i want the regina dress now

September 4, 2014 4:33 PM

Geeky women's clothing company Her Universe teamed up with Hot Topic and Nerdist to present a fandom couture competition and fashion show. Here are some highlights.

Contestants:

Isabelle Scott - Wolverine: Love Interrupted (X-Men)
Grace Duval - Thrace (Battlestar Galactica)
Lindsay Hamilton - The Architects of Time (Doctor Who)
Amanda Avery - Catching Fire (The Hunger Games)
Melissa Camacho - Dixon's Winged Vest (The Walking Dead)
Caitlin Shindler - Padme's Rainbow Gown (Star Wars)
Cressie Lewis - Wedding Gown (The Hobbit)
Leetal Platt - Dalek Wedding Dress (Doctor Who)
Claire Max - The Time of Your Life - Death (Sandman, DC Comics)
Liz Hernandez - Lonely Assassin (Doctor Who)
Hannah Kent - Ventress Gown (Star Wars)
Betsy Waddell - Loki Evening Dress (Thor)
Sam Skyler - Pikachu, I Choose You! (Pokemon)
Hannah Black - Amidala (Star Wars)
Tanya Nicole - Whovian Scarf Dress with Tin Dog Purse (Doctor Who)
Linda Heredia - Luna (Harry Potter)
Marisol Bell - When In Doubt, Pinky Up! (Spongebob Squarepants)
Cindy Henry - Golden Age Gloria (Golden Age)
Alexandra Threw - Siren's Embrace (The Little Mermaid)
Tara Reich - Arcee (Transformers)
Lindsay Orndorff - Metroid Samus Gown (Metroid)
Maggie Chan - Doctor Doom (Fantastic Four)
Regina Alaya - Knight Out In Gotham (Batman)
Oseas Villatoro - Bryzah (Mystique) (X-Men)
Kathryn Henzler - I Am Selfish. I Am Brave. (Divergent)
Lauren Bregman - Effie's Trinkets (The Hunger Games)

Audience Choice Award: Andrew Maclaine - Regina's Curse (Once Upon a Time)

Judge's Choice: Amy Beth Christenson - "Great Skirt, Marty!" (Back to the Future)

Host's Outfit: Catherine Elhoffer - Totoro (Miyazaki)

posted by divabat (34 comments total)

I missed a few:

Jessica Gonzalez - Solar Flair (Iron Man)
Laura Desch - Starfleet's Finest (Star Trek)
Kristin Koga - The Complexity of His Jumpers (Sherlock)
Andrea Schwartz - Arya Stark (Game of Thrones)
posted by divabat at 4:37 PM on September 4, 2014 [2 favorites]

THESE ARE SO COOL! THANK YOU!
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 4:59 PM on September 4, 2014 [2 favorites]

Amaaaazing.
posted by offalark at 5:01 PM on September 4, 2014 [1 favorite]

Also that Dalek wedding dress is both super cute and really quite classy. The other day I was actually thinking about trying to make something like this and then a little headband with Dalek ear-snouts on it and it was really really cool to see such a fancy professional version.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 5:05 PM on September 4, 2014 [1 favorite]

I will take one of the Fourth Doctor scarf dresses, kthxbai.
posted by Kitteh at 5:08 PM on September 4, 2014 [3 favorites]

Totoro! Now that I read the description, I totally see it. Must have it. (I admit, in the video I thought she had foil on her dress, but it looks much better in the close ups)
posted by sweetmarie at 5:12 PM on September 4, 2014 [2 favorites]

The pokeball/Pikachu dress is very cute.
posted by mogget at 5:15 PM on September 4, 2014 [2 favorites]

Oh, and the Regina dress could not be more Regina if it tried. Dead accurate.
posted by Kitteh at 5:27 PM on September 4, 2014 [4 favorites]

I would personally and by hand slaughter untold millions for that Effie Trinket getup.
posted by elizardbits at 5:41 PM on September 4, 2014 [3 favorites]

See also.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 5:52 PM on September 4, 2014

ZenMasterThis's link has one or two that I haven't seen yet (I got the list from the Fashion Show tag on Her Universe's blog, so there's probably more coming up) - what's #10 and #12?
posted by divabat at 6:00 PM on September 4, 2014

The delight on this designer's face is wonderful
posted by Ideal Impulse at 6:04 PM on September 4, 2014

After looking at them all, first of all I'm impressed, that's some neat stuff. Also, I liked that not all of the models were 15 year old Eastern European size minus zeros, but instead were distinct and added to the clothes.

