Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
I have not had much time this year to think about Halloween. In fact, I won’t even get to dress up this year! My lovely stepsister is getting married, which is lovely and nice and a whole different kind of dress up, really. And there’s cake instead of candy, so who can complain?
But what might I do after hours? Well, I’ve worked it out! With a 10 minute Doctor Who costume that I can pluck straight from my current wardrobe. Nothing like a free Halloween, if you ask me.
So if you want to be the Doctor, here’s what to snap from your current wardrobe for a quick costume change:
This is obviously a Matt Smith Doctor, but you can adapt it however you like.
You can see me rocking my very own version of the Doctor in this post from a few years ago. And if you want to make your very own lady like bow-tie you can find that here.
And if you want to rock the classic Amy Pond, here’s what you will need to pull from your dresser to rock the look:
You can see how Emma rocked the look a few years back in this post here.
I hope you feel like a space and time traveling wunderkind in these looks. And that you feel quite smart for saving so much moola to look so sharp on the eve of the Hallow. Happy Halloween, friends!
Every week this month I’m looking at one of the ladies from NBC’s Hannibal and analysing their style. This week it’s the turn of Dr. Beverly Katz, the female third of what Tumblr has dubbed Team Sassy Science. Beverly’s wardrobe has to be practical as she spends her days alternating between crime scenes out in the harsh Maryland climate, and the FBI forensics lab. We see her wearing lots of neutral tones and natural materials such as wool, leather and silk - it’s a wardrobe that helps cement her as one of the most sincere characters on the show.
Beverly frequently wears skinny jeans. She chooses style that are well cut so she can get away with them in the relaxed professional atmosphere of the lab. Jeans are a practical choice that will translate well between locations; they are also great travel clothes and comfortable for working long hours.
Button down shirts are Beverly’s usual choice for pairing with the jeans. She tends towards plain, deep blues which helps set her apart from many of the other female characters who all rely heavily on bright reds and strong patterns.
We often see Beverly outdoors wearing her collection of leather jackets; some in classic black and others in neutral brown tones. When combined with her large sunglasses this gives her an effortless look of old school cool.
Nearly all Beverly’s outfits feature wool somewhere. She has fleeced-lined boots, a fleece-lined leather jacket, and a seriously cozy looking wool hat, all of which add to her natural style.
Beverly tends to finish her outfits with a pair of knee high leather boots. While these are another concession to her job requirements - boots are always a good choice when outdoors in muddy or other wild terrain - they are also the perfect finish to her look.
Here’s a few items to help you get the Beverly Katz look:
Acne Studio Sunglasses: (£190)
Pull & Bear Skinny Fit Jeans: (£26)
Next Charcoal Knit Hat: (£10)
G by GUESS Women’s Hertlez Tall Shaft Wide Calf Riding Boots: ($70)
American Eagle Aerie Silky Button Down Shirt: ($40)
Selected Forma Leather Jacket F: (€240)
Sophie Brown is one of the core contributors over at GeekMom and so far the only Brit, which sometimes makes her feel guilty for not being a bigger fan of Doctor Who and Sherlock.
She is a die-hard X-Phile who loves cross stitching and baking cupcakes whilst marathoning sci-fi shows on Netflix. She is also an occasional cosplayer, spends far too many hours reading and writing X-Files fanfiction, and is attempting to learn Latin this year. You can email her at [email protected], especially about anything X-Files related, but be prepared for a very long answer.
Find her on twitter @easyqueenie.
Every week this month I’m looking at one of the ladies from NBC’s Hannibal and analyzing their style and today is the turn of online tabloid journalist Freddie Lounds. Freddie’s wardrobe is one of the show’s most distinctive, but when you look at it in depth it also provides some interesting allusions to her personality. Freddie is a vegetarian. This means she is quite possibly the only recurring cast member who has not eaten a human being cooked by Hannibal by the end of season one; however her wardrobe is filled with leathers, furs and animal prints.
Freddie wears prints from a variety of big cats; in fact she only wears prints from dangerous, predatory animals suggesting she is in some ways a hunter herself. In fact from certain perspectives, including Hannibal’s, Freddie might be the most dangerous character on the show as she is ruthlessly determined to uncover the truth.
A distinctive and unusual jacket is present in nearly every outfit. She has variously worn garishly bright plaid, fur-lined tweed that appears to glimmer, and even a poncho. When she chooses a more subtle style it will still have something about it to make it stand out such as a strikingly asymmetrical cut.
Freddie is usually seen wearing gloves; even indoors. Clearly this has the practical purpose of allowing her to access crime scenes without leaving fingerprints behind but it also adds an element of old fashioned style to her outfits. Her gloves always match her outfits either in color and material, or by incorporating a matching trim.
When she wears mostly clothes without patterns, she will often include a bold design somewhere else in the outfit such as a striking pair of lace tights or a strongly patterned scarf. Her clutch bags are also very eye-catching.
Although Freddie wears mostly dresses and skirts, we occasionally see her in very tight skinny jeans. Paired with one of her unusual jackets this can serve to create a strange and disconcerting silhouette which adds to her predatory persona.
Here’s a few items you might try to recreate the look:
Dorothy Perkins Closet Green Leather Look Dress (£50)
Pull & Bear High Heel Cut-Out Ankle Boots (£60)
Demi Ingeborg Black Leather Fur Gloves (£88)
Joe Brown’s Our Favourite Jacket (£70)
Next Sexy High Waist Skinny Jeans (£28)
Cheetah Print Scarf ($15)
Dorothy Perkins Black Floral Net Nights (£7)
George Animal Print Knitted Sweater (£12)
Sophie Brown is one of the core contributors over at GeekMom and so far the only Brit, which sometimes makes her feel guilty for not being a bigger fan of Doctor Who and Sherlock.
