Geek Chic: How to Embrace Your Inner Nerd

Picture the archetypical “cool girl” on Instagram. What is she wearing? If she’s anything like the people blowing up my Instagram feed, she’s probably rocking some combination of nerd glasses, overalls, and white sneakers. Perhaps she’s even accented her look with a feminist pin or sassy patch on a  jean jacket. Clearly, the cool girl of today looks a hell of a lot different than she might have just a few years ago. In fact she looks, dare I say it, a little geeky.

The art of looking stylishly dorky is nuanced to say the least, but that’s not to say that it isn’t achievable. It’s very likely that you’ve already begun adopting the stereotypical “dorky” items into your closet (I’m looking at you, in the Adidas Superstars and mom jeans). Loose jeans, comfortable shoes, and outspoken accessories are all part of any over-worked college student’s wardrobe to begin with, so the objective then lies in polishing and emphasizing the dork within all of us. At a school like Nerdwestern, that should not be an issue for anyone.

Even those who might balk at the idea of purposely dressing like an overgrown six-year-old can not argue with its convenience, let alone its “fun” factor. To dress like a dork is not to proclaim that you don’t care, but instead to proclaim that you DO - earnestly, and with a purpose. Dressing like a dork means dressing for battle, in clothing that is comfortable and functional to a fault, armed with a fistful of political patches and funky statement earrings. It’s asserting that you stand for something, even if the issue you are protesting is the lack of avocado in the dining halls.

Unsure where to start with this nerdy-chic trend? Look no further than ban.do’s recent clothing launch, a line filled with all of the cheeky appliques, bold prints, and fiercely feminist vibes you need to pull of a geeky yet chic look. The best part about this trend is that it pairs perfectly with whatever you have in your closet already - the aim is just to express yourself and to have fun. Dressing like a dork is a style journey that is deeply personal, and ban.do’s collection is a great place to begin that journey. Check out some of our favorite items from a collection filled with quirky pins and patches, dreamy detailing, and outspoken graphic tees below. The dawn of the dork is here. Let’s get weird.

FashionHaley Glazergeek chic, ban.do, cool girl