Category Archives: Costuming

Fashion Extravaganza at the Steampunk Symposium

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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!

Work begins on Chloe Seachord’s new steampunk wings

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Today we received some parts that we had waterjet cut from 5052 aluminum by the awesome Big Blue Saw shop. These will be the base for the mechanism that will open and close Chloe’s v2.0 steampunk wings. The parts were designed and laid out by Chris Lee (a.k.a. Dr. Torque) using Inkscape, Illustrator, and Rhino 3D. They were exported as DXF files and uploaded to Big Blue Saw for cutting.

The whole assembly is about 14 inches across. The final wingspan will be about 7 feet. Stay tuned for updates as the build progresses.

Santa Barbara wedding in the highest of Steamy style

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The internet is littered with photo albums of theme weddings meant to showcase the happy couple’s nerdom of choice (yes, camoflauge bridesmaids gowns and a John Deere cake is a nerdom. Seriously, look it up).  In the last few years Steampunk weddings have become increasingly popular, replacing Gone With The Wind and Star Wars weddings as the popular theme.  I’ve spent many, many hours pouring over album after album with many “oohs” and “aahs” and “OMG! Seriously?” echoing from my sewing room.  It wasn’t until this wedding album crossed my inbox did I feel that someone had done it completely and utterly to perfection.  It’s not overdone, its not underdone.  It’s tulle wrapped cogs on gossamer goggles and  eclectic rugs with all the whimsy of Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairies.  Please, judge for yourself:

http://ruffledblog.com/victorian-steampunk-wedding/

It does my geeky little heart proud that the Groom’s Processional was the Throne Room Theme from Star Wars: A New Hope.

Expo Sneak Peek: Instant Steampunk

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Today’s sneak peek is the always delightful Mustache-on-a-stick, modeled here by two of the lovely ladies of Clocktease Burlesque. We offer a variety of styles for the discriminating gentleman (or lady!) in three colors: black, brown and soulless ginger.

These hand crafted accoutrements are an Exposition exclusive, so make sure you come to see us next weekend at GMX. Also, we are still in need of more support at our Kickstarter page. Please spread the word if you have already donated!

Progress on Jasper’s Gear Upgrade

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Here are some images taken during the last stages of the recent upgrade to Jasper’s gear. I moved his samurai-inspired wooden armor to the front to better balance the weight overall. The hoses and tanks have been reattached with more rigidity. Most other attachment points have been reworked for better reliability and convention-proofing. The jacob’s ladder-esque brass antennae on the back were also added in this round, along with a few other smaller details.

New wings for Chloe Seachord (part 1)

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We are working on a new set of glider wings for Chloe Seachord. Here is what I am starting with, which is basically the articualted arms from two italian-style desk lamps. I’ll also incorporate some copper details as well as brass parts. the whole wing surface will then be covered with a canvas cloth envelope. I’ll post the concept drawings soon so you can get an idea of where we’re going with these. They will be a complete departure from her original set of Aerial Maneuvering Equipment.

Previews of our upcoming promotional video (part 3)

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And finally, here are the last 4 still-frame captures from our upcoming promotional video: “The Apparition Abolishers in ‘The Audition‘”. We hope you enjoy the images. The video will be available very soon, and we’ll make sure you know where to look for it.

Previews of our upcoming promotional video (part 2)

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And… here are 4 more still-frame captures from our upcoming promotional video: “The Apparition Abolishers in ‘The Audition‘”. We’ll post the final 4 images tomorrow.