On this day 10 years ago I started Le Fancy Geek. How has it been 10 years already?!
2011 was an interesting year for me. At the beginning of the year, I was a fresh college graduate with absolutely zero idea what do post college. I moved back to my hometown and spent my days looking at job listings and being absolutely paralyzed with anxiety by them, and also marathoned lots of shows on Netflix (mainly Psych). Later on in the year I met my fur baby and soulmate, Rory. I also got into my first serious relationship. But out of all these things, starting this blog and Rory are the most important highlights for obvious reasons. lololol
Along with writing, I’ve always been very passionate about fashion and geek culture. Around this time, I was hella into Doctor Who and obsessed with finding ways to incorporate elements of it into my everyday wardrobe. So, as a means to have some sort of creative outlet, I decided to start Le Fancy Geek to chronicle my outfits and random musings. Looking back, it’s astonishing to think of how far I’ve come and what this blog has brought me. And I knoooow… I don’t blog on here as often as I did before, but I’m trying to get back into the habit of writing on here again.
The coolest opportunity blogging has led me to is becoming an ambassador for Jordandene and editor at its sister company Sartorial Geek! To celebrate Le Fancy Geek’s 10th anniversary, I’ve teamed up with Jordandene for a giveaway! Two lucky folks will get the chance to win a $50 Jordandene gift card.
Check out my post on Instagram to see how to enter for a chance to win:
Instagram is easily accessible, so I’ve been using it over the years to microblog and share things the way I used to on here. But even then, my platform isn’t that grand and my reach is alright at best. So whenever I bring up anything regarding issues in the AAPI community, it feels like I’m standing on a soap box in the middle of a barren strip mall on a weekday afternoon, with the occasional passerby saying “YEAH! YOU SAID IT, GIRL!” and walking away. My words leave an impression on a few, and are forgotten within minutes by others. Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it to speak up and put my heart on the line like that. In the end, I always hit “Post” because what is the point of me having a voice if I don’t use it? If I don’t say anything, who will? My community has been silenced for far too long. I only hope I can add more fuel to the fire, however small it may be, to amplify our plight.
As some of you may know, I’m also a fashion writer for Wear Your Voice Mag! I started a series called Fashion Faux Pas for the 30-Something where I feature a so-called faux pas and show how you can still rock it even if you’re 30 and over… or in my case, about to be 30! In my latest one I wrote about something near and dear to my to me: My Little Pony! Can you believe some people don’t approve of grown ass women (and men) owning MLP swag?! Check out the article here.
And here’s a list of some of the other articles I’ve done over the last few months that I totally forgot to share here:
Well… Anime Expo/the 4th of July happened well over a month ago, but here’s an outfit post of what I wore that day anyway! Since I was at a nerdy convention on the 4th it was only appropriate that I wore my Captain America dress by Her Universe. This dress was designed by one of the winners of last year’s Her Universe Geek Fashion Show. I knew I had to get it once I saw it because 1. it’s adorable and 2. Captain America is my Avengers husband. 🙂
I also made a pair of hair clips shaped like the wings on his helmet out of foam. It was a super last minute craft project — I made them the night before I left for LA. Haha! Ryan (my sister’s boyfriend) gave me the idea to make them awhile ago when I mentioned that I wanted to Disneybound as Captain America for the Captain America 10k that I’m doing in November with Caitlin. That’s already 3 months away! HOLY CRAP. I really need to get my bum in gear for that. It’s been a good while since I’ve attempted to power walk/jog. Walking Rory doesn’t really count, does it? And it’s been a month since I’ve gone to my kickboxing classes.
UGH. The righteousness is NOT surging within me!
I did plan on starting up again this week, but I had a case of vertigo on Tuesday. Have you ever had vertigo? It’s the woooo00000rrrrssst! I had to call in sick to my last day of work before the Fall semester starts, and spent most of my day lying down on the couch. The room felt like it was off balance and spinning, and every time I moved my head ever so slightly it felt like I was going to topple over. ¡No bueno! I’m feeling a lot better now though.
