SteamPunkGirls

Steam Punk is becoming a widely known trend not just within the video games scene, such as with Bio Shock, but also as a fashion choice.

Steam Punk is a mix of fantasy and sci-fi, often seen in a strong mix of Victorian styling with a technological twist, think cogs, gears, goggles, think steam power! Steam Punk fashion finds itself spreading ever deeper into our ‘nerd world’, with these often decadent costumes seen widely at anime and gaming conventions that cosplayers and costume makers are spending hours upon hours working on, no detail is left untouched.

British magazine Bizarre have taken things one step further. Bizarre see itself as a magazine full of the bizarre, funnily enough, and that’s including fetishes. This month Bizarre set its sight on steam punk as its fetish theme bringing to light its smokin’ hot side, all the while showing some damn fine fashion. While I am all up for hot girls running around in sci-fi/Victorian inspired latex it is actually great to see such a movement featured in such a strong and powerfully impacting way, steam punk is on the map!

My friend Liz writes for LA Weekly and has one of the coolest beats in reporting. She files stories about Lolita fashion, J-pop club nights, ball-jointed dolls, anime conventions, and everything else worth talking about in the world of Japanese Goth. (Gothic belly dancing, anyone?)

Liz recently did a “Steampunk Starter” piece where she highlights her favorite steampunk TV and film series. I wrote about Steamboy and hear that Fullmetal Alchemist has a great premise. Can’t wait to check out the rest.

Steampunk shares a number of aesthetic similarities to Gothic Lolita, and I’ve seen some compelling “hybrid” outfits. How can you go wrong with brass goggles, gears and clockwork, mad scientist hair, top hats and striped stockings?

Brief Steampunk FAQ

What is Steampunk!?

Very good question, and there are different (but similar) answers out there. Here’s mine: Steampunk is a genre of fiction set somewhere in the 1800’s during the Victorian Era. The fictional part comes in that technology has gone a bit skewed - though the exact methods vary, generally steam-powered devices that would have been impossible or unfeasible at the time are found to exist. Examples include steam-robots, flying castles, under-water bases, moon rockets, time machines etc.

But I know that as…

Yes, Steampunk has many names and very close relations -

Victorian Science Fiction - Steampunk by any other name, though possibly leaning more towards fiction actually written in Victorian era, as opposed to fiction retroactively set in Victorian times. Abbreviated as VSF.
Gaslamp Fantasy - The Girl Genius equivalent of Steampunk, with more leeway for very tight bodices, slapstick comedy and non-humans. Not set in any real Victorian historical location, Girl Genius has its own time and place.
Steampulp - Perhaps if I had the opportunity to rename Steampunk, it would be to Steampulp - the -punk suffix causes a lot of confusion amongst those who imagine it means strife and rebellion.

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