Opinions on Victorian silhouettes

[BettyValentine]

I have a question, but I'm not really sure if it belongs here, or even on the FL. But I don't know where else to find people who know what Victorian dresses look like. My real life friends are of absolutely no help, because as soon as I show them some examples all I get is a rousing chorus of "I like big butts and I cannot lie/no other brothers can deny/when a girl walks in with an itty-bitty waist and a ... " yeah, you know the rest. (sigh. boys.)

My question is that I want to make a steampunk-style Victorian, but I want to keep the silhouette pretty authentic and just accessorize with the gadgets and accessories (I already have a little clockwork bird to sit on my hat). But I can't decide on what sort of Victorian to do. I love the size and froth of the Early Bustle, and I'm a huge sucker for trains, but the Late Bustle is very smart-looking and seems a little more appropriate for the sciencey genre.

Natural Form is very much my style and has a nice balance of the smartness of late bustle with the length and drama of early bustle, but ... well ... in the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit that my worry with Natural Form is that I am going to be in a big group of Steampunk gowns, and I'm afraid of being overshadowed if they're all hugely bustled.

What do you ladies think?

Thanks!
BV (The look I'm going for is an aristocratic young lady who may or may not have traded the family silver for another abnormal brain and some lightning rods.)

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Lauren is your lady to ask.

I will make sure she sees this thread.

 

[BeBopBaby]

I think an outfit like Peta Wilson's in The League of Extraordinary Gentleman would lend itself to the steam punk genre well. (It's a shame the movie was so bad when the comic it was based on was so good.) I tried to look for a picture, but couldn't find one. I think her walking skirt and menswear-inspired detachable-collar white shirt and neck tie would be easy to reproduce. I think a no-frills outfit like this fits in much better with the scientific themes of steampunk than a frillier dress would.

Simplicity has a pattern for a similar outfit, it's the one in the lower right hand corner. Although an authentic outfit would have a much more fitted blouse and the skirt would have a higher waist. I think the proper silhouette for such an outfit would be the Gibson girl "S-shaped" silhouette.
.

 

[BettyValentine]

I totally agree! The comic was so good, but the movie so very bad! Le sigh. It's like they spent all their money on Sean Connery and had nothing left to make the movie not completely terrible. I guess it was a bad sign when the movie was made up by focus groups. (Hence the odd appearance of Tom Sawyer at the request of American focus groups)

Peta Wilson's look is fabulous, and the no-frills style is probably a lot like what a scientist would really have worn, but I want something to play with a little more to have a little more fun with the fantasy. I think this character should be more eccentric than pragmatist; she's more likely to wear 7 dresses at once than to wear one dress for 7 days straight.

I'm thinking of an aesthetic like the Jules Verne-style Space Mountain ride at Disneyland Paris:

It's not fair that Paris gets the best Space Mounain. It's so much cooler than the one in Florida....

BV

 

[ShortClara]

The first thing that came to mind was Mina from Bram Stoker's Dracula, her shape in those day dresses being very smart. I can see your bird perched on her jaunty top hat.

 

[Lauren]

I'm not familiar with steampunk- do you have any pictures?

Truly Victorian is the way to go. Natural form is good to start out with because you don't need additional undergarments like a hoop or bustle- and it's a very flattering style. Their site has pictures of the garments made up and there's a message board on there where the ladies are so sweet and help out with anything. I have a friend on there who does their patterns in funky fabrics for Goth events and they look as wonderful in those as they do in traditional fabrics- and their instructions are easy!

Here's another good starting point on fashion-era.

 

[Kim_B]

I have no idea, but wanted to say thanks for exposing a whole new world to me. Really fascinating

Lauren, check Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk!

 

[BeBopBaby]

I have no idea, but wanted to say thanks for exposing a whole new world to me. Really fascinating

Lauren, check Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk!

From what I've seen of the previews, the movie Stardust (from Neil Gaiman's book) looks very steampunk.

Personally, I've always been disappointed that the future didn't turn out the way H.G. Wells and the other Victorians imagined it. Check out these postcards from circa 1900 predicting what life will be like in the year 2000. I want one of those personal flying machines!

http://paleo-future.blogspot.com/2007/04/postcards-showing-year-2000-circa-1900.html

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

The first thing that came to mind was Mina from Bram Stoker's Dracula, her shape in those day dresses being very smart. I can see your bird perched on her jaunty top hat.

That's who Peta Wilson plays in the League of Extraordinarily bad Gentlemen!

I am jealous of your steampunk fancy dressing opportunity BV.

 

[BettyValentine]

I'm not familiar with steampunk- do you have any pictures?

Truly Victorian is the way to go. Natural form is good to start out with because you don't need additional undergarments like a hoop or bustle- and it's a very flattering style. Their site has pictures of the garments made up and there's a message board on there where the ladies are so sweet and help out with anything. I have a friend on there who does their patterns in funky fabrics for Goth events and they look as wonderful in those as they do in traditional fabrics- and their instructions are easy!

