How many of us dress "Neo-Victorian/SP" all the time?

[Lady Corsair]

I am attempting to incorporate steampunk into my daily wear, but as stated earlier, it is expensive to replace an entire wardrobe.  

I do have a "persona" that I'm using just as a sort of design template.  I would like my wardrobe to be somewhat cohesive, so when I see something I like, I think "does this fit?"  I don't walk around "in character" though. 

I will probably attend a con or two next year, where I'll better develop the persona and perhaps RP (although I've created a character around my first and last names, so I won't have to introduce myself as another name. ). 

[Victoria The Mistress]

Good evening all,

I have been somewhat preoccupied since starting my Uni course and haven't visited the Forum for far too long - have basically had little enough time to turn round and breather never mind indulge myself 

But this thread has caught my eye, as it touches on issues I was having regarding plunging back into Uni life at a mature age, and how I may be perceived by my peers, who average half my age.

I was beginning to wear more and more Steampunk style outfits everyday until I started my course, but I dropped back into Biker/Goth/Rock style as a kind of armour for my new adventure - I discovered that although I am attending an Arts University with strong Costume and Fashion courses, the majority of my class mates have no distinctive style of their own, as yet. I didn't want to be regarded as mutton dressed as lamb, nor too eccentric. That said, as I favour the Joan Jet / Chrissie Hynde school of slight androgyny, I think I probably  stand out anyway - but in a way I'm comfortable with.
Now, as the term progresses, I find myself adding in Steampunk elements, bit by bit - jackets with a hint of the Victorian, my coachman style coat (very useful today when the weather turned revolting), and the odd bit of prettiness which heads into gypsy Steampunk territory perhaps.

For me, much as I love the overall Victorian inspired lady style, with corsets, bustles etc, I don't feel functional when wearing them - fine for an event or a night out, but on a daily basis I'd find myself stitched to the college overlocker in about three seconds flat. So it has become about my own evolving style - elements that could be regarded as Steampunk because I like the cut/colour/detailing, that I can put together in a way that suits my personality and my practical life.

I think sometimes there is confusion about how far one has to go with one's personal aesthetic to be regarded as "Steampunk" in one's everyday life.... T'is such a personal thing, and that, I feel, is where the whole debate begins - some people like to role play, some like to wear costume, some like to adorn themselves with the elements they feel best reflect their state of mind / lifestyle / circumstances at any given time.

I like to look different, individual - but I also like to look like me.

Hope this ramble makes a little bit of sense.....

[Capt. Dirigible]

In the 23 years I've been working at this library/company my colleagues have accepted that I'm 'a bit odd' and take it all in their stride. While involved with the London Vampyre Group they've seen me arrive dressed head to toe in black..they've seen me leave for LVG meetings in frilled shirts, fangs, white contacts, black lipstick and nail polish and they all know of my penchant for ankle length coats and  large hats. When I went steampunk they simply said "This your new look, then? You look very dapper" and that was about it. At the moment I'm at work wearing a pair of black jeans with a cog belt buckle, black sturdy work boots, a collarless white shirt, a black waistcoat with pocket watch and a brooch made of a backless watch mounted on a pair of USAF wings. This combined with my Franz-Josef style facial hair does look very Victorian. However if I didn't have the pocket watch and the facial hair I would look pretty 'normal' and not that different from how I used to dress a few years back. I like wearing waistcoats and I think a pocket watch is a smart accessory anyway. However when just   (ahem) chillin' at home I tend to wear t-shirts and sweat pants because I invariably end up spilling stuff down myself or making pinhole burns in my shirt because..well I don't need to spell it out, do I? And I would be gutted to ruin a waistcoat or one of my good shirts like that..
So in answer to your question..Yes..I'm pretty much  like this most of the time.

[Lady Corsair]

I am fantabulously lucky to be working for a large corporation that has a very loose dress code (you have to wear clothes...as far as I know, that's about it).  My organization is a little more strict, but as long as I was clean, i think I could wear just about anything steamy (a full bustle skirt would probably get some stares though).

