Tag: geek chic

geek style

New Year, Who Dis?

Nina Penalosa5 Comments

Welp, 2018 has come and gone and it was filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, but I made it out alive (had my first bought of food poisoning the day before New Year’s Eve and wanted to die, but I’m here) so… yay?

I wrote a blog post last July saying I wanted to be better at writing on here, and after that I did a whopping 3 posts. ::cue sad trombone:: I’m gonna cut myself some slack though! On that note, I’ll try and be better this year. I feel like I did a lot of cool things in 2018 (went to Portland and checked out the Laika exhibit, went on my first business trip to NYC, read sooo many awesome comics, modeled in the Her Universe Fashion Show, oh and my hair is blue now!), so maybe I’ll do a few throwback posts throughout the year. We’ll see…

I’m pretty stoked for 2019 though — I have some fun things planned out already. Besides SDCC in July, I’m planning a trip to NYC in April!!! My plane tickets have been purchased and everything. My trip happened upon impulse after I had a mental breakdown about how I want adventure in the great wide somewhere, and I could probably do so many things, and I got really down on myself about my frivolous spending habits (this was sometime after Black Friday, and ooh lord, I spent sooooooo much). The amount I spend on food, clothes, Funko Pops, comics, and whatnot could totally be put towards traveling or going to shows. I cracked numbers in my head about how much I need to pay off my credit cards (even though I’m bad at math), and my friend Alice (Bodhi Brigade) had told me that tickets to Hadestown, a musical she had talked about on Twitter that I fell in love with, had discounted fan tickets before they’re sold to the general public. I didn’t know what day she got her ticket, but after my little breakdown, I picked a day and just fucking bought it.

I know. I KNOW! It all sounds crazy, stupid, and reckless, but Neil Gaiman said he hopes we make mistakes because when we make mistakes it means we’re trying new things and changing our world… or something like that. Anyway, my goal from that moment forward was to invest more in experiences. I want to do more things, not buy more things (except for books and the occasional clothing item).

Wanna know something else? I bought a ticket to watch White Noise, a play that Daveed Diggs will be starring in, at the Public Theater in NYC a week after I bought my ticket for Hadestown, so I was like, “Okay, yep. I am definitely going!” And by happenstance, my ticket for Hadestown is for the same day and time Alice and Cat are going. What are the odds???

Other goals I have this year are to create more, be more active, and read more books. Last year I told myself I wanted to write at least one thing and submit it for publication, and I did! Not sure of its status, but it felt so good to get back into writing anyhow. 🙂

::OUTFIT DETAILS::
t-shirt: Jordandene (buy here) | jacket: Old Navy (buy here)
skirt: Hot Topic | shoes: Dexflex Comfort | belt: Walmart
hat: H&M | glasses: Bonlook (sold out)

What are your plans for 2019? Have any trips lined up, goals, or resolutions? Are goals and resolutions practically the same thing? Let’s talk about it in the comments!

Cheers,
Nina

(photos by Jennifer Khut)

PS: I almost forgot! Jordandene has kicked off an official ambassador program and I’ve been asked to return! I’m hella excited to be working with them again because they’re one of my absolute faves; their shirts are soo comfy and the geek centric quotes printed on them often feel like armor. My Clever Girl scoop neck also looks hella dope with my fossil skirt if I do say so myself ;)You can use my coupon code LEFANCYGEEK to save 15% on a minimum purchase of $20

geek style · out & about

Burdened With Glorious Purpose

Nina Penalosa6 Comments

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!

Cheers,
Nina

geek style

Once Upon a Smorgasbord Update & Sale!

Nina Penalosa6 Comments

Hey all! Like I mentioned in my last post, I started a post Mother’s Day sale on my Etsy store Once Upon a Smorgasbord since I wasn’t able to do one in time for the actual holiday itself. Oops.

From now until May 20, use code OOPS10 to get 10% off your purchase 🙂

Here are some of the latest additions to the store:

Padme Amidala necklace
Queen Elinor from Brave necklace
A vintage illustration of a mother and child on a French chandelier crystal pendent
My Little Pony – Coconut Dream necklace
My Little Pony – Skywishes necklace
Hello Kitty necklace
Adventure Time – Jake the Dog necklace
Donald Duck necklace
Cinderella & Prince Charming earrings
Jawa earrings

Cheers,
Nina

geek style

Da Na Na Na Na Na Na Na BATMAN!

