When I first came across Steampunk fashion, I immediately fell in love with its distinct look. I saw it as classy, sexy and fearless. That polished look of the Victorian era, spiced up by the great idealists and visionaries of those days, though still processed and delivered to us by our modern minds.
Then came the question:
Where does Steampunk originate?
Nostalgically inspired by the hunger for technology and innovation during Victorian England and American Wild West, Steampunk was firstly mentioned in 1987 by K.W. Jeter, the author of the novel Morlock Night and thereafter in book called The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling which was also born in the late 1980. That is where for the first time we come across with the idea of Steampunk.
Since then the idea of what could have been should 20th Century technology met the 19th century steam powered machinery have formed a science fiction genre which had shaped a sub-culture including Victorian clothing & futuristic technology.
As per the Oxford Dictionary Steampunk is: “A genre of science fiction that has a historical setting and typically features steam-powered machinery rather than advanced technology.”
For those of you, hooked on the subject I would recommend some of the most amazing Steampunk reads I’ve come across:
- The Affinity Bridge by George Mann
- The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack(Burton & Swinburne Adventures) by Mark Hodder
- The Martian Ambassador(Blackwood and Harrington) by Alan K Baker
Nowadays Steampunkers can be found all over the world. The fashion move is well known for their love in corsets, goggles and different mechanical look accessories.