[Vagabond GentleMan]

I dress how I want, whenever I want, all the time, and I'm always me.
Yeah, I'm in a tophat and goggles with the walking stick and etc. most every day, for work, running errands, whatever.  But 10 years ago I was a different style of unorthodox and maybe in 10 years I'll dress differently.
But, like a good handful of other folks on here, it doesn't matter what I wear, I always stand out.  Clothes are just clothes.

I've always been a weirdo, I always will be.  So I thusly both enjoy and suffer the consequences.

[Lady Corsair]

I dress how I want, whenever I want, all the time, and I'm always me.
Yeah, I'm in a tophat and goggles with the walking stick and etc. most every day, for work, running errands, whatever.  But 10 years ago I was a different style of unorthodox and maybe in 10 years I'll dress differently.
But, like a good handful of other folks on here, it doesn't matter what I wear, I always stand out.  Clothes are just clothes.

I've always been a weirdo, I always will be.  So I thusly both enjoy and suffer the consequences.

I feel like i'm not entirely me in "regular" clothes.  I feel much more like me in some sort of steamy garb (even though I'm pretty new to the aesthetic). 

[Vagabond GentleMan]

I feel like i'm not entirely me in "regular" clothes.  I feel much more like me in some sort of steamy garb (even though I'm pretty new to the aesthetic). 

I understand this of course.  I mean, I don't own any 'regular clothes' myself.  But I don't know...at a certain point, my tattoos became such an integral part of my identity that clothes ceased to have the same relevance.  I could wear all-adidas sports gear and it wouldn't matter because of the tattoos on my hands, neck, and head.  Big holes in my ears, my septum, big chunks of ear cartilage punched out, whatever.
Clothes (and even hair) just don't matter so much.
I happen to like the Steampunk aesthetic (and what it represents) a whole lot, so I wear it every day.  But if I didn't, I'm still a lifer counter-culturalist.

Going home and working on my new Steampunk leather coat project excites me, but the fact that my roommate has agreed to duel me for facial scars as soon as he can construct iron goggles and I can build us safe gorgets is WAY more exciting.

[GideonFaile]

I feel like i'm not entirely me in "regular" clothes.  I feel much more like me in some sort of steamy garb (even though I'm pretty new to the aesthetic). 

I can agree with this sentiment immediately and whole-heartedly! For the longest time, I loved Steam Punk but was normally dressed in this Teenage Grunge look; You know the kind: worn-looking jeans with duct tape on them, a faded t-shirt and an oversized, rough-looking jacket or something. Within 24 hours of finally getting a vest (and a pair of slacks that were actually comfortable) I felt more like me than I had ever felt whilst in my old clothes.

Now, when I'm about to laze around my house or go out and do dirty, outdoor labour (done dirt cheap), I feel as if I'm not me, at all! Obviously clothes don't make the man and I'm still what and who I am when in torn jeans, etc.; I just feel as if I'm doing something wrong. Like I'm dressed up for Halloween, though it's not even October. I was even told by five or six of my acquaintances at my church that I didn't look like me, at all. This said, even though they'd only seen my in the Aesthetic twice!

[Angus McCarthy]

As I've mentioned before, my everyday wear is of a "common" style which would not be out of place at the turn of the XXth Century. Flat cap, heavy button-down shirt, braces (suspenders), clunky Doc Martens, and most recently my fire hose trousers (yes they are made of actual fire hose material. Nigh indestructible!). Coupled with my 'tache, 'chops, and specifically-chosen "old-man spectacles" it makes for a rather aesthetically pleasing, yet functional ensemble.

[ulfnir]

my fire hose trousers (yes they are made of actual fire hose material. Nigh indestructible!).

Does that not cause one to obtain......moist..... gentlemans parts?

[Aviatrix Abernathy]

I feel like i'm not entirely me in "regular" clothes.  I feel much more like me in some sort of steamy garb (even though I'm pretty new to the aesthetic). 

