Outfits

Chambray Dress for Spring

March 28, 2018 by The Lady Nerd 3 Comments

A Lesson in Frugal Shopping Strategy:
Being the not-so-wealthy sort, I rarely spend over a certain price point. This dress was $150 from Talbots many years back. I really liked the cut, though sadly, their smallest size still didn’t fit me. But a couple hours and a few clicks later, I managed to snag the smallest size on Ebay for a mere $20. Then, I took it to an alterations place and had it custom-tailored to fit. So I now own a beautiful custom-fitted dress for a fraction of the store cost!

Along with the flattering feminine cut, the chambray material is deceptively light and breezy. The shape feels polished, but the rustic fabric keeps it casual. I find this to be a perfect dress to wear visiting places, like a new church, family gatherings, or even a nice afternoon out with friends patroning a local cafe.

A proper skirt swish! It’s a beautiful thing.

Dress – Talbots (via Ebay)
Shoes – Steve Madden
Necklace – Borrowed from Mom
Umbrella – Ross

Photography: Ryan Booker

The Perfect Spring Maxi Dress

March 20, 2018 by The Lady Nerd Leave a Comment

*This post contains affiliate links*
March 20th, the first day of Spring.

Or as Atlanta seems to have it right now, the resurgence of winter. Oi! Seriously, it was sunny in the upper 70s just a few days ago and then the temperatures suddenly plummeted to the point that I’m currently typing this shivering like a maraca in a fur coat at a local Panera. I feel like my teeth are chattering in time with the music…

Anyways, let’s think of warmer times and brighter days! I’ve never been a fan of floral prints or pastels, so spring fashions have always boggled me. When shopping amongst an array of hydrangea printed skirts and bright yellow sundresses, I tend to stand dumbfounded at what to do with the brightly coloured frocks. Should I wear them? Can I take a Photoshop desaturate tool to them?

I’ll admit, I’m a dark colour girl (there’s a reason black will always be classic). But in addition to the dark jewel tones, I like (and look best in) forest tones. Earthy hues like greens, browns, rusts, and any other colour that might make one think that I am, in fact, an elf.

I stumbled across this pristine piece at Bebe before they closed all of their brick and mortar stores (still sad about that as they were one of the few stores that fit my odd body proportions. I’m one of those types that has to try things on first rather than buying blindly online, hoping it fits, and having to deal with returns. I’ll have to learn to get over that as online purchases seems to be the way most commerce is going).

While perusing through the racks, I saw a long piece of pale olive green fabric nestled in between the loud and/or pastel prints. My elven heart was immediately drawn to it and its silken feel. I tried it on, wrestled with the price, walked away for an hour to decide if I really wanted, decided I did, went bought, and smiled about it all the way home.

I wore it the next day while out visiting friends at one of Atlanta’s anime conventions, Momocon. I got stopped quite a few times by folks thinking it was a costume or just oggling over it’s formal, but casual vibe. A friend was kind enough to snap some photos outside by the 1996 Olympic Ring statue (or “incognito Stargate” as I like to call it).

Ah, but that wasn’t the only part of the fun. Here’s a sneak peek of Part Two of the photoshoot….

Dress: Bebe Double slit maxi dress
Cuff: eBay – Gold Cuff bracelet
Photographer: James “Frameshot” Garner (photos used by permission from Anime Geek Gaming Nation)

Wendy Darling Dress

February 28, 2018 by The Lady Nerd 6 Comments

This is a sponsored post from Pinup Girl Clothing.
As yet another dismally grey day descends, I like to think of brighter times where the weather was warm and my sun activation mode was entirely engaged. (Fun fact: I am solar powered!) A couple weeks ago, everything aligned to be able to shoot a lovely piece I was sent by Pinup Girl Clothing in California. When I saw the bright blue hue and Peter Pan-esque collar I knew immediately that I had to style this into a look befitting a modern Wendy Darling.

