Burdened With Dapper Purpose
geek style

Burdened With Dapper Purpose

Nina Penalosa2 Comments

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Fall Dapper Day at Disneyland is happening today and I am having a major case of fomo. I love going to Dapper Day because it’s so fun to see everyone decked out to the nines. I got to go to the Spring Dapper Day event back in April; my friends and I coordinated with Marvel themed Disneybound outfits. I was torn between putting together a Captain America outfit or a Loki one, but Loki’s got way more swag and I have more green, black, and gold in my closet than red, white, and blue. Spring Dapper Day took place a few days after my sister’s wedding, so Shanice helped me keep my victory rolls intact because I thought they’d go perfect with my pinup inspired Loki ensemble. My hair was so crunchy and flaky from all the hairspray I used, but that’s what happens when you’re burdened with dapper purpose 😛

Since Thor Ragnarok hit theaters I’ve got both of Odin’s boys on the brain, and I saw that guests can now meet both Thor AND Loki at California Adventure!! And BTW – how AMAZING was Thor Ragnarok?! Captain America will forever be my fictional husband, but Thor is legit the best Avenger, and I’m so happy with the direction this film went in. Taika Waititi for all the things, please!!

If you’re wondering, “If these are from April, why it she only posting about this outfit now?” Y’all… it’s been a busy year. I’ve got a back catalog of outfit pics and other things that have yet to be posted on here. I’m trying to catch up, I swear!

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Did you go to Dapper Day? Did you Disneybound? Have you seen Thor Ragnarok yet? Let’s talk about it in the comments section!

:: OUTFIT DETAILS ::
top: n/a | cardigan: WeLoveFine (buy here) | hair flower: ShopVDM
belt: Amazon (buy similar here) | skirt: ModCloth | shoes: City Classified
necklace: Trinket Slot (buy here) | nail wraps: Espionage Cosmetics (here)

Cheers,
Nina

Happy Haul-O-Ween
geek style · out & about

Happy Haul-O-Ween

Nina Penalosa1 Comment

Happy Halloween!!! Last month I got to go to Disneyland on the day that they officially kicked off all of their Halloween festivities, and this time around California Adventure got a spooky make-over too! Even though I’m not the biggest Cars fan, I absolutely loved the way they decorated Cars Land. Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters had special Halloween tracks to accompany the rides, but my absolute favorite Halloween layover was Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout – Monsters After Dark. Every night at 6pm, they changed it so you go on a mission to save Baby Groot while monsters run amuck because of a security breach… or something along those lines.

Disney during the holidays is my absolute favorite time to go; it definitely brings a new level of magicalness to the parks!!

I usually dress in theme when I go to Disneyland too, but this time around I got lazy (hey, it happens!), so I opted to wear all black and my dinosaur fossil skirt. I joked with my sister and said if anyone asks, I’m obscurely Disneybounding as the dinosaurs from the diorama on the train ride after everything goes to sh!t. 😛

I hope you all have a happy, spoopy, and safe Halloween! I’m heading to the Curran Theatre in San Francisco after work to see John and Hank Green for the Turtles All the Way Down tour!! What are y’all up to? Let me know in the comments section 🙂

:: OUTFIT DETAILS ::
top: Old Navy | cardigan: thrifted | hair flower: made by me
belt: Xhileration| skirt: Hot Topic (n/a) | shoes: Vans
nail wraps: Espionage Cosmetics (buy similar here)

Cheers,
Nina

geek style

I Myself am Strange and Unusual

Nina PenalosaLeave a comment

jordandene-shirt-of-the-month

Jordandene’s last few Shirt of the Month designs has been making me add things to my must-watch list. First there was last month’s “Make it so” Star Trek: The Next Generation tee, and now this month’s is Lydia Deetz’s iconic quote from Beetlejuice! I honestly can’t even remember the last time I watched Beetlejuice, but I remember it scared the figurative sh!t out of me when I was little. Anything that had to do with ghosts/death was just a no-go for me. I found that as I’ve gotten older I have more of an appreciation for the spooky and macabre, so I’m sure I’d totally enjoy revisiting Beetlejuice. 🙂

I adore this quote though because I relate to it 100%. I’ve always been a bit of an oddball; I’ve been called “weird” countless times when I was a kid because of my sense of humor or because of how I’m overly passionate about the things I’m interested in. But isn’t that what living the geeky life is all about?

