Torturously alluring

I have been meaning to continue my "Steampunk Style" series for a long time now--focusing posts on steampunk delights for the hair, for the guys, for kids and babies, and even for dining rooms and boudoirs--but as I comb through etsy looking for the best bits to share, I can't help but be diverted by my favorite feminine Steampunk fashion accessory: the corset.

Which, at least on etsy, are typically gorgeous.

Custom Steampunk utility corset  by LillysWorkshop

Which instantly make a woman--any woman--look more elegant, sexy, interesting and playful.

Steel-boned Renaissance Paisley Corset by Innerversion

Which explains why any woman would buy and/or wear one, considering how completely impractical and, let's face it, distinctly uncomfortable they are as articles of clothing.

by loriann37

I mean, c'mon--can you see a mom like me lifting her toddler in any of these, or bending over to help a child tie her shoelaces. . . ?  

Which makes me wonder if Kate Beckinsale had two corsets, which she alternated wearing during the filming of Van Helsing; one to strut in. . .

. . . and one with more "give" to wear during her swashbuckling action scenes.  Because if she really was doing all that running and dodging and sword-swinging in the steel-boned real deal, she is either a wee bit masochistic or demonstrates a dedication to her art that leaves me in awe.

Typically, the steampunk women who put on a corset have nothing more strenuous planned than lifting their parasols or adjusting their goggles--their full intention is simply to stroll around and be marveled at in all their full feminine fabulousness.

Pirate Wench Faux Tooled Leather Underbust waist Corset by Sarlume

Or maybe to roll around and be marveled at. . .

Gothic black corset by labellefairy

But beyond cosplay and foreplay, it seems as if corsets have also become popular for wedding ensembles--a PERFECT use for them, since all a bride wants to do on her wedding day is stand around looking unique and ravishing.  (I wonder if any of them consider the symbolism of taking on such a restricting, self-crushing manifestation of femininity during the ceremony ushering them into matrimony. . . mmmm, probably not.)

Gold Dust Falls CUSTOM Victorian Steampunk Bustle Corset Gown by battyazac 

Oh, those dresses are fantastic.  Maybe someday when Dear Husband and I celebrate some major wedding anniversary we can have some kind of renewing of the vows ceremony. . . Steampunk style (you better believe DH would be all for it--he's waiting for an excuse to gear-up as much as I).

Mermaid Steampunk Corset Wedding Dress, also by labellefairy

corset wedding gown coral steampunk, also by labellefairy

Especially for a wedding, a corset can be steampunk or not, depending upon the fabric, the colors, and what else the bride is wearing; in fact, neither of these two examples are steampunk to me, just beautiful corsets that would naturally translate to steampunk if they were worn with the right accessories.

Look at the copper shimmer on this corset--so, so pretty, and would be lovely for a formal event, and subtly steampunk all on its own:

Black and Copper Lined Ladies Steampunk Corset by TreadleTreasures

On the other hand, some corsets scream Steampunk:

Striped Victorian Circus with Skeleton Cameo Corset by Louise Black

I don't usually go for the macabre Steampunk, but this one manages to be elegant and shows a sense of humor (although I say those ribs look way more comfortable than they would really be in a corset).

steampunk steel boned corset-alessa black detachable strap corset by Innerversion

Ooooh, I like the pinstriped version of that one even more!

Pinstripe steel boned waistcoat corset, moll lace front corset also by Innerversion

Adorable juxtaposition of straight-laced (ha!) and playful.

 Steampunk Neo Victorian Corset, Steel Boned Copper Overbust by Battieclothing

Corsets--the painfully playful side of Steampunk.  If I ever have the need for jaw-dropping fantasy clothing--you know, like when I am nominated for an Oscar for that screenplay I am writing,* or when Minnie Zephie's latest line of haute couture children's clothing takes the runway in Milan**--you better believe I'm building my ensemble around a corset. 



*no, really, I am. Or I was before kiddos took over my life ; )

**I have excellent taste and am brimming with ideas.  Now I just need to learn to sew

Accessories for the (Steampunk) Lady: For the Waist

I was going to make my next post in this sequence about how steampunk styles can be subtly conveyed in every-day clothing--Steampunk Style In Real Life.  But it has proven a lot harder than I expected finding pics of women in steampunkish outfits that don't look like costumes they just wear on special "dress-up" occassions.  I think this is because we don't usually take pics of ourselves in our everyday clothes!  So that particular post I'll be working on and will save for the end of this series.

So for now, you will just have to use your imagination. Several of the outfits in the last post (esp. photos 7 and 14) I could see being worn in the real world--ok, I would wear them!  (#7 I wish I could have right. now.)  And the second from the last is adorable, and although not quite my style, if the corset was more "top" than "undergarment" looking, I could see it at casual day at work.  Well, depending upon where you work. ; )  The design foundation of Steampunk is neo-Victorianism--so take your long skirt and/or your puffy-sleeved, high-necked blouse and you have the beginning elements!  Then choose your persona in this alternate history, and make the clothing fit that story. 

And that, I think, is really what sets Steampunk attire apart from plain-old neo-Victorian--that the clothes suggest you are part of a bigger, more complex, and unexpected story.  So that is why the clothes deviate--and in most cases EXTREMELY--from the historical Victorian apparel;  because the Steampunk vision deviates from Victorian history.

