A Very Punky Halloween

Happy October, everybody! Not only has Autumn arrived, but Halloween - one of my favorite holidays - is right around the corner! Why do I love Halloween? Well, aside from having a valid excuse to eat a LOT of candy and the delightful terror of haunted houses, Halloween is all about costumes!!!

I'm a huge cosplay fan! I love to see people's recreations of beloved characters. If you're not familiar with cosplay, I strongly suggest taking a look at the YouTube series Just Cos on the Nerdist Channel. It really opened my eyes to what cosplay means to its participants; it's actually quite freeing. 

Upon "researching" cosplay, I came across two interesting costume styles I'd like to share: Steampunk & Cyberpunk.

Steampunk

If you're familiar with the setting of Bioshock: Infinite, that is essentially Steampunk. Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that is more retrospective than futuristic. The style is 19th Century Western, but the technology well-beyond that.

Steampunk dates back to early 20th century science fiction literature, although most cosplayers are not specific characters. Instead Steampunk cosplayers are simply people from a different era - the far future where another Industrial Revolution is taking place.

Characteristics of a Steampunk costume:

• No neon or bold colors; more browns, creams, neutral colors
• Industrial aspects (typically gears, clocks)
• 19th century fashion (corsets, top hats, ruffled skirts, etc)

Cyberpunk

I like to think of Cyberpunk as the opposite of Steampunk. Where Steampunk is the punk of the past, Cyberpunk is the punk of the future.

The Cyberpunk style seems to have originated in the late 20th century. (The 1980s respectively.) Again, these cosplayers are not any particularly character, but instead represent a future time period. The Cyberpunk future is one where humans have merged with very advanced technology to create a world of androids and cyborgs.

Characteristics of a Cyberpunk costume:

• Bright neon/Bold colors/Metallics
• Lights
• Technology (mechanical limbs/enhancements)
• Tubes/wires
• Colored Hair
• *Gothic elements & Sex appeal

*Not entirely sure why Cyberpunk is more Gothic and revealing, but those are common characteristics.

If you're still looking for a cool Halloween costume idea, you might consider being a punk. There is a lot of creative potential here! Steampunk Tinkerbell, Cyberpunk Bride...

And, of course, there's always the classic punk...

Check out my Facebook page for more geeky fun 

& let me know what you want to be for Halloween!

The Next Great American Soap Opera Drama...About Barbie?

On Pinterest, I decided to take a look at JayBird53's Crazy For Barbie board. The little girl in me kicked in, and I began daydreaming - playing with the dolls in my head! And what I thought was quite entertaining.

[Note: If you're expecting to learn anything, this isn't that kind of post. Sure, if you're not well-versed in Barbie, you'll learn a little something. But overall, this is more of an entertainment post. That being said...]

The thought I had was about a 80s-/90s-style drama, like Dynasty...

Fun Fact: I (indirectly) got my name from the bad-ass main character Alexis Carrington-Colby (far right).

...about a mother and daughter.

 As we know, Barbie Millicent Roberts was "born" in the late 1950s. If you look at her then and now, you'll notice she's changed quite a bit.

I like to think of the older, more stern Barbie as actually being Barbie's mother, Margaret Millicent "Millie" Roberts. Millie's the queen-bee, wealthy socialite responsible for the family's image. She met her husband, George (the first Ken), when she was in her late teens and together they built the Roberts Family Empire.

Millie was much more agreeable in her youth. But she became an iron lady as she grew older.

By her late-20s, Millie Roberts was a fashion icon and a mother. Though she had features from both her parents, Barbra "Barbie" Roberts shined as brightly as her mother. 

However, as the young heiress grew older and her relationship with her mother became strained. Barbie wasn't satisfied with her mother's fashion-oriented lifestyle; she used her weather and family name to achieve different goals...

Among several other careers before the job market crash...

Disappointed, Millie tries to talk Barbie into returning to the fashion world claiming "women don't belong in careers like law and medicine". Her efforts fail, though, and Barbie and her mother stop speaking to each other. Barbie meets Ken, and they have an on-and-off relationship. 

I could go on, but where's the fun in that? Let your imagination run wild for a moment about your favorite childhood doll/action figure. 

(Barbie goes all "Amanda Bynes" in the later seasons of this imaginary television series.)

LOL! Don't worry. She eventually gets her act together.

The Online Fashionista

Random: I've decided I want to be more active on Polyvore. Polyvore, "the web's largest fashion community", is a great way to express your fashion/beauty creativity online.

First, I feel I should have more of an online presence. For a person with a degree in Social Computing Informatics, I'm not exactly making anyone's Top 10 List of Pinners to Follow, etc...

Second, I need a creative outlet to keep me from going insane from everyday monotony. In high school, I spent hours watching E! or The Style Network. I developed a great sense of style; the only problem is...

Of course, you can look good for less, but it's not as fun!

I got the idea to take a stab at becoming notable on Polyvore. Making sets and collections is fun anyway, and I could put a little effort into it.

So far, I have participated in a couple of contests:

And joined a group:

I've read a little on the subject, and it seems popularity really relies on participation. So I suppose it's time I get started!

For more of my insights on random things (on & offline),

Like Very Geeky Girl on Facebook

(Oh! And check out my sets & collections on Polyvore!!!)

The Budget-Conscious Shopaholic

When you've had a rough day, nothing feels better than shopping! Hard day at work? A pair of new shoes will take care of that! Love sick? Dr. Alexander McQueen and Nurse Chanel have just the thing for you! A new wardrobe can instantly make you feel better.

See how happy they look? Better than Xanex.

One problem: It is insanely expensive!!!

Shopping addiction is an expensive affliction! A few bad days can put you in serious debt if you're not careful. But I have a solution!!!

For those unfamiliar, Pinterest is a pin-board style photo-sharing website that links to blogs and websites. (A good amount of useful information is shared there, too.)

My Pinterest account currently has 22 boards and over 3,300 pins. One of the boards is called: "OMG! Shoes." Yes, I created a separate blog solely (get it?) for shoes. It's merely one of the blogs I use to dream of a better tomorrow where I actually own or have visited the things and places I've pinned.

I'm no shopaholic, but it makes a bad day a little better to nice (expensive) things. Of course it would be infinitely better to own these things, but until I become a billionaire I'll work with what I have.

P.S. Pinning clothes and outfits is a great way to discover your sense of style.

Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping. -- Bo Derek

Don't You Agree? Share your thoughts on Facebook & Feel free to follow me on Pinterest!!! 

That Girl Is Poison!

I had a really random thought - as I often do - while I was getting dressed for a "date" yesterday. I put on a black-and-white stripped shirt and black jeans replacing the gray shirt I had on before because I thought it was too dark, but this is not a fashion blog so I'll move on...

In an Animal Behavior course, I learned that a contrast of light and dark colors is commonly seen in poisonous (or chemically-defensive) animals. It serves as a warning to all predators that this animal is not one you want to mess with.

You see that white stripe? You've got about 5 seconds.

This got me wondering...

Of course, I'm not really poisonous. But I have a punky, rock star attitude that could warrant the poison label. Girly girls like pink and purple, gothic people wear black, depressed people favor dark colors.

My rebel personality is better expressed using the combination: bold colors + black. I also love the contrast: edgy + feminine.

I have a big personality that doesn't fit into a square peg. Of course there are a number of other things I like that don't quite fit into these two rules, but this is certainly my starting point!

"That girl is poison!"

"Style is a way of saying who you are without having to speak." -- Rachel Zoe