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Recently, a friend of mine commented that she felt particularly shallow because she loves fashion. She felt that following trends and wanting to deviate from the witty-T-shirt-and-jeans standard somehow ruined her geek cred.

Luckily, this exchange took place over the Internet, so the spit-take of Diet Coke only hit my laptop screen instead of her fabulous purple corduroy military-style jacket (that I covet so very, very much). However, the very idea that one is less of a geek for enjoying things others might consider shallow, like fashion or makeup or celebrity gossip, is downright poisonous. I thought most of the geek community was incensed at elitist definitions of geekdom, and that anyone who wanted to identify as a geek was welcome.

(And let’s not even talk about gender associations with activities and topics that people consider “shallow.” That is another rant for another day.)

Fashion is not shallow. Far from it, in fact. The amalgamation of knowledge one needs to create a single fitted garment or to fully understand how their clothes are made is staggering, and that’s just looking at the process from one design idea to a finished sample garment. I’m not even looking at the manufacturing process.

Constructing a garment incorporates a lot of aspects of math and science: geometry for calculating fabric yardage, chemistry for creating new and interesting textile fibers (or improving old standards like cotton), and physics and engineering to ensure a design that looks great will withstand the rigors of everyday wear. Recently, I made a bag for a friend of mine, and was able to pinpoint exactly where the most stress would be, and where I’d have to reinforce the stitching later. Sure enough, he reported that my prediction was spot on. That wasn’t shoddy workmanship; that was physics at work. I’ll be repairing the bag regardless.

There’s plenty of room in fashion for the history geek, too. I’ve had several of my history geek friends look at shots from a modern fashion show and point out details that have been part of sartorial history since man first decided to not walk around naked. This doesn’t even cover discussions of what we’d be wearing if certain sumptuary laws had held firm.

In lots of cases, fashion and geek culture go hand in hand. Back in April of this year, Square Enix put some of the Final Fantasy XIII-2 characters in Prada to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the game, and Prada’s fall/winter 2012 menswear line took a lot of hints from the popularity of steampunk and went late-1800s with their aesthetic. Jean-Paul Gaultier’s costume design for The Fifth Element made the far future look fabulous, and it still looks good today as opposed to looking hokey, like so many other retro sci-fi costumes (I’m looking at you, old-school Battlestar Galactica).

There’s also this horrible myth that geeks simply aren’t fashion-forward. Fuck. That. Fuck that, I say. There is no good reason why dressing well and being geeky should be mutually exclusive. None. And it doesn’t take a lot of money, either, since you don’t have to buy a whole new wardrobe every six months (and don’t let anyone tell you different). Trends go through cycles, so a particular pant style that flatters you could easily come back into fashion. There’s a reason that there are so many trends every fashion season: because not every trend works for everyone. Pick one or two that work well for you, and go with it. Pick styles that flatter your body type and colors that flatter your skin tone, and don’t try to force yourself into something you don’t like or doesn’t look good on you for the sake of being “on trend.”

And don’t be afraid to get creative with it! The “high fashion” versions of the Avengers and My Little Pony costumes that have been making the rounds make me giggle with girlish glee. Mixing geekdom and fashion is awesome, and just another way of flying your geek flag high. (And yes, Fashionably Geek is going on my blogroll. Oh yes.)

So go ahead. Rock that color-blocked top that may or may not intentionally resemble a Starfleet uniform (ST: TNG, of course, though the classic female uniform dresses have potential…). Pair up your favorite little black dress with TARDIS blue pumps and a matching handbag (but is it bigger on the inside?). And brown coats are always in; just use a lighter shade of brown in the spring.

Just… don’t do it all at once? Some might consider mixing those fandoms (and those colors!) tacky.