I, like every other fashion-obsessed person, always wanted to have a big ‘ol closet. I have a small closet at home that has always been a struggle to keep neat and tidy. So, when the kiddo got old enough that he didn’t need a toy room anymore, I pounced on the opportunity to make-over the room into my own dressing room.
This small wardrobe with shelving is a great place to display some of my handbags, and I use it for skirts and cardigans. I use these Loungefly mini-backpacks for Cons and theme park visits because they hold everything I need, and they are super cute and great for bounding. For Loungefly’s website, click here. The wardrobe is from Target.
This cube storage unit is from Target from ages ago. I actually traded furniture from Benji here. He obviously did not want pink furniture in his room anymore, and I love pink, so it worked out. I replaced the pastel cubes with cubes from Dollar Tree. The vignette on the wall I put together with items from the 99 Cent Store. The bat light is from Amazon.
The wicker high-boy is the first piece of furniture I ever bought for myself back in 1990. I will have it always. The shield I glittered it myself because my shield got all scratched up, so I rehabbed it. Click here for instructions.
This clothing rack is from Bed Bath and Beyond. It has shoe storage below and a shelf on top. I keep my dresses here because they are much heavier. And finally, the large zip-up wardrobes hold our cosplays and we’ve had them forever. We purchased them at Bed Bath and Beyond.
So, I took the room and built it wall by wall to give myself the dressing room of my dreams. I hope I’ve inspired you to do a make-over of a space within your space.
I don’t know about you, but I do love to save some money. Problem is, I also love to shop for new nerdy-themed wardrobe items. The good news/bad news in that is that now, more than ever before, we have really good choices!
But, let’s say there’s nothing new catching your fancy out there on the interwebs, but you still have an event coming up. You need to put on something new. What is a nerd to do?
Well, try shopping your closet. I recently had WonderCon coming up, and I wanted to dress in dapper/pin-up styles the whole Con, but I didn’t have enough pieces. I couldn’t find anything I liked really, so I decided to shop my closet. After all, I have a ton of pieces, so maybe I could put together something with what I already had. Guess what? I did just that, and now I have a new go-to fave, this Black Widow bound!
The best way to do this is to take something you really like and challenge yourself to find something in your closet you’ve never paired it with before. If you usually wear something with jeans, then try pairing it with a skirt and vice versa.
I put together pieces that I didn’t buy to go together here, for this Tony Stark bound…
Well, I mean, who hasn’t yet? I will warn you that there are tons ‘o spoilers here, but it has been over a week since the movie’s release, so the spoiler-free zone is over!
As always, here are some of our favorite moments from the film. We aren’t movie reviewers, and we aren’t going to start trying to be one now!
So we are in the Endgame now…
The addition of Captain Marvel to the Avengers is amazing!
All of the remaining Avengers going to space
Nebula is the MVP for most of the film
Korg and Meek are OK!!!
Hulk with glasses and dad wardrobe is the best thing ever!
Time Travel!
Chunky Thor has been problematic for some, and I can understand why. However, I liked that we saw how the five years had really affected him in a visual way. It is also important to note that he was taken back on the team “as is”. No magic weight loss or anything of the sort. He is valuable at whatever size he is
When Nebula isn’t the MVP, the rat that released Ant Man is
Carol got my haircut
Now I have to SA cosplay Carol
Everything Rocket
Cap is worthy, but we already knew that
I think Loki is alive, fight me!
America’s ass
The convo between Tony and Howard
Girl squad moment
“Hey there, Peter Parker. You got something for me there?” #iheartcarol
Cap finally got his dance
Captain Sam!
OK, those are just some of our favorite moments. Please let us know yours in the comments.
This week is the opening of “Avengers: Endgame”, so we thought we would post some of our favorite Marvel cosplays with shopping links this week! See ya at the movies!
In this case, the team leader and brick are both the dress. In other cases, a Captain Marvel necklace might be needed, but the dress includes the star on her chest.
The purse I got is from Wish. I do recommend Wish for handbags and other accessories, but I do not recommend them for clothing or make-up. The clothing sizing is sketchy as best (runs beyond tiny) and the make-up is usually knock-offs of name brands. Because of that, you can’t depend on the ingredient lists on the packaging. But, if you want a purse for yourself, click this link.
The Blaster- Hair and Make-up
This cosplay didn’t require a wig or any super special make-up. For pin-up, a nice red lip is a great finishing touch. I wear “Love Is On” by Revlon. Get yours here.
Adaptations for Everyday Wear
This one is pretty simple to adapt to everyday wear. I’d lose the petticoat and that’s pretty much all you need to do to take this look to the office or out and about.
As always, professional pictures by Justin Davidson Photography. Book him here. You’ll be glad you did!
Benji and I recently changed the name of our blog, and I thought maybe an article with the reasons why was in order.
Basically, as my kid grows, the blog needed to grow a bit as well. We also found ourselves feeling negativity in the cosplay community such as, picking on people’s cosplays, their size, their gender or nationality and what not. We both needed to, as my friend Justin so aptly put it, “rekindle joy”. So, we refocused our efforts on cosplay, but with a bounding and dapper slant. When we did, we found our new voices.
Now, please don’t worry. I will still be posting tips and tricks on raising a good little geek, but our cosplay ideas will now be more bounding and will actually be more inclusive in your everyday life, which brings us to…
Recently, we had the amazing opportunity to present a panel idea I have had for ages, “In Plain Sight: Using Everyday Fashion to Express Your Inner Superhero”, at WonderCon in Anaheim, California. Not only did we get to present this panel, but to have some of our closest friends sit on the panel with us and moderate the panel for us.
