Metal bras are probably really uncomfortable

...and what's with all the freaking loincloths!  Knee-high boots can be pretty appropriate, though, depending on the context.

What the heck am I talking about?  Go do a Google image search for "female warrior," "warrior woman" and you'll understand.

Why was I doing a search like that to start with?  Because lately I've been pondering the importance of costume, and how it affects...well, pretty much everything.  Depending on what I'm wearing, I might choose to eat different foods or a different amount (gluten and tight waistbands? do. not. mix.); I might choose to run instead of walk; I might get a mood boost from the bright color or nice fit; I might be inspired to act up to my image if I dress in heavy-duty workout clothes for a planned walk at the Eno, or wear something that screams "smart and nerdy (but cute!)!" to work at the lab or go to classes.

I've been saying to myself lately how when my life is idiomatically "out of balance," I literally feel unbalanced and clumsier than I should be.  My walking stride gets more awkward, my joints hurt when I walk, run or even stand for too long.  I was sure that I just had to focus on clearing up EVERYTHING CRAZY IN MY LIFE and then it would just go back to normal!  Easy, right?  Yeah.  I'll get back to you on that one.

This past weekend, I dressed up as stated above for a riverwalk.  Black yoga pants, rolled up to the knee; 4srs sports bra; nonbinding tank top; my beloved Inov-8 parkour shoes that are slowly disintegrating after being used as kitchen kicks for half a year.  And...I moved.  I didn't just change location, I practiced movement as an art; I performed movement.  I walked without growing weary, I ran without fainting (or, in my case, puking), and I swam from the dam all the way upstream to the riverbend and back.  I reclaimed a little bit of the freaking awesome warrior woman that I was becoming last summer.  And I'm not ready to stop.

So I want to create a costume for myself that goes with that woman - not so I can limit my time being her to only when I'm wearing the getup, but because the mental boost it would give me is exactly what I need to start playing the role of who I used to be, as practice for actually becoming that again.  Problem is, I want to add a little inspiration in the form of a picture of another badass chica.  And, as stated above, the available options are seriously lacking in sanity.  But after some serious search work, I figured out that I want to dress a little less like this

Xena, don't be mad.  I still love you.  I just think you look a little silly.

and a little more like this, for the gamers

Faith from Mirror's Edge

or this, for the history buffs out there (she's supposed to be Bouadicea, the warrior queen who led an invasion against the Romans, burnt the future London, then a Roman settlement, to the ground and killed a lot of people.  Brutal, but so were the times, and no one can say she wasn't the very epitome of a warrior woman).

So here's the ideas, starting from the ground up.

SHOES
Must fit well.  I know this sounds ridiculously intuitive, but I've been flopping around in my ragged, too-big Toms for months now and only just realised that maybe it was the shoes that were clumsy and not me.  For now my Inov-8s still work, but I'd really like to get or make something even more minimalist - some huaraches come to mind, or moccasins, perhaps custom-made with a separate big toe and elastic around the arch...oooh, ideas :)

PANTS/SHORTS
Different garb for different use - long pants for trekking around in unmown fields and close-growing copses, shorts for scampering around in clearer areas and for river swims.  Or perhaps the best of both worlds: low-profile shorts or knickers underneath, non-rustling easy-off long pants on the outside.  Take that, ticks!

TOP
Bra: probably as heavy-duty as I can find and still breathe in.  And also not made of metal.  Shirt: only until I like my abs again.  Before that, as loose as possible and sleeveless.

ACCOUTERMENTS
Usually I just have my keys clipped to my waistband, but I've often thought it would be nice to have a small, light, very very low profile daypack, with a bottle of water, snack, mini towel, etc, as well as being a place to put my keys so they stop lacerating my hip when I run.  I used to have one, but it finally came apart this past year, and also had a lot of straps to get hooked on branches and stuff.  That's always fun.

I don't have an iPod, but I heard about this amazing running app that makes it sound like you're being chased by zombies.  I really really want it, but if I got it I'd have to get something to strap my phone to myself.  Anybody else do that?  What works?  What doesn't?

Also pretty awesome to have would be a charm to wear on my neck or ankle, just as kind of a talisman to remind me who I'm becoming again.  That's a little harder to find, though.  I'll keep an eye out.

Apologies for the awkward prose, guys.  I really just wanted to write something so I start getting back into the habit.

-Nelly