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The Lady Nerd

Geek Made Chic

Archives for January 2019

Pretty in Pastel

January 28, 2019 by The Lady Nerd 2 Comments

I can’t tell you how excited I am to share this shoot! Normally I’m a very sleek, black, spy chic kind of gal. But part of the fun of being a model is getting to try out different looks, different characters. This particular one was probably the most different look I’ve ever done! Pastels are the antithesis of my usual palette (she says as she washes her almost entirely black laundry load). So when my make up artist and stylist friend, Dustin Sean Lazenby and photographer, Richard Scalzo pulled this get-up together, I was a bit hesitant…

Then they put the wig on me.

I was hooked! So off I went, prancing my buttermint pastel self to the front of the camera, grinning my head off as I went.

Speaking of grinning, I know many of you have mentioned how you’d like to see me smile more in my pictures. While I joke that I only have two modes – model face and derp face. The truth is I’m quite self conscious of my smile (I’ll spare you my wah wah whiny details), and feel it comes out looking really wonky in photos. But you better believe if I get a photo where it looks normal and pretty, I’m going to post it! I feel so spoiled by Richard in this photoshoot because I got not one, but multiple attractive smiling pictures!

When I got these final edits, I was having a sick day in bed, feeling rather rotten and dumpy, having been in the same PJs for days (depression is a jerk), unwashed face, hair, weight gain, etc. Getting these pictures in my inbox turned my whole day around!

I hope you enjoyed this Honeydukes-tastic look!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: mint green dress, pastel, pastel outfit, pink hair, pink wig

The Struggle of Staying On Brand

January 18, 2019 by The Lady Nerd 12 Comments

Brand Identity.

That’s a business-tastic word that gets thrown around a lot these days in the blogging world. I’m still trying to figure out exactly what that means for The Lady Nerd. The easiest summary is to say “oh! Geek fashion! Every post, outfit, photoshoot, etc. should be geek related. Duh.” But then I can’t do things easy, can I? (If you’ve followed me long enough, you’re likely to be nodding your head emphatically.)

Even this photoshoot I did last year, I struggled to fit it into my “brand”, grasping at any fandom character it might remind people of or else it was just a random outfit picture of me. (The look became known as “Hipster Jessica Jones” at the photo shoot out, but it still doesn’t quite fit. So I’ve struggled to post this trying to figure out if it’s, you guessed it, ‘on brand’ or not.)

I share a lot of different things on here and social media as The Lady Nerd has shifted from being simple a cosplay pseudonym to being well..me! My brand is me. It is what I offer from cosplay photoshoots to geek fashion styling to modeling art to travel and film set adventure diaries to vulnerable conversation of being a disabled creative. Unfortunately that doesn’t always neatly fall under a fandom lately.

So what’s a gal to do?

Honestly, I don’t know yet.

My initial goal with The Lady Nerd was to be a influencer bridge between the nerd community and the mainstream fashion community. But there have been many obstacles to that. And honestly, after years of trying to make it happen, I get the feeling that’s not something my readers actually want to see.

Over the years I’ve gone on a journey to see the magic of the everyday. I had my head too much in the clouds, lusting after a life of seemingly unattainable class and status. But a geek version! Surely that’s doable, I’d always say to myself. Well….not exactly. But sometimes one has to try their darn hardest to make it happen on their own terms to learn from those mistakes and find something new. So now, I am in transition to something new.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, dear readers, on what you would like to see from me. What does “The Lady Nerd” mean to you? What comes to mind when you think of those three words?


Photographs:

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: blogging, brand, brand identity, city fashion, urban fashion

Why It’s Okay to Fail at Fashion

January 16, 2019 by The Lady Nerd Leave a Comment



In this modern world of curated fashion influencers posing in perfectly matched outfits by appropriately themed backdrops, it can feel downright disheartening when you have the dreaded *gasp* fashion fail. Throw in being a perfectionist like me and hellooooo recipe for anxiety pie! (Newsflash: It’s not tasty.)

In a throwback to the Alaskan cruise I took in 2017 (yes yes, I’m still working on the backlog of blog posts to write from it. So. Many. To. Write.), I had the brilliant idea to plow through Pinterest for reference of outfits to put together for the trip in the hopes of writing beautiful travel blogs worthy of Insta-famous drooling. Sounds fool-proof, right?

Ah. Hah. Ahahahahahah.

I have a lot to learn. But learning is good! That’s something I think is missing from the conversation of bloggers. One tends to learn more from failures than successes. As I strutted out onto the deck to shoot this particular outfit that I for-sure thought was a perfectly constructed nautical masterpiece of chic sophistication, I was in for an eye opening experience.

The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I’m bad at math…

Let’s dissect this shall we?

