geek style

Send Me an Angel

When my very good friend Megan, who happens to be a ridiculously talented self-taught metalsmith and jewelry maker, told me that she was planning on moving to Texas soon, my first thought was “WHAT THE HELL?! WHY ARE YOU LEAVING ME?!” But when she asked if I could help spread the word of these special pendants she made to help her with moving expenses, I said, “Duh. Of course!”

I have had the honor of receiving some of Megan’s beautiful creations as presents, some of which you may have seen on my Instagram, and she puts so much love and care into everything she makes. These pendants, entitled “No Direct Flight,” are no different. In fact, this design is one that she gifts to those who are most special to her. It features a set of angel wings placed on a copper sheet that Megan hand cut herself, and used vitreous enamels for the image. The jumpring is sterling, you can easily slip the pendant onto your favorite chain. As you can see in the pictures, not one pendant is the same due the nature of manufacturing things completely by hand.

This is perfect to give to the guardian angel you have in your life — whether they be human or four-legged and furry like Megan’s cat Dave (pictured below). And at just $20, it’s a steal!

This pendant can easily be slipped into geek inspired ensembles too! There’s the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who, Castiel from Supernatural, Kid Icarus (or Icarus from actually mythology), Archangel from X-Men, etc, etc.

To purchase the “No Direct Flight” pendant, go here. Also be sure to follow Megan on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date with all her wonderful creations.

cheers le fancy geek fashion blogger

(all photos courtesy of Megan Van Houten)

geek style

Everyday Cosplay: King George III from Hamilton

t-shirt: Red Bubble | skirt: ModCloth | shoes: B.A.I.T. Footwear

Last month I officially became Hamiltrash; I’ve been listening to the Hamilton soundtrack non-stop (ha, puns!) since I picked it up. I realize that I’m super late to the party, but daaaaammmn, do I understand what the hype with this musical is all about! And I’m totally kicking myself for not checking it out sooner. Hamilton is a work of sheer genius. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and star of the musical, did such an outstanding job of blending hip-hop, r&b, and Beatles-esque music to tell the tale of Alexander Hamilton, a.k.a. the dude on the $10 bill, or as the musical refers to him “the ten dollar founding father.” The soundtrack both entertains and educates, and I love the fact that the cast is racially diverse; as Lin-Manuel Miranda puts it, it’s the story of America then told by America now. <– pretty sure I paraphrased it, but he said something along those lines.

Leave it to me to put together an outfit inspired by King George III, who’s portrayed by Jonathan Groff, though. Ha! His part in the show is quite small (probably around 9 minutes of stage time total), but “You’ll Be Back” is currently my jam! This is where the Beatles influence can be heard in the show, and it’s basically a kiss-off/break-up song that he sings to America. I adore how cheeky King George III is, and Groffsauce sings it with such flourish and gusto 😀

Who else thinks Hamilton is awesome (wow)? Let’s fangirl in the comments section!

cheers le fancy geek fashion blogger

geek style · out & about

Her Universe Fashion Show @ SDCC

Last Thursday I got to go to the Her Universe Geek Fashion Show and it was so awe inspiring. It also has my bank account sweating like somethin’ fierce with all the new dresses, tops, and skirts they debuted from Studio Ghibli and Marvel!

In fact, I straight-up bought the Avengers skirt and collared top:

No joke, I tried the skirt on over the dress I was wearing at the Her Universe booth the day after the show, paid for it, and then walked away wearing it. 😀

I also have an article about the fashion show up on Wear Your Voice Mag (WYVM) that you can read here including some pictures of the two winning designs, and a couple of my favorites (a Bob’s Burgers inspired design and Groot!). But I wanted to share some other pictures I took over here on Le Fancy Geek that didn’t make it into the final article on WYVM, including some of the newer fashions that are being released and the other contestants’ designs. My pictures aren’t that great, but I did my best to document the show to share with you all!

Ashley Eckstein rockin’ the Black Widow gown designed by Andrew MacLaine.
Monster High inspired design.
Laura Cristina Ortiz in her gorgeous Jack Skellington inspired gown, complete with a Zero whose nose lights up!
Howl’s Moving Castle inspired design.
Design inspired by Rose Tyler from Doctor Who
Design inspired by Khaleesi from Game of Thrones.
Sam Skylar in her Baymax inspired design.

Aliens inspired design.
The rivalry between the Empire and the Rebels never looked so fashionable.
Avengers circle skirt and collared top.
How cute is this No Face dress?!
I got to meet my Instagram pal @AMANDAJEANNN! Here she is wearing one of the Spirited Away dresses that’ll hit Hot Topic in the Fall.

