Tag: kate spade

geek style

You’re Just As Sane As I Am

Nina Penalosa6 Comments

I found this post just hanging out and collecting figurative dust in my drafts. It’s too cute to not share though! If you know me, you know I love getting dressed in theme when I go places or for certain days. I wore this outfit on September 1st aka Back to Hogwarts Day! Since it’s a Luna Lovegood outfit, why not post this on her birthday? 🙂

I’m a Hufflepuff through and through, but I’d like to think that Luna would be one of my best friends if I went to Hogwarts. We’d hangout and read the Quibbler together and I’d listen to her talk about nargles and other weird things, and we’d have fun craft sessions (making cool jewelry and papier-mĂąchĂ© headpieces for quidditch games).

Both my Luna skirt and beret are from 1138 Clothing, a super cute geek small biz owned and run by my girl Linda. Linda sews all the dresses, skirts, and tops for 1138 Clothing and will even customize pieces to fit your exact measurements. The silhouettes/style of her garments have a retro/vintage feel with a geek twist as she uses fabrics adorned with characters from all kinds of fandoms — from Harry Potter to Disney to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — there’s something for every geek!

:: OUTFIT DETAILS ::
skirt & beret: 1138 Clothing (buy here & here)
glasses: Zenni Optical (buy here) | top: Old Navy
shoes: Dexflex Comfort | belt: Lane Bryant
purse: Kate Spade | bag essence: Tokyo Disney

Who’s your favorite Harry Potter character and what house are you in? Did you get sorted by Pottermore or did you figure it out on your own? Let’s talk about it in the comments!

Cheers,
Nina

PS: Happy Galentine’s Day!!!

 

 

geek style

No Rescuer Required

Nina Penalosa1 Comment

I know I put up a Valentine’s Day themed outfit post last week, but I really like what I wore on the day itself, so I thought I’d share it on the blog too! The t-shirt I wore is from TeePublic and features a Star Wars x Disney mashup by James Hance of Penny from The Rescuers as Princess Leia. He’s one of my favorite geek artists of all time and he just seems like a really swell guy. This judgement solely comes from following him on Twitter and Facebook. I urge you to check out his artwork! Not only does he do great geek mashups, but creates some mind blowing portraits of fictional faves; he recently did a beautiful portrait of Princess Leia with flowers that I’m in love with. The header on his website is “Relentlessly Cheerful Art,” and if his work doesn’t put a smile on your face, something is legit wrong with you!

teepublic-shirt-star-wars-james-hance-disney

Like I mentioned in my Valentine’s Day post, I didn’t have any plans. But throughout the day I felt pretty zen… and then super sick because all I ate was chocolate covered strawberries, marshmallows, Girl Scout cookies, and cupcakes. That aside, I didn’t even cringe when I looked at that Facebook feature “On This Day” where it shows you all the things you ever posted on a particular day on Facebook. A photo album full of pictures from my first Valentine’s Day with my ex popped up, but rather than roll my eyes and wistfully look at the pics, I just kept scrolling to see what else I posted. And then I came across this gem:

“Okay, look. I had to ask myself a really hard question. Who do I love most? And the answer was so obvious. It was staring me in the face the whole time. The person I love most is me. I love me most. Look, if I could run across the beach into my own arms, I would.” – Jackie Burkhart

I posted that quote from That 70’s Show on Valentine’s Day 2011. I think I relate to it more now than I did then. In 2011, I was 25 and so desperate to find the kind of love that was only seen in romantic comedies and Disney movies. At that time I was in an on again/off again “situationship” with a guy I pined over for so long — 3 years to be exact. For 3 years it was very “will we or won’t we?!” Or maybe it ended by that time? I don’t remember, and I deleted the guy’s “break up” email a long time ago, so I can’t look it up in GMAIL for reference. I’m sure I posted that quote to prove a point. Like, “Yeah, I don’t need a man. I HAVE ME!” when really I was an emo sack of shit that just wanted to be loved (goddammit)! Today, I can say I’ve experienced the kind of love I always dreamed of as a little girl, but it came and went in what feels like less than 12 parsecs. There are days where I feel completely jaded by how unlucky I’ve been with love, however I don’t put all my energy into dwelling on it like I did when I was in my early 20s. Now, I’m learning to love myself more despite my flaws (and holy shit, do I have many).  There’s a million things I haven’t done, and men can wait! I will choose myself over any dude… besides Rory, obviously. Because every princess needs a furry sidekick! And if I’m going to go along with this whole princess schtick,  I’m going to look up to Leia because she’s the OG self rescuing princess. If my Scruffy Looking Nerf Herder happens to come along one day, so be it. Until then, I’m not sitting by metaphorical wishing well hoping he’ll find me.