She is a die-hard X-Phile who loves cross stitching and baking cupcakes whilst marathoning sci-fi shows on Netflix. She is also an occasional cosplayer, spends far too many hours reading and writing X-Files fanfiction, and is attempting to learn Latin this year. You can email her at [email protected], especially about anything X-Files related, but be prepared for a very long answer.
Find her on twitter @easyqueenie.
The X-Files episode “Conduit” featured some of the worst outfits ever inflicted upon Agent Scully throughout the show’s nine-season run. One of the worst paired a 1970s orange-brown plaid jacket with black upper lapels against dark brown slacks and brown loafers. It really is as bad as it sounds.
The most memorable thing about this outfit was the plaid jacket. There’s nothing inherently wrong with plaid and this Ralph Lauren tweed jacket shows just how nice it can look when tailored well in attractive colors.
Try this: Ralph Lauren Tweed Jacket ($884)
Rather than clashing her jacket against dark tones, this pair of mushroom grey slacks from Monsoon compliments it nicely whilst providing a simple, neutral base to play around with.
Try this: Mushroom grey slacks ($79)
One of Scully’s biggest fashion faux pas was not her love of neutrals or her apparent taste for very bold jewel tones, but rather the fact that she tended to wear either all neutral or all bold rather than pairing the two. This stunning red silk blouse by Iceberg draws from the wardrobes of two of Gillian Anderson’s recent character portrayals - The Fall’s DCI Stella Gibson and Hannibal’s Dr Bedalia du Maurier - and looks spectacular against her neutral suit; a daring change from plain white.
Try this: Red silk blouse ($420)
This pair of Lucy Choi heels subtly continue the plaid motif and the small kitten heel is actually practical for office wear.
Try this: Lucy Choi kitten heels ($158)
Nothing finishes off an outfit like the right bag and the classic Bayswater by Mulberry is the perfect example. This bright red leather design is large enough to be practical and the color will compliment her blouse beautifully.
Try this: Mulberry tote ($2000)
Sophie Brown is one of the core contributors over at GeekMom and so far the only Brit, which sometimes makes her feel guilty for not being a bigger fan of Doctor Who and Sherlock.
She is a die-hard X-Phile who loves cross stitching and baking cupcakes whilst marathoning sci-fi shows on Netflix. She is also an occasional cosplayer, spends far too many hours reading and writing X-Files fanfiction, and is attempting to learn Latin this year. You can email her at [email protected], especially about anything X-Files related, but be prepared for a very long answer.
Find her on twitter @easyqueenie.
After spending the last few columns looking at work clothes this time I’m taking a break and contemplating stylish outdoor wear. In the episode “Darkness Falls” Mulder drags Scully on a “nice trip to the forest” to investigate the disappearance of a group of loggers. Scully takes this as an opportunity to drag out her collection of XXL men’s shirts and a technicolor raincoat which absolutely did not inspire my choice of coats for a camping trip age 12 OK? While the wardrobe department attempted to create a practical outfit for Scully’s trip many of their choices were anything but. Instead they succeeded in creating a strange, shapeless mass of clothing not really suited to anything, least if all hiking through a forest.
Scully’s denim shirt is a great practical choice for a hiking trip but she still doesn’t need it to be sized so large that her hands disappear entirely. This dark denim shirt from Next will be just as versatile but maintains her figure with a great feminine cut.
Check Out: Denim Shirt ($31)
The vest Scully wears over her shirt in the original outfit seems to serve very little purpose with its two tiny pockets. Far better would be this practical vest from H&M with plenty of pockets for carrying everything she might need while leaving her hands free for investigating.
Check Out: H & M Vest ($46)
In the original outfit Scully seems to wear a second black top under her shirt. While another great choice for practicality, and at least she’s trying to do layers, having a polo neckline means the top sticks up over the neck of her shirt and looks plain odd. A great choice would be this grandad top from Superdry which will keep her warm yet is also perfect on its own if she gets hot back at the cabin in the evening (and who wouldn’t with Agent Mulder there?)
Check Out: Superdry Top ($80)
Leggings were everywhere in the early 90s but that doesn’t mean they’re suited to the forest where they risk getting wet & rubbing for the rest of the day. A proper pair of hiking pants such as this pair from Regatta are a basic necessity for keeping warm and dry as well as adding yet more useful pockets.
Check Out: Regatta Pants ($46)
The final item on this outfit is probably one of the most vital to get right. A sturdy and well-fitted pair of hiking boots is essential if you want to avoid injury making them well worth investing money in. This pair from Zappos match comfort and practicality with great style.
Check Out: Lowa Renegade Boots ($220)
Sophie Brown is one of the core contributors over at GeekMom and so far the only Brit, which sometimes makes her feel guilty for not being a bigger fan of Doctor Who and Sherlock.
She is a die-hard X-Phile who loves cross stitching and baking cupcakes whilst marathoning sci-fi shows on Netflix. She is also an occasional cosplayer, spends far too many hours reading and writing X-Files fanfiction, and is attempting to learn Latin this year. You can email her at [email protected], especially about anything X-Files related, but be prepared for a very long answer.
Find her on twitter @easyqueenie.