  But I don't know...at a certain point, my tattoos became such an integral part of my identity that clothes ceased to have the same relevance.  I could wear all-adidas sports gear and it wouldn't matter because of the tattoos on my hands, neck, and head.  Big holes in my ears, my septum, big chunks of ear cartilage punched out, whatever.
Clothes (and even hair) just don't matter so much

This is somewhat where I am as well. My ears are stretched and I have several visible tattoos in my normal teaching clothes (not as many as you, nice work by the way) facial piercings and knuckle tattoos so no matter how nicely I may dress the modifications are what people see first. My student's eyes nearly popped out of their heads when one noticed and loudly pointed out early in the semester the size of the holes in my ears. As far as dress, Some days I wear hobble skirts and blouses with high lace collars, others (like today) I am just in trousers and a sweater...at home I tend to go yoga pants and t-shirts. It really just depends on how I feel that day, what is clean, the weather...

[Lugeria Burnette]

I would if time and convienence allowed for such. I am a med student though, so I can't. I really would love to. For myself it is a week-end type thing. Or going to the park in the spring, hiding out behind a tree and reading in full get-up. I usually stay where no one can see me though as I do not enjoy the company of other people too greatly. I would if I could, but dressing like that every single day is labor intensive and makes it hard to do most my work as a student. Besides, the constant pestering of other people is a bit tiresome.

[Lady Corsair]

I would if time and convienence allowed for such. I am a med student though, so I can't. I really would love to. For myself it is a week-end type thing. Or going to the park in the spring, hiding out behind a tree and reading in full get-up. I usually stay where no one can see me though as I do not enjoy the company of other people too greatly. I would if I could, but dressing like that every single day is labor intensive and makes it hard to do most my work as a student. Besides, the constant pestering of other people is a bit tiresome.

Instead of scrubs, you could wear a giant leather apron!  It would be awesome!

[clockwork creation]

This is ridiculous. I wear clothes in a neo-victorian style most of the time but I am never 'in character'. I don't ever feel self conscious - if it bothered me I wouldn't wear a style of that manner.
This is one of the biggest problems I have with many people's perception of the SP style nowadays - this godforsaken roleplay element that's seeped into everything. I do not have a persona nor a character outside of the limits of my own personality, I've never seen the point.
People are used to me. I'm an unusual fellow, there's no doubting that. Most importantly, I am myself, not some work of DIY fiction and I do not put on a facade.

It's incredibly annoying when people do this bloody persona business. It's totally unnecessary and even slightly demeaning for those people who choose the style because they think it genuinely looks awesome.

I'll stop venting for now.

[/rant]

Old chap you have managed to express exactly what I was thinking in a way that at the present I could only express by shouting at my screen

[Capt. Dirigible]

Just wanted to mention that while wearing exactly what I describe in my post above, while registering a new reader in the library today she looked me over and said "Are you a steampunker?" When I answered in the affirmative she said she has a friend in the US who writes about Steampunk and had told her all about it...

[TimeTinker]

You know I actually dress as me ALL of the time.  Just because I have a penchant for collarless shirts and waistcoats, feel that hats (particularly bowlers and toppers) suit me, only own pocket watches (5) and no wrist watches and my main coat is a nicely steamified pea coat doesn't mean I am trying to dress Neo-Victorian/SP it's just how I like to dress.

(Wish I could get Lady E to corset up every day but I love her everyday steampunk styles with waistcoats etc and her winter coat with tails for accomodating bustles is cute all the time....)

Please note there is no problem with people dressing more extravagantly for meets and events nor even wearing less steamy clothes because work dictates it (or in my case I am happier filthying combats in the workshop than my day trousers).  If you do consider yourself steamunk though then try dressing the part more often - you may well be surprised by the reaction.  We often get complemented - well to be fair her Ladyship gets more complements than I do.  I remember one lady even shouting across the street to her as we were doing some shopping "I love your outfit!!!"  Wear what makes you feel comfortable with folks.