If you yourself are strange and unusual and want to show it off it loudly and proudly, be sure trick or treat yo’self to this shirt ASAP because today is the last day to purchase it. Don’t forget to use my special code LEFANCYGEEK25 to save 25% off your order too!

:: OUTFIT DETAILS ::
tank: c/o Jordandené (buy here) | cardigan: Old Navy
belt: Wal-Mart | skirt: Hot Topic (buy here) | shoes: Dexflex (buy similar here)

Cheers,
Nina

(photos by Sara McDougall)

FTC Disclosure: Product was given to me as compensation for an honest review and to aid in promotion. All opinions stated are 100% honest and my own.

geek style

Make It So

Nina Penalosa4 Comments

jordandene-shirt-of-the-month

Jordandené is a well-known fashion staple for geeks, and they’re definitely one of my favorite places to grab cool geekwear. Their shop is stocked with cozy tees, tanks, sweaters, accessories, and home goods with beautifully scripted quotes from different fandoms — from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Disney, and even Parks & Rec, they’ve got the gamut covered. All of their wearables are unisex too, so everyone can wear them! I love how I can easily get away with repping my fandoms in such a discreet and stylish way whenever I wear anything from them 🙂

With all that said, I’m very pleased and honored to announce that I am one of their brand new ambassadors! * happy dance * 

One [of the many] cool thing[s] Jordandené does is release a special shirt of the month that’s only available for the duration of the month, and for September it’s Captain Picard’s famous one-liner “Make it so” from Stark Trek: The Next Generation. I’ve been meaning to watch TNG for the longest time, so this tank is like extra motivation for me to get on it. But if you’re a Trekkie and love Captain Picard, you’ll want to order this ASAP because it’ll only be available until the end of this week! It comes in red or gray, and you can choose to get it as a tank (like me), t-shirt, or slouchy tee. I’ve let some cool shirt of the months slide by and am full of regret — don’t be like me!

Use code LEFANCYGEEK25 to save 25% off your order too 🙂

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Do you have a bunch of Jordandené swag too? What’s your favorite item? Let’s talk about it in the comments section!

:: OUTFIT DETAILS ::
tank: c/o Jordandené (buy here) | cardigan: thrifted
belt: Wal-Mart | skirt: Hot Topic (n/a)
bowler hat: H&M (n/a) | shoes: Nicole
necklace: Chabot Space & Science Center (buy similar here)

Cheers,
Nina

PS: Here’s an outtake of my husband best friend Jen fixing my hair and holding my purse during this outfit shoot. #InstagramHusband

(photos by Sara McDougall)

FTC Disclosure: Product was given to me as compensation for an honest review and to aid in promotion. All opinions stated are 100% honest and my own.

 

geek style

Ain’t No Thing Like Me, Except Me

Nina PenalosaLeave a comment

I’m at Disneyland today with my sister and bruv-in-law. Hooray! Long story short, I missed renewing my Annual Pass by ONE day and after speaking to a cast member, I was told I could still receive the $60 discount and $0 down payment as long as I do it in person at the park before the 17th. So… here I am.  ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Talk about first world problems, huh?