This dress, known as the Madison, is a lovely spring piece, great for those pesky in between seasons. I was expecting the fabric to be a lightweight cotton, but instead it’s a durable poly-blend of rayon, nylon, and spandex. It might not sound like it, but it’s very comfy. I suffer from health issues often that leave me great pain, so I’m always on the hunt for good-looking comfy clothes. The Madison definitely fits in that category (sans belt, but it still looks adorable without it!). It hugs just the right curves and hits at a great flattering hemline for most body types.

The belt can be worn high up under the chest, as pictured here, or lower on the waist. I chose to put it higher simply to mimic Wendy’s empire waist dress.

Wendy scolding Peter Pan. Pinup Girl Clothing Madison Dress worn by The Lady Nerd. Photographed by The Gluttonous Geek.

Because let’s face it, Wendy likes to scold Peter a LOT.

And hellooooo POCKETS! Oh yes, this dress comes fully armed with that secret weapon we women so desire and rarely get. I’ve been so pleased to see how many of Pinup Girl Clothing’s dresses have pockets. My compliments to the designer!

For future styling notes, I would add at least one piece of Peter Pan jewelry and do tighter Shirley Temple ringlet curls in the back. But bless my friend Angie for attempting to curl my stubborn hair (that, as you can see, fell down almost immediately. My hair pretty much refuses to hold a curl. I think it detests curling irons for some reason). But this look would be perfect for a Wendy Disneybound for Dapper Day or even a themed picnic!

Photograph: Catherine of The Gluttonous Geek
Hair: Angie Sue Arnold
Dress: Pinup Girl Clothing
Shoes: Gifted (a friend’s character shoes)
Hair bow: Joann’s ribbon

Casual Spider-girl

February 9, 2018 by The Lady Nerd 12 Comments

While visiting Disney Springs this summer, I happened upon a fun looking clothing collection for the release of the new Spider-Man: Homecoming film.

And then I saw it.

A women’s tank top with a cleverly designed crochet straps forming a web on the back. Right in the middle of the shirt was a circle shaped graphic that with the Spider-man mask overlaid on it was rather reminiscent of a basketball.

It was too perfect. The shirt just screams Mayday Parker, despite the “Spider-MAN” part on it. (For those who don’t know, May “Mayday” Parker, better known as Spider-girl, is Peter Parker’s daughter from an alternate universe. She’s a feisty, resourceful 90s gal with a love for basketball and fighting evildoers.) I paired it of 90s-style shorts from Forever 21, and my trusty Converse for a fun, casual geek summer outfit.

As luck would have it, I got to team up with the folks at Angle 3 Films to bust out this shoot. A match made in geeky heaven! I happened to need photos for my blog and Michael Rivera and David Hoang needed a project for their interns to cut their teeth on. Win-win!

Photograph: Michael Rivera
Tank Top: Disney Springs – TrenD store
Shorts: Forever 21 (not exact, but closest ones I could find)
Aviators: Target
Shoes: Converse via DSW

Darth Vader Leather Jacket

January 18, 2018 by The Lady Nerd 8 Comments

This post contains affiliate links

In my continued flirtations with the Dark Side of fashion, today I bring you another outerwear from Her Universe and Hot Topic – the beautifully designed Darth Vader jacket. This is one of my favourite pieces out there in the world of geek fashion with it’s subtle tones, understated, but well-crafted design to mimic Vader’s suit. Not to mention it is the epitome of “stealth geek”. For those who know what it is, the Vader design can be clearly seen. But for those not in the know of the culture icon, it simply looks like a stylish leather jacket. Perfect for a model off-duty look.

I opted to experiment a little with this shoot in changing the proportions of the top and bottom (normally I wear tighter tops and looser bottoms. But here I swapped as well as going for a shorter top and longer bottom when I usually do the opposite to cover my Na’vi-length torso). It felt awkward on, but seeing the photos now I like the effect. It makes me look so much taller! I’m 5’8″, but with a 29 inch inseam. So unless I’m wearing the right proportions, I look shorter than I really am.)

