How To Actually Dress Steampunk
Steampunk is a neat culture and fictional genre which is mainly based on an alternative Victorian History. Steampunk has this amazing Victorian Vibe to it and dressing up in costume plays a huge role in the culture and is only limited by your imagination. It can be an absolute blast to dabble in Steampunk culture and when given proper attention can result in lifelong friends and unforgettable experiences!
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Step 1: Planning A Costume
- Coming up with a character you would like to represent.
The first step to planning out a successful steampunk character is to think of an interesting character you want to dress as. Steampunk is a very broad culture so you can let your imagination run loose and settle for almost any archetype. Do you want to be a mad inventor? How about an aviator or an adventurer? Coming up with an interesting role or character you would like to be makes it easier for you to come up with cool ideas for steampunk costumes.
Make sure to read a little about the origins of steampunk. Steampunk is mainly originated from writer Jules Verne and other writers who made the Victorian Aesthetic futuristic. Steampunk is influenced by both fantasy and history. Let your imagination run loose!
There should be a real life counterpart to many of the possible archetypes. Make sure to do a google search on some images from the Victorian era or from the early 20th century and study what they used to wear. They can give you a boost of inspiration to use for your final costume!
2 Start with a Victorian outfit and add to the outfit from there
Steampunk Fashion is in its roots a science fiction take on old Victorian elegance. If you are having trouble starting your outfit, it can help to begin with just a Victorian theme, adding extra items once your foundation is ready. Overcoats, Vest and Corset-Aligned dresses make up the basis of Victoriana.
Wide Goggles, Top hats, Bow Ties and tweed vests are all part of male Victorian Fashion
Dresses and Corsets are a staple of female Victorian Fashion.
Anything that attracts a lot of attention while retaining elegance may be in line with a Victorian Fashionista's vision. Very Vivid colous such as royal blue, sea green and deep red were very common colours seen in the Victorian Era. They can obviously be used in contrast with the more industrial colours of steampunk
3 Include some minor punk aesthetics in your costumes.
We haven't been over the "punk" aspect of steampunk. Some people in the steampunk culture tend to ignore the punk rock aesthetic, Some people have had amazing successes with punk styles to spruce up their costumes, including ripped clothing, dyed hair and tattoos.
4 Mix steampunk with ideas or interests from other genres or fandoms.
If you are keen on cosplaying in general, there might be a high chance that you have items from previous costumes laying around. Do not be afraid to use them in your Steampunk Costumes! It makes for great looks and really adds a unique touch to your costume, Star Wars is one example to combine with steampunk aesthetic.
5 Be yourself
Above all other points we mentioned above, being yourself is the best thing to do when cosplaying, after all the main point of steampunk and any other cosplay is to have fun. If you are preparing for a big convention remember to relax, creating a costume should be enjoyable and not something you rush or do against your will. If your first attempt doesn't work out you are still gaining valuable knowledge that you can put towards your next project! Keep trying on new items and combine different genres and we're sure you can come up with something truly unique!
6 Look up costume ideas for inspiration.
Thankfully nowadays we have the internet and it has never been easier for mini fandoms and subcultures to thrive. If you are still in the beginning stages of your costume design and you are out of inspiration, it can always be a great help to check out some costumes from other steampunks. Many steampunks will include a complete list of the supplies and items they used to realize their costume. Sites like Pinterest, Etsy and Instagram are well-known for their steampunk communities.
If you are really stuck with your costume and you found a particular cosplayer you admire, you may stand to gain from getting in touch with the person. Ask them for tips on the costume you are going for, many Steampunks are very helpful and friendly towards others in the culture.
Part 2: Putting Your Costume Together
1 Go to a thrift store for your costume
Thrift stores and other dollar or second hand stores are an amazing asset when trying to put together a costume. If you already have a good idea of the character or items you are going to need, it's simply a matter of going to a thrift store and searching for items that are atleast approximate what you are looking for.
