Our latest outfit of the day also features a great wardrobe solution- the tube or pencil skirt.
This skirt can be an excellent addition to your wardrobe as a staple. How to wear it?
Well, the new trend of cropped shirts is a great way to wear this skirt. As you can see from the pictures, I took an awesome graphic tee from Forever 21 Plus and paired it with a tube skirt, also from Forever 21 Plus.
I have a couple of tees that I purchased recently that are cropped. While I like the fit, I also don’t really like to bare my midriff. This skirt is super high-waisted, so that solves the problem nicely.
This skirt is a staple of both rockabilly looks as well as 80’s inspired looks.
Click on links above to shop this look.
The sunglasses are coming to the store this Thursday, the 25th! These shades are a great cat-eye shape with a matte finish and feature our ducky logo. I’ve been road-testing these for the past couple months and the logo has proven to be water/sweat proof, has not faded at all and has stayed put.
Get your own pair this Thursday for only $14.95! Just click on the shop link at the top of the page.
Loungefly continues to create amazing, well-made bags in a variety of fandoms. The small backpacks are my favorite for adventuring out. They hold all your gear for the day without being too heavy. Because they are on your back, they free your hands up as well.
My other favorites are the cosplay style cross-body bag. These are perfect for everyday and again, available in a variety of fandoms.
So, you found the perfect dress or the perfect outfit. Congrats! However, now you need to know how to style it.
What is styling exactly? Dictionary.com defines it as, “to design or arrange in accordance with a given or new style.” Accessorizing the outfit is a start, but there is also your make-up to consider as well as jewelry.
Jewelry is technically an accessory, but it is important enough to be listed seperately in this case.
So, how do you get started styling an outfit? Here are some steps to consider while you are styling. There are no hard set rules by any means, but this is a handy guide to help get you started. You’ll be styling your own outfits in no time at all!
Even if you aren’t using this guide to style a cosplay or bound, the tips still apply.
Consider the style of the outfit.
Is your outfit a vintage style or 80’s inspired? Maybe it is a more formal style or a business suit. If it is a 50’s style dress, then you’ll want to pair it with more vintage-style accessories. A business suit would be paired with more subdued and professional accessories.
Consider the venue and/or event for the outfit.
Are you wearing this 50’s style dress to work or to a con? Are you wearing this dress to Disneyland for Dapper Day? How about to a wedding? I’ve worn the same dress to all of the above, but it was styled differently for each event. What’s great for Disneyland is not appropriate for work and so on.
Consider the functionality needed from your accessories.
While you are considering your venue or event, think about what kind of functionality you need. Are you going to a con? You’ll need the most comfortable shoes you can get that also compliment the outfit. Disneyland? What is the temperature going to be that day? If your day out is in August, then you might want to leave the petticoat at home (trust me on this one). Do you have a parasol? If yes, then you can leave your hat at home if you want. What kind of bag should you carry? Take all this into consideration when putting the pieces together.
Balance in all the things.
Your base outfit is what you work from here. A big fit and flare dress should really have smaller, more tailored accessories to create a balance. If you have a hat, then make it smaller with the big dress. Same with the bag. Very colorful dress or outfit? Then more subdued make-up.
Lastly, What story do you want your outfit to tell?
The last piece when you are styling an outfit is what do you want people to see? I know your outfit is the focal point, but what do you want people to take away from it? If you have a bound, this is kind of done for you. If you are bounding Captain America for example, then the star on the chest or the red and white stripes on the bodice tell people that you are bounding Cap. If you have a dress that is a great color, then you want to keep things simple and just draw the eyes to the pretty color. Don’t overthink it.
I hope that these tips help you. In our next post, I will post some photos of outfits with explanations why I styled them the way I did, and how I would, and do, style them differently in different situations.
When you are prepping a new dapper look for a convention or just trying to accessorize a new dress, one key item you need to think about are shoes to complete your look.
Here are a few styles that will work with vintage-inspired fashions. All the choices are reasonably priced with shopping links below as well as photo examples.
The Ballet Flat
This style is perfect for not only dresses, but pedal-pushers or capri pants as well. I’ve never been a big fan, because they have a tendency to give me a blister on my heels. However, I just found this flat from Skechers that stays put. The shoes also have more cushioning than the usual ballet flat. Buy your Skechers ballet flat here.
The Oxford
This shoe has a few different types as far as heel styles. There are flat, block heeled and traditional heeled options. I really love this block heeled version I got from Amazon. They have padding on the inside and the block heel gives me lots of support. Buy your Block-heeled Oxford here.
Classic Converse Chuck Taylors
This shoe is not only great for 50’s looks, but for 80’s, goth, punk or rock looks as well. It is the ultimate casual shoe. Now, while it is not padded on the inside, you can get insoles that provide support if you need it. Chucks come in every color imaginable, and a high-top version as well. Buy your classic Chucks here.
Saddle Shoes
Besides the Chuck Taylors, the other shoe that leaps to mind when someone is thinking about vintage 50s fashions is the saddle shoe. Named because the contrasting stripe resembles a saddle on the shoe. You can get saddle shoes in a variety of colors and even high heel versions, but the classic black and white flat-heeled version is the best way to go. Get your saddle shoes here.