Her Universe also announced during the show that Lionsgate will be launching the Her Universe Fashion Show as a reality series on their Comic-Con International SVOD service next year! It’s going to follow the events leading up to the final runway show — how exciting is that?! 🙂

What are some of your favorite looks from the show? Let me know in the comments section!

cheers

geek style

A Non-Otaku’s Adventures at Anime Expo

Hey my little ponies! Right now I’m hanging out at my sister’s apartment in San Diego getting ready for Comic-Con!!! I can’t believe it’s already that time of year. It always seems to creep up on me out of nowhere. I’ll be at the convention itself Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and a few parties throughout the week including Game of Bloggers tomorrow night, Geeks Go Glam on Thursday, and the Fashionably Nerdy cocktail hour on Friday. If you happen to be going to any of these events and see me, please say hi! And also forgive me for being socially awkward.

#shy #introvertproblems

Anywho, I’m still recuperating from my weekend spent at Anime Expo. I feel somewhat fine, but at the same time I don’t want to do a damn thing except for veg out on the couch like I’m a sloth and watch things on YouTube (I’m currently obsessed with Thug Notes). Back to back conventions just might be a sign that I am getting too old. Wah-wah-wah. But despite how low my mana is, I still had fun hanging out with my best friends and my sister!

I even got to write another article for Wear Your Voice Mag about casual cosplaying. You can read it here.

As you can see, I did a casual Totoro cosplay during one of my days at Anime Expo with my My Neighbor Totoro dress by Her Universe. It was perfect to wear to Anime Expo considering what a popular character Totoro is in the anime community. In case you’re not completely familiar with him, his popularity is equivalent to that of Mickey Mouse. And how effing adorable is he?! My Neighbor Totoro is a great film too, so go watch it if you haven’t yet!

I went to Anime Expo for a day last year and had fun, so I decided to buy a pass for this year too. Plus my friend Jen constantly told me that it’s not all just anime, other geekdoms are represented there too. And while the exhibition hall was full of cool vendors, I found myself not completely being into the whole thing. Like I mentioned in my last post, I’m not huge on anime and my knowledge on the subject is limited to a few Studio Ghibli films and Sailor Moon, and this convention’s main audience are those that roll in the otaku crowd… which I don’t find myself part of. By no means am I dissing Anime Expo, or anyone that’s super into it, I’m just saying that I feel like Anime Expo turned out to not quite be my thing. Oh well! I guess I’m just used to Comic-Con as it’s more up my alley where geekery is concerned. My friend Shanice and I saw all these great cosplays except we felt really awkward about not knowing where it was from.

One of the things that I really liked about Anime Expo though was their photo shoot area. There was a whole space with different kinds of backdrops set up for cosplayers to take photos of their cosplays, ranging from a space station, forest scene, classroom, graveyard, Japanese garden, etc. That’s where I took the cherry blossom pictures and some outfit pics of me wearing my Captain America dress (up on the blog later!). 🙂

cheers

13932753164_59cedb28abdress: Her Universe (no longer available)
cardigan: Old Navy (buy similar here)
flats: G.H. Bass (buy here)

belt: A|X Armani Exchange
headband: Made by me (tutorial here)

geek style

Everyday Cosplay: Peggy Carter

ec_agentcarter1
blouse: ModCloth // skirt: ModCloth // clutch: ModCloth
necklace: Le Fancy Geek Boutique // belt: Fossil // shoes: Bait Footwear

I adored Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger, so of course I’m completely obsessed with Agent Carter! It’s so awesome that Marvel created a show focusing on such a strong, badass mamajama. Are any of you fangirling over it too? Do you want to elbow Agent Chad Michael Murray in the face as much as I do? Did you watch last night’s episode?!?!?! Because OMG OMG OMG.

Putting together an Everyday Cosplay for Peggy was a bit of a challenge at first because I kept flip flopping between different outfits she wore on the show and in the Captain America movie. Do I stick with her neutral military ensembles, or her sharp blue suit and red fedora number from Agent Carter? I gravitated towards the simple neutral pallet of her military uniform and found some items on ModCloth, such as a the cream blouse, olive skirt, and postcard clutch, to pull the look together. The postcard clutch says “Make up for last time” — it kind of reminded me of when Steve promised her a dance as his plane was plummeting, and he obviously couldn’t keep it because… well, he turned into a popsicle. I’M SORRY I WENT THERE. 😥

I also included a Steve Rogers pendant that just got added to Le Fancy Geek Boutique! I’ve also added a Peggy Carter necklace that comes in two different color ways — one features the same cream lace background as the Steve Rogers pendant, and the other has a maroon floral background.

