Dress Diary: Steampunk Cleopatra: Accessories

There were several accessories that were either necessary to this outfit or that I just wanted to include.

The ostrich feather fan was one of these.  I could theoretically do without it, but was such a great prop, I knew I had to do something like it.  Googling for ostrich feather fan is very difficult, since the only thing that you will get are huge burlesque fans.  But I eventually happened across something amazing: an antique fan handle that might as well be the one in the picture!  Ok, mine is probably smaller.  But it was too good to be true.  So I started bidding on it on ebay.  Unfortunately, someone else wanted it too.  I got into something of a bidding war.  Ultimately I wouldn't have ended up with it if my husband hadn't declared that I MUST have it because it was PERFECT.  So I paid more than I really should have for it. But it IS perfect.





It didn't come with feathers, though.  I was surprised how difficult it was to find natural colored ostrich feathers in grey, black, or brown hues.  Eventually, though, I found the perfect lot on ebay, for a very reasonable price.  I got all the feathers I needed for my fan, and then some.  I cleaned the remains of the original feathers out of the opening on the handle and then simply hot glued my feathers in their place.  I originally tried sewing the feathers together in the hopes of doing some higher class method of attaching them, but that pretty much failed.  Hot glue worked great.    I added a chain which I attached to a brooch, since the fan in the original is attached by chain somehow.  I left the fan handle as it was, except that a glued a round filigree piece at the bottom since it just looked like it needed something.

Another item I needed for this outfit was a good pair of boots.  I don't own a pair of black steampunk-appropriate boots.  And then I saw these gold and black boots from the FIDM museum.  How perfect would those be for my costume?  So I decided to try making something similar by painting some modern Victorian style boots.

The boots as I bought them..

Now I have a problem with heels.  I've never learned how to walk in them without seriously harming myself.  I'm nearly 6 feet tall, so I don't really need heels.  Plus I have feet that are built really weird and that make me prone to serious ankle injury.  So there's a reason why the only heels I wear are really blocky ones.

But because I wanted this outfit to really scream Victorian and Steampunk as loudly as possible, I decided to give some Victorian boots a try.  I found a gently used pair on ebay that had a chunkier heel than most similar boots.  Of course the heel is also quite high.  These are boots for standing around looking good in, not for walking, I told myself.

Then I did a little research on how to paint onto leather. Essentially I found that leather will take acrylic paint if you use sandpaper to remove some of the protective finish first.  So I set out to add some gold details to my boots.  I initially intended to fill in the area around the laces with gold, but ran into a snag. These are side-zip boots and the velvet laces are merely decoration.  There are no opening for the laces on the inside, so if I unlaced them, I wouldn't be able to relace them.  So I was stuck there.  Eventually I just improvised the painting.  I tried using tape to neaten my painting, but always got some bleed.  Tape just doesn't work well with a curved leather surface, although I found regular scotch tape worked better than masking or painter's tape.





Once I had my gold painted as well as I thought I could do it, I covered the whole boot in a couple of coats of Satin Shene leather sealant.  It really finished the boots nicely and they are now less shiny than they were before I did anything to them.  I don't know how well my paint will last; I suspect that depends on the location of the paint.










Finally we have the jewelry.  In the original costume, the woman is wearing two upper arm cuffs, attached by chains to bracelets on her wrists.  She also has a rather elaborate necklace.  I knew that on a budget I couldn't really hope to replicate her jewelry with any real exactitude, but I wanted a similar feel, at least.  My search started several months ago on one of my regular trips to Goodwill.  I looked in their jewelry case and they had a plethora of gold-toned bracelets.  I picked out two that I thought might work and they cost me $2 each.  You can't beat that.  Then I found a cobra arm cuff for a fairly reasonable price at the Texas Renaissance festival.  It's a pretty cheap piece, but it fit my budget and was the style I needed.  I later added some aging to it with some black paint.  I attached it to one of the bracelets with some chain I bought at a craft store.  I decided to go with only one arm cuff for budgetary reasons.