Knowing that not only the marathon, but my cousin’s wedding in Hawaii is just around the corner (like, NEXT MONTH), I’m trying to motivate myself to get into stealth mode. I thought about doing another Whole 30 like I did back in February, but Jennifer pointed out how doing a strict Whole 30 is going to be stressful because I’m going to have to constantly make sure that I’m preparing meals, and there’s limited options for eating super clean if I don’t have something with me at work to eat for lunch. So I’m going to just eat as paleo as I possibly can and avoid eating sweets… which has already proven to be hard because I ate a donut on Monday and a cookie the other day. After I did the Whole 30 in February I was doing pretty well, but once the end of May hit, I think that’s when I started to slip back into some old eating habits. Whoops! What can I say? I LOVE dessert.
I don’t care if Steve Rogers is fictional, I gotta make my fake husband proud. But more importantly, I need to make myself proud of myself! <– did that make any sense grammatically?
When I started writing this post, I thought I was going to talk about how super into Captain America I’ve been lately — I got A LOT of Cap related stuff while I was at SDCC and just got the unmasked Funko Pop! figure at Barnes & Noble that I’ve been coveting (thanks, Gwen!) — but it turned into this whole thing about me wanting to get back on a healthier path. I suppose writing about it and posting it for others to read will hold me accountable. So if you see me posting pictures of cookies or whatever on Instagram feel free to call me out!
dress: Her Universe (no longer available) cardigan: Old Navy (buy similar here) shoes: dexflex Comfort (buy here)
hair clips & button: DIY’d by me
A couple weeks ago, Pinup Girl Clothing announced their collaboration with the estate of Mary Blair for a limited edition collection of skirts and dresses featuring Blair’s whimsical art! To say I’m a huge Mary Blair fan would be an understatement — I’ve mentioned my love for her art on numerous posts in the past (here, here, and here) —  so of course I hyperventilated when I came across the announcement on Pinup Girl Clothing’s Instagram account.
All the pieces in the collection are so lovely, but these beauts are my favorites:
A date for when the collection will be available to purchase hasn’t been announced yet, but if you want to be alerted, you can join the waitlist on their website! There is also some really great potential to create a few Disneybound outfits with these dresses — the train print could totally be Casey Jr. from Dumbo and the butterfly dress fits perfectly with the butterfly motif that pops up in the live action version of Cinderella. 🙂
Which ones are your favorites from the Mary Blair collection?
What better day to show off this crazy, stupid, lovely (see what I did there?) t-shirt from Clashist that features the Gos’ handsome mug all over it than today? I’ll be honest, I forgot that today was RyRy’s special day until I checked Facebook this morning. But to my defense, am I really obligated to remember all my celebrity crushes birthdays? I certainly hope not! Anyhow, I immediately put this outfit together because it is absolutely appropriate for today. 😀
So this outfit post, unlike all the ones I’ve posted in the past, is a legit #OOTD/#WIWT (Outfit of the Day/What I Wore Today). Like, I’m seriously wearing it as I put this post together. I had to ask one of my co-workers to take pictures of me during within a 5-minute span just so I could make this post after I got home from work. Shout out to Brianna for taking the pictures with my phone!
Like many ladies my age, I was first exposed to the sexiness that is Ryan Gosling during his Mickey Mouse Club days. Err… okay, so he wasn’t sexy then — I mean hellooo, what was he, 13? GROSS. At the very least he was adorable and 7-year-old me totally had a crush on him, but Tony Lucca was my main man back then. But all of sudden he got all grown up and started appearing in all these great movies, formed a band (Dead Man’s Bones), and stole my heart along the way… along with millions of other girls. ♡
Happy Birthday Ryan Gosling!
