How to Style Your Geek Clothing
- Thread starter Shawn The Wonder
- Start date
To me, if the artwork is recognizable to the average person as gaming related, I think it's too much.
But if it's super obscure, or is just a non-text logo, I think it's fine.
Wearing a green shirt with the winged Triforce symbol, or 8 bit mario is the ultimate in tackiness to me. Or just straight up has the title of the game on your shirt. Blegh.
But if it's super obscure, or is just a non-text logo, I think it's fine.
Wearing a green shirt with the winged Triforce symbol, or 8 bit mario is the ultimate in tackiness to me. Or just straight up has the title of the game on your shirt. Blegh.
People can wear whatever they want to wear. But if they care about how other people perceive them, they have to conform to common standards of the community they're trying to be a part of.
I mean, in general a well fitting graphic tee with a design that's not too gaudy or tacky is fine. Wear it with a decent pair of pants and as long as they match you're good. Throw in some accessories like a hat, jewelry, or a zip hoodie or workout jacket if you want and it'll look fine as long as everything coordinates.
The thing is, these aren't tacky and are actually good designs for street wear. Which makes sense given how well Splatoon understands street fashion.
It's not even that, who cares about conforming to common standards. Some of the coolest designs specifically go against, mutate, or deconstruct set principals.
Instead, people should just dress well if they want to. There's nothing wrong with not caring to and just wearing whatever you like, but there is a difference.
Last edited:
That's cause the Mario Splatfest shirts are pretty cool, most "geek" apparel is pretty lame.
Nah, just do what you want as long it's not harming anyone. Life is too short for that.
Cufflinks are my go-to nerd accessory, plus I love French cuffs. I have Triforce, Hyland shields, millenium falcons, Mario mushrooms, SW rebel logos, TARDIS, dualshocks, gameboys laser etched into wood, space invaders, Pokeballs, Batman symbols, weighted companion cubes... It's a fun, simple way to accessorise and my broad selection means I can match any shirt colour.
This. Chris Hemsworth could walk around in a Charmander onesie while holding an anime body pillow and people would still line up to stroke his tumtum. I have a lot of geek/pop culture shirts. But then I'm 6'5, 250lb and do power lifting, so I don't look like typical gamer I guess? I'm not even fit, just big and somebody who obviously does some physical stuff. I'm in the subtropics, so I'll usually be in a pair of shorts or jeans with a plain tshirt with a logo or character on it. I get a lot of compliments for my shirts. I think a lot of it comes down to confidence; don't let the clothes wear you.
This is where I am. I usually pick something very subtle that people only notice if they really look at it. Like the Stitch Pokemon dress shirts.
Couldn't find a better pic, but I own this t-shirt and love it
So many "ok boomer" replies here lol
I think it's nice but almost $400 for a shirt???
Edit: nvm it's not US dollars.
I mean...you got angry eyes on your chest, but I'm glad you like it (looks comfy and the colours are great).
Less boomer (the "don't" replies are funny but impossible to take seriously). It's always been more picking the right things to wear. Fashion can pull a lot of stuff off, but definitely needs some finessing to make sure your t-shirt (geek or not) isn't too crazy or matches what you're pairing it with. I've been seeing a lot of big normal-clothes retailers still doing video game collections too, and I usually respect the simplicity of the design and the importance of a good fit (fit, IMO, is soooo important; stop buying XL's if you are not an XL for instance).
Yeah. It really doesn't help that every idiot with Photoshop will put up whatever they want on Redbubble or Threadless and some poor kid will buy it just wanting something to rep their hobby. There are tons of varities from actual graphic artists and I think it's important to shop carefully.
Like...the fuck is this lol
Last edited:
This is how I styled a t-shirt I made by myself using a Katamari Damacy artwork a few years ago.
Yep.
Most other stuff is brand slapping tat that looks terrible on near anyone. But more often than not, that is the point from the licensor's perspective - they don't want to give freedom on new designs, they will often have strict guidelines, and thus, so much is brand slapped tat. Sometimes the collab partner is just as strict, so won't let you mess with their brand logo either, so then you've got 2 strict partners being boring. Luckily, a lot of Nintendo's Uniqlo range has been quite creative in recent times - not all, but it's nice to see cool stuff vs Mario slapped on the chest.