After selecting the first two photos in this post to achieve the look I wanted, I was disappointed in the full-body pictures. It took me a hot minute to figure out why. But as my knowledge of fashion and visual proportions has grown, I realized a few things…

1) When one has a torso as long as I do, visually, it’s better to balance out proportions by either making the torso look short or the legs longer. (i.e. tuck in the shirt. Wear high waisted pants. Or wear heels)

2) Learn thy angles! Editor Briana is disappointed in Model Briana for this. Model Briana should know better. Model Briana needs to Work. Those. Angles!

3) While I am naturally pear shaped, my lower hips stick out due to both the way my body deposits fat, but also muscle reformation issues from my accident (especially the left side which puckers out weirdly from my scar). It bugs my OCD, so I try to camoflauge it in different ways. This photoshoot was before I learned how to do that. Past Briana, flowy coats are your frieeeeend. They hide said hip weirdness and make you look epic when the wind blows.

So next time I put an outfit like this together, I know some different things to try to create a perfect nautical chic outfit for my odd little body. Voila!

Photographer: Alena Van Arendonk

(Disclaimer: Anyone can wear whatever they like. This is just a personal commentary on my own wardrobe and personal look.)

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: cruise fashion, cruise outfit, fashion fail

To Travel or Not to Travel

January 9, 2019 by Briana 4 Comments

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”

– St. Augustine 354 AD

As Emily Dickinson wrote, “To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.” Yet I’ve found myself drawn back into the familiar trudge of being a homebody, being slave to depression and poverty, while wistfully sighing over the seemingly endless stream of far-away adventuring Instragrammers with their sunshine filled exotic adventures. As someone who once traveled across the world alone and knows the soul-filling capacity of travel, my heart aches much these days.

As a child, time seemed to be vague, ambigious at best. There was a sunrise and a sunset, but at the end of the day, time did not seem to exist outside of homework deadlines and afternoon snack. Until adulthood, I never really took notice of its passage. It was seemingly effortless, not affecting me in a way I could comprehend. Yes, I would technically get older each year and progress to a new grade, new classes, etc. But in the broader sense, not much changed. I still lived in the same house, the same town, went to the same stores, had the same friends – a time “bubble” if you will.

Events in our lives happen in a given sequence in time, but their significance to ourselves find their own order through the continuous thread of revelation. The latter part happening more rapidly as of late. College ushered in a new book in my life as I lived on my own for the first time and then leapt across the world to the far reaches of New Zealand with nary a thought to normalcy. Although I returned with my tail between my legs due to being victim to being abroad during the global economic collapse and my own declining health, the lessons I learned from living alone overseas shaped the foundations of the adult I am today.

The chapters of childhood have long closed and the written pages are being crafted of my life as an adult. It was not at all what I was expecting. Now I fully understand many adult’s depressed desires to return to a youthful state. I did not take into account just how much I had taken for granted when I was younger. Naturally I had the childhood bruises and scraped knees, but nothing from the eyes of a child can prepare you for the pain of heartbreak, destitution, of dealing with friends’ suicides, drug addictions, overdoses, and having your own body ripped apart. (Not to mention the fiscal, emotional, mental, and societal responsibilities of being an adult).

I’ve realised that half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.

Still, I find myself wondering if my time is well spent. Much gets sacrificed to my disabilities or unfortunate mental health that I find myself grabbing for social media as priority over the movement of my own two feet. It’s easy. It’s comfortable. It’s safe.

But fulfilling?

Not in the slightest. I find myself longing for something much, much bigger. Now that’s not to say I have not grasped it on occasion. Between the new experiences of work on film sets and the intermittent thrills of photographing cosplays in the wild, I get to dip my toe back into adventure. But my heart longs for more.

What’s a poor girl to do?

After much debate, I’ve decided I’m going to embrace the locale I currently reside rather than constantly have my eyes coveting far away destinations out of my monetary reach. There is SO MUCH richness that Georgia has to offer in a wide variety of backgrounds. From towering stone ruins to mini grand canyons to the largest Indian temple outside of India to the one of the largest blooming of cherry trees outside of Japan. I want to connect with more local photographers, local historical sites, local bloggers, local natural wonders!  (If you’re local and want to collaborate, please message me or leave a comment!)

Though it wouldn’t be me if there wasn’t some aspect of geekery involved. I’m sure the word “travel blogger” brings particular image to mind, especially in regards to Instagram. A solitary figure (usually female) admist a sprawling vast wilderness or exotic landscape, bedecked in a flowing dress and matching hair. While it may be a cliched image these days, I still love it. The images provoke a feeling, a stirring within me (be that wonder, awe, or jealousy). The twist I’d like to bring to the table is to mimic the same style, but instead of it just being yours truly as the figure (because let’s face it, I would be lost in the sea of white female Instagrammers), it would be me as various fandom characters; like Lara Croft, Carmen Sandiego, Daenerys, Belle, Bladerunner, etc.

The internet boasts a lot of travel bloggers as it stands, each trying to make their stamp of individuality. This is mine. For I am not content to simply stand by to watch others have adventures or to relegate costumes to convention halls. (One of my favourite experiences to date is still wandering up the densely fog covered Stone Mountain in my Rey costume. A dismally grey day that would’ve otherwise kept me bound to bed.)

