Steampunk fashon part 2 - the gear

Haruo Suekichi watches at Steampunk Lab

The biggest name in steampunk timepieces is Haruo Suekichi. His work just leaves me speachless. If his creations are out of your price-range, Etsy is an exellent place to find steampunk accessories (mostly just for women) hats, spats, gloves and jewelry. The level craftmanship is amazing with these steampunk-crafters. Steampunk Gear Group in Flickr offers great inspiration. As a seamstress I have no idea how to work with metal (exept maybe how to glue it..) so I´m very happy to find so many crafters that do. Etsy Supplies also offers loads of watch parts and other metal knick knacks that you can purchase for your own projects.


Vintage watch parts available at ingeniouslycreative.etsy.com


Steampunk ray gun by Xevian13


Photo by Amanda Scrivener.


Watch movement earrings by dustDesignCo.etsy.com


DIY Steampunk umbrella by dbvictoria.etsy.com


Steampunk glasses by faradaybags.etsy.com


Goggles by J.Mars Design


Steampunk rings by Catherinette Rings

Zipper necklace in progress

Susie´s zipper necklace is now pinned. I hope she likes the form. I have to get more pins tomorrow and start the slow process of detaching this piece from the dummy. Plus the handsewing. If you want to see all the making off steps, go to my Susie´s zipper necklace set in Flickr.

Zipper collar for Susie

I feel like a million bucks right now. StyleBubble aka Susanna Lau, my favorite fashion blogger posted about my zipper collars! The next one I make will be hers. I got the zippers today and it will take about a week for me to get this done. I cannot take full credit for the original design since Comme Des Garçons (SS05 collection) was the first designer behind this kind of zipper-use. Since so many have wondered how these collars are done, I decided to take pictures of all the making-of steps and post them to My Flickr site, Cut Out and Keep craft tutorials and of course here to my blog. I hope they are of some help to you in case you want to make one for yourself.



The collar is made from 12 jacket zippers (70-80 cm long). First they will be taken apart and then pinned on to a dummy to get the organic form. After taken off the dummy the whole thing has to be sewn together by hand. I tried to use a sewing machine, but the shape did not come out as fluent as I wanted. Handsewing it is.

When finished, the collar can be used as a necklace or attached to dresses.



Links to my zipper-posts:
Zipper collar inspiration
My first zipper collar
Zipper collar with my crochet gala dress
The second zipper collar I made for a friend

My work is originally meant to inspire others to start crafting and creating things for them selves, so if someone sees my work and copies it, I´m just happy. But, with this technique it´s a bit difficult to make the collalrs exactly alike... That´s the beauty in crafting and DIY. 100% copying is impossible :)

Steampunk fashion part 1 - the clothes

Steampunk fashion photography by Kat Bret. Check out also her website.

I have to write more about steampunk and especially the fashion/clothing aspect of it since it´s pretty much the only thing I´ve been thingking about for the past few days. Unlike it´s sister-gendres cyberpunk and goth, steampunk is not dark, gloomy or spooky but innovative, elegant and beautiful. Propably the best online source is Flickr group Steampunk Fashion. Also check out Steampunk Clothing Collective.


Photo. Photography copyright Vorpal Images, 2008.

Steampunk devotees are almost always DIY people. They sew and assemble their own fashions, an imaginative mix of neo-Victorian, Edwardian and military style accented with sometimes crudely mechanized details and accessories like brass goggles, harnesses, clockwork pendants and of course the mandatory decorative steampunk ray gun dangling at the hip. Steampunk style is corseted and high-buttoned with crinolines, waistcoats, high-arced sleeves and top hats, bowler hats or aviator caps. Sort of 1890 "academical-inventor-chic" that you wear to a Jules Verne teaparty or a Time Travellers ball.



Photos by Amanda Scrivener. The green dress is made from charity shop curtains. Steampunk trashion...


Image via Wikipedia


Photo via Erwinevol.com

The thing that I admire most about steampunk fashions, is that as the gendre demands they must do a lot of research to get it right. You know, visit museums and libraries! Unfortunately no brand or webstore covers steampunker´s fashion needs complitely. After three hours of www-surfing all I found was Gypsymoon, Abneypark, Ebay and Etsy. Let me know if you know more links! Few patterns can be bought online (see links below). I would imagine that since "steampunk" gets almost 2,9 million hits in Google someone would set up a shop soon. The consumers are there!


Photo by TheCassettes



Photos by hmschronabelle


Photo by Suzanna


Steampunk corset dress by Scoundrelle


Steampunk corset by Scoundrelle


Steampunk corset by Louise Black


Victorian hat available from Ebay.

