that when you go into a REAL Starbucks these days, colors seem to be ok, while us B&N kids are still stuck with the old school black and white only?) is one of the main reasons that this year is only MOSTLY pantsless... I need to be in the right colors, and I need to be comfy
Fortunately, there is a solution I take quite often... (mid shifts only, I simply do not feel comfortable doing heavy duty opening or closing tasks sans pants)
That solution is:

My favorite black skirt in the entire world.
Featured in this blog before, it's a fantastic thing I picked up for $25 at Target one day, and have been thus far able to wear with EVERYTHING. It's long enough to be appropriate for all situations demanding modesty, short enough to not make me look eve more midget-like than I already am (many knee length and below skirts have a tendency to make people with short legs look even shorter... if you're under 5'6", I recommend keeping your hemline above your knee at all times, or completely full length for formal occasions. I have only found one skirt for my personal collection that's been an exception to this rule), has a thick elastic waistband that is both comfy AND conceals flab, and to top it all off: it fits the work dress code in every imaginable sense.




Pair it with some cute and comfy all black shirts, tights to combat the cold weather, a headband to keep hair out of my face, and some basic black shoes (unpictured, but essentially, they are loafers with 2 inch heels. The end), and it's a perfect work outfit that still maintains my desire to live in skirts.

For the record, I was pantsless yesterday as well, but it was too boring an outfit to warrant a blog post

Mostly pantsless 2011: the more adorable side of the punk look

I've certainly been know to have a very rocker chic style. In high school, I was the sort of girl in ripped up jeans, corsets, and plaid minis almost daily. I'm also quite girly, and love the profile created by fitted, uber feminine clothing. So I strive to find a balance between the two, and that's where today's outfit comes in.





My usual outfit staples combined to make a look that's part punk rock, part going out, all comfy.

Mostly pantsless 2011: the best, most versatile outfit idea ever (well, maybe not quite)

Yeah, I'm still at 50% pantsless for the new year, which is pretty impressive if I do say so myself.
Tonight, I went out with Lara... a nice girl's night out: cheesy movie, dinner at a pub. Perfect evening. Not really feeling any of my usual dresses or cliche skirt outfits, I reverted to an old favorite... the "hike your favorite elastic skirt up to your rib cage and turn it into a dress with the use of a chunky belt and wear leggings underneath so your ass doesn't hang out" trick.
Added bonus... all it takes to make the perfect "lounge around the house" outfit is to take off the skirt and belt... voila, t-shirt and leggings, you're set to sit around and be lazy in comfort for the rest of the night.
Check it out:





Yes, I'm a redhead again!
Hair is Ion Color Brilliance in light burgundy blonde
Shirt is Mossimo
Leggings are Xhileration
Cardigan is Xhileration
Belt is from Japan
Shoes are one of those brands from Payless
Skirt is really, really old and I think from JCPenney... I got it when I was in like 7th or 8th grade...

Concept is super simple and easy, and I've done it over many shirts and with a variety of belts/sashes over the years. It's best done with leggings rather than tights, as it is quite a SHORT dress and could be unintentionally scandalous otherwise

One of these days...

I will become a consistent, regular blogger, who actually updates when I say I will

December was a very hard month for my family, and for my personal life in general, and taking care of the people I love and myself became much more important than fashion. I am happy to say, however, that things are really looking up for everyone around me. I'm determined to make 2011 be the best year ever (and I've noticed, in general, that odd numbered years tend to treat me better than even. I mean, c'mon, '07 was one of the most wonderful years of my life, '08 nearly killed me, '09 was literally the best year of my life, '10 was mostly depressing... and yes, I did accidentally ruin my own life in '06, damaged my knee irreparably and developed ovarian cysts in '04, and went through severe depression in '02... I'm sensing a trend here)
So, in 2011, I have some goals. Let's examine

-Take way better care of myself physically. I need to eat healthy, actually use my body, and keep my knee in some semblance of normal. I've lost a good amount of weight in the past few months, and if I just exercise and eat better, I think I can maintain it and tone up a bit.
-Move out of my parents' home. When I was 18, I briefly experienced independence when I lived with a Japanese host family in which all my sisters were self sufficient adults, and treated me like one too. I even experienced college kid apartment life, and was totally treated like an adult. Coming back is something I was never able to get used to, and to all the people telling me I'll regret moving out too soon, I just want to say that in 3 1/2 years I still haven't been able to readjust to life at home after the 1 month of freedom and independence I experienced.
-Go to Turkey. It's a country I'd like to see, and it sounds like a lot of fun. I'm just not yet sure what I'll do there.
-Get my vampire book published (for updates on my ridiculous writing process, and musings of the books that inspire me, check out my other blog, which can be found here)
-Get better at conversational Japanese. It's a damn worthwhile goal.
-And for a piece of ridiculous fluff to suit this blog and inspire me to POST MORE, I propose for 2011 to be the year of mostly pantsless living. It's pointless to try to go completely without pants: the modernized world doesn't really allow for women to do that. But if I can manage 4 days a week without pants, I'll consider it somewhat of a success. Thus far, we're 4 days into the year, and I've already done 2 days pantsless. 50% aint bad!

I attended my mother's New Years Day dinner in an adorable little purple-ish dress with zipper detail and a silhouette that takes 20 pounds off instantly.
I attended a housewarming party the next day in a skirt/boot look reminiscent of my high school punk rock looks, and dear god do I ever feel natural when I dress like that. It makes me feel so much more like myself, and I need to do that more often.

Yesterday, my hair was re-dyed to my usual super intense red.
Hopefully, there will be an outfit warranting a photo shoot tomorrow. Until then!