The necklace I was kinda intending to assemble myself from some chain and some charms, but I found a really lovely piece in the booth of my friend Lisa Turner of Turner's Tokens and fell in love with it.  It isn't as elaborate as the Victorian version, but I think it works.  I added a vintage Egyptian charm to the very bottom of the necklace, since I ended up not using it elsewhere on the costume.

There are several other pieces to the costume that might be called accessories, but they will be in another post.

On the Subject of "Gluing a Gear On It"

I spent this past weekend sewing (and gluing) decorative brass gears onto my Steampunk Cleopatra costume.  And this morning I ran across yet another opinion piece that derides anyone who attaches non-functional gears onto their steampunk pieces.  I've known that I needed to address this aspect of my costume, so let's do it.

Pretty, pretty non-functional gears.  These may give an
ILLUSION of functioning,
but that's all it is. (From this store.)

I really, really hate when people bash the use of decorative gears.  The attitude assumed by the basher is always one of superiority: they are preserving steampunk's purity from the untalented who can't use any tool but a glue gun.  They almost always throw in a derisive comment about steampunk going "mainstream" or being co-opted by corporations or people just out to make a buck.

This attitude just really pisses me off.  It's elitist and actively discourages newbies from trying their hand at steampunk crafting.  Look, I am in awe of makers who have metalworking skills who make these functional works of steampunk art.  But I also know that I cannot do what they do, and have no desire to learn the skills they have.  That's not my thing.  That's their thing.

Here's the big thing that gets me about this attitude: it is seeking to define and limit what's "real steampunk."  Real steampunk crafting, by their estimation, involves a workshop and heavy machinery. It involves skills that take years of training to achieve.  It's also, by the way, an attitude that elevates traditionally masculine skills above traditionally feminine skills.  When it comes down to it, I don't want to be part of any conversation that seeks to define "real steampunk" over "poseur steampunk."

I adore the embroidered gear designs on this outfit.

Moreover, the people who express these opinions are often incredibly hypocritical.  They will snark about people who "glue a gear on it" one minute, and the next they admire some steampunk object with non-functional gears the next.  Many highly admired steampunk projects feature TONS of non-functional components; they just are better at giving the impression of functioning than some others.  Gears, gauges, turn keys, locks, vacuum tubes, keys...these are all items frequently used in steampunk design and they are very rarely functional.

But I also want to be clear that I have chosen to attach decorative gears to my steampunk creations not because I wish I could do more with them, but because I really, really like the look of decorative gears.  Gears are PRETTY.  I like them as objects in and of themselves, not just for their utility.

The Victorian period was the height of decoration for decoration's sake.  Every object was OVER decorated.  They used sometimes strange motifs in their decorative arts, like the plethora of pineapples they put everywhere.  So I believe that in an alternative Victorian period, where technology is elevated to a higher level within the estimation of society, that the Victorians might very well have started embroidering gears along the borders of their clothing.  In my mind, the fictional steampunk world that we all have created is a world in which people wear goggles as a fashion accessory and use gears to decorate things.

My Steampunk Cleopatra is a partial recreation of a historical fancy dress costume.  In a steampunk world, I think that this costume may have very well been made with decorative brass gears in addition to Ancient Egyptian style jewelry.  And finally, I just like the way it looks, and I don't have time for anyone who wants to take an elitist attitude about it.

Book Review: Steampunk Accessories

Steampunk Accessories: 20 Projects to Help You Nail the Style

My adventure into steampunk DIY books continues, this time with more favorable results.  I have to say I am really impressed by this book.  The author seems to have a good grasp not only of the style of steampunk, but the spirit of it as well.

The book begins with some good general information on where to find materials, what to look for, and what tools you may need.  There are some really useful guides to intro jewelry making techniques, how to patina metal, and how to age leather.

