Is Steampunk the New Goth???

Watch out what you see on the subway late at night because while in 2001 you might have seen some pretty freakish goths, by 2011 standards that just isn't weird enough. Steampunks (or depending on your fashion sense, Steamgoths!) is the new thing.

No, there's no fantasy element to this. True, many goths were into Wicca, vampires, magic, fairies and such... steampunk is about retrofuturism... anything that looks old but is futuristic at the same time. Think really weird pocket watches, corsets, circa-1900 clothing and gadgets that run on something other than electricity. (Like the steampunk clock shown below.)





Part of this fad (if you can call it that) can be blamed on the Sherlock Holmes movie that came out in 2009.

However there is several other films we could blame as well, including:

• Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, 2004
• Van Helsing, 2004
• Steamboy, 2004
• League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, 2003
• The Time Machine, 2002
• Wild Wild West, 1999
• Sleepy Hollow, 1999

In terms of clothing however this is the part where there is lots of room to grow.

See brassgoggles.co.uk and community.livejournal.com/steamfashion for ideas.

Goggles is a common idea when people think of steampunk, but its a bit of a cliche too.

Think leather, brass or copper, gears, clocks, levers, chains (like bicycle chains), Victorian patterns, pinstripes, damask, argyle, hair is usually up or a bob... You can also have fun with tattoos, piercings, dyed hair, torn clothing, tools (ie. pocket wrenches and gauges).

"[Steampunk is] drawing on actual history. You can pull into it what you're into and put your spin on it. It's accessible yet expandable," says Jake von Slatt (aka Sean Slattery, of Littleton, Mass.), who likens the philosophy behind steampunk to open-source software. "There is a real focus on sharing, exploring things together, building community."

Steampunkers also have conventions to exchange ideas and compare clothing and gadgets, they dress to the nines and party like it's 1899.

Mr. von Slatt is currently "steampunking" a fiberglass, 1954-style Mercedes kit car, adding salvaged gauges and lights from other cars and gold filigree trim. Drawn to steampunk's "do-it-yourself, making something from nothing" mantra, von Slatt scavenges most of his components.

Basically wherein gothic culture the protagonist is a vampire or demon, in steampunk the villain is a gadget-crazed mad scientist.

And the hero is a goodie-two-shoes bicycle mechanic who builds himself a steampunk bicycle...

I am sure he gets plenty of weird looks, but anybody who is into bicycles will appreciate what he has done. Its a retro recumbent bicycle, and that is just plain kewl.

If you are looking for something steampunk-esque to read, we recommend The Keepers of the Maser series of graphic novels by Italian comic book author Massimiliano Frezzato.

Huzzah!

Black Capes Rock

I think capes are awesome. I am amazed people don't wear them more often. They are great Spring and Autumn wear. Also good for a funeral and business casual too.

Cloaks, cape-dresses and jacket-capes are also awesome.

And black cloaks are awesome for Halloween or goth wear.

Corsetiere Melanie Talkington

Corsetiere Melanie Talkington got the call of her life in 2012... It was from the Musée de la Mode et du Textile in Paris, located in the Louvre, because they wanted to showcase some of her private corset collection, some 230 pieces that date back as far as 1820.

Corsetiere and fashion designer Melanie Talkington owns Lace Embrace Atelier, a shop and studio just off Main St. in Vancouver, Canada. She sells spectacular handmade corsets, as well as boudoir paraphernalia, including Patricia Fieldwalker silk nightgowns, modern bra/panty/girdle combos by French ’50s reproduction line Scandale, garters and elaborate stockings.

Her corsets are often replicas of vintage styles from her Paris-worthy collection. The grand creations, which can be remade in exotic fabrics, take six to eight weeks to finish making, and start at $600 and can sometimes cost thousands for a custom job. Ready to wear models begin at $250.

Buyers from around the world flock to her shop in Vancouver, sending Talkington their measurements via email. Some are so hard-core they leave their personal fit mannequins with her, including loyalists such as Burlesque superstar Dita von Teese or Cathie Jung (record holder for the world’s smallest waist - 15 inches).

Talkington graduated from Kwantlen University in Surrey, B.C., where she had to teach herself the lost art of corsetry as a hobby in-between classes; today, thanks to a resurgence of interest in the subject (and its liberal use by modern designers, including Dolce & Gabbana), modern corsetry is taught in many international fashion schools... But knowledge of traditional / vintage corsetry is limited. Talkington's obsession led her to study and collect many antique corsets, helping her to replicate the vintage styles.

“I am obsessed,” Talkington says. “But with the internet, I now know how many other people out there are as well!”

In her collection there is a rare red-wool 1860s corset. Vintage pieces can be dated by the length of their components, and by how they manipulate the bosom, waist or hip to match the fashions of the day.

There is a small international community of artisans, collectors and scholars with whom Talkington shares sources, such as the revived steel producer in France who provides her with steel for the stays. (These stopped being made of whalebone in the 1880s.)

The continued and growing popularity of burlesque shows in Canada means Talkington has a steady supply of fresh clients, as well as those who buy for special occasions (think weddings) as well as others who wear corsets daily (often to train their waists, or make them smaller).

She also has a number of male clients. “You put a corset on a man to flatten his stomach, and it makes his chest fuller, and gives him a military bearing,” says Talkington.

The Paris show, Behind the Seams: An indiscreet look at the mechanics of Fashion, includes 38 items from Talkington’s collection and starts in July at Musée de la Mode et du Textile, located in the decorative arts wing of the Louvre.

Talkington hopes to bring the exhibit home afterwards: She’s planning to display her collection at her shop or a local art gallery.

Goth, Courtesan and Kabuki

FASHION/GOTHIC - East meets West, Victorian gothic meets kabuki performer and designer Marc Jacobs takes aim at trends with a scattergun.

Seeing what he did it looks like he ripped off ideas from "The King and I", "Blade Runner" and Queen Elizabeth I era fashion... victorian ruffles, gothic lolitas... mixed with army jackets and khaki trench coats.

He also deliberately played fashion don'ts... like wearing lingerie as outer wear, a luxury fanny pack and socks with sandals.

In other words... you'd never actually wear this stuff outside.

Don't get me wrong, I love gothic fashion... but I think fashion designers playing lip service to gothic culture is just lame. The things they design don't appeal to real goths, and the fashionistas like myself won't wear this crap either because:

#1. Its too expensive.

#2. Its full of fashion faux pas don'ts.

In his latest show Marc Jacobs mixed leopard prints... you know the kind that old women with dyed blond hair, gold teeth (or missing teeth!) wear... seriously. That stuff may look good on a thin fashion model, but marketing that is just a bad idea.

I swear some fashion designers are just complete hacks. They just copy whatever they see and never come up with anything original.