The weekend of April 27 – 29 at the Steampunk Empire Symposium in Cincinnati, OH, a few of the Abolishers (Molotov Clocktease, Dr. Torque and myself) were given the honor of hosting the Fashion Show on Saturday night. Up to two members from each airship were invited to compete for Best In Show which would grant them a bit of Abolisher’s swag, a dainty golden trophy and the coveted point for the Airship games. In addition to Best In Show, we offered up five equally awesome, but sadly not point-weilding, titles (and swag): Most Innovative, Best Showmanship, Best Introduction, Most Alluring/Dapper, and Most Elaborate. We had seventeen entries, and all seventeen were so wonderful and fun that I wish I could have given them all awards, but then we would have run out of stickers and mustaches-on-sticks. Sorry, guys!
After the contestants strutted their stuff on stage, we offered a viewing of five-minute silent film version of The Audition to give the judges time to calculate the points. It took more than five minutes though, so we played Baby Got Brass to rave reviews! After that, we still needed a bit of time, so I opened the mic up to a few aspiring comediennes (at least I don’t remember any Gents stepping up to the mic) from the audience, but only after telling my favorite punchline. Finally, the winners were in!
- Best Concept: Suzy Q the Scarlet Seamstress
- Best Showmanship: Henry Stubbs from the Airship Ace of Spades
- Best Introduction: Bret “Sas-o-Frass” O’Dalaigh from the Airship Ace of Spades
- Most Alluring: Odette Von Kasek from the Airship Passepartout
- Most Elaborate: Lady Beatrix McCormick
- Best in Show: The Human Locomotive who was immediately recruited into the Airship Passepartout
Judges were Dr. Mortimer J. Torque of the Abolishers, John Strangeway the Steampunk Boba Fett, and Alex Johns of The Ford Theatre Reunion.
I’m hoping soon that the the kind gentleman who captured the entire hour’s worth of Fashion on tape will be so kind as to share the footage. I know I had a rip roaring good time as Hostess and can’t wait to do it again!