Steampunk Your Wardrobe: Easy Projects to Add Victorian Flair to Everyday Fashions lives up to its title. After a brief definition of steampunk fashion, the author gives instructions for creating 20 trimmings, accessories, and garments, preferably from items thrifted or from the back of the reader's closet. The projects focus on the most conservative steampunk tropes: for example a necklace with key pendants, a mini top hat, a ruffled choker, and two appealing methods of ruching up long skirts. The author substitutes a plain black leather waist cincher for the common external corset made of brocade or satin. Largely missing are the more hardwarey, techy items such as goggles and gears. Oddly, also missing is the ubiquitous short bustle-overskirt, made of several ruffles of fancy materials sewn to a band, to be tied over the back of a skirt.Some projects are not perceptibly steampunk. For example, a shoulder cape cut from the upper part of an oversized coat made of camel-colored wool, with two conservative brown leather toggles added. Many lack the flair and exuberance that would turn them from rather tacky makeovers to steampunk. It's an intriguing and practical idea to, instead of wearing thin external drawers, shorten a pair of suit pants in charcoal gray wool, and then add lace ruffles. But the lace ruffles should be a statement, not the narrow, meagerly gathered, cheap-looking little bands shown here. Then there is a bright red nylon lace circle top with wobbly stitching that is simply unfortunate.
The descriptions are somewhat lacking in detail for beginners, but this seems to have been required to fit 20 projects into a 103-page book. They are supplemented by good-quality photos, though most beginners will wish for additional technical shots. The real problem is the loving-hands-at-home look that pervades all projects. While I assume the publisher imposed space constraints, I wish the author had included techniques for finishing seams, hemming edges, and otherwise making higher-quality garments. For example, she could have just asked readers to use ribbons and scalloped laces for the layered, ruffled choker, instead of strips of fabrics that are shown fraying all over. And even though the projects are for beginners, it would be more inspiring to see them carried out with a professional degree of skill and taste. Take the wool shoulder cape made from a coat, mentioned above. According to the instructions, the coat is cut off at the level of the underarm seams, though the photos clearly show it at waist level, which is a better proportion but which would require some undescribed method of merging the upper sleeves into the body of the coat. It is unclear from the instructions and photos what is done with the lining. However, the outside of the coat shows the bottom of the wool bound in black cotton-poly bias binding--the usual narrow kind found at the notions counter for binding internal seams. This edge is finished, but that's all you can say for it. This shoulder cape would have been positively elegant with a wider outer facing in velvet or velveteen (a brown plaid print cut on the bias would be lovely), or with rich faux fur trimming. True, the author tells readers to vary her ideas at will--but for the most attractive results, they are positively required to.
This book is suitable for beginners who want quick gratification and who are willing to toss their projects aside after a few wearings. And for experienced sewists who know how to--and are willing to--fill out and modify the instructions to produce polished, durable garments. Steampunk isn't really about ruffles or gears: it's about style.
Particularly interested in the feather fascinator and the shoulder wrap have finished the feather fascinator and my daughter loves it! Highly recommend and hope Calista Taylor does more books on victorian or other historic period fashions Kudos!I was so glad when the book arrived. I was afraid that the items pictured, the patterns and instructions would be beyond me but I was happily wrong. The items are fairly inexpensive with respect to materials especially if, like me, you go to thrift stores. The patterns are very straight forward and the instructions are simple, of course the pictures included are a big help. I am Trying to decide on colors but expect to have my own "Steam Punk" outfit soon.This book is a great introduction to start 'steampunking' you start with a couple of very easy projects and progress. Nothing to complex or complicated but enough to give you more ideas and some good practice to go further.This is an excellent idea book for steampunk fashion, and concentrates on modifying existing clothing rather than creating from scratch.
That said, some of the techniques explained to modify the clothing is a little unnerving for a tailor. Much of the explanations are 'cut straight' without explaining how to avoid crooked hanging, or to leave excess for seam allowance, or to go off basic measurements and folded paper rather than an actual fitting or a pattern. This can lead to bad habits in young sewers.
Still, for a beginner, this book would be great for ideas.
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