This week in fashion 16.1 – 22.1.2012
Boots from Forever 21
This week the finds seem to mostly be on the Asos shop. Which is really coming through for those in need of dieselpunk or goggles style sunglasses.
Or bags. Such as this leather old boy satchel, perfect for Steampunk, especially if you’re portraying some kind of messenger. And then there’s these two satchels in a sort of almost distressed type of browns, one a vintage style satchel, the other a vintage style school bag. Both affordable and pretty epic in my opinion. And ok sure, it’s no Cambridge Satchel Company or Zatchels, but at least it’s affordable and has the right look (something that can’t [always] be said about those two leading satchel companies). Mind you if you can afford to spend money on a real leather school bag style statchel, the Zatchels Junkyard collection and the Junkyard Barrel Bag collection may be something you want to look into. And of course there’s the saddle bags too.
Now I own a Cambridge Satchel and I’ve seen (and touched) the Zatchels in real life (as they sell some at the Antwerp Urban Outfitters) and from what I gather is that the CSC bags are made out of thicker and less flexible leather. Does that mean they are actually sturdier? I wouldn’t dare to go that far as my Fossil bag is made out of lighter and more flexible leather than the Zatchels bags and that’s still a hell of a sturdy bag. Frankly seeing both are in the same price range, I’d choose purely on the basis of the design and colours should you want to go with something from those two shops.
I found a lovely pair of brown boots at Forever 21 last Saturday. They were less than € 30, which is really cheap, they’re very comfy and they look nice. Whether they’ll last long or not I wouldn’t dare to say, but they do make for excellent convention footwear! I’m going to be wearing mine with my steampunk Whovian costumes for sure. They’ve also got some nice brogues and then these boots which are pretty good for more post apocalyptic and distopian outfits. Like I’ve said before, if you’re going to get footwear just to wear at conventions, you may as well get a comfy pair at a place such as e.g. F21 and not spend a lot of cash. If you’re going to wear them practically non stop, you’re better off investing in a pair of quality footwear. I hear a lot of good things about Fluevog, personally I couldn’t comment as my steampunk footwear is by Kickers and Schuh.
Another brand that has some really cool boots is Feud Britannia. Aside from the online shops listed on their site, they also sell via Amazon.co.uk (as does Kickers for that matter).
Topshop has this black corset belt which has an interesting texture that could really add to an outfit. And a fake leather biker jacket for the ladies into the greaser style of dieselpunk. It’s cheaper than real leather and provides an alternative for those that don’t wear leather. There’s also a brown version that is more suited to the aviator and a more contemporary take on sky pirates with the quilted detailing on the back. And of course this week we also see the new arrival of a bunch of vintage style sunglasses. Both steam -and dieselpunk enthusiasts are sure to find something to their liking.
H&M has a whole bunch of skinny ties in stock, but frankly overpriced in my opinion at € 19,95 per tie. Better alternatives are looking at Asos and TopMan‘s accessories section (which should have a ties section under that). Dieselpunk enthusiasts that like the neater styles will be pleased to find a bunch of suits and blazers on the TopMan site appropriate to their style. Be warned though, some are really quite pricy. They’ve also got this leather briefcase and this odd looking gasmask ring. That last is a total novelty thing of course, but it’s nice to see that dieselpunk is getting through to mainstream fashion a lot more than it used to do.
It’s also worth checking out places like H&M and Zara. Zara especially tends to surprise when it comes to basics with a bit of a distressed or deconstructed look and sometimes even a print, making a lot of their pieces suitable for steampunk or dieselpunk. And as a tip: check them out during the sales, as they often dump these pieces at total bargain prices. Of course chains like these, with a fast changing stock don’t always have suitable pieces around, but they do often enough to check them out regularly. As far as H&M is concerned, they still sell basic tees with pouf sleeves and they tend to have good basics for a more contemporary scruffier steampunk look in their LOGG section. And of course there’s the basics. If you are lucky enough to live in a country that has a Hema they now do cheap long sleeved tops in organic cotton at lower prices than H&M and Zara. So if you need those as basics, you know where to go.
And for those looking for geek t-shirts, I can recommend Tee Fury (every day a new cheap tee only available for that day. Steampunk is few and far between but you may luck out.). Redbubble which has some true gems and of course Amorphia Apparel.
About the author Hilde Heyvaert is a self taught fashion and costume designer with a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design and a speciality in advertising. She has been fashion editor and reviewer for the Gatehouse Gazette since the first issue. 