Well, my favorite steampunk picture is this ^_^:
http://mystmakers.org/nommie/steampunk.jpg

My husband will be getting the frock coat he's always wanted, and we're going to rig him up a brass propeller backpack and a ray gun made of blown-glass tubes. Also some Ichabod Crane goggles, of course, because you can't have steampunk without goggles. ^_^

Ooh, thanks for the forum info! I love Truly Victorian; I've had it bookmarked ever since you mentioned them when you posted about them in the Show us what you made thread. I made their elliptical skirt and ballgown bodice for my Empress Elisabeth costume. (Big white dress. They copied it for the Phantom movie, so now everyone thinks I'm Christine.)

I think I will probably wind up going with Natural Form. I find myself absolutely married to the train. I've been wanting to stick the Butterfly Train on a Late Bustle day dress, and I just don't think I can deal with that one. And I'm sure I'll find a reason to make a bustle dress at some point. Besides, if everyone else is in Early Bustle dresses, I'll stand out for being sleek. I doubt anyone else will go with this look. And anyway, several of the ladies will probably be adventurer types in trousers.

I'm going to need a new corset though. (blah). Do you have a favorite Victorian corset pattern? I've only ever used the Simplicity one.

Thanks!
BV

 

[Elaina]

You say "steampunk Victorian" and I think deconstructed. I know it's not correct, but I still get the picture of russets and bronze fabrics, with ink blots, glasses and messy hair.

Technically the outfit shown would work, although it's more Edwardian then Victorian.

Butterick has some good, not historical, costumes that would work well. 4212, the blue one, has no bustle, is more of a day dress, but has a train. If your concern is getting lost, this might afford you some chance to stand out slightly. It's also fairly easy to sew.

4092, a basque skirt, and 4091, the basque shirt, gives a different look of the period, even if it's not truly Victorian. Also 4418, blouse and 4419 as a combo with the Basque skirt and 4419 will give a slightly off kilter look (which to me steampunk is) or 4050 Cape and two hats: 4697 and 4210 all seem like they might be good choices for you. All by Butterick.

Most of these are lined and boned and do not require a corset with them, which is a plus I'm sure. I may be off, but those are what came to mind.

 

[Lauren]

I made the Truly Victorian corset (can you tell I'm addicted to the patterns? Hey, if it works...) but I've heard very good reviews from the Laughing Moon ones.

 

[Elaina]

JoAnn of Laughing Moon is a terribly nice woman, and I make her corsets. I think patterns wind up just a personal choice.

 

[RaasAlHayya]

What could be more steampunk than a clockwork bustle that expands or contracts with the flip of a switch? Are you in an inventing mood? :eusa_clap

Good luck with this project; I love steampunk!

--Leslie

 

[BettyValentine]

What could be more steampunk than a clockwork bustle that expands or contracts with the flip of a switch? Are you in an inventing mood? :eusa_clap

Good luck with this project; I love steampunk!

--Leslie

When I worked on Sunday in the Park with George in Chicago, we rented Bernadette Peters' dress from the original production. It was a gorgeous frilly pink Victorian gown mounted on a pneumatic armature, rigged so the gown would open up and let Dot jump out in her underwear and corset and dance and sing, then she'd go back in the dress and it would close up around her again.

In other words ... that is a terribly, terribly awesome idea ...

BV

 

[ohairas]

Perhaps I'm not getting what steampunk actually is, but Belle ?âpoque is what comes to my mind for the style,
http://www.costumes.org/classes/fashiondress/TurnoftheCentury.htm

This style always seemed to have such a snooty air about it, and you could hide all kinds of gadgets in the puffy sleeves and whatnot.
Nikki

 

[Martina]

Perhaps I'm not getting what steampunk actually is, but Belle ?âpoque is what comes to my mind for the style,
http://www.costumes.org/classes/fashiondress/TurnoftheCentury.htm

This style always seemed to have such a snooty air about it, and you could hide all kinds of gadgets in the puffy sleeves and whatnot.
Nikki

I've never heard of STEAMPUNK either Ohairas! But I LOVE the link you put up! I think I have to go back there and try to find info on the 1912 one pictured on the right! It's gorgeous!

 

[imoldfashioned]

I love this look--it reminds me a bit of the Gothic/Gothic Lolita looks. I'm always in awe of the creativity shown.

 

[Helen Troy]

What could be more steampunk than a clockwork bustle that expands or contracts with the flip of a switch? Are you in an inventing mood? :eusa_clap

Good luck with this project; I love steampunk!

--Leslie

That was the first idea that sprung to my mind while reading the first post here. Great minds think the same! LOL

 

[nyx]

fftopic: If anyone is interested in steampunk from a literary aspect, I really love China Mieville's books. He has an entire world modeled on steampunk. In his universe, for example, criminals are forced into a form of biomechanical surgery where they could end up with animal limbs or steam driven machine parts. It sounds gruesome, and it is. I admit that reading parts of it makes me squirm. Normally, not my type of fantasy novel. But I'm enthralled with his imagery and language, which is so descriptive and intelligent, so I ended up buying all of his books. One entire novel concerns a rogue train making it's way across the world, as the people living on it pick up the tracks from behind them and re-lay them in front of the train.

I realize I'm probably not doing his work justice in my description. But if you really want to "feel" the steampunk world--reading his books will convey it to you.