Nerd-core, geek-chic, pop-culture couture. Call is what you will — It's definitely a real trend, and we spotted someone doing it right this week. We spotted online entertainer Audrey Madison wearing an R2D2-printed dress at Capitol Hill Books on Colfax and Grant. Madison grew up near Birmingham, Alabama, and moved to Denver one year ago. Madison took a break from browsing through books to talk with us about her fashion perspective.
Pink is her favorite color. "I’m very attracted to the color pink. It invokes imagery of flowers, or the blush on someone’s cheek. Pink feels like a color that is alive, living and breathing," Madison says. "Nerdy, feminine and free," are three words that Madison uses to describe her style.
She's also into hair-bows, a trend she first noticed online in Korean fashion. "I like to wear a bow on my head like hair band, or tie it at the end of a side braid," she explains. "Something else I’m digging are patterned tights or stockings. I like dark patterned tights with cute designs. I have pairs that feature cats, bunnies or the Eiffel Tower. I really enjoy spicing up a little black dress with stockings that make a statement."
"There are three major inspirations that influenced my fashion choices," she continues. "First, I’m influenced by unique and affordable clothes, which led me to finding westernized Korean, Japanese and Chinese clothes on Amazon. I thought the pastel cocktail dresses and geek chic that flooded my screen would look so cool. Also, I am a huge dork who loves many fandoms. I incorporate my obsession with Star Trek, Star Wars, Harry Potter and superheroes into my fashion. I’d like for all of my interests to be apparent in the clothes I wear, like a geek badge. The teenage me who wrote fan-fiction all day in school would be amazed by my collection of fandom clothing," she says, pointing to her Star Wars R2D2 tank dress that she bought on Amazon.
"Lastly, I am majorly into vintage, especially the idea of mixing pieces from different time periods. I’m love the '90s crop-top look, the '70s high-waisted jeans and flare bottoms, retro polka-dot swimsuits from the '50s and mysterious tailored gowns invoking the noir feeling of Blade Runner or a Humphrey Bogart movie."
Madison's style mantra: "I wear what I like, what I feel beautiful in. It’s all about liking yourself and what kinds of interesting ideas you might have, and all of that showing up in your outfit. I don’t worry about what is trendy, unless I like it. When I’ve completed my ensemble for my day, I tell myself that I’m confident and that my look shows my inner self to the outside world," she says.
"I pretty much shop exclusively online," she adds. "My favorite retailer is Amazon because of the convenience. I also like to go to consignment shops and thrift stores, but I haven't done much of that here in Denver."
Don't t be afraid to rock your own style, Denver, like Star-Wars pop-culture geek-chic.