The last time I went was right before Comic-Con and since it would be my first time going on Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, I had to dress for the occasion with my Rocket Raccoon t-shirt from Fifth Sun and my galaxy print skirt. I was super anti-Mission Breakout because Tower of Terror was one of my all-time favorite rides, but I started warming up to it when I saw what they were doing with the structure back in April, and then Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was amazing, so I changed my tune. My thoughts? IT IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN TOWER OF TERROR. There. I said it. I love how super involved Rocket is with the whole ride experience too because he’s my fave. And it only made my outfit for the day even more appropriate 🙂

If you’re a huge Disnerd and happen to be on Instagram, you might be familiar with @bluewallpics — an IG account dedicated to cool OOTD (outfit of the day) and Disneybound photos taken in front of the blue wall that resides in the Hollywood Backlot area of Disney’s California Adventure. It’s the perfect spot to take pics because the natural light is on point, so my sister and I finally went and to document our outfits. I didn’t even use a filter or tweak them on Photoshop (I mean… I don’t even have Photoshop anymore, but that’s besides the point).

Are you a Tower of Terror purist? Have you gone on Mission Breakout yet? Know of any other super secret spots to take great pics at Disneyland? Who’s your favorite member of the Guardians of the Galaxy? Let’s talk about it in the comments!

:: OUTFIT DETAILS ::

t-shirt: Fifth Sun (buy here) | shoes: Vans (buy here)
skirt: Hot Topic (buy here)

Cheers,
Nina

(photos taken by Carmel Malixi)

geek style

First Order of Business

Nina Penalosa1 Comment

I know it’s only September, and December seems like a long ways away, but The Last Jedi will be in theaters before we know it!!! I can hardly contain my excitement, especially since Force Friday II has come and gone. I cannot wait to see Rose and Paige Tico because they’re not just any Asians in space — they’re Asian sisters in space!! IN A STAR WARS MOVIE!!! I actually got really teary eyed when images of Rose were first released. She’s Asian, has bangs, and a round face just like me! I finally feel like I can see myself in a fandom I love so much. Oh, and the Porgs have stolen my heart. My newfound love for them could probably be another blog post on its own, but today’s post is all about General Hux aka my Huxband. I know, I know. I belong in the trash compactor with Captain Phasma. I just have a massive crush on Domhnall Gleeson, okay? 😛

These outfit pics were actually taken last January —  I just never got around to posting them. Whoops! Seeing that today is Thursday (#TBT), it seemed like an appropriate time to write about it. At first glance I’m pretty sure you can’t really tell it’s Hux related, or could even pass as a Disneybound/casual cosplay, but I went with an all black motif like his ensemble in The Force Awakens. I wore my striped belt to emulate the ones on his coat sleeves, a red necklace because… uh… he’s a ginger, and my Captain Phasma purse from Loungefly. You can’t really see, but on my lapels I’m wearing a General Hux brooch I made myself and a silver pin of the First Order’s logo (check out up-close photos below).

When people ask if I’m on the light side or dark side, I always leaned towards the dark. I was all about giving into my negative feelings (they work wonders for writing angsty poetry, y’know?), and I can’t relate to the zen-ness of the Jedi. Plus, the dark side is so damn fashionable. Hashtag: Swag for Days! Whoever the Empire and First Order hired to make their uniforms, they are the Coco Chanel of a galaxy far, far, away. But after watching Star Wars: Rebels and Rogue One (Bodhi Rook = other space bae), I couldn’t help but think maybe I’m not on the dark side. Maybe I’m a rebel scum! They struggle with their feelings in wanting to do the right thing; they still let anger and hate consume them for just a bit, and then they get their sh!t together.

Much like Bodhi, I’ve defected. Shhh… don’t tell Huxband. Haha!

Are you excited for The Last Jedi? Are you just as obsessed with Porgs as I am? Did you buy new Star Wars swag on Force Friday II? Let’s talk about it in the comments section!