Are you ponies fans of the Gos too? If so, what are some of your favorite Ryan Gosling flicks? Mine are Blue Valentine, Half Nelson, Remember the Titans, Lars and the Real Girl, and Crazy, Stupid Love. Oh, and do you guys remember when he was Young Hercules? – insert laughing emoji here –Â
Cheers, Nina
t-shirt: Clashist (buy here or here) // cardigan: Forever 21
booties: Blowfish Shoes (buy similar here) skirt: Uniqlo (buy similar here)
glasses: Derek Cardigan (buy similar here)
purse: Steve by Steve Madden (thrifted)
I used to complain about the fact that my parents never gave me a proper middle name ALL. THE. TIME. Rather than having a traditional middle name, y’know, like one that is also appropriate to be used as a first name, I was bestowed with my mom’s maiden name instead while my older sister got that AND a traditional middle name. I could seriously go on about this whole subject, but I won’t. I finally started appreciating my middle name when I was 18 and even adopted it as my nom de plume and ditched my actual last name (well, not legally anyhow). But all together my initials = N.P.H. Just like Neil Patrick Harris! By default, I have the most legen–wait for it–dary initials. EVER.
After I started noticing a slew of monogram accessories pop up all over the web last year, I longed for a gold necklace that bared my initials. It’s funny, because I recall thinking that very thought while checking my email and came across a message from oNecklace asking if I’d be interested in reviewing a necklace of my choice for Le Fancy Geek. Kismet at its finest, right?!
There are tons of pretty baubles to choose from — you can have necklaces, rings, and bracelets customized with your name (just like the infamous ‘Carrie’ necklace from Sex & the City) or initials in silver and gold (24k plated, 14k, 14k white gold). They also come in various styles and you can choose what length and type of chain you’d like for your necklace to be on. I opted for the split chain monogram necklace on a 16 in. rolo chain and I’m completely smitten with it. The fancy font is slightly hard to read at first glance, but I love how it’s a great balance of being both delicate and bold.
If you ponies want to get one too, you can use the code “fancygeek” at the checkout to receive 10% off! Plus everything’s free shipping. And isn’t Mother’s Day coming up soon? Just sayin’. 😉
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, there are apparently guidelines (which you can find here) for how your monogram should look if you chose to get a monogramed bauble. For example, it’s supposed to be First/Last/Middle. So my necklace should’ve actually been customized as NHP, but I didn’t see the guideline until after I made my request. Oops! I prefer it the way I have it anyway.
Cheers,
Nina
necklace: c/o oNecklace (buy here) // dress: ModCloth (buy here) // glasses: Derek Cardigan (buy similar here) —- FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post as oNecklace provided me with a product to review. I was compensated with the aforementioned product. All opinions expressed are my own.Â
outfit details: cardigan: H&M // dress + belt: Xhileration // necklace: borrowed from Jen // boots: American Rag (buy here) // glasses: Brooks Brothers (buy here) // bracelet: Anna Grace Designs (buy here)
After reading the Harry Potter series, the idea of having a spirit animal (or in the world of Harry Potter’s case, a patronus) has been fascinating to me. I used to think really hard about what mine would possibly be — I finally settled on a unicorn, because I’ve always had an affinity for all equine creatures and unicorns are magical, so why not? I mean, how cool would a figure of a unicorn look bursting out of the end of a wand? SO COOL THAT I GOTTA SAY IN ALL CAPS, THAT’S HOW COOL.
Not too long ago, I took a quiz on Zimbio to see what my patronus would be and my result was a horse, which isn’t very far off from a unicorn, so I’m contempt.
Anyhow, one thing I noticed during my Portland holiday was that there was an abundance of horses. Not particularly in Portland itself, but on the way there we passed by plenty of farms and all these horses were just out there, doing their horsey thing (and by that I mean they were looking all regal and whatnot). I made it a point to yell “PONIES!” anytime I saw a group of them, just because their presence was so beautiful, I had to make it known. I also saw plenty of merchandise in stores with horses plastered on them, especially when Jen and I visited the Lan Su Chinese Garden‘s gift shop as it’s the year of the horse. That’s the location of where all these outfit shots were taken too. 🙂
I found a book about spirit animals at Powell’s City of Books called Spirit Animals: Unlocking the Secrets of Our Animal Companions by Stefanie Iris Weiss;  the cover has a horse on it, so of course I had to browse through it. Here’s what it said about the horse:
Personality: Horses long to run free. They are in their element when untethered, galloping gallantly across the plains without saddle or bridle. A wild horse is a wonder to behold; it’s happiest without boundaries.
