Opinions on "Steampunk" fashion

[TheDroog]

Anyone have opinions on Steampunk fashion?

I've know of steampunk as a genre of science fiction and Japanese anime, but I never heard about it as a fashion movement until today's NY Times article.

It's "an adventurous pastiche of neo-Victorian, Edwardian and military style accented with sometimes crudely mechanized accouterments like brass goggles and wings made from pulleys, harnesses and clockwork pendants, to say nothing of the odd ray gun dangling at the hip. Steampunk style is corseted, built on a scaffolding of bustles, crinolines and parasols and high-arced sleeves not unlike those favored by the movement’s designer idols: Nicolas Ghesquiere of Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and, yes, even Ralph Lauren."

It sounds weird, but the picture of the James Gang in the NYTimes article looks eccentric in a good way.

Has anyone actually seen people wearing this? Do you think it can influence mainstream fashion in any way? Thoughts, opinions?

[erdawe]

Edit: Intersesting article I was unaware that the style was given that name.
But its a shame TNYT make you login and waste your time being a "special member" and other ad garbage just to see it.

[chorse123]

Originally Posted by erdawe

Is there a way around it.

http://www.bugmenot.com/

[Get Smart]

bizarre. Like another extension of Cosplay

[erdawe]

Originally Posted by chorse123

http://www.bugmenot.com/

Thank you I'm going to look into that solution seems good...Apologies for the slight derail.

For steampunk I just get an idea that it's somewhat ironic that they pick and choose to embrace some of the advances today, but nearly completely digress with other. It's certainly intruiging though.

[kiya]

Paging Cotton Duck....

[Cotton Duck]

Oh hai!


edit: on a more serious note,
(thanks kiya for letting me know btw.)
It's somehow nice to see this getting away from the cosplay people who gluegun copper sprayed plastic tubes and cogs onto their outfits, on the otherhand, reading things like this:

Abney Park is selling swallowtail tuxedos, antiqued flight helmets and airship pirate T-shirts,

makes me cringe as it is clearly a step in the wrong direction. another thing is that The aviator hats (or flight helmets) they are selling are made out of fake leather, one of the things that interested me in steampunk is going back to this hand made quality that you hardly ever see in todays products.
encorporating Metalworking, wood crafting, and working with real leathers and natural fabrics. This is something that once it gets bigger where the corners will be cut, and hello plastic goggles, and polyester flightjackets etc...

Steampunk seems to have all the pieces to become a new big subculture thing, but with that it might just lose all it's charme.

I guess it's always weird to see something that used to be somewhat small and that I personally have drawn alot of inspiration from become big and pop up on the nytimes website....

[whodini]

Really like that photo, CD.

I used to think steampunk could be cool, then I saw this:


If this thing goes wide*, may God have mercy on us all.

(Pun definitely intended)

[robin]

Originally Posted by whodini

Really like that photo, CD.

I used to think steampunk could be cool, then I saw this:


If this thing goes wide*, may God have mercy on us all.

(Pun definitely intended)

You'd rather have this?

[LabelKing]

Steampunk may become a haven for aging fat goths.

[DK Protagonist]

In cinema and in written form, steampunk is awesome. It fits with the technically perverse atmosphere while being unique and stylish. In our boring reality, it looks ridiculous. The charm of steampunk is in its mix of utility and flare, but you put it in this world, removing function and adding poorly created form, and it's just silly.

[Cotton Duck]

Funny, that picture is exactly what I was about to post, while the James gang look like they look at it from a "lifestyle" perspective those people in those park shots just look like cosplayers, like it's a costume they put on when to go to a "steammeet" (or whatever the fuck they'd call it)...
They just put on their plastic welders goggles and a waistcoat (if they can find their size that is...) but totally miss the swagger or confidence to actually pull it off well.
the James gang do this without a problem, on the other hand I could see their look be completely raped/butchered by the black eyed peas or someone along those lines for a new videoclip...

Here's a aviator hat I did for myself from salvaged leather (please excuse the stitching, my machine isn't exactly made for multiple layers of leather):


Also, if people are interested I could post up some fits of mine where the steampunk influence is more apparent...

[Kill the DJ]

It took me a little bit to get used to the Duck's style, but I enjoy it now and only because he shows the influence but tempered with normal stuff and pieces that are interesting outside of the influence.

[DK Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Cotton Duck

Also, if people are interested I could post up some fits of mine where the steampunk influence is more apparent...

I'd love to see these. I've thought of incorporating steampunk in the past, but I write that notion off when I find such ridiculous examples. The aviator hat is muy bien.

[Cotton Duck]

OKay, here we go....
This is what I could find quickly
Funny enough in almost all of these I'm wearing a waistcoat, apparently I consider that to be steampunk, dunno... Lots of the same pieces too, ha....

It might be a bit much seeing all of these at once like this, I realise this.
Also note that I try to have a lot more going on than just "steampunk", none of these fits were put together to be particularly "steampunk" and I have lots more influences that also show through...

ok, now I'm just typing as I'm a bit anxious to post fits outisde of superfuture.
Here goes.... (takes deep breath....)