Anatomy of Steampunk: The Fashion of Victorian Futurism

From formal outfits to costumescrafted for the stage,from ensemblessuited to adventure to casualstreet styles,steampunk fashionhas come to encompass quite a fewdifferent looks. But what exactlyissteampunk? Originally conceivedas a literary genre,the term"steampunk"described stories setin a steam-powered,science fiction-infused,VictorianLondon. Todaysteampunk has grown to become anaesthetic that fuels many varied artforms. Steampunk has also widenedits cultural scope. Many steampunkpractitioners,rather than confiningtheir vision to oneEuropean city,imagine steam-driven societies allover the world.

Today the vibrance of steampunkinspires a wide range of individuals,including designers of high fashion,home sewers, crafters, and ordinaryfolks who just want to have fun.Steampunk fashion is not onlyentertaining, dynamic, and irreverent;it can also be colorful, sexy, andprovocative. Most of all, steampunkfashion is accessible to everyone.

Illustrated throughout with colorphotographs of the dazzling creationsof numerous steampunk fashiondesigners, Anatomy of Steampunk is aninspirational sourcebook. In addition topresenting the looks and stories of thesecreative fashion artists, the book alsodetails ten steampunk projects for thereader to try at home. Allow steam topower your imagination!

Designers and steampunk groups featured in the book include—Airship Isabella,Ali Fateh,Berít New York,Black Garden,Blasphemina's Closet,Brute Force Studios,Clockwork Couture.DASOWL,Dawnamatrix,The Extraordinary Contraptions,Festooned Butterfly,Harvash,Hi Tek by Alexander,House of Canney, KMKDesigns,Kristi Smart,Kristin Costa,KvO Design,Lastwear,The League of S.T.E.A.M.,Marquis of Vaudeville,Megan Maude,Michael Salerno,Morrigan New York,Ms. Purdy's,Muses Well,Redfield Design,RockLove,Sidharta Aryan,SkinzNhydez,Spyder Designs,Tokyo Inventors Society,Tom Banwell, andThe Uprising of the Gin Rebellion.

A longtime admirer of steampunk style, Katherine Gleason is the

author of more than thirty books for adults and young people, including Alexander McQueen: Evolution (Race Point Publishing, 2012). Her short stories have appeared in Alimentum: The Literature of Food, Cream City Review, Mississippi Review Online, River Styx, and Southeast Review.She has also written articles for a number of periodicals, including the Boston Globe, Connoisseur, and Women's Feature Service.

K. W. Jeter is the author of Morlock Night,Dr. Adder, The Glass Hammer, Noir, and othervisionary science fiction and dark fantasy.In 1987, when discussing his novel InfernalDevices, he coined the term "steampunk."The sequel to that book is Fiendish Schemes(Tor Books, 2013). A native of Los Angeles,he currently lives in Ecuador.

Diana M. Pho possesses a deep-seated love of science fiction and

fantasy literature. Known as Ay-leen the Peacemaker in the steampunk community, she has written academically about steampunk and lectures professionally across the United States. Diana also runs the multicultural steampunk blog Beyond Victoriana (www.beyondvictoriana.com). Shecurrently lives and works in NewYork City.