Then there’s the boots….I bought this pair of Steve Madden over-the-knee boots (on sale!) specifically for this shoot intent on returning them afterwards, but after a barrage of friends gave me the “don’t you dare!” I guess I’m keeping them…

There’s a few wonderful details hidden throughout the jacket that bear mentioning. From the subtle pops of red to give a nod to the crimson hues of a Sith lightsaber to the imperial logo etched on the back of the jacket to the message hidden on the interior lining, this jacket is a true work of geek fashion art.

With great regret though, I have to admit that the jacket doesn’t fit me. “But it fits in the photos so well!” Ah, and here is the great secret of many a modeling photoshoot – clips. I cut a lean figure with a very long, thin torso so even clothes made in the XS variety don’t fit me most of the time. Usually I get my clothes cheaply tailored, but every so often there comes a piece like this where I can’t afford to have it tailored. This jacket is better suited to those with short-to-average torsos and more curves than little ol’ stick me. (You can actually see in the first photo at the top of the blog how far the jacket flares out, almost peplum-like on me. I prefer a sleeker cut.) I’m still keeping the jacket as there’s nothing else out there like it.

Photographer: Kyle Matthew Williams

Earrings: Amazon
Jacket: Hot Topic
Leggings: Forever 21
T-shirt: Target
Boots: Steve Madden
Clutch: Loungefly
Sunglasses: Mall kiosk

H&M Han Solo

January 8, 2018 by The Lady Nerd Leave a Comment

This post contains affiliate links

It’s amazing the things you can find at your local mall if you look hard enough. Or, as what happened in the case, smacked me square in the face. On an outing with a friend recently, we decided to peruse on of our favourite stores, H&M. No sooner had we walked in then I saw them…

H&M Navy Pants with Side Stripes – $34.99

I turned to my friend as her face registered the same thought. In less than 12 parsecs, my friend and I went tearing around the store to build a certain smuggler’s outfit with what pieces we could find. Although I have pieces at home I could use, we were having entirely too much fun confusing the poor employees and amusing ourselves with our geekbounding luck. I felt a looser button up silk blouse would be best to match the dressy style of the pants. Alas, they were sold out. But we did manage to find a safari-esque button-up collared top in clearance. Paired with a mens’ vest (as there were no womens’ vests to be found), my own boots, belt, and a smug smile and VOILA! A femme scruffy looking nerfherder appeared!

Better yet, the pants are quite comfy. I wasn’t sure what the make of the bunched elastic waist at the back (my upper lip may have curled slightly into what one might call a sneer), but then I put the pants on. Oh. OHH. It made the sleek-looking waistband fit like a glove, but a comfortable one. The pants themselves have cropped leg hems but those become a non-issue when tucked into knee-high boots. Now would be a great time to snatch up these pants for a geekbounding Han Solo, especially with the film coming out in May.

Here’s a few shirt options from H&M:

Linen Shirt – $24.99 (the same as I’m wearing in the above picture)
Polyester Blouse -$17.99
Satin Blouse – $24.99
Long-sleeve Button Blouse – $24.99
Fitted V-neck Shirt – $19.99
Creped Blouse – $29.99
V-Neck Blouse – $24.99

Black Suit Vest – $24.99

But that’s not all! Oh no, in the outerwear section we found a great everyday navy winter coat, perfect for a geekbounding Echo Base Han Solo. Pair it with some tan pants (of which there were NONE in the store for me to try on for pictures) and ta-dah!

This particular one I couldn’t find on the website, but should still be in stores. For you crafty sorts, here’s some other options that would work (though the fur trim on the collar would need to be switched out for lighter brown fur).

Navy Padded Parka – $54.99
Navy Padded Parka – $59.99

Happy hunting!

