A 15-minute drive south from where I live in Novato there’s a small park around the corner from the Village Mall in Corte Madera with a marsh and views of the San Francisco Bay and the East Bay hills (where my parents live).

I stopped by earlier today to get a look at the water because, as the saying goes ’round here, any day you see the Bay is a great day.

Or maybe that’s just a Karen thing.

Don’t tell Tabs, but while I was down there I made friends with a tiny dog…or perhaps it was an Ewok.

When the Ewok dog bid me farewell, I headed over to the nearby mall, where among other things, I visited the Kate Spade store and spotted some cute new spring bags and shoes.

Yeah, it’s hard to compete with the epic grandeur and sweeping vistas of the San Francisco Bay, but Kate Spade holds her own, and today she did it with comics! And bright colors! And shiny patent leather!

I’m pretty sure my eyes were bugging out TO HERE!

When I asked what was new for spring, the gals working at the store were nice enough to let me see a few items from a new collection that they hadn’t put out on the shelves yet. They said the new collection doesn’t “officially” debut in Kate Spade stores and on katespade.com until next Sunday, so this was like a sneak peek.

The release includes a full range of accessories, totes, clothes and shoes made to go with the playful, pop-arty comic theme.

Three of the smaller bags caught my eye right off the bat — the hot pink and white polka-dotted Daycation Pop Bag ($78), the Davie Daycation Comic KSNY zippered makeup bag ($60) and the Sunglass Coin Purse ($98).

Because I’m such a ho when it comes to shoes, it didn’t take much to convince me to try on this pair of jade green patent-leather Karolina heels ($328).

Solely (no pun intended) for “research purposes,” of course.

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Wearing the Zella Galaxy Fleece Hoodie…also known as “The Best Damn Sweatshirt, Ever!”

Generally, I won’t consider interstellar travel when shopping for sweatshirts and other winter wear (like I will for a killer pair of shoes), but I’d rocket to the farthest reaches of the galaxy for the $58 Zella Galaxy Fleece Hoodie. I like it that much.

From Zella, Nordstrom’s in-house line of “slightly more affordable than Lululemon” workout clothes, the Galaxy zips up in the front, has a drawstring hood, and comes in six colors and sizes ranging from X-small to X-large.

HAAAY!

Now, I don’t usually get this fired up about hoodies, but the Galaxy is RAD! Even Tabs, who’s infamous for his fashion snobbery, is obsessed with it, and not only because the black and gray patterned one conceals his fur (it could be covered in tabby fur, and I wouldn’t even know).

SIDE NOTE: you know you’ve reached a higher level of cat lady consciousness when your wardrobe decisions start revolving around your pet.

It’s just so totally toasty. It’s made of fleece, but like, SUPER fleece, SUPER fleece, she’s super fleece-ay, oww! (Temptations, sing!)

Sorry! Musical moment…

Whenever I leave the Galaxy on the bed, Tabs wrap himself up in it, kitty burrito style, and refuses to get out.

So it doubles as a cat bed, which is also cool.

And beyond being one of the warmest, coziest pieces in my wardrobe, it’s riddled with attentive details. Things like…

• Thumb holes in the cuffs to keep your paws warm and your fingers free (like fingerless gloves). So great when I’m out and about and need to use my phone’s touchscreen.
• Fully zipped up, the Galaxy Hoodie goes all the way up to just below my chin, so it keeps the chill out and fully covers my neck.
• I love the sleek design and curved seams on the front. I think it looks more stylish than the average sweatshirt.
• The front pockets are deep! — deep enough for my phone, keys, lipgloss and a small bag of cat treats.

Best of all, even though it’s made of pretty thick material, it doesn’t feel heavy or bulky. I can comfortably wear it beneath my favorite jackets without feeling squished or constricted.

If you want a really fitted look, from my experience, Zella’s clothes tend to run big, so if you’re gutsy enough to order online without trying it on, you might want to grab a size smaller than you’d normally wear.

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Slowly… No sudden movements. Just step away from the computer…

That’s it… Eeeasy does it.

Okay? Now take a deep breath, and repeat after me: “I will not buy Pajama Jeans.”

I will not buy Pajama Jeans.

Again.

I will not buy Pajama Jeans!

In a way, that little intro up there is based on a true (ish) story. You see, I came within a tabby’s hair of placing an order for a pair of Pajama Jeans the other day. That commercial came on, and I was just about to click the order button online when in walked Tabs.

I guess he read the look in my eye because a sour expression crossed his face…

Granted, he makes that face a lot, but it was enough to give me pause (paws?).

I didn’t order a pair of Pajama Jeans that day, but I have been on the market for a respectable pair of stretchy pants — something with a little edge to ‘em that won’t be mistaken for yoga pants.

Enter the BCBG Cancetta leggings, stretchy matte fabric pants with faux leather panels and a mid-rise waist. If it weren’t for these pants, there’s a good chance I’d be wearing a pair of Pajama Jeans right now.

Comfy? You know it! Fashionable? I think so. Best of all, you can throw ‘em in the washing machine.