teepublic-james-hance-star-wars-disney

teepublic-james-hance-star-wars-disney

Maybe I should wear this shirt every Valentine’s Day. One can’t help but be relentlessly cheerful with such cute art on their person! How’d you spend your Valentine’s Day? Or are you like “meh, whatever” about it? Let’s talk about it in the comments!

:: OUTFIT DETAILS ::
t-shirt: TeePublic (buy here) skirt: Forever 21 (n/a)
cardigan: Merona (buy similar here) necklace: Kate Spade (n/a)
shoes: Dexflex Comfort (buy similar here)
bracelet: Love & Madness (buy here)
glasses: Glasses Lit (buy similar here)

Cheers,
Nina

geek style · out & about

Punch It, Chewie!

Nina Penalosa7 Comments

Aloha, my little ponies! Hawaii has been pretty damn amazing… except for the millions of mosquito bites I have acquired. Ugh! The mosquitos here can go to hell and die. Other than that, I’ve been having lots of fun with my family! Last weekend I got to attend my cousin Amanda’s wedding to her longtime boyfriend Nick. I’ve never cried or gotten emotional at a wedding, but something about their’s made me ruin my makeup a little bit. I’m so happy for the two of them since this wedding was a long time coming! I jokingly refer to Nick as the big brother I never wanted because he likes to annoy me on purpose and I him. Now all the pressure is on my sister’s boyfriend of nearly 13 years. She even caught the bouquet, so the pressure is even more real. Haha! Sorry, Ryan!

I originally was going to wear this really pretty dress from Heart of Haute with hydrangeas all over it with a black pair of ballet flats, but the weather here has been pouring rain on and off AND it’s also been freakin’ hot and humid. I actually wore this outfit the day before exploring the North Shore and thought it might be better to wear, and it was. –Phew–

And you might have noticed that I threw in some Star Wars accessories with this ensemble too. â˜ș

The teals and blues of the Millennium Falcon belt I got at Hot Topic matched the teal dress I got from the Old Navy outlet in Livermore, and floral things + sci-fi is mah thang, so pairing it with this cover up I originally got to wear poolside was a no-brainer. I didn’t even mean to pack my Chewbacca ring, but I found him in my carryon as I was unpacking at the hotel. If that’s not kismet, I don’t know what is. The Darth Vader purse by Loungefly was also going to be used with the outfit I intended to wear, but it works with this one too! It looks like it’s small, but it actually holds quite a few things! I was able to stuff my lipstick, chapstick, battery charger + chord, little wallet, my phone, and BB-8 Funko and Stitch Tsum Tsum into it. It’s easily become my new favorite accessory!

Now that I think about it, nearly everything I wore to the wedding was purchased at the outlet in Livermore just a few days before I flew to Hawaii. Hooray for last minute shopping!

I head back to California on Thursday, so for now I’m just going to enjoy the rest of my vacation. More blog posts about Hawaii to come sometime after! But you can follow my Hawaiian Holiday on Instagram if you’d like to see what I’m up to. â˜ș

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dress: Old Navy (buy similar here) | cover up: Seafolly
shoes: Crocs (buy similar here) | belt: BioWorld (buy here)
sunglasses: Kate Spade | ring: n/a (buy similar here)
purse: Loungefly (buy here) | hair flower: DIY’d by me

cheers

geek style

When the Clock Strikes 12

Nina PenalosaLeave a comment

I never thought I’d ever need a petticoat (or crinoline), but since I’ve been more inspired by vintage/pinup girl fashion thanks to Pinup Girl Clothing I’ve found that petticoats are essential for making the circle skirts that I own look nice ‘n pouffy. After I scored one by Tatyana on Zulily, I’ve also found that they make me feel like an effing Disney princess! If I can’t be an actual Disney princess, I’d like to at least look or feel like one… this is what most women in their late 20s want, right?