IMG_2076

If you’re fangirling like somethin’ fierce over Agent Carter like I am, leave a comment so we can start fangirling together!

cheers

 

PS: If you’d like to purchase a Peggy Carter or Steve Rogers necklace, be sure to use code GALENTINE15 to save 10% off your purchase! Good until Feb. 14.

5 fandom friday · Uncategorized

5 Fandom Friday: My Favorite Things About Winter

5 fandom 2

 

I was born and raised in the central valley of California, and still live in the Golden State. As many people know, Californians don’t have a “real” winter season. But I do want to note that when I lived in Daly City, it was like living in a perpetual foggy haze all year round! No sun. Very fog. Such depress. Wow.

Anywho, in other parts of California we do experience “cold” weather during winter that allows us to bundle up. Sometimes there are mornings where you may find the windows of your car covered in thin sheets of ice, and scrapping them off can be a bitch. But having snow all over your car? Driving in snow?  NO THANK YOU. How do you people who experience real winter weather do it? HOW?!

We’re extremely spoiled over here, especially the Californians in SoCal!

This is basically how I felt when I was at Disneyland during the evening:

But it was stupid hot in the afternoon! Oh, California. You’re so strange.

Alright, now that I’ve established the lack of actual “real” winter weather I experience in my spot of the ‘verse, here are my 5 favorite things about the winter season:

1. Tea all day, everyday

I love myself a good cuppa. I’ll drink it even if the weather is deemed “too hot” to drink tea, but during winter it’s perfectly fine to have cups and cups of it! Lately I’ve been drinking this really yummy white pomegranate tea by a brand called Revolution. I found it at Ross for $3. Score!

2. It’s actually cold

Fall is my favorite season, but California has a hard time getting with the program. It was still stupid hot in October. I mean, 80 degree weather in October? What is that? HORRIBLE. AWFUL. UNACCEPTABLE. That’s what it is! So when winter comes, it’s absolutely lovely.

3. Bundling up in winter accessories

I prefer cold weather, and by that I mean I love overcast skies with a gentle breeze where the days are between 50-60 degrees and the nights are in the mid 40s. It’s my favorite! I’m still able to wear my tights with dresses (because eff pants), and layer on a jacket over a cardigan or sweater. Plus beanies and scarves are fun and sometimes necessary to wear. When I’m having a bad hair day, I love the fact that I can throw a cute knitted hat on and go to work. It makes life so much easier!

Winter also allows me to wear my everyday Robb Stark (Game of Thrones) cosplay (pictured above), complete with faux fur paw scarf. It has pockets lined with fleece too. 😀

4. Boots, boots, boots

This seems more like something that would be on a “My Favorite Things About Fall” list, but I LOVE boots. I’ll even try and wear my cowboy boots during the spring (bearable) and summer (terrible), but with winter it just gets colder and more appropriate to wear boots! Plus I got these G.H. Bass boots on sale at their outlet store in Livermore on New Year’s Eve and they’re made for wide calves.  If you have wide calves like me, you know the struggle is real when it comes to shopping for boots.

5. Sales all over the place!

Every store seems to have a sale because of the end of the holiday season and the New Year. I’m a self-proclaimed shopaholic, so of course this is on my list. Haha! 😛

How’s winter where you are? Are you spoiled with a California winter like me, or are you freezing your tail off in the snow? Lemme know in the comments!

cheers

geek style · le fancy geek boutique

Everyday Cosplay: Star-Lord

pullover: Uniqlo // boots: Carlos by Carlos Santana // studs: Studio Silver
jacket: Guess // necklace: Le Fancy Geek Boutique
belt: Forever 21 // tote: Forever Wars // pants: ModCloth

Right after I watched Guardians of the Galaxy (GOTG) back in August I immediately thought, “I CAN’T WAIT FOR THIS TO COME OUT ON BLURAY!!!” <– ALL CAPS NECESSARY. And it finally came out on Tuesday and I couldn’t be happier to have my very own copy so I can watch it as much as I please! Shout out to my friend Caitlin for grabbing a copy of the special limited edition tin case that looks like a Walkman from Best Buy for me 😀

Obviously, I’m on a GOTG kick. I’ve also been lacking in creating Everyday Cosplay posts, so I figure it would be a good idea to start it up again with good ‘ol Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord. His outfit can easily be translated with a simple grey sweater, a burgundy leather jacket, blue skinny jeans, and some brown boots. However, some people, mainly Oncers (that’s what fans of Once Upon a Time are called in case you didn’t know), will think you’re channeling Emma Swan since she often sports the leather jacket/skinny jeans/boots combo.