:: OUTFIT DETAILS ::

jacket: Macy*s | dress: Nordstrom
skirt: Modcloth | shoes: Blowfish Malibu
necklace: Kohls | belt: from another dress
Captain Phasma purse: Loungefly (buy here)
General Hux brooch: made by me
First Order pin: Dagobah Traders (buy here)

Cheers,
Nina

(outfit photos by Jennifer Khut)

geek style

Unicorn Crafts Nail Wraps

Nina PenalosaLeave a comment

Longtime Le Fancy Geek pal Unicorn Crafts came out with the most kawaii pastel heart nail wraps over the summer! They were nice enough to send me a set which I wore to San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) back in July, and they lasted for nearly 3 weeks after. The wraps were manufactured by Epsionage Cosmetics and comes with 22 set wraps per set, so I still have some left over to use for future kawaii manicures! If you’ve never used nail wraps before, they are a godsend. I feel horribly naked when my nails are bare, but nail polish just doesn’t quite cut it anymore.  With nail wraps, all you have to do is put on a base coat, apply the wrap to your nail (it’s basically a decal), file off the excess wrap, apply a top coat, and you’re good to go!

Pro Tip: I found that if you apply another top coat during the end of the week, they tend to last a wee bit longer than the advertised 2 weeks.

I got so many compliments on my nails everywhere I went — even the bouncer at the Rooney concert said he liked them 🙂

Want a kawaii manicure that’s super easy to do yourself? Get your set of Unicorn Crafts nail wraps here!

Cheers,
Nina

(middle photo courtesy of Unicorn Crafts)

FTC Disclosure: Product was given to me as compensation for an honest review and to aid in promotion. All opinions stated are 100% honest and my own.

bloop

Hello! Hello! Hello!

Nina Penalosa2 Comments

Mic check, mic check… hello? Oh, hey! Hi! I’m still alive, y’all!

Last time I checked in on here was on the blog’s 6th anniversary back in May. Yikes!  And soooo much has happened since then… like Force Friday II!

As for the other stuff, here’s a recap: I left my job as a reading tutor back in April after I was promoted as a contract worker at my current job at a fashion start-up called WISHI. Remember when I went to dog grooming school last year ’cause I thought I was going to be a dog groomer? Haha! Anyway, I’ve been consumed with work ever since — especially since I was promoted to full time back in June. I went from unpaid intern –> paid intern –> contract worker –> full time employee. I’m proud of myself for having come so far, but I’ve lost track of my passions: reading and writing. I don’t read and write as much as I ought to, but I’ve made it a priority to work it in my schedule (mainly during my commute on BART). I think it’s about damn time to get blogging back in there too.

I felt slightly disconnected with Le Fancy Geek for a bit too, so I didn’t try to rush back in. A lot of the content was starting to feel shallow and very materialistic to me, which is why I refrained for so long. Since I make it a point to be honest here I will say this: I am very materialistic. I love things! I can’t help it. Like Tom Haverford once said, “Love fades away, but things… things are forever.”

Clothes? Books? Toys? Gimme, gimme, gimme!

A shift needed to be made though. Of course I’m still going to be doing outfit posts and still talk about geek fashion on here, and books and movies every now and then, but I want to start involving the geeky fashion/lifestyle community more so. I want to feature small geek businesses that I love and have supported throughout the years, and new ones too! And also feature the amazing bloggers I’ve met along the way too (both online and IRL). I’ve talked about mental health on here as well and have shared some very personal posts, so I will continue to write those as well. I’d also like to discuss topics that are important to me, like finding representation in pop culture and why it’s important.

I hope you’ll stick around as I switch things up!

Cheers,
Nina

geek style

A Bespin We Will Go

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Well, well… what have we here? An ensemble entirely dedicated to Cloud City? Hell yeah, that’s what we have here! Lately it feels like I’m wearing something Star Wars 90% of the time, so anyone who knows me outside of my blog are probably like, “this isn’t anything new.” There are days where I’m like, “Okay, try something different,” but I’ll end up in something Star Wars anyway. But it’s been a few parsecs since I’ve shared any of my ensembles on Le Fancy Geek! So it’s not like y’all know what’s going on with me. Also, wearing a flouncy a-line skirt with crinoline underneath is a bit much for some, so I had make sure this May 4th’s outfit post was, as the kids say, extra. Haha!