I haven't seen a lot of the references and source materials for these, but the Divergence one stood out to me, but all were cool and I'd love to have been able to see them in person.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:16 PM on September 4, 2014

I now demand an all-nerd season of Project Runway.
posted by bibliowench at 6:19 PM on September 4, 2014 [16 favorites]

#10 is Kara Thrace. #12 I have no idea but could be a Cylon?
posted by Squeak Attack at 6:30 PM on September 4, 2014 [1 favorite]

#10 looks like a shot of Grace Duval's Thrace. Which makes me think #12 looks Cylon-y, but then who knows.
posted by rewil at 6:33 PM on September 4, 2014

One just revealed today: Victoria Schmidt - The Iron Throne Gown (Game of Thrones)
posted by divabat at 6:48 PM on September 4, 2014

Ha, that's awesome. And it makes me think of Michael Caine in Miss Congeniality. "Wear the throne, be the throne, you are the throne."
posted by rewil at 6:54 PM on September 4, 2014

This is so wonderful. A few of them were disappointing (esp. that Little Mermaid dress, ew), and a few that were trying too hard/too literal (Amidala, Catching Fire) but there are some that are just really beautiful, as both fanfic and fashion. I'm looking specifically at Effie Trinket, Thrace, the Dalek dress, and Luna. The winners are lovely, too.
posted by likeatoaster at 7:08 PM on September 4, 2014

Lindsay Orndorff (the Metroid dress designer) has an entire blog about geeky women's fashion. Here's her blog post on the fashion show, with TONS of pictures (including some that weren't linked here yet).
posted by divabat at 7:21 PM on September 4, 2014

These are astonishing and I love them SO MUCH! Thank you for posting this!
posted by cadge at 7:35 PM on September 4, 2014

The designer of the Star Trek dress talks about how the fashion show staff helped her out when her father was diagnosed with cancer before the show.
posted by divabat at 7:48 PM on September 4, 2014 [1 favorite]

Read the FPP as "FEMDOM couture competition" and was thinking, "Whoa, prolly want a NSFW label on this, mods." Imagine my relief/disappointment.
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 7:49 PM on September 4, 2014 [1 favorite]

Purposeful Grimace: a couple of these outfits probably qualify as femdom gear.
posted by divabat at 7:50 PM on September 4, 2014

So I saw, divabat. But it was the lack of latex that made me check the FPP again.
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 8:05 PM on September 4, 2014

On the topic of femdoms (well, sort of) I'd love to see some high fashion people tackle the Mara and Sun Princess dresses from the Kushiel series.

I'd also really dig some stuff based not on people. The Thrace dress touches on this a bit, and the Dalek too. But the shapes of spaceships and the surface of Mars and... (eyes go shiny)
posted by NoraReed at 8:20 PM on September 4, 2014 [2 favorites]

The Dalek wedding dress is fantastic, I'd go to that wedding (except that they'd exterminate everyone non - Dalek, so conversation would be limited).
posted by arcticseal at 10:30 PM on September 4, 2014

These are very cool. I'm not sure I should my 10 year old the Pokemon dresses, though, as it could get embarrassing along a number of axes. I do think my wife and need to get remarried so she can wear the Dalek dress. I'm not skinny enough to dress a current Doctor, though. I suppose if I wait 40 years, I can be Tom Baker from "The Day of the Doctor".
posted by mollweide at 5:29 AM on September 5, 2014

Adorable leaf/berries crown to go with the Totoro gown.
posted by Sayuri. at 9:45 AM on September 5, 2014

#12 is either an old school Cylon or C3PO (says I).
posted by maryr at 3:45 PM on September 5, 2014

For anyone else who was curious how the Regina dress transformation worked.
posted by polymath at 7:08 PM on September 5, 2014

New Update: Erin Weathers - Eudhral (The Crystal Queen)
posted by divabat at 1:15 AM on September 6, 2014 [1 favorite]

Sadee Umrapel - ASTER (Aperture Science Transforming Environmental Regalia) – Portal
posted by maryr at 6:28 PM on September 7, 2014

It is indeed a Cylon!
posted by divabat at 9:52 PM on September 8, 2014