Steampunk

Steampunk has become a major hit in the fashion industry. Various designers are beginning to incorporate cogs, and gears, classic steampunk designs, into there clothing lines, and fashion shows. Typically, however, steampunk fashion can be seen as a growing trend within the cosplay scene. Groups of friends get together, wearing stylized, and often modified, Victorian style clothing, portraying themselves as pirates, explorers, adventurers, or even mild mannered socialites. Outfits include decorated coats, and top hats, goggles, and sometimes ray guns! This particular type of fashion caters greatly to the 'Do-It-Yourself' community, where most the accessories carried by the cosplayers, are painted, and created entirely on there own. Ray guns are masterfully designed by mixing Nerf guns with standard household accessories. The bravest and the bold of this community actually fabricate these items themselves out of wood, and metal. The site http://steampunkguides.com has more info on this.

Sometimes there's a lot of steampunk influence found in music. There is no definitive steampunk genre, only pre-existing genres with steampunk influence, which include electronic, rock, and hip hop, among others. In steampunk rock you can heard dark and heavy beats reminiscint of industrial music, along with a gretty guitar. Sometimes even a hint of folk. Abney Park, self proclaimed steampunk band, were once an industrial band. Not only is their music influenced by steampunk, but their stage personas, clothing, and even instruments are steampunk modified. There's also a few hip hop artists out there like Dr. Steel. Steampunk hip hop incorporates lyrics that depict the life of a mad scientist, or a post apocalyptic world, but always have a deep up beat bass. The beats are often heavy hitting.

The Art culture has picked up on the Steampunk trend surprisingly fast. Paintings of vast desolate landscapes, with dirigibles and other flying machines soaring through the grey skies can be easily discovered not only online, but also in galleries. The art style is like any other, but the perspective and purpose of these paintings is unlike anything else. Dark and dreary, these portraits usually depict a deadened world, a violent sea, or even the inside to a dungeon like lab, with Frankenstein-esque instruments strewn about tables and the floor. Again, it is fairly easy to identify a Steampunk inspired painting nowadays, since it is such a unique style.

There has been a breakthrough in literature within the steampunk culture. H.G. Wells is said to have birthed this trend, along with Jules Verne. The base of the modern steampunk community is based on their inventions, worlds, and knowledge that they depict in their works. First there's the brass time machine in "The Time Machine", and then the massive submarine in "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea," which were both considered futuristic. Presently, we would refer to them as retro, regardless of the fact that time machines don't actually exist. However, both machines seem out of place in such time periods. These ideas have been the driving force for many steampunk fans, and the basis of steampunk.

Hopefully right now you're thinking that Steampunk is the coolest thing ever. That's why I want to show you more steampunk stuff. Head on over to http://steampunkguides.com and learn how to make your own steampunk stuff!