I've mentioned Super Groupies before, but their designs are quite crisp and not at all brand slappy. It's not for everyone - it is very Japanese fashion, but have a look.
I mean...you got angry eyes on your chest, but I'm glad you like it (looks comfy and the colours are great).
Less boomer (the "don't" replies are funny but impossible to take seriously). It's always been more picking the right things to wear. Fashion can pull a lot of stuff off, but definitely needs some finessing to make sure your t-shirt (geek or not) isn't too crazy or matches what you're pairing it with. I've been seeing a lot of big normal-clothes retailers still doing video game collections too, and I usually respect the simplicity of the design and the importance of a good fit (fit, IMO, is soooo important; stop buying XL's if you are not an XL for instance).
Tbh there's not many options where I live, it was crazy to see a GOW shirt at all lol (right after the 2018 game)
I mostly only use black pants or jeans and they go with almost anything.
That's not contradicting what I said? Do whatever you want, but if you care about acceptance, you have to take into consideration what other people expect. This is pretty reasonable. It's ok not to care about how others perceive you, but then you also have to accept whatever comes with that.
Levi's has really good drops. They collaborate with Pokémon right now.
I like the full print jacket and the Pikachu sleeping on the Levi's logo shirt from this collection.
This.
I respect the "wear whatever you want" answers (it's a good moral and a fine bottom line if you don't care or are just dressing for yourself/friends), but it really doesn't help if you're actually trying to be more fashion-conscious. Some folks in this thread are already showing their ass saying it CAN'T BE DONE, when it's really just shopping wrong or pairing matching outfits poorly. Fact is, tons of big brands are already deep into video game brand-based fashion.
If we didn't care about our and other's appearances, it wouldn't be a multi-billion dollar industry, and some care/effort can go a long way (as my mum would say: "You look good, you feel good").
Levi's has really good drops. They collaborate with Pokémon right now.
Besides the giant Pikachus on jeans (it's obnoxiously big) this is an alright set. 👍
(also loving that they got an almost replica Misty crop top --- but with Togepi on it, very nice touch)
That they would! Sorry, I must have come off as a big jerk at first. And yeah I stopped trying for local fashion on this sorta thing, it can be real hard to find that perfect aesthetic for the gear you're searching for.
Last edited:
step 1: put effort into your appearance/personal grooming elsewhere and smell good
step 2: make sure it fits well
all there is to it really. no one really cares anyway as long as you don't look like a slob
step 2: make sure it fits well
all there is to it really. no one really cares anyway as long as you don't look like a slob
Last edited:
Situations like wearing a charity shirt or a team shirt to a game are why I said "avoid in general" rather than "eliminate without exception." These kinds of things, as you implied, are more about advertising aspects of yourself to the critical mass of society that understands what they're looking at. They're a lot less about aesthetics.
Take the Persona shirt in the OP again as an example. It looks bad, especially to the 99% of people who don't know what that logo represents. But put a UCLA logo on it instead, and all of a sudden it means something to almost everyone who sees it. The shirt still doesn't look all that good, but you're now getting a lot more mileage out of advertising that you went to UCLA than you were advertising that you played Persona.
If all you care about is the people you see who might have also played Persona, then great, but that's kind of aside from the point of this thread which seems to be about how to look good in gaming gear.
This is why the best "gaming" clothes are the ones that are minimalist with their references, and either ape the design sensibilities of broadly socially acceptable "logo" gear (like fake university, team, or band shirts) or that do little more than reference something like a game or character's color scheme while looking like a nice piece of clothing whether anybody understands the reference or not (like the track suit in the OP).
For all the words I've put into this, I personally don't mind at all if someone wants to wear a God of War shirt or whatever. But if anybody is ever asking for actual advice, I would advise against it is all.
This outfit would look a lot better without the phantom thieves logo stamped on it. Striped tees are great because they're simple, the logo ruins it.
