STEAMPUNK LADIES FASHION. VICTORIAN VEIL & BOWLER HAT. GOTHIC LOLITA, STEAMPUNK EVENTS IN VANCOUVER CANADA.
My Twitter dilemma of the week was… what should I wear to a Steampunk event? One should always avoid the predictable uniform; brown tones and bronze clockwork, in this case. It’s more fun to put your own spin on things and stand out…
Purple silk dress: People’s Market. The scowling flapper girl detail is glorious.
Black lace top: Moi-meme-Moitie, from Closet Child. I pinned a little gold heart over the chest.
Fishnet stockings: old ones with a large cross-hatch. I cut more holes into them.
Leather ankle boots with buckles: gifted from London Underground Shoes (buy them here).
Crucifix coffin purse: h.NAOTO, from Closet Child Ikebukuro.
Victorian tulip cameo bracelet: gifted from Yifat Aharoni.
I made a couple of items for this outfit…
Veiled Victorian bowler hat: I had the hat since I was about 15 years old. I pinned black net fabric above the brim, using concealed safety pins. On top, I pinned a purple flower decoration that came with a different dress. That’s it. I think the Queen Mother would be proud.
Gold bead bracelet: I found some gold beads at a dollar store and strung them together, using thick, stretchy thread. The beads come in two sizes; I arranged them irregularly for a disjointed effect.
Hair: This is my first attempt at a fishtail braid, also called a herringbone or fishbone braiding. I gathered my hair to one side and divided it in two. Take one small piece from one side and combine it with the other; keep doing this, using different strands each time. It’s not as hard as it sounds.
Eye makeup: I lined the inner corners of my eyes with lime green eyeliner, gifted from Annabelle Cosmetics. Filled in the eyebrows, and swept two shades of burnt rose / brown eyeshadow (gifted from Aromaleigh) up to the browline. With a Japanese liquid eyeliner, I lined the bottom lid and drew downward streaks. Finally, I applied small bottom false eyelashes and mis-matching ones on top: purple ones gifted from Cuberry and blue/black ones from a Japanese dollar store.
Lips: I drew the outline with purple eyeliner. (I wouldn’t worry about it being toxic; the eyes are more sensitive than the stomach, right?) I blended it with a vivid fuschia lipstick from a drugstore.
Rose wore a black and white Gothic Lolita dress, lace-up boots, and a lacy wristband with a silver skull. Her DIY headband got a lot of attention. Rose built it from a dead white mouse (who died of natural causes in a petstore), which she taxidermied on her own. Best of all, the rodent has glittered ears, red gems for eyes, and a crystal heart over his butt!
Rose washed the black dyed section of her hair over the blond, and it changed the color to Lady Gaga blue-grey. A happy accident, I’d say.
The mini-convention was organized by VSteam, a group for the Steampunks of Vancouver. We marveled at the hand-made feathered hats, brass clockwork jewelry, Penthouse high heels and leather corsets.
Rose coveted the hat; I wanted the sci-fi gun. (Does anyone recognize the bunny tattooed on her back?)
Neo-Victorians and Steampunks, young and old, gathered outside Barclay Manor. We watched Victorian swordfighting demo and listened to a singer/guitarist croon about robot love.
There were etiquette and leather-making lessons inside, and tea brewed in a brass kettle. We ended the day with a chu-hi from the Japanese convenience store on Robson Street, and browsed our favorite magazines (Kera, Gothic Lolita Bible, Shoxx, Cure) at Book Off. No need to be in England or Japan to enjoy your favorite neo-Victorian subcultures!
Have you ever attended a Steampunk event? What are your favorite aspects of the culture? (Too bad that there’s very little Steampunk in Japan, as reported by Kenny Creation.)
PS: Surf over to CNNGo to read my latest article, 20 products that could use an eco-friendly facelift. Individually-wrapped Asian pears and double-bottled water… ridiculous.
Japanese Word of the Day: Zoo = Elephant
Song of the Day: D – Hourglass (For those who asked, “PV” stands for “promotional video.” It’s the term used in Japan for music videos.)
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