SDCC 2014: Geek Couture Fashion Show!

This weekend at San Diego Comic Con, fangirl fashion designer Her Universe, a.k.a. Ashley Eckstein, took ‘geek chic’ to a whole new level by collaborating with Hot Topic to host a geek couture fashion show. A mix of pro and amateur designers flaunted looks inspired by the genres we love. Who would have ever thought we’d see Totoro or a Time Lord on a fashion runway?

Photo by Nicole Nguyen, courtesy of popsugar.com

Ashley Eckstein dropped jaws with a stunning and adorable Totoro-inspired gown, designed by Catherine Elhoffer of Elhoffer Design. She flaunted this piece of geek glam while making a surprise announcement that she would be working with Studio Ghibli to create a line of clothing and accessories for Hot Topic, the first time the studio has merchandised with American retailers. From there, the show got more and more fabulous.

The thirty-six designers competed for the grand prize, an opportunity to collaborate with Eckstein and Hot Topic to design items for the store.  But these designs are more than just pretty; it creates an accessible bridge between geeky sentiments and couture fashion that proves we can all get along. Nerds shouldn’t have to be social rejects, and Fashionistas shouldn’t have to be namby-pamby snobs. You can be fabulous and a dork, which is win/win for fangirls!

From Doctor Doom to Daleks and Death, the looks on display were imaginative takes on iconic characters from pop culture, some of them even more fabulous than what we see in magazines or during international fashion weeks!

Gallery photos by Nicole Nguyen & Kelly Schwarze, courtesy of popsugar.com

The judges of this event must have had a hell of a time choosing a winner so many glorious looks to choose from! But in the end it was the Marty McFly-inspired outfit, designed by Amy Beth Christenson, that went home with the grand prize. The audience’s pick went to the Once Upon a Time-inspired gown by Andrew MacLaine.