Fashion, is undoubtedly, one of my favorite aspects of subcultures. And why shouldn’t it be? Through fashion, you can more dominantly express your ideas, personality, beliefs, and vision of the world. Because of the emphasis on Victorianism, similar trends are being seen on the Fall/Winter runways and on the Steampunkers. This is one of the beautiful thing about subcultures, how fashion can transcend money or social status to thread together individuals who may not have anything in common.
One of the better resources of information and inspiration is in Libby Bulloff’s article, “Steam Gear: A Fashionable Approach to the Lifestyle” [available for download in Issue 2 of Steampunk Magazine]. One of Bulloff’s profound and actualizing comments about steampunk fashion is, “Steampunk is not a commodity as far as I am concerned– it cannot be outright purchased at the local mall (yet, ahem).” Because of the do-it-yourself mentality I’ve seen in Steampunk culture, mass consumption and consumerism do not necessarily fit in to the Steampunk ideal.
I find there is an interesting aesthetic between the fluidity and flexibility in Steampunk fashion as compared to the other Neo-Victorian fashion and subcultural movements, like Lolita Fashion and Victorian Goths. Lolita tends to have a more rigid interpretation of dress and appearance, perhaps coinciding with the rigid and formal attitudes of Victorian culture; it strives to create a standardized and uniform look though, which is a striking contrast to the anarchistic attitude in Steampunk.
For those of you who may not want to commit to a culture, but want to bring a bit of it in to your personal style, here are some of my favorite fashions that are Neo-Victorian and Steampunk related. Admittedly, I think I have a tendency towards the Dandy Aesthetic, myself, so this is in no way inclusive, and merely things I would personally include to create a bit of the aesthetic:
♥ vintage(-inspired) top hats and cocktail hats
♥ deconstructed and reconstructed jewelry
♥ Victorian boots
♥ Spectator shoes
♥ Princess sleeves
♥ Brocades and textured heavy fabrics
A Couple of Resources:
Versace For Steampunks
SteamFashion at Livejournal
Photography Credits: the Lovely Libby Bulloff; images of Magdalene Veen and Nathaniel Johnstone of Abney Park
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Both Parts 1 & 2 of this post are really interesting! Have you read Dick Hebdige’s book?? Steampunk is really interesting. I wanna research it more…I’m a research nerd. great blog btw.
Thank you, Riz! I am not familiar with Dick Hebdige’s book, although I’d be interested to know what it is about! I think Steampunk is fascinating, and in many ways, there’s a wealth of literature on it. Let me know if you find anything interesting that I may have missed!
This was great–found you via Manolo. Hebdige’s book is Subculture: The Meaning of Style. It’s a small, wonderful book dealing with how subcultures define themselves with style. Dunno if it’s been updated, but the one copyrighted in the 80s focuses on teddy boys and punks.
Thank you, Sara! I’ll have to look in to Hebdige’s book, as it sounds absolutely fascinating. I’d love to research more on the whole definition through style phenomenon, as it impacts everyone, regardless of whether they realize it or not!
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