Guiding Powers: When you feel the need to move, get out, and break free of restriction, the horse is your ultimate spirit animal guide. If you’ve been stuck in a limiting mental sphere or emotionally constrained situation, consult the free-spirited horse. If you want to get away from it all by taking a vacation but are deterred by financial difficulties or personal obligations, the horse will show you how to dissolve boundaries and roam.
After reading it, I was slightly flabbergasted because it perfectly described the state I’m in. And I totally have no business spending what little money I have to go out on lavish vacations, yet I just went to Portland, New York is next in line, and Comic-Con afterwards. I feel so very stuck where I am, and job hunting just isn’t working out in favor, and I just want to get out there and explore… is it weird to believe in signs or make connections to these kind of coincidences? Probably, but I don’t care. My spirit animal is a mutha’uckin’ horse. I mean, I have a tattoo of one for crying out loud.
As you may know the square root of π = 3.14, making the 14th of March Pie Day! Or Pi Day. I prefer the former because it involves the kind of pie you can eat and not numbers.
I’m an English major. You do the math.
For some reason the square root of Ï€ is one of the only things I remember from my high school math class. The F.O.I.L. method? Couldn’t tell ya, I don’t remember what the hell that thing is. But pi? 3.14 is the square root and that’s all I know. Anyhow, I put together a little outfit that I thought would be super appropriate to celebrate the day in. I mean, can that dress by ModCloth be anymore perfect? Nope. It can’t. And I also added my Ned the Pie Maker necklace from my Etsy store, Le Fancy Geek Boutique, to the ensemble because… well, pie. Duh.
And speaking Le Fancy Geek Boutique, there’s a great sale going on right now!
From now until Sunday, you can save $3.14 on your order (see what I did there?)! Just use the code “PIEDAY14” when you checkout. 😀
Thor has absolutely nothing to do with pies, but you can pick up this necklace along with Ned the Pie Maker and many other designs during the sale 😀
outfit details – dress: Annabelle // belt: Xhileration // shoes: Cityclassified // glasses: Derek Cardigan // tote: Gama-Go // Lego Loki necklace: made by me
Hello again, my little ponies!
So I put together this Loki-inspired outfit for day two of mine and Tim’s SoCal getaway. This would’ve been perfect to wear to Disneyland if they had opened up their “Treasures of Asgard” experience while we were there. I could’ve taken a picture with Thor and then demanded that he kneel before me. How could he refuse? I mean, look at how fierce my shoes are! Actually, those shoes would’ve totally been the death of my feet if I wore them to the park. Eek!
Anyhow, our day mostly consisted of shopping at Company D, which is basically like Costco for Disney employees and heaven and hell on earth for me (so amazing, yet so dangerous for my wallet with all the Disneyland merchandise for half off!), and Downtown Disney, and driving to San Diego (boo, traffic). Since I knew we wouldn’t be on our feet the whole day, I opted to wear shoes that aren’t too comfortable for long durations of time, but damn cute! I found them at TJ Maxx a month ago and was naturally drawn to them because they reminded me of the god of mischief. And my green dress with the slanted blocked stripes was found at Ross. Yes, that reminded me of Loki too. With both items I remember seeing them in the store and leaving empty handed, and completely regretting my decision to not buy them. Don’t you hate it when that happens? Luckily, I ended up with both of them!
I made the Lego Loki necklace for myself the day before we left out of a keychain I got from a Lego store last year. It’s not the most functional thing I’ve ever made — he tends to like flipping with his backside out since the horns on his helmet protrude quite a bit. Oh well. I still think it’s quite charming.
My Gama-Go tote was purchased at Comic-Con a few years ago. Isn’t it neat? It’s supposed to look like an x-ray of what bags look like when they’re put through the conveyer belts at airports. I wouldn’t ever bring this on a flight though — something tells me TSA wouldn’t appreciate it. x__x
And look at who I found at the Lego Store in Downtown Disney! HULK GO SMASH. He wasn’t too happy with my ensemble’s inspiration. Sorry I’m not sorry, Hulky!
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