Everyday Rey

December 17, 2015 by The Lady Nerd 2 Comments

While I mainly lean towards the couture side of things with gown versions of popular characters, sometimes certain costumes are just better suited to casual wear. Such I feel is the case with Rey and her rugged, but simplistic looking outfit. So I drew up an outfit that would be easy to translate into regular 21st century everyday clothes.

Hair
A simple bun would do nicely! (Unless one wants to go for the gusto and do Rey’s 3-bun style, which I still have yet to figure out…)

Top
This style is a variation on the popular wrap shirt. I’ve seen this particular sleeveless variation often this summer (and kicking myself that I didn’t pick up a white one to dye). It would be ideal to find a top that has the look of two-in-one, but if you can only find the outer wrap top, just throw a tank top underneath it and voila! (And if you can’t find the top in the right sandy colour, try getting a white top and dyeing it to the right shade with RIT dye.)

Karen Kane Sleeveless Wrap Top

Calvin Klein Bar Plaque Sleeveless Wrap Top

Belt
I didn’t think about it when drawing as I was going for a thicker banded bottom to the top, but it would entirely be appropriate to pair a brown leather belt with it at as well in reference to Rey’s costume.

Pants
I plan on just using the pants from my Rey costume, but thankfully her pants style is fairly easy to find (or find pants to alter). In the film they’re of a silk fabric, but any soft fabric should do for an everyday look. Alas, they’re out of season right now, but who knows you might get lucky in thrifting!

Top-EC 3/4 Pants

Forever21 High-Waisted Pleated Culottes

Shoes
Since I have them (and they are SUPER comfy!), I’ll be using the Po-Zu Piper boots that were used in the film. But they can be a little steep in price for some, so here are a couple of cheaper alternatives…

Target Muk Luk’s Demi Boot

Kohl’s Madden Girl Jackmen Boots

Accessories
BB8 has to show up somewhere right? I think a necklace with be a nice touch in addition to either a leather cuff or any sort of brown material or bejeweled bracelet.

Target BB8 Necklace

BB8 stud earrings

Multistrand Leather Bracelet

If you happen to put this outfit together, take a picture and send it to me! I’d love to see it. 🙂 Now all of this being said, I’m totally working on a couture gown version of Rey too….(predictable? Who, me?)

Outfit of the Week – The Red Plaid Shirt

May 6, 2015 by Briana Leave a Comment

After watching a plethora of TV shows and movies, I’ve started noticing one understated article of clothing showing up in almost everything – the Red Plaid Shirt. For example…

Anne Hathaway – Brokeback Mountain

Toutlecine.com

Amy Pond – Doctor Who

Cosplay Island via The Coconut Hits Montreal

Zooey Deschanel – New Girl

What Would Zooey Deschanel Wear?

And of course the King of Red Flannel himself…Clark Kent (Smallville)

SMALLVILLE "Exposed" (Episode #505) Tom Welling as Clark Kent Credit: © The WB/Sergei Bachlakov

Smallville Season 10 Blog

I had originally shied away from the idea of wearing such apparel as I didn’t want to identified with the ‘country girl/country bumpkin’ look. But as I suffer from a lack of regular wear (my wardrobe tends to be divided into either rough-n-dirty work clothes or borderline formal wear. Note the lack of in-between), I decided to give the Red Flannel Shirt look a try. Pair it with a pair of jeans and I guess it’s inevitable! Clichéd, but comfortable. I imagine this to be a good errand-running outfit for the crisper weather.

Shirt: Target
Jeans: Ross
Belt: Came with dress from A’Gaci
Boots: Nine West via Marti & Liz
Satchel: Borrowed from photographer
Choker: Gifted
Bracelet: TargetAll photos © of the lovely lady in the peacoat. Abrea Crackel 2011. http://abreacrackel.com/

Outfit of the Week – Schoolgirl

April 28, 2015 by Briana Leave a Comment

(NOTE: I have since absconded this outfit as after viewing photos from the shoot. I hadn’t realized just how short the skirt was (in certain shots my bum was completely in view, not very ladylike). My personal style has also changed since when I shot this a few years ago. But nevertheless, people seem to enjoy this outfit alot, so I thought I’d let it see the light of day again. Enjoy!)

