Steampunk and its growing following

[CelticOne]

Another day another thrift store find. This one took me by surprise.
Ignore the purple sheet behind me I just need a different color otherwise I would have blended in as the couch is blue too.


The vest is what I am refering too, I was pleasantly surprised on how closely the maroon stripes on the vest came to matching the ones on the pants. Now to see if I can get the pants stripes an even closer match..guess that's what I'll be doing next weekend.

With vest in hand I think that makes outfit #2, now if I could find a more feminine look that I like that wouldn't be completely custom made.

Let me know what ya'll think.

[Rani Zemirah]

Excellent find, Phoenix!!!  Thrift stores just seem to be made for SteamPunk garbing, and occasionally the perfect thing just seems to fall into our hands! 

I could definitely see you as an extremely Punky Lolita... cancan, teddy (bear, not wear) and lolly in hand, with the mini-topper and bright red go-go boots!

[CelticOne]

You say cancan I think the French dance. lol.

I think I'll pass on the gogo boots I'd wind up on my face in about 2 seconds.

The hair is up cause its late and it was frizzed out something awful courtesy of our lovely humidity gahh.

Lolly huh? Hmm*grins*

[Rani Zemirah]

Cancan skirt... shortish (above the knee) with striped tights... lolly (as in lolly pop), and they make flat go-go boots also!  A little curl enhancer and that frizz can be tamed into ringlets, I'll bet...  Voila!  Loli... (as in Lolita, this time...)

[Grov]

I can picture what you are describing Rani and I like.  You can also go with garters and/or a garter belt.  A small tricked out toy gun in the garter makes for sexy but dangerous imagery.

[Taffy Saltwater]

Even though I told myself I wouldn't sew today, I cut out & almost competed my capelet.  The only things left to do is topstitching, a few little adjustments to the collar & tacking the lining to the collar & clasp.  Here's to (relatively) easy projects!

I tried the jacket on w/my corset yesterday and all I can say is WOWZA!  Much too crazy hot to cover any of the corset w/the pattern self strap.  So while I was at JoAnn's today I went looking for a strap alternative to hold the jacket close to the bod.  And found some marvelous flat black chain w/diamond highlights & will use hooks on the inside of the jacket to hold them taut - just to maintain the bondagewear theme!

Tomorrow - cleaning!

EDIT:  So I got a wild hair & "finished" my capelet last night.  Big, big mistake.  I put the collar in wrong & the the gee-golly lining is - for the lack of a better word - relaxing & is drooping out from under the top.  So I've managed to unpick most of the stitching & it's staying the week on Dolly the dressform so it can continue the relaxing process.   Fehfehfeh.

[Rani Zemirah]

I can picture what you are describing Rani and I like.  You can also go with garters and/or a garter belt.  A small tricked out toy gun in the garter makes for sexy but dangerous imagery.

Story of my life lately... dressing up other women so all the single men I know notice them instead of me...  LOL

I think I need to meet some new men...    Maybe one who'll appreciate a Sparky lil' engineer with a smudge or two on her cheek...  

Sorry about the capelet snafu, Taffy... drives me nuts when that happens, so I try to always hang things for a few days to let them stretch as much as they're going to.  Discovered that with a bias cut skirt years ago, and have never forgotten it!  LOLOL  

[Taffy Saltwater]

Yeah, the problem was that due to being a small circle, the pattern had to be placed on the pattern at an odd angle & so is at a weird bias - & I've never made anything on a bias.  NEVER AGAIN!

[Rani Zemirah]

Have a bias against bias, do you?!? 

(sorry, a certain Mouse has been punning me all night... and now I'm having trouble just saying no!!!)    LOL

[Elennare]

I have not made as much progress on my costume as I had hoped.  Relative are coming in to town...this weekend I think?  Maybe it's next weekend? ...  Really soon, anyway, and I have been spending a good deal of the time I had hoped to be sewing cleaning up my apartment.  I've also been slightly sidetracked by some amazing Halloween fabric that simply MUST be made into a skirt to wear to work on the 30th, so now I'm trying to fit sewing that in too.

However, I did manage to acquire most of the fabric I will need (just need to get the coat fabric this week while I have a coupon, and get some notions, like the corset busk), and got my goggles painted.  Don't have a picture yet, because I'm still hoping to put cogs on them, but I may just end up leaving them as they are.  I'll post a picture later today/tomorrow, and you can let me know what you think.

October will be my month for sewing.  I'm hoping to go to Steamcon, which leaves me just over 3 weeks to get my costume done. (Yikes!)

Does anyone know of a good place to get buckles?  To say I was disappointed by the "selection" at JoAnn's would be putting it mildly.  Maybe Hancocks, or Pacific Fabrics will have more?

[RumbaRue]

Well here it is, my Steampunk Lolita outfit.....

[Rani Zemirah]

RR!!!!!    You look wonderful!!!  Love the belt-n-bustle combo, and your fan is gorgeous! Hat, lace, boots and choker... WOW!  The whole ensemble just screams Loli... Very, very steamy!!! 

BRAVO!!!!!!!

[Taffy Saltwater]

RR, luv the hat & brooches on the bustle - nice work!!

[RumbaRue]

Thank you!

The best part is, nothing is permanent, everything is pinned on. So I can still go back to using the skirt as a 'period' woman's riding skirt if I want.


Here's a picture of me and others on stage after the Steampunk contest. No I didn't win, and I didn't care, I had tons of fun!



Here's a close up of me:

[CelticOne]

Do you have a Tandy Leather store new you?

Does anyone know of a good place to get buckles?  To say I was disappointed by the "selection" at JoAnn's would be putting it mildly.  Maybe Hancocks, or Pacific Fabrics will have more?

Rumba I love those pictures where did you meet such a fine group of other Steamers? And as for your outfit, simply lovely.