Can confirm the second part. My girlfriend wears a fedora occasionally, and she rocks it damn well - speaking of geek clothing, it also happens to be a subtle Nightmare Before Christmas fedora.
On the topic of 'geek' fashion, for me it can only really successfully go one of two ways - keeping the designs subtle and minimal, or just going hard into it. Either way wear it with confidence. I think the more in your face nerdy stuff tends to work better as outerwear, hoodies, jumpers, jackets etc, and accessories like jewellery and headwear - at least from my experience.
No jerk at all! I also really care about fit, so buying online is always a hassle.
But this is assuming using "geeky" clothes would make people judge you, and I don't think I ever saw that outside Era, which is ironic lol. Maybe depending on where you work, but then you probably couldn't wear it there anyway.
Yeah when I think of anime/manga or game fashion I always look at Super Groupies but ofc you know Japanese sizing and all. here is their Persona 5 collab clothing.
Maybe its about seeing the complete look but I feel like the wide brim hat is pushing things a bit too much. Unless the climate calls for it, the hat plus blazer combo feels over engineered, like the person is trying elicit a conversation about his funky hat.
A blazer can elevate the teenage look of t-shirt and pants into something more sophisticated. Just be cautious of the black blazer and blue jeans look. Seems like every man learnt that style in the 2000's and was sporting that look on a Friday night.
Persona 5 Phantom Thieves Logo shirt from Insert Coin
Subtle and geek. Nice!
I'll wear the occasional Insertcoin piece but fashion is fashion and trying to make a hodgepodge outfit out of graphic tees and accessories from more than one property is generally going to look bad lol.
edit: also graphic tees with blazers trigger me and pretty much any awful trend from Silicon Valley.
edit: also graphic tees with blazers trigger me and pretty much any awful trend from Silicon Valley.
I wouldn't mind wearing geek clothing if literally any of it didn't look horrible. I refuse to believe it is that hard to make something that looks tasteful and references 'geek culture', so my assumption is that these kind of clothes get made solely so someone can slap a brand logo on it.
As a major SF fan I went hard on that collection.
My wife hates whenever I wear my Guile shirt lol.
Probably stay away from logos, the name of the series in big text, or pictures of characters. You want it to be subtle. I think it's best to stick to accessories like hats, gloves, scarves, and tights too.
Levi's has really good drops. They collaborate with Pokémon right now.
i hope there's a giant pikachu holding on to your ass on the back of those jeans
It is possible, some of the Original Stitch Pokémon shirt patterns look really good:
I think that the best nerd/game clothing should be subtle and tasteful enough that a casual observer wouldn't bat an eye but recognizable to a fan. It's a fine line to walk, for sure.
This is in my opinion the best collection themed after a video game:
I got these three jackets from Insert Coin. The Yakuza one stands out more than stuff I'd usually wear but fuck it, I like it.
Also managed to snag Joel's shirt from TLOU that IC did off eBay for only £5. It's literally just a shirt so not worth sharing a picture of... but it's a nice top.
Also managed to snag Joel's shirt from TLOU that IC did off eBay for only £5. It's literally just a shirt so not worth sharing a picture of... but it's a nice top.
I have geeky enamel pins on all my jackets. Stuff like this
they're fun and cute imo.
I have these all over my over the shoulder sling bag that I use for my Switch and Surface when traveling for business.
Yeah, for me, the issue has always really been that the sort of person who buys stereotypical geek/gamer style clothing is also the sort of person who buys cheap, bad and poorly fitting clothes anyway. Your £4 t-shirt from Primark isn't improved by slapping a gamer meme onto the front of it.
I'm always put off by gamer clothes.
Maybe it's because I play games, but it's not really a massive part of my identity, so it's not really something I talk about a lot (other than commenting on here) or spend much time thinking about, so when I see folk wearing it I'm just like eh, that looks tacky.
Each their own though.
Maybe it's because I play games, but it's not really a massive part of my identity, so it's not really something I talk about a lot (other than commenting on here) or spend much time thinking about, so when I see folk wearing it I'm just like eh, that looks tacky.
Each their own though.
I'm not trying to be nasty but this is some real incel tier thinking.