Although I didn’t put this outfit together until I was well out of school, the whole ensemble made me think of a British Commonwealth schoolgirl. (It brought back fond memories of living in New Zealand and watching students all neatly filing into schools with their matching uniforms. Granted, I’m sure it was no fun for them, but since I never had to wear a school uniform here in the States, I found the whole look rather intriguing.) Originally I had slapped on the outfit haphazardly to keep myself warm backstage during a runway show, but after hearing a few squeals of admiration from other models I decided to document what silly thing I had put together.

The setting here is at one of my alma maters – East Literature Magnet School in Nashville, TN (now known as East Nashville Junior High School). I attended there for 8th, 9th, and part of 10th grade. Sadly, my desire to devour classic literature and be challenged academically there was not satiated there so I moved on to another school. But as far as this blog post goes, it makes for a great backdrop!

The top part that I’m standing on in the photo above was a popular spot for us more adventurous students. We’d jockey for position to get the highest spot then see who could jump off and gain the ever-coveted ‘cool stunt’ status. After doing this photoshoot and knowing how high up that precipice is, that has got to go down as one of the dumbest things I ever did in middle school.

I would like to say that I’ve traded in my textbook-laden backpack for a lighter, more svelte, grown-up tote, but nay, I’m still using my school backpack for transporting my work supplies. (Though I have to give credit where due, Swiss Army makes fantastic gear. My backpack, which I bought at Target about eight years ago, not only holds up, but has little to no signs of wear at all! Best $50 I ever spent.)

In college there were seven of us that all had this same Swiss Army backpack in my TV Production class. So we all agreed to put something on our backpacks that signified it being ours so there was no mix-up in picking up someone else’s backpack by mistake. So while everyone else put on various band and music-related memorabilia, I flew my geek flag in the form of a Bumblebee keychain. Even when I go on film or TV sets these days, this backpack will still appear (inevitably a grip or best boy will have this exact backpack), so Bumblebee still comes in handy!

Dress: Forever 21
Tights: DKNY
Socks: Topshop via Ebay
Shoes: Goodwill
Glasses: Gifted
Backpack: Swiss Army via Target

Outfit of the Week – The Cat in Black

January 19, 2015 by Briana 1 Comment

One of the new sections on this blog, known as Outfit of the Week, will be a look into my personal wardrobe. Some will be photos (such as this post or like many personal fashion blogs). Some will be illustrations (as it is absurdly hard to find clothes that fit me. But rather than wallow in the lack of a dream wardrobe, I can put pencil to paper and just draw it all! Who knows, maybe in the future I’ll be able to finally craft those doodled dream outfits).

Without further ado, here is my first installment of Outfit of the Week!

An oldie, but a goodie. I originally put this outfit together for a business interview, only to look in the mirror and feel a Selina Kyle vibe coming on. It’s no secret that Catwoman is one of my favourite comic characters of all time – the Princess of Plunder, the Madam Moderne, the elegant jewel thief turned anti-heroine. When wearing all black, especially in a sleek suit, I can’t help but think of Ms. Kyle.

Given the more classy business look of Selina Kyle in the recent movie, The Dark Knight Rises, I decided to have a little fun and do a TDKR-inspired shoot at Union Station in Nashville. You can view the full series here (complete with story!) —-> https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.431183143600960.125945.431005676952040&type=3

Blazer: TEMT (New Zealand) Shirt: Marshall’s Skirt: Charlotte Russe Pantyhose: DKNY via Marshall’s Shoes: Aldo via Marti & Liz Sunglasses: Borrowed from MUA Leather Gloves: Ebay (bought for a Tifa Lockhart cosplay years back)

Photographers: David Merritt and Kirk Hughes
Hair & Makeup: Adriel Porter
Photo Editing: Me