Speaking of Disney princesses, have any of you seen the new Cinderella movie starring Lady Rose Lily James yet?! I watched it last Friday and I am OBSESSED. It’s sooo magical! The movie made me feel like a little girl full of hopes and dreams while watching it. 🙂 I thought it was a great adaptation of the animated version, and I’m really pleased with all the changes that were made, such as Cinderella meeting the prince (played by a beardless Robb Stark Richard Madden) before the ball. The story and the characters just felt a lot fuller to me than the animated version. Then again, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen it, so I could be wrong. Oh, Cate Blanchett was fabulous as Lady Tremaine! I hated her and admired her all at once. I don’t know how to explain that, but I’m sure if you see the movie you’ll understand.

I don’t really have anything in closet to do an actual Cinderella Disneybound, but I knew I wanted to put together something Cinderella-ish. The skirt with the clocks is something I got on ModCloth ages ago. It seemed more Doctor Who-ish to me at first, but when I happened upon it while trying to find pieces for a Cinderella outfit I thought it tied in with the clock at the ball.  And I don’t own any flats that resemble glass slippers, but my vintage lucite clutch seemed like a good alternative. 🙂

 cheers

13932753164_59cedb28ab

skirt & glasses: ModCloth (buy glasses here) // top: Kate Spade
purse: Pinup Girl Clothing (buy here) // petticoat: Tatyana Boutique (buy here)
necklace: Le Fancy Geek Boutique (buy here) // ring: made by me
lucite clutch: vintage //watch: Casio x Disney
shoes: White Mountain (buy here)

geek style · Uncategorized

I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up to No Good

Nina Penalosa8 Comments

I’ve been feeling quite nostalgic over Harry Potter lately, especially since Hot Topic started coming out with all these amazing HP accessories and dresses! Since us Potterheads have awhile to wait the for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie to be released, and also for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to open at Universal Studios in Hollywood, CA (both are supposedly slated for 2016, which feels VERY far away — also, some of us west coasters don’t have the money or desire to make the trek to Florida to visit the WWHP there… it’s so bloody hot and humid!), this, to me, feels like a way to hold me over until then. I’m also planning on re-visiting the book series since it’s been too long since I last read them. Right now I’m reading The Tales of Beedle the Bard for funsies.

I saw this Marauder’s Map dress at Hot Topic last month and wanted to cry over both how beautiful it was and also for the fact that the store I saw it in didn’t have it in my size. Then I went online and it was sold out in my size too, nor did the store in my town have it. First World Problems, right? Ugh! But, the the sale associate looked it up and there were two left at the store in Modesto (hometown of George Lucas and Jeremy Renner), so I had them put it on hold and made the 45 minute trek to pick it up. The things we do for material items sometimes, y’know? It was totally worth the drive though! I paired the dress with my mustard yellow cardigan that I found at a thrift store to rep my Hufflepuffness, and borrowed my mom’s Kate Spade owl purse because how perfect does it look with this dress? Harry Potter and owls just makes sense… like peanut butter and jelly, or Tonks and Lupin. The Harry Potter necklace I made goes perfectly with it too. 🙂

How’re my fellow Potterheads holding up?

Cheers,
Nina

cardigan: Xhileration (thrifted) // dress: WB (buy here)
purse: Kate Spade (buy here)// flats: Blowfish Shoes (no longer available)
necklace: Le Fancy Geek Boutique (buy here)
glasses: Derek Cardigan (buy similar here) // ring: vintage
earrings (not pictured): Hot Topic (buy here)

geek style

Elite! Elite!

Nina Penalosa8 Comments

outfit details – cardigan: Merona // t-shirt: Teefury (buy similar here) // belt: Xhileration // skirt: Princess by Vera Wang // moccasins: Seychelles // purse: Kate Spade // glasses: Derek Cardigan (buy here)

I’m still trying to get back into the swing of things since coming back home from San Diego yesterday. Even though I only went to Comic-Con for one day I’m completely zonked out by it! I went on Sunday and I remember Sunday being the day that no one really cared to go to because nothing super exciting usually happened panel-wise, but friggin Doctor Who, Breaking Bad, and Supernatural were all at the infamous Hall H (it’s damn near impossible to get into a Hall H panel unless you plan on camping overnight), and that’s a pretty exciting line-up for a Sunday. I decided to ditch Doctor Who — as much as I love the show, I wanted to get the most out of my one day at Comic-Con by exploring the floor to see what was going on rather than spend it waiting in line.