To paraphrase "The Commitments"

I am steampunk and I am proud...I am steampunk and I am proud...I am steampunk and I am proud...I am steampunk and I am proud...I am steampunk and I am proud...[/color] (Note Dublin accent)

[Heliomance]

I go around in smart black trousers, a dress shirt, cravat or bow tie, waistcoat, tailcoat or floor-length military dress-style coat and cane or walking umbrella pretty much every day, with white cotton gloves whenever they're clean. I don't have a persona at all  even my idea of adopting two extra middle names failed when 1) I realised I couldn't pull the introductions off with a straight face, 2) it sounded pretentious, and 3) one of my friends overheard my first introduction as such and went "That's not your real name, is it?"

[Lady Corsair]

I go around in smart black trousers, a dress shirt, cravat or bow tie, waistcoat, tailcoat or floor-length military dress-style coat and cane or walking umbrella pretty much every day, with white cotton gloves whenever they're clean. I don't have a persona at all  even my idea of adopting two extra middle names failed when 1) I realised I couldn't pull the introductions off with a straight face, 2) it sounded pretentious, and 3) one of my friends overheard my first introduction as such and went "That's not your real name, is it?"

I feel like, for the "everyday" steamer, the persona is more internal.  So, you develop a persona to decide what type of clothes you'll wear, how you'll carry yourself, how you look at the world.  Obviously you don't NEED a persona for this.  Some people might not want to mix mad scientist with air pirate (although that is certainly valid ), so they create a persona to help guide them in their choices.

At least, that's what I've done.

[cge]

I am decidedly not Steampunk, and my presence on these forums is mainly for my own amusement and occasional posts about Victorian and Edwardian men's fashion.

I do dress in something that could be termed Neo-Victorian, though it would be more accurate to describe it as a combination of styles from 1880 to 1930, with a heavy emphasis on 1888 to 1910. When I'm in the city, I wear lounge suits and reefers for informal wear during the day—I'm particularly noted for the latter, along with high gorge waistcoats cut straight at the waist—and dinner jackets in the evening, unless I'm going somewhere that necessitates an evening coat. While in the country, I tend toward tweed suits in the winter, and lighter-coloured and linen lounge suits in the summer; for some reason, I tend to avoid reefers in the country. Most of my styles revolve around the turn of the century. My ties have been a focus over the last few months, and I've become very exacting in my requirements for their construction.

Apart from the aftermath of an unfortunate shipwreck I was involved in a few months ago, and a trip to a rather hostile locale where I needed to travel incognito, I've not been seen in public without a coat since I was quite young, and I almost always wear a waistcoat. Having grown up dressing this way, it actually makes me distinctly uncomfortable to not wear at least waistcoat and tie, even while alone. At the moment, it being rather late, I'm in pyjamas and a dressing robe, but I'll be up tomorrow, likely in tan trousers, a blue lounge coat, grey s-b waistcoat, stiff double collar, light patterned grey Ascot with a pearl cravat-pin, tan spats, brown shoes, gloves, and a snap-brim trilby, ready to practise my croquet a bit before heading to my labs.

To me, however, one of the most important considerations when choosing to dress this way is how to avoid looking like one is wearing a costume. The construction of the coats is extremely important, as are the fabrics. A proper late-Victorian style isn't very different from today's formalwear, and when people comment on my clothes, it's usually to compliment me on "wearing an excellent suit," without any realization that the style is actually over a century old. Deviating from proper fashion tends to also give a costume-like appearance, and despite most Steampunk enthusiasts doing so to extreme extents, I advise against it.

I do tend to disapprove of people affecting a false persona. If one isn't an "air pirate," one shouldn't go about acting like one in one's everyday life, and since one clearly isn't, one shouldn't—if one actually is, then do let us know! Certainly, one's fashion and one's deportment are inextricably linked, but they should come from within, and not from some sort of contrived persona. I am myself, and am my own character. I see no reason why anyone should be anything else in their everyday lives.