Then the book gets into its 20 projects.  A lot of these projects are based on simple jewelry making skills.  There are several jewelry projects and just from looking at these, I've picked up some cool techniques.  (Jewelry making is one of my weaker skill areas, but those skills are so useful in all kinds of steampunk projects.)  There are several projects that use leather or leatherette, though they aren't really "serious" leather working projects.  Several involve printing onto transfer paper and then ironing that onto the leather.  The results look cool, but I'm really wondering how well that process works.

But I have to say that, though some projects are more to my taste than others, I like the look of every project in this book.  Some get me downright excited, like the steampunk luggage tags (so making some), the hat cockade, the utility belt, and the goggles pictured on the cover.  Speaking of those goggles, I'm just impressed they managed to make goggles that are completely different from anything I've seen before.

Really, the creativity and uniqueness of the projects is their strength.  The author didn't just copy things commonly seen in steampunk, but really created their own items.  I also like that these are mostly small accessories that would enhance any steampunk outfit.  Finally, the examples use vintage and one of a kind objects, but the authors emphasize using what you find to make these things your own.

So really, I can't recommend this book enough.  From now on I will recommend Steampunk Gear, Gadgets, and Gizmos: A Maker's Guide to Creating Modern Artifacts to anyone wanting to make the big projects like guns and armor, while recommending this book to people more interesting in jewelry and fashion accessories.

Book Review: Steampunk Your Wardrobe

First things first, I have to apologize for my lack of posting on this blog in recent weeks.  Prior to the holidays I was furiously working on my Steampunk Cleopatra costume.  I hit a few setbacks with it, but continued to make progress, but it hasn't been the kind of progress that warranted a post.  Then there were the holidays and now I am in Hawaii visiting my mom and brother for a late holiday/vacation.  So my crafting and steampunk projects are on hold.

However, I have gotten some new steampunk resources, mostly as Christmas gifts.

Steampunk Your Wardrobe: Easy Projects to Add Victorian Flair to Everyday Fashions is one of these.  I have an addiction to craft books.  I own a ridiculous number of knitting books, despite the fact that I can get almost any pattern I want online.  Steampunk DIY books are harder to come by, but no easier for me to resist.   I've previously discussed Thomas Willeford's book Steampunk Gear, Gadgets, and Gizmos, which is excellent. But that book is focused on metal, wood, and leather projects for people comfortable using serious tools and such.  I thought a book about making steampunk clothing would be a good resource.

This book is aimed at the extreme sewing novice.  Most of the projects are ways to refashion pre-made clothing into something more steampunk.  The instructions seem to be complete, with pretty clear photos. 

But honestly I'm very disappointed in the book.  There is very little (if anything) here that is difficult to either figure out on your own or find a tutorial for online.  For an example of a typical project, let's take the lace edged pantaloons.  Take a pair of slacks, cut them short, sew lace to the bottom and maybe some ribbon too!  Now, there's nothing wrong with doing that, but it's not exactly something so complicated you need a book to help you with it step-by-step.  Another project involves taking a purchased skirt and adding a couple of hooks to it so you can pull one side of it up.

Pretty much all of the projects are things that I would love to see as tutorials on a blog, but which don't really justify the purchase price of the book.  Moreover the quality of the photos are really on the low-end of blog quality.  (I don't take the best photos for this blog, I know that.  These are pretty equivalent.)

There are only a couple of non-clothing projects: a necklace using basic jewelry making skills and a flask covered with scrapbooking paper and paper clock faces.  The latter looks...pretty junky.  Why would you cover a metal flask with paper?

There are a couple of nice and potentially worthwhile projects in the book: a ruffled shoulder wrap (on the cover) and instructions to refashion a normal button-up shirt into a Victorian styled blouse. 

The long and the short of it is that I would only recommend this book to someone just starting to sew who wants some simple steampunk projects on the cheap.  There are also no projects for men, fyi.