Gearing Up

Over on flickr, section_dor has started a photostream dedicated entirely to photos of steampunk fashion. Many of the photos are from haute couture runway shows that appeal to the steampunk aesthetic, but some are from subculture fashion and other sources. I highly recommend checking it out if you’re looking for some serious inspiration for your steampunk costuming.

While most are far beyond the price range of us mere mortals, and many are a bit more fantasy than practical couture, there are two good things about the presence of steampunk elements in high fashion. First, of course, they can inspire our clothing choices even if we’re not copying the more outrageous elements of the costumes. Second, high fashion trickles down, eventually ending up in your local Macy’s or Target where those accessories are affordable and where you may even find it translated into a style that’s suitable for everyday wear as well as high tea and promenade aboard the move fashionable of airships.

A new magazine, the Gatehouse Gazette, has just published its first issue. It features steampunk and dieselpunk-related articles, fiction and photos by the members of the Smoking Lounge MB. I happen to have an article in there myself. I recommend you check it out!

Can you describe how you look at movements and gears and see jewelry?

Some pieces take longer than others. I’ve had watch plates sitting out in my work area for weeks until something just clicks. Often it’s simply a matter of setting another piece next it and something sparks. Other pieces immediately hint at possibilities. There can be a certain shape or curve or perhaps time has left a colorful patina. With older watch parts many time there is some kind of decorative etching or even inscriptions by the maker that beg to be highlighted.
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