Steampunk exhibit kicks off in Anaheim

The Orange County Register ^ | October 21, 2011 | Richard Chang

[EveningStar]

A girl with hair dyed cherry red wears goggles, a tight corset, a lacy Victorian dress and black military boots. Her friend, a gent, dons a top hat, an early 1900s gas mask, fingerless leather gloves and crimson canvas trousers. He holds a pistol that looks like a fusion between the Wild West and a 1950s sci-fi flick.

All of this is not some new fashion trend. It's Steampunk, and it's been around for a while.

[radiohead]

I am intrigued by what little I know of this genre. Can you suggest some books/short stories to read?

Also, would the new Sherlock Holmes movies be considered a type of Steampunk?

[MrEdd]

It needs a couple victorola horn styled external speakers...

[MrEdd]

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=151459

[onedoug]

´Steampunk not dead´

[Tanniker Smith]

Oh, I’m sure it is custom-made. You can only find them at conventions and the like, and they run into money. If you know how to stitch one together, you can not only save a bit of money, but you can make a little bit making them for friends.

[Melian]

Thank you. I live nearby so I will check it out.

[Larry Lucido]

I don’t quite get steampunk, but there are hot chicks into it, so I guess I’m for it.

[Shimmer1]

ping

[Eye of Unk]

Why is it that I think steam power will be easier to use, more affordable and will not shut down the cities at night compared to a million Chevy Volts being plugged in at the same time?

Steampunk, Obamas nightmare.

Might possibly be more factual than fantasy.

[RegulatorCountry]

I had a recent meeting with a west coast customer and the conversation turned to Steampunk during the course of discussing current and future influences upon their market, their customers and therefore their apparel. They're based in the Bay Area, and are a combination of cutting edge and green, recycled content and such.

I asked them if they saw this as an ongoing influence for them and they replied oh yes, you should come out for Victorian Days, the Steampunk handcar competition on the old railway is an amazing thing to just watch. So, it actually does have an element of reverence for history, inherently conservative whether those participating realize or even agree. The Victorian era holds a level of charm, fascination and reverence there that the Revolutionary War holds for us here, sort of gestational, the beginning of what they know and love of their home.

Of course, being so popular in and about Silicon Valley it's been fused with that touch of wackiness of which northern Californians are so inordinately fond. I suppose it could be termed “Techno-Victorian” for those who don't quite grasp the whole thing, even though it's been around for going on several years now.

Southerners aren't all that likely to embrace it, the Victorian era was by and large a dark age for us, outside the few booming carpetbagger towns that arose. A high Victorian tower house or commercial building is an oddity here, it's just uncommon because of the general postwar economic collapse.

But, we worked up several things for them to provide a gentle entry, fashionwise, into this scene or movement, however you might describe it. They're very excited about their belated efforts, and optimistic.

Me, it's fun to look at but I don't see it possessing any widespread appeal outside northern California and the Pacific Northwest. For their sake and ours, I'd love to be wrong about that, though.

[CharlesWayneCT]

We picked it up on our trip to San Diego, because of a steampunk banned called “Steam Powered Giraffes” playing at the San Diego Zoo.

There is a big convention in Austin, Texas, so it appears to be spreading.

I’m still working on my outfit, but I’m trying to spend less than $100 total — apparently a real outfit can cost thousands.

I’ll say this — if it wasn’t for the high cost of air fare, my daughter and I would be attending a steampunk convention in Long Beach in January — it’s on the queen mary, and you can stay on the ship and party all weekend with people dressed in steampunk.

[RegulatorCountry]

Are people wearing it as regular clothing or is it a special event sort of thing? Will my customer succeed with a mild Steampunk influenced line of apparel? Nothing really outlandish but the influence is clear.

I’m going to be out on Ocracoke Island next weekend and Halloween is something of an event out there, maybe I can rent some vintage stuff and pull it offm lol.

[CharlesWayneCT]

I think people are crazy to spend thousands of dollars on these outfits, but they are doing it. I haven’t seen much on the east coast, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t here.

[radiohead]

Thanks.

[Yardstick]

The Hellboy movies have some cool steampunk stuff going on.