I’ll talk more about my con experience throughout the week! I just wanted to post this cute outfit I wore to the the Neil Gaiman book signing earlier this month. I actually planned this outfit out right after Tim bought the tickets months ago. Is that weird? I can’t be the only person who put together outfits months in advance to wear to special events that aren’t weddings! Anyhow, I really dig the design on my shirt. It was designed by The Atomic Rocket and features a dapper Cyberman rocking a bowler hat, monocle, and a bow tie. There’s a little word bubble by him that says, “Elite! Elite!” (a play on their “Delete! Delete!” catchphrase). It was on Teefury awhile ago, which means that it was only offered for 24 hours, so I immediately bought it! I love the Cybermen, they’re definitely one of my favorite monsters on Doctor Who. I feel like they don’t get as much love as the Daleks do. And Neil Gaiman wrote an episode featuring Cybermen in the latest season of Doctor Who, so it was super appropriate for the signing! 😀

Until next time, kitties!

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 🙂
geek style · pup life

Get along lil’ doggy

Nina Penalosa1 Comment

The holiday season has really gotten to me — and by that I mean my waistline. Fuuuuuu… Curse you delicious stupid cookies and cakes that magically appear out of nowhere during this time of year! CURSE YOU. You know I can’t resist you!

I started going back to the gym over the weekend and also started taking Rory out on walks. As a result, I am SO. RIDICULOUSLY. SORE. Oh, and I’m totally drinking some hot chocolate with whipped cream as I write this. Heh…

I remember being really excited of the prospect of having my own puppy to cuddle and take out on walks before I brought Rory home in September. I even contemplated on cancelling my gym membership since I figured walking Rory would be my form of cardio. Um, I was so wrong. When Rory finally came home, I was crushed when I learned that I had to wait until he got his rabies shot to take him anywhere. 4 months — that’s how long I had to wait! In the meantime I tried attaching a leash (one of those retractable ones) on him a couple of times so he could get used to the feel of it, but he ended up chewing it which was all kinds of frustrating. He’s a puppy, so I should’ve seen that coming. *sigh*

Recently, my dad and aunt have been nagging me about taking him out on walks, so I bought regular leash and took him on a short walk to the mail box last week. I expected him to just sit there as I tried to drag him along, but to my pleasant surprise he actually walked with me and by my side (dogs are always supposed to walk by you, not behind or in front of you).

The following day I took Rory out around the neighborhood and he did fairly well. He did bark at a couple of Rottweilers though. x__x

And a few days after that, Tim took us to a trail where him and his sister used to ride their bikes.It was pretty nice, and we found another dog park along the way.

Here are some pictures from that walk:

Another thing that surprised me was when Rory let me put clothes on him and didn’t fight me about it or try to chew them off! I was so crestfallen the first 5 times I tried putting on his grey jacket and other various articles of clothing I had gotten for him and he would just not have it. I was like, “Dammit, I’m going to have one of those dogs that hate clothes!” But alas. He doesn’t! 😀

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outfit details:

me:

  • hat: H&M
  • shirt: Gap
  • jacket: Xhiliration
  • pants: Old Navy
  • shoes: Madden Girl
  • purse: Kate Spade

Rory:

  • Martha Stewart for PetSmart

Tim:

  • shirt/sweater/blazer: H&M
  • shoes: Aldo
  • pants: ???
bloop · geek style

What’s in a Meme?

Nina Penalosa2 Comments

This meme is floating about, so I thought I’d give it a go.