Modern-vintage-pinup with a touch of geek chic has been my aesthetic for quite some time now, so this Cloud City skirt by Her Universe is every girly nerd’s dream come true. I paired it with my pink top with lattice details, my denim vest (so I could wear some of my fave Star Wars pins like my glittery Millennium Falcon, Lando, and Sons of Anarchy style Rebel Scum pin), and my adorable Millennium Falcon purse! Another thing I’ve been obsessed with lately are novelty purses — particularly ones of the geeky variety (obviously). Loungefly and Bioworld have been coming out with some really fantastic ones as of late. They’re seriously like Kate Spade for nerds.

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I hope you all have a Happy May 4th! May the 4th be with you in all that you do today, and hope that you grab some cool collectibles or get great deals with all awesome sales that are happening today! I’ll be working for a good chunk of the day, but of course I’ll be rocking some Star Wars threads (like any other day). 🙂

:: OUTFIT DETAILS ::
skirt: Her Universe (buy here) | denim vest: Mossimo
belt: A|X Armani Exchange| hair flower: made by me
shoes: Nicole | top: ?? | purse: Loungefly (buy here)
nail wraps: Espionage Cosmestics (buy here)
enamel pins: BB.CRE.8|Space Cadet Collective|Smuggler’s Bounty

Cheers,
Nina

(outfit photos by Caitlin Hamer)

geek style

Tick Tock, I’m a Clock

Nina PenalosaLeave a comment

disneybound-cogsworth-disney-style

The fluidity of time is still something that never ceases to amaze me. It’s one of those things that gnaws at me when I can’t sleep at night — how is that it can feel so slow, yet move so fast? How is that my childhood, teen years, and 20s have come and gone in the blink of an eye? How am I where I am now?

Today marks Le Fancy Geek’s 6th blogaversary, and it really doesn’t feel like it’s been that long since I started this thing. But alas, here we are! When I think about who I was when I first started Le Fancy Geek compared to who I am now shows me just how much a person can change through the course of time — whether it be through my style choices, the things I fangirl about the most, and general things like my living situation, job, etc. Sometimes I feel like I’m stagnant, like I’m not growing or the circumstances I’m in aren’t changing, but if I really think about it, a lot of things are completely different. I can still be quite timid and shy, but I’m a lot bolder and sassier than I used to be; I push myself to step out of my comfort zone more. I’m no longer working as a tutor, a job that I’ve had for the last 6 years. Now I’m actually working in the field that I’m passionate about. My new job challenges me daily and is allowing me to grow both my skill set and bank account(!).

Since I’m obsessing over time, it seemed appropriate that today’s outfit post would be of my ensemble inspired by Cogsworth from Beauty & the Beast. 🙂 I got this super cute novelty purse by Danielle Nicole at Nordstrom after discovering a really old gift card I had still had money on it. SCORE! Naturally, I picked my closet apart trying to find anything that would make for a great Cogsworth Disneybound/casual cosplay!

I still clearly remember the night I watched the animated version back in 1991 with my older sister, aunt, and mom. During the part where the Beast holds Gaston over the edge of the castle I quietly said, “Drop him.” When the Beast didn’t do so, I said it again (as if he could hear me, haha), but louder. “DROP HIM!” The theater erupted in laughter. I looked at my aunt and asked, “Why’s everyone laughing? It’s not funny.” When I watched the live action adaptation with my mom and sister, my sister nudged me during that part — it’ll forever be an inside joke. 😛

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My new job has kept me busy, and I’ve been too exhausted to maintain Le Fancy Geek, but I’m going to try and be better from here on out! This blog has allowed me to make so many new friends and has given me opportunities to work with brands that I’ve been a huge fan of, so I’m not ready to stop this blog just yet. Thank you to all who’ve been following along with me on my journey for the past 6 years. Here’s to many more! ♥

:: OUTFIT DETAILS ::
dress + belt: Xhileration (n/a) | jacket: ??
purse: Danielle Nicole (buy here)
glasses: Glasses Lit (buy here)
necklace: Grouse and Badger
shoes: Dexflex Comfort (n/a)

Cheers,
Nina

(outfit photos by Carmel Malixi a.k.a. seester)