2 Add colourful fabrics to your costume
Now, you might be able to find the majority of your costume at thrift or other stores, DIY steampunkers may choose to go the extra mile and add extra items onto their costumes. Most steampunk fabrics include Brocade, Cotton, Leather, and wool. Many of these fabrics can be found at fabric outlets. They can be sewn or taped onto your costume to create a more unique Steampunk Look.
Many common Steampunk colours include dark golds, bronze, browns, burnt ambers, dark purples, dark forest greens, and deep burgundies. Any color that appears to be greyed, worn or rusted in any way is a perfect fit to your costume!
3 Add a vest or corset to your outfit.
For Women, corsets are very common. Although most corsets are seen as an elegant item for special occasions you can reconfigure the corset to match your specific character and role you had in mind. For men, a vest under an old-fashioned overcoat is a great start for your costume, adding these will certainly make you look more steampunky than without one.
Corsets and vests aren't commonly used in today's fashion anymore. However their appeal can be combined with a lot of different fashion styles.
Adding a utility belt to a corset or vest is a good idea if you have a more mechanical character in mind. You can sew these to your corset or vest.
4 Adding gadgets to your costume
Adding relevant gadgets to your costume depends if you have a strong idea of who you want to be or what you want to do. Use your role as inspiration, if you are a inventor add some burned spots so it looks like something exploded in your crazy lab, if you happen to be an aviator add some leather strips to your costume to give it more of a protective look.
You can reinvent your costume as you go. Most costumes that are self made end op different than the way they were first imagined. If it is your first time making your costume yourself you will quickly learn new skills to use for your costume, don't be afraid to change up the look of your costume as you go.
You can dye your fabrics to give them a more authentic look. Most fabric dyes are available at a arts store.
5 Hair styling is very important
Hair is arguably a very important part of your outfit. Especially if your character is supposed to look of upper class. For women, doing your hair up can give your character an added portion of elegance even if the costume itself is intentionally made to be different from the elegant look. Many punk hairstyles work great with steampunk costumes because of the contrast.
If you are playing a male character, combing your hair to one side and gelling it in place will give you that extra elegant look.
Pinning your hair up will give your hair added elegance if you're playing a female character. If you want to be entirely true to the Steampunk Fashion you can let strands of hair hang loose to add to the industrial feel.
Step 3: Accessorizing Your Costume
1 Making your very own steampack.
If it suits your character, you can make a steam gauge from a compass or broken wristwatch, and then making the steampack from old coffee cans by gluing them together and painting over the coffee cans. Make leather shoulder straps and affix them to the coffee cans so that you can wear the pack on your back.
2 Making your very own steampunk-themed gun.
You can start with a basic form of a nerf gun or other toy gun. In order to make something steampunkish you will have to simplify it's appearance. In order to do this sand down the original model's details as much as you possible can. Paint it in a Bronze or Golden or any of the other steampunk colours. If that's done you can paint steam gauges, imperfections (such as scratches) and other amazing details using different shades of the colour you originally used.
Plastic guns can easily be purchased at your local dollar store.
You might need a coat of primer paint before using your colour paint.
3 Creating steampunk goggles
Goggles are most likely the most recognizable item in steampunk fashion. A purely Victorian costume can easily be steampunked by adding an awesome pair of goggles. Preferably the goggles must be large and cumbersome. If you like you can strap your goggles around your forehead or wear them over a top hat if you don't like to wear goggles over your eyes. For Steampunk Goggles Click Here https://cloutfashionstore.com/collections/steampunk-glasses
4 Walking with a parasol or cane
While you're walking around in your amazing outfit, you can be made to appear more interesting if you have something to hold on to or carry around. A cane or walking cane is an awesome choice for men, for ladies a small parasol or quant umbrella are a perfect fit for most costumes. You can obviously tinker around with your parasol or cane to make it fit more with the specific character you are playing by adding steampunk-oriented functions such as gauges or compasses.
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