So in conclusion…

There is no time like the present. Let’s go on an Adventure!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: atlanta blogger, atlanta travel, geek travel, georgia travel, the lady nerd travels, travel, travel blogger, travel photography

Tolkien Day 2019

January 7, 2019 by Briana 1 Comment

Happy Tolkien Day 2019!

May your joyful day be full as a hobbit’s belly!

While you might not know it from the weird lack of me posting content about it (hello creative ADHD…), Lord of the Rings is one my most beloved fandoms. Fellowship of the Ring was the foremost influential movie of my life (that and The Matrix. I blame Hugo Weaving). I’ll save my ramblings on that for another blog post, but for now, on this fine remembrance of J.R.R. Tolkien‘s birth, I thought I’d share the smattering assortment of Tolkien-related things I’ve done over the years in lieu of a singular cosplay/geek fashion photoshoot.

MY FIRST COSPLAY


The Lady Nerd's first cosplay. 2001 - a Lord of the Rings elfAlright so I fibbed slightly…it came to my attention recently, that I had actually unknowingly cosplayed from Lord of the Rings (this was way back in 2002 before most of us had even heard of cosplay). Here is teenage Briana in her very first elf cosplay. I decided to get up in front of my school’s talent show in that get up and sing May It Be. That poor audience…if there’s a female equivalent of a guy’s voice cracking at puberty, pretty sure I had it and it made its presence know every few notes. Oops.

ATLANTA TOLKIEN SOCIETY


My Atlanta Tolkien family, complete with epic gingerbread!Or as I like to joke – otherwise known around here as The Wert Family. Imagine someone looking akin to your favourite grandparents with hobbity dispositions. There you have Jim and Emily Wert (who frequently cosplay as Samwise Gamgee and Rosie Cotton. So adorable) and their just as Tolkien-loving, cosplaying children. They’re known in town for hosting the most EPIC themed parties, helping run the Tolkien track (now General Fantasy. Boo. Hiss.) at Dragoncon, and the local Atlanta Tolkien Fan meetups with the lovely Rebecca Perry (my former roommate! At this point I’ve realized all of my roommates have been LOTR people. We just find each other.) On various Sundays of the month, we take over a local, appropriately British looking pub, to both fan over Tolkien work and then incesssantly rant over one Tolkien topic or another. Our current favourite is the upcoming Amazon TV series. #givethepeoplewhattheywant #wedontknowhatthatisyet #butwewantsit

NEW YEAR MOVIE MARATHON

Oh deer, looks like I’m on the right.

Speaking of roommates, my current ones (i.e. The Gluttonous Geek and her handy husband) and I have had a tradition for a few years now of starting the year off RIGHT. Which means a Lord of the Rings marathon while lounging in comfy PJS and gnoshing Hobbit-style on either themed dishes or Mellow Mushroom pizza, depending on the level of Ent-like lethargy we have from the previous night’s festivities.

FEAST OF STARLIGHT


One of the local geek haunts, Battle and Brew used to host themed dinners of multiple courses, paired drinks, and delectable desserts. As a gift, I got to attend one of them – the Tolkien one of course! Although I was clad in elven garments, I brought a hobbit sized appetite with me. Our hosts really did a phenomenal job preparing the menu of dishes such as mead marinated quail leg with rainbow chard and golden beets or rabbit matzo ball stew. (I was obsessed with the Scottish Caramel Pu-erh tea. I’m STILL on the hunt for it!)

You can check out my roommate’s writeup on the entire event from a few year’s ago (complete with pictures of the dishes and derps by yours truly.)

LIVING IN MIDDLE EARTH


I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that I used to live in Middle Earth (or New Zealand as the mortals call it). I arrived under the guise of a study abroad college student with nefarious plans to break into their film industry. I got SO CLOSE. So close. Alas, ’twas not to be. But I have a year full of stories and memories that I wouldn’t trade for anything in this world (including a LOTR tour in Wellington before I had to board the plane back home and cry for the next 24 hour flight. NO JOKE. My trip was 23 hours and 55 minutes. Thank the Valar for Qantas‘ leg room). Except maybe the chance to go back and take better pictures. ‘Tis a downright pity I was not a photographer back then.

Truly the most magnificent experience of my life. So much so that I tried to get permanent residency there (again, SO CLOSE. Darn you Immigration NZ. I am convinced at this point that when I grow old and leave for the Undying Lands, a ship shall simply deposit me in Auckland where I can dine on pavlova and drink entire too many ginger beers with my mates back at my other home. One day). It truly is a land of utter magic. ALL THE PROPAGANDA IS TRUE. It truly is an unspoilt paradise worthy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic Middle Earth.

Aroha i koe Aotearoa.

Filed Under: Uncategorized


Greetings programs! I'm Briana - artist, model, and avid costumer. Welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere.
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