Steampunk fashion links:
Dreadnought Designs
Lorimarsha
Ms.Antiorder
Jaborwhalky

Victorian pattern links:
Dover Publications
Farthingales Historic patterns
Oldpatterns.com
Westernersoutfitter

Recycled belt design by Inghua Ting

TING is a small company that produces luxury products to sustainable, ethical principles. Inghua Ting established the company in 2000. Following her graduation from the Royal College of Art, Inghua worked in Japan developing innovative, futuristic fabrics. However, working at the forefront of fabric technology led her to considering sustainable issues, and the challenge of designing and producing a desirable, luxury product from recycled materials. Inspired by old leather belts, reclaimed seat belts, old braces, vintage leather saddles, salvaged fabrics and tie silks.

Car seatbelt cushion and vintage belt floormat, via Available at Branch Home


Ting produces three main collections: a range of luxury leather bags, belts and wallets; home and interior accessories and Orange Label, a range of bags made from seat belts. Belts, Bags, Wallets are crafted from vegetable tanned leathers and vintage leather belts. They are lined with bright vintage fabrics, tie silks and corduroys and have belt buckle fastenings.



Ting shoulderbag and coinpouch available from EcoBTQ.


Ting belt camera bag available from Ecocentric.

A passion for lace

Vintage lace ages beautifully. Just like wine it just becomes better the older it gets. There is always a romantic feminine feel present and it just needs to be touched. Here are some of my lace-favorites from this weeks surfing.

Lace in trees - The Magnolia Project: (by Poppalina)


Colored lace earrings: modesign.etsy.com


Lace and mixed media cuffs by Robes of Earth

Back to the Future - Steampunk inspiration

It seems I have been a fan of Steampunk for years. I just never knew what this style/gendre was called until today. Steampunk is 19th century victorian fashions (tophats, taicoats, bustiers, corsets) and industrial styled design mixed with future-like gadgets. According to Wikipedia, the term steampunk denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often set in Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne. “What the past would have been like if the future hadn’t happened so quickly“.


Steampunk laptop by Datamancer


(photo by fatalattraction)

William Gibson's 1982 novel Neuromancer is generally considered to be the first example of a literary form called cyberpunk. This science fiction subgenre places computers, networks, and electronics (the cyber- part) inside a future that is anarchic and often dystopian (the punk part; from the anarchic, dystopian punk rock music of the mid- to late-70s). Move the setting to the past, especially the Victorian age, take out the electronics and replace them with mechanical devices, especially elaborate, steam-powered contraptions, and you have a new genre: steampunk. This gendre has been applied to films such as Wild, Wild West, Brazil, City of Lost Children, Timemachine, Golden Compass, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and even Edward Scissorhands.




(photo by teelakallisto


Necklaces by Professor Quentin Ziplash


(photo by a_clockwork_zero)


Ring by JewelsofLuxury.etsy.com

If this gendre intrests you, just search the word "steampunk" from Flickr, YouTube, Etsy or Google. Prepare for hours of surfing... Etsy alone carries almost 4000 steampunk related items. I found so much inspiring stuff that I decided to post only a few pictures and a looong list of links.

Steampunk inspiration and wearables:
Steampunk Gear Flickr group
Steampunk Flickr group
Steampunk Fashion Flickr group
Etsy Steampunk Flickr group
Steampunk style article in The Star
Steampunk Workshop blog
MadArtJewelry
SteampunkLab blog - Projects
Brassgoggles blog
katbret_photography steampunk picture set
A_Clockwork_Zero jewelry gallery
Steampunk SF Photoshoot 2008 by JLinto
Steampunk fashions by Dreadnought Designs
lilibat mistress of Antimony & Lace's photostream
Wyldfire Studios steampun apron

Steampunk interior & object design:
Steampunk lamps by Frank Buchwald
Customized steampunk keyboards by Datamancer
Steampunk watches by Haruo Suekichi
Steampunk Home interior blog
Steampunk weaponry by Wetanz
Steampunk clocks by Marcel Betricey
Steamunk computer mouse
Tom Sepe's Steampunk Motorbike
Atonefabrik goggles

Steampunk inspiration:


Steampunk iPhone case:

I made it to HEL LOOKS!

I´m officially stylish (at least according to some people). Or maybe just an intresting dresser. I was strolling down Mannerheimintie last Friday in Helsinki when a girl asked to take my photo... It was to be published in Hel Looks streetfashion blog. YEY! That so made my day. A silly grin, but what can you do. I was camera-surprised!

Outi (30)
"My look today is a kind of 80's–meets–an–art teacher–art critic. I love men's clothes like this jacket. I love shoulder paddings and clothes that are out of proportion, too small or too big. I make and customize clothes myself. I think people should make more things themselves. Agyness Deyn is my style role model. She has a cool style."

Jacket: UFF secondhand
Knit: UFF secondhand
Jeans: Diesel Matic
Sneakers: Diesel
Bowler hat: Diesel Black Gold
Bag: secondhand, bought from Stockholm

Sandra Backlund creations

I read an article from the Swedish Elle about artist Sandra Backlund. She is a swedish fashion designer specialized in handknitted pieces with volume and organic shapes. Read the complete article here: PAGE 1 and PAGE 2. I think her Clothes Pin dress is quite amazing and it has a very scandic look to it.