Guest Post - The Essentials of a Good Steampunk Party

Today sees the second ever guest post on my blog, again by Marie Sumner.

The Essentials of a Good Steampunk Party

Steampunk is a fantastical, semi-nostalgic, extravagant celebration of the Victorian and early industrial era. Intricately detailed, mechanical when possible, unconcerned with practicality, and loosely based around Victorian codes of behavior and dress, steampunk is a playground for imagination and inventiveness. If you want to throw a steampunk party that makes an impression with the right costumes and atmosphere, there are a few essential things you’ll need to keep in mind.

Décor

Clockwork Items

Besides actual steam powered items the next most iconic representation of the steampunk genre is clockwork mechanics. Hang up a few different types of clocks and use things like music boxes and clockwork toys as decorative items on tables and shelves.

Pipes

Metal pipes aren’t something you’d install for decorative purposes yourself unless you’ve got a lot of money to burn, but when picking a venue you would be lucky to get hold of an old building with exposed piping on the walls. Pipes are obviously necessary to conduct and condense steam, and when used correctly can add to the atmosphere significantly.

Gears

Big gears, small gears, they’re all good as far as steampunk is concerned. Arrange several gears together and hang them on the walls as decoration. These are used to represent clockwork mechanics and will look excellent in whatever capacity you choose to use them.

Old-Timey Phone or Other Gadgets

Any old-timey machines make excellent background decorations for your guests to admire. Find things like old phones, sewing machines, velocipedes, or a steam engine (large, small, or incomplete, doesn’t matter). If you happen to locate Tesla coils or gas lanterns, display them prominently as these are the kinds of detailed additions that really set the scene.

Costumes

Ladies

 

Ladies generally have two options as far as steampunk costumes are concerned. They can go with the neo-Victorian lady approach, or the steampunk mechanic. The typical neo-Victorian lady is dressed in a corset, Victorian style dress, gloves, hat (either a top hat or any of the various lady-hats popular during Victorian times), and of course goggles. Typically all of this will come in shades of brown or black, but there is no real restriction on color choices, you can go nuts if you so choose.

The mechanic look also wears a corset on top with pants or a more conventional skirt on bottom. Instead of a hat you’ll just go with the goggles, and the whole outfit will be completed by some knee high boots. Possible accessories include monkey wrenches, clockwork based jewelry, or canes. 

Gentlemen

Like the ladies, gentlemen also have two options with a spectrum in between, the neo-Victorian gentleman or the mechanic. A neo-Victorian gentleman should be dressed in a tailcoat, vest, starched Victorian-style shirt, top hat, and boots. He should be well accessorized with a watch and fob, cane, and the requisite goggles. 

The mechanic should be dressed in the manner of 19^th century workers with a loose shirt, suspenders, a canvas cap, heavy canvas pants, and boots. Wrenches, goggles, or blunderbusses make excellent accessories for this costume. 

Gentlemen should also consider that they have a powerful effect on the era that they represent through their choice of facial hair. Wearing a well maintained, luxurious moustache is a perfect complement to your outfit and if you can grow one you should take the time to do so.

Costume Consultant Marie Sumner is an avid cosplayer and passionate writer who owns more superhero movies and comic books than anyone should be allowed to.

Guest Post - How To Steampunk Your Wardrobe

Today sees the first ever guest post on my blog, this one from Marie Sumner.

How to “Steampunk” Your Wardrobe 

With the increasing popularity of sites like Pinterest, the inspiration I find for steampunk outfits has also grown. Unfortunately, my budget for awesome outfits and accessories has not. Since I am a big fan of dressing up though, I always find a way to create awesome costumes on the cheap. Below are some of my inspirations for steampunk outfits.

I find that the best thing to use when trying to save money is leverage. Repurposing items you already have in order to flaunt a new style can really save you a lot of money (and put your creativity to the test!).

When it comes to steampunk, it’s all about the details. Steampunk is usually Victorian inspired clothing, but has an industrial slant. Goggles and clockwork accessories can go a long way to making your theme apparent. Other time-appropriate items such as stove-pipe hats, corsets, and monocles are great too.

If you’re looking for corsets and fancy Victorian dresses, you might be shocked at the prices. Considering how much skin a corset doesn’t cover, you might not expect them to be so pricy. But dang they can be pretty.

But you don’t have to buy a whole new outfit. If you have the right accessories, your base can be a suit or a black dress. If you had a goth phase, a lot of that clothing can be altered (or maybe even used as is) to fit your needs.

The best way to put together a costume is to focus it around one fantastic aspect. Below are some pictures of steampunk outfits that aren’t inherently over the top.

photo credit: Anna Fischer via photopin cc

You can’t see a lot of this outfit, but the top is pretty basic. Attention is drawn immediately to the necklace, and secondly to her goggles. While jewelry is not cheap, if you frequent thrift stores and learn to keep a keen eye, you may get lucky. Plus, if you save a lot by using clothes you already have, you might be able to splurge on a fancy accessory or two. Goggles can be found in many a workshop and be spruced up (or down) to your specifications. A similar necklace to this woman’s can be made using ribbon and a gear from a broken machine or hardware store. See if any workshops you know might be willing to give you spare parts to use.

photo credit: Anna Fischer via photopin cc

This guy does have a lot going on, but the main attraction is his hat. The Mad Hatter himself would probably steal this. The key necklace and feathers are nice touches that could easily be procured in second-hand or craft stores.

 photo credit: Anna Fischer via photopin cc

I love so much about this outfit: the gloves, the fan, and of course, the hat. The dress is beautiful as well, and do you know how many places you can find dresses on sale? Also, for the ladies, I find that a dress can be a lot cheaper than an outfit that includes a shirt and pants, especially if you were going to throw a vest and other additions in.

The great thing about the Pinterest age is that there’s a tutorial for everything. You can make your own clothes, gloves (and out of pretty much any material), hats, fans, goggles, and jewelry. If you can think of it, there’s probably a tutorial for it. The great thing about making things yourself is that you can make it fit you and the rest of your outfit perfectly.

So whether you want an over-the-top costume for a convention or just want to shake up your wardrobe, there are a lot of affordable ways to steampunk it up.

What are your favorite steampunk accessories? I know some people will dress up as “steampunk “ versions of star wars characters and other pop culture icons. How would you go about that? Add clockwork parts to your shoes? Hair? Share your ideas in the comments!

About the Author: Marie Sumner has been obsessed with dressing up since she was a child. She spends her days going to as many anime conventions, pirate festivals, and renaissance fairs as she can. She pays for it all by writing about her experiences. You can follow her on Twitter or Google plus to see more of her writing.