Everything Old is New Again! It's Wearable Art--Steampunk Style!

So I went to a Steampunk convention last weekend.  I'd never been to one before.  It was quite an experience!  There were sessions every hour, and a tea and a fashion show and a banquet vendor's room...  It was quite surreal seeing people running around in neo-Victorian attire.  Some outfits were more period-authentic than others, but I got the impression that accuracy was only as important as you wanted it to be.

The cavalcade of different combinations of costume is evident in the photography of Jerry Abuan, a photographer and artist that has quite a collection of photos from the event and several others like it!  His portraits are just beautiful, and it's daunting how much time and effort went into some of the garments he photographed.  I know one or two of them, and I have to say there is great pride in collecting just the right piece to make your outfit what you want.  Many of these garments are hand sewn by the wearers themselves or their friends.  It's interesting, but Steampunk, as a genre, seems to be an odd mix of Victorian recreationists, History buffs, Science Fiction fans, and Do-It-Yourself activists.  Oddly, it's sort of the "kinder, gentler side" of Goth.

And woe to the person who can't get dressed up!  There were only a handful of attendees that didn't have some element of Steampunk style in their clothing--part of the fun is cosplaying!  It's the only convention I've been to that the vendor room was completely full of costumes and accessories, jewelry, antiques, books, and a pet adoption service.  I've never seen so many historical clothing patterns in one spot!

The age of the attendees was all over the board as well.  In fact, a huge number of 40-and-over participants were there--which shattered my personal perception of who was interesting in "cosplay".  It's like an alternative for all those Civil War reenactments.

So I decided to share a sprinkling of the beautiful portraits that Abuan has in his collection of pictures of the event.  There is real artistry in these garments.  The variety is astounding.  The colors, the trim, the juxtapositions.  The choice of accessories in styles that contrast and mesh together into a whole.  The smashing of different periods into a unique composition all it's own that's somewhat retro and yet somehow a contemporary comment on the retro style itself.  It's fascinating to me!

This is incredibly inspiring to me, too.  So much so, in fact, that I've started to experiment with double-breasted swallowtail vests for men in a more "off-kilter" mode.  Most of my experience is in men's historical clothing, so I figured I might as well go what I know how to do best...  Recreating period garments isn't as interesting to me as putting my own spin on the attire.  I want to be influenced by the past, not corralled by it.

These folks in the Steampunk community have certainly taken that to heart!

Until next time, Live Life with Relish!  These folks do!