The Stylish Geek

1) Who is Emily Ong?

I’m just a regular girl who loves what she loves.

2) Where did you come from?

I’d like to think I’m from some mysterious planet filled with boys trapped in girls bodies, but I’m still and always have been a California girl.

3) What are your hobbies and influences?

I realized recently that doing something creative is just in my blood – whether it’s just sewing something, working on my next cosplay, putting together outfits for my blog, or even just admiring other people’s art on Instagram, getting my creative juices flowing is a big part of me. I definitely got that from my mom and I can see it even more now that I’ve grown up. I got obsessed with video games at a pretty early age thanks to my dad and the fact that he bought me my first gaming console – the Intellivision. Other than that, you might find me shopping, watching movies, playing board games, and rubbing my corgi’s belly in my spare time.

It’s always hard for me to pinpoint what my fashion influences are because I feel like my taste is all over the place so I really draw from everything – trendy bloggers, weird Japanese fashion, cosplay, even Gothic looks. I’m always in awe of how many creative and talented people there are out there so it’s easy to find a lot of influences on the web.

4) What is “every day cosplay”?

I like to say “every day cosplay” is like “secret cosplay”. It’s when you might put together an outfit that’s influenced by some fandom (maybe a character or a theme) and to others, you’re just in normal clothing, but to someone who knows the fandom, you look like that character. It’s almost like you’re part of a club and unless you know the secret code, you won’t get access.

5) What were your earliest cosplay experiences?

I was obsessed with Roger Rabbit when I was a kid so my mom sewed me this pair of red corduroy overalls while I hunted Emily Ong as Roger Rabbit down the rest of the pieces for the costume. It was definitely my first step towards cosplay as I was already starting to modify store bought items to fit. At that time, there was no way you could find a good Roger Rabbit costume! But you might say I really didn’t get into cosplay until maybe 7-8 years ago when I started making costumes from scratch for Halloween. Then I really got the sewing bug and wanted to learn more about the craft.

6) What are some of your favorite cosplay experiences?

Last year I cosplayed as Honey Lemon and was overwhelmed by all of the positive feedback I received! I was really touched by how many people came up to me at Wondercon saying they had been following my progress and couldn’t wait to see me in person. It’s especially awesome when kids come up to you and see you as the character.

7) What message(s) would you like to promote to The Vixens of the World?

Be yourself, don’t worry about what other people think, and have courage.

8) Any future projects we should be on the look out?

I definitely have a few cosplay ideas in my back pocket and I’m always on the lookout for new and cool geek wear – especially for fall! So definitely keep checking my blog for project updates!

9) Who are some of your favorite cosplayers?

Man, there are just too many! It’s like trying to choose your favorite child. I just can’t do it!

Emily showing off our Steampunk Corset Belt

10) What is “geek fashion” to you?
The thing is “geek” is such a broad term now so it’s almost difficult to really define “geek fashion”. This is actually a good thing though. 10 years ago, it might have only meant wearing a T-shirt from your favorite sci-fi movie or comic book, but today, it could mean a lot of things – from “Disney bounding” to a cool pair of fan art leggings, or even a Harry Potter sweater. I feel like the world of geek fashion is slowly merging into everyday regular fashion and pretty soon, there may not be a huge difference between the two. It will really mean a lot when we start regularly seeing geeky clothes and shirts in normal department stores. Then we’ll know geek fashion has really gone more mainstream.

11) What are some of your favorites games – video, board or otherwise?

Oooh, games… my favorite! I really play a little bit of everything – from Indie games to adventure to FPS to puzzle. Right now I’m currently playing Bloodborne on the PS4. I’m a huge Dark Souls fan and Bloodborne was just a logical next step. That game really mentally wears you out though so you have to take a lot of breaks. Anything Naughty Dog puts out is like candy to me and I really enjoyed everything Telltale Games put out recently – The Walking Dead series and The Wolf Among Us for starters. I wish I had more time to play board games. The last board game I played was Bang!, which I should actually stay away from because I just get way too competitive. I’m also a big fan of Magic the Gathering, which I played since the ‘90s, but that comes and goes in waves since it’s just hard to keep up with everything they keep putting out!