Before we get on to more eye-candy, I want to address something my friend Stacy said after my last post :

I see [Steampunk] as an alternate post-Industrial Revolution option. As in, a world vastly similar to ours went through an industrial revolution during a time of more gender equality and the clothing represents the mechanical advances of the day but still remains exclusive through amazing fabrics and accoutrements that the average worker wouldn't be able to afford. Like a Hollywood meets Industrial Revolution style. . . 

Stacy, YES, that is exactly it--an alternate ending to the historical Industrial Revolution. It is looking back at our world at a particular point in time when so much change was just starting to happen, when there were so many advances in science and industry and exploration, when humans were learning to fly, to gain landspeeds never before comprehended through mechanical locomotion, etc. . . and then imagining what it would have been like if certain ideas from today had been around with that era's "advanced" technology.

There *can* be a little bit of the exclusivity I think you mean--in fact, those are the Steampunk "Aristrocrats"--BUT I would venture that part of the appeal of Steampunk is that it celebrates the common, everyday person who has ideas and gumption and is adventuresome and hands-on.  Which is also why a lot of steampunk clothes are more drab in color and are pretty utilitarian in fabric and style, and have so many gadgets!

In fact, the gadgets that are so much a part of steampunk clothes represent that these "characters" DO things--and creative, brave things at that. The goggles suggest aviators, or metal-workers, or driving in primative but fast vehicles. Two big Steampunk design icons are locks and keys, which I think represent secrets to be unhidden (think Sherlock Holmes) and are symbolic of (particularly for women) power over one's own freedom. Clocks (esp. their gears and cogs) are the other big design icon, and they represent not only the glory of the mechanical at its most beautiful and efficient, but also the playing with time and history that takes place within the Steampunk imagination.

But I came across a great quotation about this aspect of the fashion on a discussion board (the discussion ended back in something like 2006, so I am not bothering to link it): 
Steampunk’s not all about cogs and gears, and a lot of serious steampunks even look down on it when people stick them to things with no purpose aside from decorative. Clothing does not have to have cogs and gears on it to be steampunk. Clothing where they actually have a function (like tightening a corset) is great, but be careful about sewing a gear to something and calling it steampunk, because to a number of people it just says noob.

I completely agree.  And as I mentioned before, I prefer the outfits that look like something a "real person in a Steampunk age" would wear, and not costumes.  Outlandish is fine--as long as you can sell it. 
And here is a short but very good article (with pictures) about why Steampunk clothes can't be "too plain-old Victorian."

Still speaking of goggles and gears, one of the things you might have noticed about the steampunk emsembles in my last post is that the accessories are really what make them Steampunk!  There are certain accessories that are quintessential Steampunk:  goggles, gloves, lace, stockings, hats, chains and keys, lots of straps and buckles, belts and corsets!  For this post I will focus on the latter: steampunked waists.

KALI -Black Steampunk Burlesque Corset by olgaitaly

I must confess that I love the way corsets look.  Ultra-feminine, and yet a little tough.  Some of the ones pictured below would be adorable with jeans or a long skirt, and I imagine would nicely play up my newly deflated bosom while downplaying my four-baby belly.  You know, so I'd look kinda like this:

Innocence Custom Corset Top by aNGrYGiRLGear

(. . . momentarily sighing and gazing wistfully off into space. . . )

Ok, where was I?  Right.  Some of the corsets currently out there are true steel-boned, custom-fit pieces--the real and painful deal.  For those who like the look, but also enjoy breathing, there are other corsets and belts that have more giving structure and comfortable fabrics/leathers.

All of the belts and corsets featured here are from etsy.

Shoe Spat Hand Tooled And Studded Waist Cincher Wide Leather Belt by ContrivedtoCharm

Red Button Tab Vixen Corset by damselinthisdress

Pirate Vixen Corset by damselinthisdress

Deep Red Striped Waist Cincher Corset Belt by redcurrydesigns

Madam Joannie Brown Leather Clip Belt by AudraJean

Lola Loves Leather STEAMPUNK, PIRATE, GOTHIC Extra Wide Waist Belt by CurvyWench

Custom Neo-Victorian Steampunk copper utility corset, coutil steel boning by LillysWorkshop

Black Wide Leather Lace Up Fairytale Sweetheart Corset Waist Cincher Belt by ContrivedtoCharm

Black and White overbust corset, steel boned, custom made by corsetwonderland

Steampunk Aristocrat Tailed Bodice by taeliac

Wool Plaid and Faux Leather STEAMPUNK Extra Wide Waist Belt or Cincher by CurvyWench

There are several here I would wear around town, and feel good about, or that I would create an elegant evening look with--if I ever had the need and extra fashion funds.  My favorite of the bunch (and the most quintessential steampunk) is the "copper utility corset"--but the one I really wish I could buy is the "lola loves leather" one.

(OK, I would love to have some fun accessories like this, BUT I have written before about how having a lot of stuff SO does not fit my life values right now, or the size of my house. So I will just enjoy looking, and not actually fall into coveting!)

Oh, and you full-bodied readers--I must say after browsing through lots of pics in the last 6 months, while slim women model these items on etsy, very big women are the ones who love to wear them to Steampunk costume events!  And they usually look fabulous.  And like they are enjoying themselves immensely.  I'm just sayin.' 

Up next. . . Steampunk for the neck!