Berit New York on Steampunk
Photo by Tsirkus Fotografika
On a murderously hot day at BIM, I espied the regal young designer Britney of Berit New York (despite the soaring temperatures-no small feat) and had a strong feeling she might have a notion about what Steampunk could be.
Steampunk had been on my mind, actually ” steam” and “punk ” as I found the juxtaposition of words intriguing.
Steve Azzara (photographer)
Kess M (model)
Berít New York (fashion designer)
Brute Force Leather (goggles)
Rocklove Jewelry (ring)
Like two bored kids sitting on the porch, Britney and I conjured up the Steampunk Day @ BIM theme and Fashion Show in 2008.
Now, a year out and a year into it again, I am still delighted and confounded by this design theme/lifestyle and I still have questions for Brtiney Frady-Williams.
Chelsea Darling (Model)
Michelle Shinagawa (Photographer)
Zarah Arlene (Makeup Artist)
What is Steampunk and how has it evolved over recent years? In the last year?
In short, Steampunk is Victorian sci-fi, or to better put it, science-fiction as it was envisioned in the Victorian Age. It expands into cultures and countries throughout the world, spans the steam age, from the early 19th to early 20th centuries. It is a sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s.
YuffieBunny (Model)
Nuby DeLeon (Photographer)
Zarah Arlene (Makeup Artist)
It has evolved a great deal over recent years, most notably into developing its own sub-culture with unique fashion, music, and movies to its name. Within the last year I have seen a very strong pull towards fashion in steampunk. Steampunk fashion shows are very popular right now and are popping up in major conventions where a few years ago this was unheard of. There was another big step this year as Atlanta’s Dragon*Con introduced an Alternate History Track that focused mostly on steampunk literature and aesthetic. Almost every steampunk-related event was filled past capacity – quite an overwhelming thing to see, especially if you were working on staff like I was! I am also seeing a lot of documentaries being done on steampunk, which are generating more and more media attention. There’s even a new exhibit at Oxford that is showcasing the first ever steampunk gallery.
_spooky_ (Model)
Nuby DeLeon (Photographer)
Brute Force Leather (mask)
I feel like the Steampunk design device is all around us in yet to be identified incarnations, can you name some steampunk movies, films, books, designers etc. in popular culture?
I think it is safe to say that the influence of steampunk has been with us for decades and will always be with us. Before the term was coined, you had visionaries like H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Mary Shelley and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who created the original Victorian sci-fi. Michael Moorcock’s Warlord of the Air was a major contributor to proto-steampunk literature, and the popular late-60s sci-fi Western Wild Wild West was one of the first mass media productions that could be described as steampunk.
Bruce Sterling and Williams Gibson’s The Difference Engine is seen as one of the first definitive steampunk works, though other authors (notably Tim Powers, KW Jeter and Michael Moorcock) have contributed much to the genre in the meantime. Steampunk’s popularity grew in fan culture, especially thanks to Alan Moore, who wrote the original League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and From Hell comic books, which were later turned into major films.
Designs By LJ (Makeup Artist)
Nicotine (Model)
Brian Burk (Photographer)
Since the 90s, steampunk’s popularity seems to have grown exponentially. The cult hit show Firefly incorporates many steampunk-ish “space-Western” elements. Van Helsing, 9, and the aforementioned League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and From Hell movies have also helped popularize the genre. The popular online comic Girl Genius reached a sizable level of critical and commercial success. The popular computer modifications of Datamancer Creations are featured regularly on BoingBoing and other technology blogs.
YuffieBunny (Model)
Dorothy Johanna (Model)
ProjectBossProductions (Photographer)
Zarah Arlene (Makeup Artist)
As far as designers go, some notable steampunk designers include Donna Ricci at Clockwork Couture, the Gentlemans Emporium and Retroscope Fashions. In terms of popular fashion I would say that my personal favourite, Alexander McQueen, exhibits significant steampunk influence. His work is dramatic, imaginary, dark and controversial – and one could easily see characters from Victorian sci-fi wearing it.
Kaia (Model)
NICHOLAS BLAIZE (Hair Stylist)
JMTphotogaphy (Photographer)
I am Loath to admit it, but I feel like a modern times Doris Day or the “normal” girl in the Munsters (it’s all relative), could I be steampunk too? How can I embrace my inner Steampunk and my inner Doris Day too?
If you don’t want to be one of the Munsters, steampunk offers a wide variety of different colours and styles. The key to a steampunk look is making an outfit that looks like it could be worn in Victorian science fiction. This includes gloomy, dark coloured outfits, and also brightly coloured ones. You could go for the wild accessorizing with gadgets and gears that seem to be popular at the moment, but you could also dress down like a normal, day-to-day Victorian might. It is very much what you make of it. The best outfit is one that looks good and that you feel comfortable in.
StaciF (Model)
Staci Styles (Makeup Artist)
Haus of Hadz (Photographer)
Anyone can embrace the philosophy of steampunk. I like to think of steampunk as a subtle rebellion against the over-simplified and mundane designs and worldviews that have taken away so much of the awe we had about technology, and hope that we had about the future. Having manners, looking nice, and being intelligent are the steampunk’s equivalent to wearing all black or causing riots; it’s a way to revolt against the modern era’s lack of modesty and chivalry. No matter what job you have or what class, race or religion you belong to, you can incorporate this philosophy in your everyday life.
Designs By LJ (Makeup Artist)
Brian Burk (Photographer)
Divinorae Elleven (Model)
Being an insider, do you have any trend predictions, what do you see in your crystal ball?
Well, this might be me speaking more out of my hopes than what is actually happening, but I think that with more people entering steampunk and associating it with the very uniform “brown and brass” look, that we’ll start to see more and more people exploring the widest possibilities for steampunk outfits. More connoisseurs will look to British designers (such as McQueen) who still work in the same vein as the designers of Victorian England, but do it with a twist! I’d like to see more cultures represented as well. My latest designs are trying to incorporate motifs from American Indian cultures, which is very appropriate in light of the interaction between natives and Westerners, where both groups’ aesthetic influenced one another, and especially where native tribes assimilated Western innovations. I’m also large-part Cherokee, so incorporating designs that I used to draw as a kid makes me happy to think that I can now produce them on a professional level!