Nina Penalosa11 Comments

outfit details – dress: Material Girl // cardigan & belt: Merona // earrings: H&M // watch: Disney x Timex // hair bow: upcycled from a broken headband // shoes: Target ballet flats I DIY’d with Batman fabric // glasses: Derek Cardigan (buy here)

Batman’s been my favorite superhero ever since I was an itty bitty thing. I didn’t necessarily read the comics, but I watched the old campy version with Adam West all the time with my grandpa, and of course I loved the Tim Burton movies that came out when I was around 5, and Batman: The Animated Series was an after-school staple! My sister and I even had hair ribbons and shoe laces adorned with Batman’s emblem — I guess I’ve been doing the geeky-girly thing since I was a little lady. Ha! Anywho, I attempted to do some color blocking and pattern mixing with this outfit by mixing my kelly green lace dress with royal blue and hints of yellow to compliment Batman’s logo on my shoes that I DIY’d myself! I made them in August by using acrylic paint, Mod Podge, and Batman fabric on an old pair of ballet flats that I  found a bit boring. They looked really awesome after they were done and I was extremely happy with the way they turned out, but after wearing them twice the paint and bits of fabric started falling off. NOOO! I still need to figure out how to salvage them. Are there any crafty folks that might be able to give me some sage advice? I did manage to salvage the hair bow I’m wearing though — it was originally on a headband that Jen and Shanice picked up for me in Japan Town, but when I found it behind my vanity it was broken! I ripped the bow off and attached it to a clip and voila — insta-accessory! And the polkadots are kind of comic bookish since the illustrations on some of them, particularly the really old ones, were pretty dotty. 🙂

 

Cheers,
Nina

geek style

Preppy Sith

Nina Penalosa4 Comments

Sometimes I like to make subtle nods to my geekdom in any outfit I wear, like with an accessory that reminds me of something from Doctor Who or a Disney character. Other times I’m very abrasive about it. Case in point, the Star Wars outfit I threw together when I went to San Francisco with my two best friends last Saturday. I’m usually all for the good guys and underdogs, but when it comes to Star Wars I can’t help but be drawn to the dark side of the force.

I don’t know what that says about me as a person. o_0

I found the Darth Vader pullover in H&M’s mens section a couple years ago. When I saw it, I felt like I couldn’t leave the store unless it came home with me… despite the fact that the money I spent on it should’ve gone to groceries. Speaking of groceries, the Stormtrooper ring I wore with this outfit was found on a cupcake from a grocery store! I seriously only bought the cupcake for the ring. Best $1.99 I ever spent! The collared shirt I’m wearing underneath my pullover was purchased at Marshall’s when I was a freshman in high school. I graduated in 2004, so that shirt is pretty fuggin old. I got my grey pleated skirt on sale at the Gap earlier this year during my local stores’ “Going Out of Business” sale. *cries* Stockton can’t have nice things, EVER! At least we have Dillards — it’s the only store location in California! My Kate Spade typewriter purse was given to me as a graduation present from my mom and dad last year. It is easily the coolest purse I own. And now a little Arpakasso (or Alpakasso) guy dangles from it. Jen bought it for me while we were in Japantown as a super early birthday present (my birthday isn’t until January). Since he’s wearing the German flag colors, I named him Han. 🙂

Our trip to SF was pretty awesome, despite the fact that my outfit shoot totally got interrupted by a mumbling crackhead. No, seriously. She was high and asked Shanice if she was a witch. She said some other things too, but they’re way too inappropriate for my blog! The picture above is the only decent shot that came from the shoot pre crackhead. I suppose it’s for the best — it would’ve looked odd if I smiled while clad in Empire gear, right? But before that nonsense we stopped by Berkeley first for food, because that place is just full of delicious om noms like Top Dog! Then we headed to Japantown where I found a Tokidoki cardigan that had buttons that looked like donuts. DONUT BUTTONS. I damn near died from the kawaiiness of it all. Afterwards we hit up Haight Street so I could sell some DVDs at Amoeba (but I decided to keep them because they only offered me $8 in cash), then we ran into the crazy lady, and ate dessert at Akiba Cafe. They have waitresses that dress up like lolita maids, but there weren’t any when I went. Booo. We ended the day at Stonestown Galleria, which is right across SFSU. When I was a student there I found myself wandering around Stonestown before, inbetween, and after classes. I often went home with an empty stomach and new shirt (or dress, or sweater, or whatever).

And that was my day, and that was my outfit. Hope you all have a great weekend! ❤

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outfit details:

  • Collared shirt: Express
  • Pullover: H&M
  • Skirt: Gap
  • Boots: Madden Girl
  • Purse: Kate Spade w/an Alpakasso keychain
  • Ring: I got it from a cupcake at the grocery store 🙂