I hope you find it helpful and mildly interesting! (Disclaimer: there are people who know way more about this stuff than I do. I do not claim to know everything. Rather, this is what I do know, and I hope it is helpful to those of you who are curious about the genre)
First up: What is steampunk?
To put it simply, steampunk is a genre of sci-fi. One of the main features, as the name suggests, is the use of steam power, but any Victorian cultural aspects can also be a part. What I really love about steampunk is its subtle blend of past, present and future.
The father of steampunk is considered to be Jules Verne, but here are a few other examples of steampunk books and authors:
The books are characterised by mixing past and future technology in a steam powered world. The genre has expanded since then and has now developed into styles of fashion and music.
This is my current favourite steampunk song, by the infamous Abney Park: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjRGYE6brQY
I suppose I would describe the music as a mixture of rock and folk, but like all of steampunk there is no solid definiton!
Other steampunk musicians are Vernian Process, The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, the Clockwork Dolls.... the list goes on. http://www.listal.com/list/steampunk-music
Apparently there is some discussion over this, but I would also consider Emilie Autumn to be steampunky.
Theres even steampunk anime. This one is called Last Exile, and its very good. Heres an awesome AMV (anime music video) for it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoQH1vBNdEg
Also, as you hopefully saw, the recent Paralympics Closing Ceremony had a very steampunk theme to it.
So.... Victorian. Industrial. Mad science. Cogs, gears, fire, machinery. Steampunk breaks down genre boundaries and merges various distinct styles together, and nowhere is this more noticeable than in the fashion.
Steampunk fashion, the basics.
Steampunk is a subtle blend of Victorian style and aesthetics with elements of futuristic technology. Bearing that in mind, the fashion style should primarily reflect that Victorian element. Colours are generally browns and blacks, although all colours can be incorporated into an outfit - within reason, that is. Obviously a pink frilly skirt is not appropriate.
One of the things that I consider to be important about steampunk fashion is choosing items appropriate for a theme.
Let me explain: say I chose (as I have done in the past), to base my steampunk outfit on an aviator/pirate theme. Would a pirate really wear a long skirt and tight corset, complete with hat and fascinator? Obviously there is some interpretation around a theme (I wore a corset for my aviator costume, but I didnt wear a lacy one, if you see what I mean) but in general this is a good thing to bear in mind. This is a lot more applicable to women than men.
This rule can be (if you want) slightly bent when goggles come into play. Goggles have become the universal steampunk symbol, and tend to be incorporated into any outfit no matter the theme. I will certainly be wearing my goggles to the ball! More on the importance of googles when I talk about accessories.
As I continue this blog series I'll be updating you all on my progress on the costume. Currently I have two ideas, which depend on how much time I have with work and the contents of the as-yet-unexplored Cambridge vintage shops. The first is just to rewear my Goth Weekend outfit, but I'm hoping not to do this if I dont have to. The second is to go in a more lady-like outfit. My plan is to find a skirt (or long dress), and then rewear my ruffle necked white blouse on top (no need if I find a dress). My accessories will be partially reused (as I have no jewellery making stuff with me so cannot update it), but I'll be going more aristocratic than aviator and mixing a few new things in as well. I wont be wearing any of the 'heavy' steampunk accessories such as weaponry or utility belts.
Also I have to bear in mind that Im probably taking this way too seriously and no one else there will be dressed up in a Victorian style. The ball's theme is more Gothic Victorian than steampunk, so I dont want to go too over the top.
Thats all for now! I hope you find the series interesting and helpful, I'll be covering men and womens fashion, accessories and jewellery, as well as some ideas on how to integrate the style into normal everyday wear.
I shall leave you with this marvellous steampunk name generator: http://oobleck.org/steam/ enjoy!
Even if the
morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return...
Becky x
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