Although there are no set rules, Steampunk usually involves Victorian, or Victorian-inspired garments, combined with some sort of industrial accents.
By LAUREN PADILLA
Longmeadow High
Steampunk—supposedly it’s the next new thing in fashion. For those who don’t know, Steampunk is a genre of dress. Although there are no set rules, Steampunk usually involves Victorian, or Victorian-inspired garments, combined with some sort of industrial accents.
For years, Steampunk has been reserved for the fantasy-fiction, artsy type. However, due to its recent spike in popularity, many predict that Steampunk will take the mainstream fashion market by storm in 2014. Nonetheless, I remain doubtful….
Steampunk revolves around the restrictive silhouettes of the Victorian era. Like it or not, ever since comfort clothing (jeans, tracksuits, sweatpants etc.) soared to popularity, people have been reluctant to sacrifice coziness for fashion.
No longer is style purely about looks; utility and ease are paramount. The Victorian Era was the polar opposite. Then, it did not matter whether or not a woman could move; as long as she looked lovely, everything was just marvelous.
Nineteenth century women were expected to sacrifice everything for the sake of appearances; even if a woman’s corset prevented her from breathing, she was expected to remain poised and graceful.
I know girls today who complain when their parents won’t allow them to leave the house in pajamas. Although a growing minority of women may desire to lace themselves in corsets, I can’t imagine that the majority of females will trade in their skinny jeans for bustles by 2014.
Steampunk fashion has the potential to ignite societal issues. The Victorian Age represented another period of female repression; throughout the 19th century, women were treated as second-class citizens—weak creatures to be displayed and possessed.
The clothing of the era reflected such sentiments; by binding women in corsets, society confined and restricted the female race. To this day, many women still treasure the 1960s, when they were finally able to free themselves of their restraining undergarments (good-bye girdles!).
Not surprisingly, the wish to return to the restrictive fashions of the Victorian days may trouble many women. However, there is one distinctive difference between modern day corset-wearers. and their Victorian counterparts: freedom to choose. If a woman dons a corset today, chances are she is wearing it by her own choice, not because someone forced her.
Perhaps a different sort of Steampunk clothing will reach the mass market. Like I said, I can’t imagine that a majority of women will wish to sacrifice leggings for petticoats.
Nonetheless, maybe women are finally tiring of shapeless clothing; sweatpants have to get old eventually…. It very well could be that we are on the verge of feminine revival. Corsets and bustles may not make a full comeback, but wasp-waisted jackets and circle skirts may reclaim their places in women’s closets.
"Steampunk Springfield: Re-Imagining an Industrial City,"
guest curated by Bruce Rosenbaum, will be on view, from March 22 to Sept. 28, in the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum.