Being Geek Chic is a blog for stylish geeks, sophisticated nerds and people who enjoy the musings of a complete dork. Join us as we dream of driving the TARDIS, cuddle with our eBooks and test out an iPad sleeve. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi and a team of brilliant lady nerds. Meet the team.
Crystal Clark is a verified geeky fashion expert, connoisseur of geeky home decor, blogger, cosplayer, sci-fi lover, and our Lady Geek of the Week. Last month, Clark participated in not one but two panels at the Stan Lee Comikaze Expo. She joined fellow Lady Geeks of the Week Mandie Bettencourt, Kristin Hackett and Molly McIsaac to discuss their fave trends in geek fashion, along with the best places to snag geek chic clothing and DIY fashion tips to create unique looks. Clark also joined a panel to discuss cultural diversity and representation in pop culture, “a topic that as a chicana I am definitely passionate about.”
Clark blogs about geek art, fashion, cosplay, and more over at Geek Piñata, where she’s completely on top of the geeky Christmas beat. Still looking for the perfect holiday gift for your lady geek? Check out Clark’s 2013 Holiday Gift Guide. If all else fails, pick her up a geeky Christmas sweater. Our favorite features Darth Vadar trimming the tree. Yes, it exists.
We caught up with Clark to chat about her passion for FemShep, adolescent anxieties, and geeky self-discovery. Need even more from this Lady Geek of the Week? Catch up with Clark on Twitter (@geekpinata), Pinterest, Facebook, and YouTube.
Q: How did you discover your passion and what led you to launch Geek Piñata?
A: It was a natural process that occurred as more and more geeky clothing for women started to crop up. I’ve always adored games, comics, Star Wars, and so on. I’ve also always loved cute clothing. Mix the two together and it was instant love for me. I started just sharing geek fashion stuff I would find on my personal facebook page, and it got so much response that I figured it was time to start a blog instead! And voila, Geek Piñata was born.
The site is actually just a hobby, but I do put a lot of time into it because it’s a true passion of mine. Due to the positive responses to the blog, I was invited by a video game merchandise company to PAX Prime this year and I was invited to be a panelist at Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo last month. It’s been pretty awesome!
Q: When did you discover you were “geeky?”
A: I didn’t know the things I liked were considered “geeky” until I would talk to my friends about it, so I discovered that I was “geeky” during grade school. The vast majority of my friends growing up were not at all into games or comics. That was something I would enjoy a lot on my own.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: If anyone who knows me reads this, they will not at all be surprised by this answer! I would take out FemShep (from the game Mass Effect) for a drink. FemShep is a leader, she’s intelligent, she’s courageous, and she has a very wide range of emotion. Anyone who has played the games knows that probably the strongest element of that game is Commander Shepard and the friendships that she makes with those around her (which makes saving the universe all that much more important). I would mostly just want to be around her, listen to her stories, and feel inspired by the person she is.
I would hope that a round of drinks doesn’t end up like the scene in Mass Effect 2, though. (We all have flaws! Haha)
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: Oh man, the things a 13-year-old worries about is so ridiculous in retrospect. It’s a bit embarrassing but I was a very late bloomer and awkward growing up, so I was getting made fun of a lot for that reason at that age. I used to cry over it and pray that I would be blessed with puberty overnight. I would probably tell my 13-year-old self not to worry about it because I *did* hit puberty eventually! Haha.
Q: What would be the title of your memoir?
A: Leia, Ripley, Elektra, Left-Eye: How My Influences Shaped Me into the Woman I Am Today
Emma Bauer is a Being Geek Chic Contributor. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, history scholar, tea drinker, fashion devotee, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic. Follow her on Twitter: @emmalynnbauer
So it’s Cyber Monday. I know it’s supposed to be about gifts, but in case you’re like me, this is your chance to get some great Lady Geek gear at a reduced price. Here are some of my favorite picks for yourself or your recipients:
ShadowPlayNYC: These lovely ladies are offering 15% to 30% off on their space gear with a variety of coupon codes. The infinity scarves are so soft and wonderful, you won’t regret it.
Rifle Paper Co: I love, love great stationary. For lady geeks looking for wanderlust in 2014, you need to check out their line of travel calendars. And their iPhone cases. I picked up the London one because LONDON! Everything is 30% off with CYBER2013.
LEGO: Amazon cut prices by as much as 40% on lots of great LEGO sets, including Marvel sets for my Avengers loving friends. And yes, the Amazon deals are better than the LEGO store deals today.
BioWare Store: I love my N7 ANGL hoodie wayyyyy more than any other hoodie I have ever owned. That hoodie and all their other hoodies are $10 off. Tees are all $15.
Black Milk Clothing: Overpriced leggings become… less overpriced today. Everything is 30% off. This is one of the only sales they will have all year so it’s best to get on that now.
PhotoJoJo: Virtually everything in their store will be some percentage off today through one of their flash sales. Follow them on Twitter and keep checking back for good deals. I’ve got my eye on the Digital Holga Lens, which is $5 off today.
Stickygram: One of my favorite gifts I bought for someone else last year was a set of Instagram magnets of my adventures with my Mom. The magnets are the right size and super fun. The sheets of 9 are 25% off today.
Mandie Bettencourt, our Lady Geek of the Week, lives in vibrant and sunny Los Angeles and runs Geeky Glamorous, a blog celebrating geeky lifestyle. Geeky Glamorous is full of geek chic fashion and beauty finds at your favorite stores; reviews, reports, and recommendations of various conventions; and of course, amazing giveaways. Betthencourt also holds a bachelor’s degree in Game Art and Design, “but realized after a stint in the industry, that being more involved in the culture of games and geek was more my speed.” Find Bettencourt on Twitter at @geekyglamorous, on YouTube, and Tumblr.
Earlier this month, Bettencourt was totally in her element at the Stan Lee Comikaze Expo. She participated in a geek girl fashion panel - along with some other lead geek fashionistas (including previous Lady Geeks of the Week Kristin Hackett and Molly McIsaac), discussing trends in geek fashion, along with the best places to find geek chic clothing and DIY fashion tips to create unique looks.
So, are you asking yourself, “what potent cocktail would Bettencourt share with her fave Mass Effect character?” Or, “what advice would she tell her middle-school self?” Read on!
Q: How did you discover your passion?
A: It started when I was introduced to the Final Fantasy series in high school. My gaming experience before that was just with games like Donkey Kong Country or Super Mario Bros.. When I discovered RPGs, I was entranced with the music, visuals, and characters. It snowballed from there and I got into related geek genres like graphic novels, anime, cosplay, figure collecting etc.
Q: When did you discover you were “geeky?”
A: When I was pulling all nighters playing MMORPGS or staying up way too late to catch anime on Adult Swim.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: I would choose my space boyfriend, Garrus Vakarian from Mass Effect. We’d drink ryncol and I’d probably end up passed out in a corner of the Citadel.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: That being a nerd is way cool and you should get into this now and not when you get into high school.
Emma Bauer is a Being Geek Chic Contributor. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, history scholar, tea drinker, fashion devotee, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic. Follow her on Twitter: @emmalynnbauer