I go around in smart black trousers, a dress shirt, cravat or bow tie, waistcoat, tailcoat or floor-length military dress-style coat and cane or walking umbrella pretty much every day, with white cotton gloves whenever they're clean. I don't have a persona at all  even my idea of adopting two extra middle names failed when 1) I realised I couldn't pull the introductions off with a straight face, 2) it sounded pretentious, and 3) one of my friends overheard my first introduction as such and went "That's not your real name, is it?"

While I would like to avoid sounding terribly arrogant, do note that white cotton gloves worn during the day will make people like me think you're some sort of liveried servant. There are still good glovers making decent leather men's gloves: there's Alwyn Gloves in England, and also a Canadian glover who only seems to sell on eBay. White cotton gloves for the normal gentleman are usually restricted to post-Great-War era styles at dances. In my experience, however, white leather gloves look better while dancing, and are certainly far more popular with those who will be holding them.

[Lady Corsair]

I am decidedly not Steampunk, and my presence on these forums is mainly for my own amusement and occasional posts about Victorian and Edwardian men's fashion.

I don't mean to be an ass, and you certainly have some valid points in you message, but I feel that this sentence invalidates most of your post.  The fact that you AREN'T Steampunk means that you don't have the same motivations and end goals as the rest of us. 

You certainly have a point about not looking like a "costume" but I would argue that many of the embellishments are what make the outfits steamy, instead of just Neo-Victorian.  Goth outfits are a perfectly valid choice and I have seen some that are FAR from costumes, and they often take a Victorian aesthetic and change it to their liking.  It makes it more personal. 

I don't want to be mistaken for some from the 1890s, but I do want to show my love for the aesthetic (Steampunk, in this case) and the ideas behind it; which means I can dress as an air pirate if I want to!

You seems very knowledgeable about fashion in a bygone era, but as for advising people regard how they feel when they dress up (or in their everyday steamy clothes), I would say your advice is less likely to be taken than, say, even someone fairly new to the Steampunk aesthetic. 

[cge]

I don't mean to be an ass, and you certainly have some valid points in you message, but I feel that this sentence invalidates most of your post.  The fact that you AREN'T Steampunk means that you don't have the same motivations and end goals as the rest of us.

That's certainly true, and my reason for posting here was the inclusion of Neo-Victorian.

You certainly have a point about not looking like a "costume" but I would argue that many of the embellishments are what make the outfits steamy, instead of just Neo-Victorian.  Goth outfits are a perfectly valid choice and I have seen some that are FAR from costumes, and they often take a Victorian aesthetic and change it to their liking.  It makes it more personal.

It isn't just adherence to proper fashion that keeps something from looking like a costume, and I may have overemphasised that point. I've seen accurate period costumes that still look quite a bit like costumes. It's the construction and fabrics that are more important, and most warrant consideration. Besides, I'm not sure costume-like construction would fare well under everyday wear.

I don't want to be mistaken for some from the 1890s, but I do want to show my love for the aesthetic (Steampunk, in this case) and the ideas behind it; which means I can dress as an air pirate if I want to!

While you certainly can, affecting that persona every day would seem rather awkward. I think the disagreement here is the result of confusion over how we're interpreting the discussions about personae rather than any actual disagreement: I have no problem with you dressing like an air pirate, so long as you aren't also using that persona to guide your behaviour.

You seems very knowledgeable about fashion in a bygone era, but as for advising people regard how they feel when they dress up (or in their everyday steamy clothes), I would say your advice is less likely to be taken than, say, even someone fairly new to the Steampunk aesthetic. 

While it is indeed not likely to be taken, I don't offer it with the expectation that it will be. I hope primarily to offer a different perspective on fashion and the Victorian era here, especially since there's so much confusion about Victorian fashions; since Steampunk at least attempts to base itself somewhat upon the Victorian era, I believe it's often useful to have a more accurate basis to modify. While my views on what steampunk should be are rather different than most, I like the idea of steampunk, especially since certain elements of the aesthetic have the potential to be quite useful to me—having a computer that didn't look completely out of place, for example, would be nice.

[Puck]

I don't have enough steampunk stuff do dress like this all the time. I have one steampunk outfit, and it's really not that steampunk to begin with.

