Steampunk Cleopatra: Crown

So you may remember that the headdress for my steampunk Cleopatra outfit was the piece I was the most unhappy with.   I wasn't 100% happy with the look, but once I started wearing the outfit for significant periods of time I realized it was worse than that.   The cloth headdress made me uncomfortable, made it difficult to hear, and ruined my periphery vision.  I found myself constantly taking it off while I was wearing the outfit, and having to put it back on for photos.

So I decided I needed an alternative.  I knew what I wanted: a brass diadem/tiara that would work with my hairpieces to make a Victorian evening look.   I thought for a while about what I could use to make something like this and looking into headbands and wondered what I could find at thrift stores to convert.  But ultimately I just went to the hobby shop and bought a strip of brass.  Turning the brass strip into a headpiece was actually simple from there.  I just bent it around my head with my hands.  I drilled holes in the ends with a Dremel and tied black elastic cord to it to secure it on my head.  I knew I could hide the cord in my hair.

For the decorative bits I took some pieces off my previous headdress and added antique clock gears from the movement I disassembled.  I attached the clock gears by drilling holes in the band and then riveting the gears in place.  This was actually kinda scary for me because I'd never done this kind of working with metal and power tools, but it was totally easy.  So yay for expanding my comfort zone.



I added a few smaller gears as well as filligrees by gluing them to the band.

And here is the outfit with the new headpiece.  I was very happy with how it wears and how it looks with the outfit.