Saddle shoes aren’t the best for long days on your feet, so I created a comfy version from a white sneaker. To create your own, will only take a few minutes of your time. Click here for the how-to instructions.
If you have any go-to styles for your dapper looks, please leave us a comment below. We love to hear from you!
When putting together pretty much any outfit, my go-to is a classic pair of Chucks.
Besides being super comfy, they come in every conceivable color and style. I even found a camo pair for my nephew once!
Chucks can be dressed way up or way down. They go with a ton of styles, vintage, bobby soxer, rockabilly, goth and modern casual styles. You can start wearing Chucks from toddler age and keep up wearing them right up to your golden years.
I get a lot of compliments as well as comments on my clothes, which I love, but one comment that gives me pause is a comment such as, “I wish I had places to wear a dress that fancy.”
OK, so first of all, it is really hard to be truly overdressed somewhere. Obviously, wearing a prom dress to work or a tuxedo to the grocery store is pretty over-the-top, but what about that great dress you bought to wear to someone’s wedding and is now languishing in the back of your closet (I just love that I got to use “languishing”, #englishmajor)? Well, use some great basics to dress it down for everyday.
Perfect example is my Haunted Mansion dress. My lovely boyfriend bought it for me for Dapper Day, and then I stopped wearing it. I love it, but the top has some ruching on the bodice that is very prom-y, so I stopped wearing it. Then, time passed and it was our anniversary. I wanted to wear the dress he bought me out on our date, but I didn’t have time to change after work. So, challenge accepted!
OK, so first, I needed to dress down the bodice. I did this with a cotton crop tee from Amazon. Just enough of the pretty ruching shows through.
Here are some more pictures of me wearing a Disney Dress Shop dress everyday. If you decide to take that dress out on the town, then add those dapper touches.
Honestly, dresses are instant outfits. You literally just throw them over your head, and you have a look. Now, more than ever, there are amazing choices for nerd bounding that are dress-and-go.
So, challenge yourself to take something that you originally visualized as super dapper or fancy and “dress it down” for everyday wear.
When you’re putting together an everyday cosplay or bound, one of the best and easiest-to-use tools in your easy reach is jewelry.
Jewelry falls under “The Exotic” category on your team build checklist. I’ve attached a team build here for you to print and use.
If you have a dress that is a color inspired by a character, then the jewelry you choose can be the perfect touch to complete your bound.
Below are a couple of examples of outfits that I wear on the regular that have a great jewelry component. I’ve also included shopping links for all the pieces.
My first outfit is my Avengers Engame everyday cosplay. I have a great Avengers dress that I like to wear along with this great bomber jacket, both from Torrid. Once you pair the outfit with a great Captain Marvel necklace and infinity gauntlet bracelet (from Hot Topic and Amazon, respectively), then you have a great complete look! Click on the links to shop.
My next look are two necklaces that you can use in a screen accurate cosplay, but bring them into an everyday outfit to turn it into a great Marvel bound.
Next up is my Han Solo bound. I paired a Han Solo wrap skirt with a vest to make a great gender-bend Han Solo bound, but a great finishing touch is this Millenium Falcon necklace from Amazon.
One of the big trends right now is the chunky or “Grandpa” sneaker.
This look is great for several reasons. One, they are super comfy! Two, they come in a variety of colors so you can match any outfit. Three, they look great with everything, dresses, skirts, pants or shorts. Finally, they come in all price points, so everyone can enjoy this trend!
For example, I bought a couple of pair from Amazon, which were inexpensive. I also bought a couple of pair on sale at Skechers, which after the markdown, were also inexpensive. See below for some examples of some sneakers with shopping links. I’ve started with the designer sneakers with the price to match and down to inexpensive. To be honest, since this trend may not last, I would go with the inexpensive ones. So far, I’ve worn them frequently and they still look great.
I’ve talked a lot about these DIY sneakers as of late. It is about time to show you how to make your own.
You will need:
Shoes
Fabric Paint
Paint Brush
First, the shoe. I have arthritis in my right knee, which makes walking a lot difficult. So, I found a great walking shoe from Skechers. Get your own with this link.
Now, basically a saddle shoe is just what the name implies. It is a shoe that looks like it has a little saddle on it. You can get any color shoe and any color paint and just go bananas if you want to. There are no rules here. You can match them with your outfit. You can get a very inexpensive shoe if you they are for a one-off costume. You can find very inexpensive sneakers in a variety of colors just about anywhere. I chose my shoe because it was super good for walking all day.
So first thing, you need to chose how big or small you want the saddle to be. Choose a natural line on the shoe to mark it. Like in the pic below:
You can see where the stitching makes a guide line for me to paint.
Then you just put a coat of paint on the shoe, wait a day and do one more and you are all set!
And there is the finished product! They turned out great, and have saved my feet at a number of adventures since.
We have made a big change to the site, in case you haven’t noticed already!
We didn’t come to the decision to change the name lightly, but because it was so long, Benji is being raised pretty well so far and we wanted to change our focus a bit, we decided to make the leap. We really wanted to focus on everyday living as a nerd.
How to integrate your fandoms into your everyday life. Not with just everyday cosplay, which is fun to wear for sure, but also more subtle ways, bounding, dapper looks, pin-up style and the like.
We hope you like the update! Please share your thoughts with us. We love to hear from you!
The Oxford