Also, I wore this outfit yesterday and when I was walking to my car in the school parking lot, some random dude said, “You look very cute today.” 😀

A. Age: 25
B. Bed size: Does my futon count as a bed? When it’s spread out, it’s full-size.
C. Chore that you hate: Washing dishes. The way your hands smell afterwards is disgusting.
D. Dogs: Rory! I’m bringing him home this weekend. 😀
E. Essential start to your day: Bowl of cereal and checking my email.
F. Favorite color: Purple.
G. Gold or Silver: I’ve been leaning towards gold a lot these days.
H. Height: 5’4
I. Instruments you play: Kazoo.
J. Job title: Blogger.
K. Kids: Nada.
L. Live: Stockton, CA
M. Mother’s name: Carmel.
N. Nicknames: Ni, Ninner, Neener, Mocha Bear (MB), Ninamus Prime.
O. Overnight hospital stays: Nope!
P. Pet peeves: Incorrect grammar. I can tolerate interweb jargon, but if you don’t know the meaning of their, there, and they’re, or the difference between your and you’re… *shakes fist*
Q. Quote from a movie: “I’m gonna go pee due to boredom.” – Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
R. Right or left handed: Right handed.
S. Siblings: An older seester.
U. Underwear: Y U NEED TO KNOW?
V. Vegetable you hate: I’m actually not sure. Cauliflower and brussels sprouts scare me a bit though.
W. What makes you run late: Constantly changing outfits. I usually have idea of what I want to wear the night before, but sometimes things don’t go as planned.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Dental stuff and my tummy.
Y. Yummy food that you make: Scrambled eggs with cheese. o,0
Z. Zoo animal: Giraffes. I want to feed one someday.

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outfit details:

  • shirt/skirt/beanie: H&M
  • belt: Target
  • shoes: Blowfish
  • necklace: Disney Couture
  • purse: Kate Spade
geek style · out & about

The Great Indoors

Nina PenalosaLeave a comment

Today I hung out with my friend, Marquis, who I haven’t seen in a very, very long time, and who I’ve known for a very, very long time (we met in 7th grade which was damn near 12-13 years ago). We drove a few towns over to Manteca to eat at Red Robbins since the one in Stockton shut down a few years ago. Plus there’s really not a whole lot to do in Stockton. We have two malls, both are only one-story and they are right across the street from each other. Isn’t that sad? We eventually ended up going to one of them though. o___0

I saw that the Bass Pro Shop was right across the street from Red Robbins and I was like, “OH MY GOD, CAN WE GO?” That store is like Disneyland for those with a great love for fishing, camping, and hunting. I love none of the former, though I’m interested in going camping again one day, but I went to the one in Rancho Cucamonga last year and I was pretty amused. Did you know you can sit in the boats they have inside? And yes, that store is big enough to hold multiple boats. The store also sells clothes, shoes, jewelry, toys, and it even has an archery range, a couple of shooting arcades, and a fudge shoppe and delicious licorice… and now I’m wondering why I left empty handed. :/

While there, I noticed that parts of my outfit kind of fit in with the store — my plaid shirt and compass necklace. I would never go explore the outdoors in ballet flats. x__x

The entrance to the store is decorated with antlers and two taxidermy Bambis, which I think looks cool, but at the same time I’m  like, “Holy sh!t, Bambi and his friends died for this!” I know deer are overpopulated and have ticks and carry Lyme disease and whatever, but it’s still sad. And the store is basically a menagerie of stuffed animals, so if you can’t handle that kind of stuff, you probably shouldn’t check out the store.

Random Nina fact: Deers rank among my top 5 favorite animals.

  1. Puppies
  2. Ponies
  3. Deer
  4. Pandas
  5. Penguins <– #5 is sometimes switched between tigers and otters

Anywho, I found a couple of interesting BBQ sauces at the Bass Pro Shop too:

Why didn’t I buy them???

So, this store was basically the highlight of mine and Marquis’ reunion. Afterwards we headed the mall in Stockton so he could return some shoes, and he had to wait for me while I looked around Forever 21. Haha! We thought about going to watch a movie, but nothing interesting is out right now, so we went to Toys ‘R Us (my suggestion, naturally) and TJ Maxx (also my suggestion). I found a cute bone-shaped houndstooth printed doggy poo bag dispenser for $4! If I’m going to start picking up dog crap, I might as well do it in style.

So yeah… that was my day! 🙂

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outfit details

  • dress/shirt: H&M
  • glasses: Heritage 1981
  • shoes: Blowfish Malibu
  • necklace: True Birds
  • ring: Target
  • purse: Kate Spade