If you’re a follower of fashion, you may have noticed over the past few years an unusual trend that has been establishing itself on the runways, amongst celebrities and in high street retail stores alike. Like many of the more alternative styles that have been emerging since the millennium, “geek chic” is somewhat of a contradiction in terms. Widely used as a perjorative term just a few years ago, being a “geek” bore with it different implications; the positive was intelligence, whilst the negative was the assumption that with this intelligence a geek had to be hard-working and was therefore boring, unpopular and generally disliked. It is ironic, then, that the trend that fashion magazine and blogs are calling “geek chic” has been adopted primarily by those figures that would undoubtedly once have used the term as an insult. Clothes and accessories that were once ridiculed such as blazers, bow ties, knee high socks and thick rimmed glasses are now all the rage, all because they are associated with an apparent “braininess” that is currently in fashion.
On the runways, the geek trend has manifested itself in a demure manner, coinciding with the current popularity of femininity. Button-up blouses and shirts are popular, as are skirts, mid-length rather than short. As with most trends, there are different sides to the geek chic look – you can go for soft, shy shapes and textures or opt for harsher, hard lines. It’s basically the different between librarian and secretary: are you aiming for quiet and cute or sexy and sophisticated? Knee high socks are perfect for imitating a school girl look, especially when paired with a leather satchel. Having sold very well over the past couple of years, there are now lots of different satchels on the market in different colours and materials. For an old-school geek look, go for one with old-fashioned clasps in faded brass or pewter. The suspender tights that are everywhere at the moment also contribute well to this look, giving your schoolgirl style a slightly cheeky and suggestive edge.
High end geek chic is a bit different to other variations of the trend.
The key accessory for the geek style, of course, is a good pair of glasses. Again, up until a few years ago one was often ridiculed for wearing glasses, yet nowadays many people with perfect vision are choosing to wear glasses with clear lenses, or even with no lenses, as fashionable accessories. Thick plastic rims, either black or in bright colours, are particularly popular. Designers like Ray Ban were quick to jump on this bandwagon with their ranges of geek specs, whilst Gok Wan’s recent range exclusively at Specsavers are all decidedly nerdy. Glasses are actually a great accessory because of the way they can entirely alter your appearance, changing your face shape, especially if they are particularly large or bold and therefore dominate your face. Lily Allen, for example, was pictured wearing a pair of big black specs in 2008 and received a great deal of media attention because she looked so different. Glasses have always been associated with making you look clever, although be careful; there are plenty of big, garish specs out there that will just make you look like more of an idiot. Trust us.
The geek chic trend is just as big for men as it is for women, with waistcoats, blazers, braces and even bow ties coming into fashion for both genders. Prominent male celebrities are embracing the trend; Justin Timberlake’s new look is entirely in line with geekdom, perhaps a remnant from his role in Bad Teacher. Another great source for male geek style is the hugely popular American TV show Glee – Blaine and Kurt are a perfectly styled couple who often sport sophisticated nerd styles. Although one side of geek chic is looking immaculately groomed, neat and tidy, a little bit of mess can create a quirkier style. The huge icon for this kind of kooky geek look is of course Zooey Deschanel, who embodies the trend in her new sitcom, The New Girl.
Zooey Deschanel has become something of a geek chic icon.
There is of course a problem with dressing in geeky clothing because it makes you look cleverer – it doesn’t make you suddenly more intelligent than everybody else. Pushing the geek look too far puts you at real risk of wandering into hipster territory, looking too much like you want to look cool and unfortunately failing. Going over the top with any trend that you don’t have the ability to pull off just doesn’t work, and will make others think less of you. Some online fashion blogs have gone as far as to advise pursuers of geek chic to “fake the nerdy interests” because although you want to dress like a geek, “you won’t become one”, as that would be just terrible. It just goes to show that the underlying perjorative meaning of the term is still there; fashion has just appropriated the bits and pieces that it likes, casting the rest aside. For this reason, it seems important to embrace a little bit of the essence of some real geek chic – we’re thinking retro film t-shirts, quirky accessories, video game references and anything that really is inspired by something “geeky”. Check out the awesome handmade Tetris dress below!
Now that’s more like it!
- Kat Humphries