Here I’m wearing them dressed down with ankle boots, a slouchy sweater (also by BCBG) and the Zella Gathered Tote, but they’re also easy to dress up, like with a crisp, white tuxedo shirt, black blazer and black patent-leather high heels.

Oh, hai!

I can’t seem to find them online this morning, but here’s a similar style, the Caragh Pleather Combo Legging.

One thing I’ve noticed about these is that they run a little long on me, and they’re not that form fitting around my knees and ankles, so you might want to try a size smaller than you normally would if you want them to really hug your curves.

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Gather ’round the campfire, girls, and lend me your ears. The tale you’re about to hear is no meager yarn or fable, no children’s fairytale. No, it’s one of the greatest adventure stories of the modern era and antiquity. Why? Because it’s true! — as true as the North Star!

Sit close, steel your nerves, and open your mind. Behold! Now begins the Legend of Zella and the Quest for the Gathered Tote…

Once upon a time (around 2007), in a place far, far away, there lived a pint-sized beauty lover named Karen.

Despite her best intentions, every time Karen left the house, she brought along everything but the kitchen sink.

Along with her regular cat lady accoutrements — her wallet, phone, keys, snacks, cat treats, 12 tubes of gloss, a pair of backup shoes, a spare bra (because you never know…) and extra socks — she also brought her cameras, lenses and laptop with her a lot of the time.

The villagers in her small town didn’t understand. “Dude,” they’d whisper to one another and point as she passed, “what’s that chick’s deal? Why does she need three bags? Who carries that much stuff?”

“I don’t know,” another would say. “I heard that she keeps a cat in one of them and a fully cooked turkey in the other!”

Then, one day, everything changed. Karen discovered the $68 Zella Gathered Tote at a local merchant’s shoppe, also known as Nordstrom (it’s also online at nordstrom.com).

Right away, Karen saw its potential. “Hmm…” she wondered. “Although technically a gym bag, this thing will serve me well. It’s slim-fitting and deep, yet still lightweight. It’s also big enough for a laptop, two cameras, a medium-sized travel makeup bag and my gym clothes. Or, I could just use it as a casual tote, or maybe even a diaper bag someday.

“I don’t think El Hub would mind carrying it, either, because it’s black and not too girly at all.”

Karen slung the main strap across her body and happily skipped all the way home; she also delighted in the knowledge that she could have carried it by the padded, comfy double handles as well.

The two double handles feel comfortable on my shoulder and sit at just the right spot (not too high, not too low)

Two deep zippered side pockets keep my phone and keys readily available

Wearing the Diana Skinny Corduroy Pants by KUT from the Kloth

FACT: the time has finally come to officially take out cold weather clothes here in the Bay Area.

FACT: international kitty models will always out-pose you, no matter how hard you try.

WERK!

FACT: the KUT from the Kloth Diana Skinny Corduroy pants I’m wearing today could possibly be the best damn pair of corduroy pants on the planet. Maybe even the universe…assuming the aliens out there actually wear pants (most of the aliens I see in movies like to go au naturel).

Sometimes I squirm when companies ironically spell “C” words with a “K” (because using a “K” automatically makes something “Klassy,” like having a grilled cheese sandwich with a glass of red wine…which I was THIS CLOSE to doing last night, not gonna lie), but it seems totally appropriate in this case (kase?).

Pants, to borrow a phrase from that old-school Run-D.M.C. song, can be tricky. Unless you’re genetically blessed with perfect proportions, it can be really difficult to find a pair that fits. Most of the ones I try on are a little off in one way or another. They’re either too long, falling off my butt or making my muffin top look even more…muffiny.

But these are perfect! They embrace my curves without bear hugging ‘em.

At $70, they’re a little pricey, but they’re so well made that I want to wear them every single day of the week.

Why these pants?

• So comfy! They’re like the Pajama Jeans of corduroy pants! The material (98% cotton and 2% spandex) has just the right amount of give to it (so I can eat that extra scoop of mashed potatoes), but it’s not so elastic that it’s all stretched out by the middle of the day. Oh, and the corduroy feels as soft as my tubby tabby’s tum.
• A forgiving fit. I usually find something that bugs me about most pairs of pants (I’m short with long legs and a short torso!), but these are just so forgiving and easy to wear. They have a mid-rise that sits up pretty high on my waist, covering my muffin top, and my bum doesn’t hang out when I’m bending or kneeling. I also don’t have to constantly hike them up or keep adjusting.
• Quality construction. I’ve had mine for about a year, and they’ve held up really well. This is some sturdy corduroy here, and I haven’t had any problems with holes or unraveling seams. The color also looks as rich as ever.

I brought them home in basic black because I wanted something I could wear with lots of different tops and sweaters, but they come in some other colors, too, like this here hot pink…

The price is on the steep side for a pair of pants, but compared to higher-end skinnies, which often go for $200 a pop (crazy!), $70 doesn’t seem too bad…

If you’re interested, stalk the Nordstrom site, because I do see these on sale every once in a while (that’s how I found them last year).

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