It was an amazing experience to say the least! We filled the room and handed out all the ducks! Thank you all for coming to see us. We really appreciate it.
To explain why it was so meaningful, we need to go way, way back into my childhood. I’ve written about my early experiences with fashion before. My maternal grandmother was a huge influence on me. Matching bags and shoes. Dressed up for church. Red lipstick applied in the rear-view mirror. Other early influences include old movies, which remain the epitome of glamour in my humble opinion. I was in love with the 50s style dubbed, “the new look” after WWII. The swing dresses, the lady-like look of a scarf of your hair to preserve your “do”, the red lipstick, the handbags, all of it, really. Problem was, I was born in 1967, so as a kid, I was subjected to 70s fashion. I never felt comfortable in any of it, to be honest. I tried. I really did, but the skirts weren’t twirly and my long hair was always tangled, and my Dad wouldn’t let me cut it. I just didn’t feel, “right”. I longed for pretty twirly dresses, but my Mom didn’t care about fashion, so I didn’t have any kind of sources really to explore my personal style until much later in life.
The 80s were my teenaged years and things were a lot better. The music was better and the fashions for teenagers were way better. I discovered thrifting, and holy crap was that amazing! Big blazers, rubber bracelets, wearing 5 watches at one time, hats! Yes, please!!! Also, what was really great about it was, first, I got to put outfits together by myself for the first time, second, at thrift stores there were tons of old vintage 50s looks. Turns out, I could incorporate them into my wardrobe and make my own outfits. I felt like me for the first time. There were swing dresses too, but unfortunately for a plus-size girl, they usually didn’t fit, but I didn’t give up trying. The lack of clothes choices forced me into creativity so I could really create a look that was me.
The 90s and 00s were made up of work uniforms and trying to figure out how to recapture my confidence of the 80s to no avail. But then…
I got divorced and started fresh with everything. I started going to comic conventions and discovered a whole world of fangirl fashion, size inclusivity and positivity. I also discovered that most geeky girls are like me, they love vintage 50s looks. I began to celebrate my fandom and feel like myself again.
My first geeky dresses were purchased at the Her Universe booth at Comikaze. I saw them from afar. Immediately assumed they weren’t for me, but something told me to go ask the question I always ask and walk away disappointed. Gluten for punishment, I guess. I go up the booth and ask, “What size do these go up to?” I was expecting, “An XL”, then me saying a soft, “Thanks anyway” and walking away. But, BUT, instead I got, “Oh, we have up to 3X.” Then, because I wasn’t born yesterday, assume they are an Asian 3X, which is about a Medium for us big American types. I ask if I can hold up a 3X and see if it will fit. The lady says, “Oh, it’ll fit ya for sure!” I’m thinking, “Yeah, right.” I hold it up. It looks like it will fit me, but I’m still waiting for disappointment. I say, “OK, if I buy it and go try it on in the bathroom and it doesn’t fit, can I bring it right back?” She says sure. I buy the dress. I got into the bathroom and try it on. It fit. I cried for 15 minutes. I go back to the booth and buy another dress and thank her for her kindness. I’ve been a faithful customer ever since.
That was the beginning of the realization that the geek community is very body confident and positive. All sizes are included in the fun. These companies have figured out what others have not, that style has no size limit.
To be able to fit into fashion pieces you want is a, pardon the expression, a big deal. You are included. That positivity and confidence is contagious. You find yourself carrying yourself taller, and you want everyone to feel this amazing. I feel stronger when I wear something superhero themed. I feel more confident. I am a part of a team. I don’t want anyone to ever feel excluded like I once did.
I lost my grandmother when I was 13, so she never got to experience either of my fashion metamorphoses, but I like to think she knows and is proud. If she was here, with her love of movies and fashion, I also like to think that she would be participating right along side me in this. I am doing my best to pass on all this knowledge to Benji as well.
I hope that this site has and will continue to inspire and encourage you to find your inner superhero, your body confidence and body positivity. I look forward to hearing about your adventures and triumphs in the comments. Huzzah!
We had an amazing time at WonderCon, but easily the best part of the trip was our panel, “In Plain Sight”, on Sunday afternoon.
We had an absolutely amazing time discussing how to integrate geeky and nerdy fashions into your daily wardrobe. We filled up the room and handed out all the ducks too!
We were all in agreement that by bringing your fandoms into your daily wardrobe is a great way to bring out your inner superhero on a daily basis.
I found this fantastic arc reactor online at Etsy. Get your own here. It runs on 3, AAA batteries for hours and hours. I wore it all day at WonderCon (about 7 hours) and the batteries were still going. It didn’t get hot to the touch or even warm, and it is super lightweight. The artist provides a sticky pad to adhere it to your clothes, but I utilized the loop to make a necklace out of it. It didn’t show up in most pictures, but it is super bright.
The Brick- Dress from Amazon
I cannot recommend this dress from Amazon highly enough. It comes in a gazillion colors and it really and truly size inclusive, going up to 4xl. I am wearing a 4xl in these pictures. I apologize for the wrinkled look. The iron in my hotel room was pretty sad and didn’t do a good job at all getting it pressed for me after unpacking it. Get your own dress by clicking this link.
This cosplay didn’t require a wig or any super special make-up. For pin-up, a nice red lip is a great finishing touch. I wear “Love Is On” by Revlon. Get yours here.
Adaptations for Everyday Wear
This one is pretty simple to adapt to everyday wear. Lose the arc reactor and put on an arc reactor pendant instead. Click this link for a cute one. I’d also lose the petticoat and that’s pretty much all you need to do to take this look to the office or out and about.
As always, professional pictures by Justin Davidson Photography. Book him here. You’ll be glad you did!
