Hi, I’m Tom. Who the hell are you?

“So, how would you describe your style, Kat?”, sing songs in my head from a recent conversation with a friend debating next steps.

There was a time walking down the runway of life where I was almost fighting my tomboy tendencies; unsure of their sudden slap in the face appearance. Standing in front of you I’m 5’8 inches of no doubt about it female that I am confident yet protective of for the majority of my everyday minutes. The reality is that I work in a squeamish industry where the moment you walk through a door can decide your destiny. Yes, my hair blows in the wind, my heels click down the pavement and I look forward to getting a little spicy on a friday night. But lately I’ve traded in my six inch spikes for a flat madden boot and taken all shades of pink out of my tickle trunk because they make me puke in my mouth a bit. I understand that with maturity and other influences ones style goes through a roller coaster of changes. Trust me, I have done the victoria beckham bob and bebe bustiers. But what are these other influences? My brain has been storming and has come up with the following:

environment. I live in the big city. Trends. Fashion. Sports. In. Out.
social network. Can I borrow that top, friend? I want one now.
finding oneself. I believe your guts come out in your style.
creative hub. I am a creative nerd. I am passionate about dressing my own mannequin.
confidence. Try something new. Bolder. Out of the ordinary.
rebel without a cause. I don’t care what you think.

Now why would I use the tomboy stereotype? I have been called out lately for my vocabulary including frequent bouts of dude, ya man and bleepin’ dope. I accessorize my dress with a toque instead of Tiffany’s. My last couple purchases were from the men’s department at H&M. Guys. Yes, alot of my friends are guys. And in the moment I don’t mind at all because it’s where I feel the most me.

You create your outside from the truth within. And as you mold as a human, especially through your sensitive teens and twenties, you display those strengths on your drawing board. There are those pictures that you can’t quite creatively finish, some with eraser marks like wrinkles in your white dress shirt and the one that you rest proudly on your mantel hoping that someone will call it beautiful. So if I associate tomboy tendencies with a mirrored verb I get comfortable, cool, relaxed, simple, honest, confident, low maintenance, humble, wild and free. I will use this observation within my framework because I’m actually kind of excited that I haven’t yet found all of me. -k