We’re Always Tinkering With This Page
This is where we talk about Steampunk style – where do the ideas come from, and how can beginners get started? If you’d like to contribute to this page with images, discussions, or links, let us know.
A very useful collection of tutorials, good for steampunk beginners to experts, can be found at the Steampunk Fashion Guide.
As for general discussion and concepts, this article by AllAboutSteampunk.com might be an excellent starting point.
Vendors of Style
Steampunked Out
Steampunked Out is one of the primo vendors for fashion and gear. Their items are well made and they WILL make you look good. It’s always a pleasure to find them at a big event, but you can always order from them online. Their styles tend toward the Wild Wild West variety, which is perfect for our event.
Lurcher Gallery
While Lurcher Gallery is located in Wales, they ship all over and they’ve been around a long time. Their Etsy shop is worth browsing, but they also will make items for you.
Doc Stone Studios
Doc Stone is a well known figure in the Steampunk world. He’s been making gadgets and leather items for years. He has plenty of things in stock and will be happy to work on a project with you.
You can also follow him on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/docstonestudios
Progetto Steam
Progetto Steam is a maker in Italy that focuses on complicated mechanical armor pieces. They aren’t cheap but there’s no way that something like this could be. They have a shop with premade works, and can do custom pieces. You can also find them on Etsy and Instagram.
Mad.Girl Clothing
A division of Pendragon Costumes, Mad.Girl Clothing makes their items to order so they fit you properly. They specialize in 1890’s jackets for women (poofy shoulders!) and leather coats for men, but they have many other items.
Historical Emporium
A good starting place for basics, for men and women. Historical Emporium will not break the bank and will get you on track if you’re starting out.
Harlots and Angels
If you want to learn how to make your own leather items and clothing, Harlots and Angels makes great kits and PDF patterns to show you the way.
Kilts & Jacks
If you’re looking for custom kilts and jackets, check out Kilts & Jacks. They are not a Steampunk store per se, but their items are bespoke and they make it easy to take it in that direction. If you order a custom leather item, expect to pay $$ for it, but they also do fully traditional styles and have a lot of options.
Premier Victorian
Also an Etsy shop, Premier Victorian is very historically oriented which makes an excellent baseline for your Steampunk outfits. The majority of items are blouses, skirts, and belts for women but there are also accessories for men and women, capes, petticoats, and men’s collars.
M’Lady’s Parasols and Accessories
Parasols and Ladies Hats, handmade at a good price. Check out M’Lady’s Parasols and Accessories.
Corsettery
There are MANY corset makers out there in the world, and a lot of them live on Etsy. For steampunk, corsets do not have to be authentic in style. Prices range quite a bit too, and to be honest most very cheap corsets are going to be uncomfortable and look, well, cheap. So in this case we’ve selected a corset maker that is moderately priced yet understands the proper silhouettes. Therefore, check out Corsettery if you’re in the market.
Showbelles
Etsy is a great place to find these makers! Showbelles has some lovely dresses in different time periods, but perhaps most usefully, they have a large selection of bustles and crinolines. They are well made at a good price.
Mila Loveart/Thousand Formed
Thousand Formed was on this list from the beginning, but then their Etsy shop disappeared. I managed to get in touch with them and found out it had to do with the Ukrainian war and artists getting shut off due to it.
They are sending some of their things to this shop. They’re good peeps that make interesting stuff so I am glad they are still around.
Got some edits made to the page – some new ones (Kilts & Jacks and Progetto Steam) and removed Tutto Vapore, which were great but I think COVID killed them. If anyone knows some good Steampunk makers to add to this, let me know. I prefer boutique shops, especially since there are a bunch of ‘steampunk style’ shops out there that are laid out the same way and very sketchy (likely Chinese knockoff sites.)