I added a few accessories related to GOTG to make it clear that this is all inspired by Star-Lord such as a pair of gold star-shaped earrings, because STAR-Lord. Durr. Also, when I think of the word “galaxy” I immediately think of stars — I have a tendency to make literal references whenever I put geek inspired outfits together. I also came across this Awesome Mix Vol. 1 tote on Etsy that’s just absolute perfection! And of course, the outfit wouldn’t be complete without a Star-Lord necklace (made by yours truly). 🙂

Ugh. Now I wish actually did have this outfit so I can go outside and listen to the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack on my iPhone (because I don’t own a Walkman anymore (does anyone?)) so I can dance around to “Come and Get Your Love” and stomp in puddles.

If you haven’t seen the movie (OH MY GAWD, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!), you probably have no idea what I’m talking about. So please watch this:

Cheers,
Nina

PS: I can’t write a Guardians of the Galaxy post about Star-Lord without mentioning how fuggin’ hot Chris Pratt is! I thought he was adorable when he had chubs on Parks & Recreation, but in Guardians of the Galaxy? DAAAAMMMN. Okay, that is all.

geek style · shoppin' · Uncategorized

Everyday Cosplay: Claire Randall

cardigan: Krisp // button-up: Gap // jeans: Mossimo // cuff: The Sad Basset
purse: ModCloth // necklace: Whispered Wishes // boots: Nine West

Hey ponies! Do any of you watch Outlander? I got into it a bit late, but was able to marathon the crap out it right before the mid-season finale a few weeks ago, and now I’m left with this gaping hole in my geek heart because I. Need. To. Know. What. Happens. Next. UGH! I still can’t believe I have to wait until April 4 for Outlander to come back!

– shakes fist at the heavens –

WHHHYY??? Why would they make us wait that long? It’s not fair! The show is based on a successful book series by Diana Gabaldon, so I know that can hold me down until April, but I have so many other books I need to get around to. First World Bookworm problems, man. – le sigh –

Anyhow, if you’re not familiar with Outlander, it’s about a woman named Claire Randall, a combat nurse from the 1940s. While her and her husband are on their honeymoon in Ireland, she mysteriously gets transported back through time (1743 to be exact). To say Claire’s situation is difficult is an understatement as she’s nearly assaulted by her husband’s ancestor, and saved by the Mackenzie clan, only they believe she’s an English spy. Claire uses her nursing skills to gain their trust, but she’s constantly relying on her smarts to get her through all the trials and tribulations thrown her way and fight to stay alive. So, Outlander is pretty much a concoction of all genres us geeks love: history, science fiction (time travel!), and romance.

Claire is crazy strong and über clever! It’s refreshing to see such a strong female character on TV. She has her damsel in distress moments, but (for the most part) she knows how to take care of herself. And of course I have to note that all the tartan and thick knitted scarves she donned made me long for Fall sooo badly (get with it, California)! So I threw together a little everyday cosplay inspired by her. 🙂

Cheers,
Nina

geek style · shoppin'

Everyday Cosplay: Mabel Pines

pullover: Skip N’ Whistle // skirt: Old Navy // shoes: Blowfish Shoes
earrings: ModCloth // friendship bracelets: Icing // purse: LeSportsac 

Hey my little ponies! I’ve recently become super obsessed with Gravity Falls — it’s a cartoon on Disney XD about a couple of 12-year old twins, Dipper and Mabel Pines, and the crazy super natural adventures they have while they stay with their great uncle in Gravity Falls, OR during their summer vacation. I’m not sure what took me so long to get on board with this show since it’s been out for a couple of years, but I’m so glad I randomly stumbled upon it. I recognized Kristen Schaal’s voice (Mel from Flight of the Conchords, Trixie from Toy Story 3, and of course Louise from Bob’s Burgers) on the show while I was flipping channels and pretty much became hooked from there. Her character Mabel is my new favorite! She’s so adorable, silly, and extremely confident for a kid who’s in junior high. But another thing I like about Mabel is her style. Her graphic pullover game is on point. With every episode I watched I wondered, “What’s gonna be on Mabel’s sweater this time?” So of course I had to put together an Everyday Cosplay outfit inspired by her!

Mabel’s always wearing a quirky pullover/skirt/ballet flat combo so I picked a few pieces that us ladies way over the age of 12 could get away with. 🙂 I paired the kitty sweater by Skip N’ Whistle with a polkadot bag by LeSportsac because it reminded me of this:

bedazzled
c/o barnorama.com

And can we note the llama she’s rocking? Mabel’s too cute.

Anyhow, I’m going to try and regularly start making little style collages with outfits inspired by my favorite fictional characters. I remember doing one for Lady Mary from Downton Abbey awhile ago, but that’s about it (I think). Do you have any requests for what character I should do next? Let me know in the comments!

Cheers,
Nina

PS: My Minnie Mouse LeSportsac giveaway is still going on! Click here to enter if you haven’t done so yet 🙂