Even if I did have a whole closet full of steampunk adornments, I probably wouldn't go full out steampunk everyday, the same reason I don't wear my contacts every day.

I'm lazy and tired in the morning. Throwing on jeans is easier.

I can't exactly call myself a dedicated steampunker. I like it the way I like Harry Potter; I'm going to get a wand and make my own little bag and spellbooks, but I won't walk around in my Ravenclaw cloak. Maybe the sweater, but not the cloak. It might be because I'm a very theatrical person and enjoy dressing up in costumes and using my imagination. But I can't imagine dedicating my body to steampunk 24/7. I have too many other interests.

[Countessa Lenora]

I work in a law office, so the usual attire there is fairly dull.  Also, if I am walking to work (about 1/2 hour) I tend to stick to pants and something I can roll into my backpack that won't wrinkle to change into.  However, if I am driving to work I have begun incorporating more of my steampunk attire with elements I had already owned and wore before I knew it had a name. Of course I always keep it classic and ladylike. They already know I'm a little odd at work, but I have had no comments as of yet. 

[Engineer]

I work in an office where I regularly have to meet suppliers and customers. The company I work fo dictates that I am expected to wear 'normal' shirt and tie in the office, or lounge suit for formal meetings or when I have to visut suplier's/customer's premesis. This leaves minimal scope for steampunk-influenced fress during work time.

Outside of the office, to paraphrase Major Tinker, I dress as ME. When I am out and about I wear clothing that I am comfortable in (both from an aesthetic and comfort point of view) - in my case this means collarless shirts and waistcoats, topped off by a pea coat if it is likely to be cold or wet. This my choice in clothing, not a fashion statement. It just so happens that this style has Victorian influences and meshes nicely with the steampunk aesthetic. I've been told by non steampunks that this style suits me.

If I want to dress up a bit I can add a hat and a pocket watch & chain, plus a brass-headed walking cane if my bad knee is playing-up or if I'm expecting to do a lot of walking/standing around. If I want to make a serious Victorian/steampunk statement I can add further SP accessories or, on special occasions/meets, I change into frock coat, topper and all the full formal works.

This is not to say I don't wear 'normal' clothing. If I am working outside or in my modelmaking workroom I am not going to risk damaging my favourite clothing. In such circumstances I am most likely to be seen wearing old jeans and a t-shirt or sweatshirt.

As I said above, when I have the choice, I dress in the sort of clothing that I am comfortable wearing. It just happens that my preference in clothing has Victorian influences. If I want to dress more obviously steampunk I can do so, either by accessorising my clothing or changing into more formal Victorian-influenced attire. However, for normal use when out an about, I chose to wear preferred clothing style - what I would call 'low key steampunk'. This is me, its the clothing I like to wear and look good in, its a lifestyle choice and not a fashion statement. I am a steampunk because the aesthetic fits in nicely with who I am and my personal interests and influences, not because someone else dictates that what I should wear to look like a steampunk.

[Prof. Grendel Footman Esq]

generally, at home, half the time I'm either working on something utilizing hot glue, paint, or similar, or I'm sleeping in, so generally, a t-shirt and canvas cargo pants.
if I go out, I probably throw on my paperboy cap and long leather coat, that's about it.
I have walked down the street with goggles too.
when I still worked at the coffeeshop, there was usually a good number of spills, either from coffee, or one of the new staff not getting how to steam milk and spraying it all over instead, so t-shirt and cargo pants again, maybe a club shirt over it.  it's probably closer to job interviews that I wear anything more than a t-shirt, and at events or for pictures, I go full steampunk, wich does include canvas cargo pants.
for alot of years I was always one of those people who would be highly uncomfortable dressed in more than a t-shirt and pants, I've mostly gotten over it nowadays, but still not going to get all dressed up, if I'm going to be working with glues, paints, and soldering irons.

I have steampunk characters, but they're usually in some sort of game, when i go to conventions and events, I do have a type of look I'm working on, but no real persona for t yet though.  but I'm not too sure where all the hate for roleplayers s coming from