In honor of tomorrow’s release of Finishing School Book the Third: Waistcoats & We

In honor of tomorrow’s release of Finishing School Book the Third: Waistcoats & Weaponry, this week has been declared FINISHING FASHION WEEK.

Throughout we’ll provide tips, tricks & lessons on how one may use fashion to confuse, manipulate, deceive, disguise, defend, seduce and, of course, finish.

To begin our week of finishing fashion, we have been graced with the presence of our favorite author with an eye for accessories, Ms. Gail Carriger.

gailcarriger:

They say the devil is in the details, but I say the steampunk is in the details. It’s the little touches to any costume (or any cosplay for that matter) that strike a cord with others. I don’t know about you, but I dress up so that I can meet and mingle with fellow enthusiasts. I want people to ask me why I have teaspoons attached to the neckline of my favorite corset. (My answer: Who doesn’t want spoons on their boobs?)
The best steampunk outfits that I’ve seen employ tiny details and nifty tricks to bring out the personality of the wearer or the character they are portraying. Since I am an author who is awfully fond of tea, most of the details in my outfits hint at writing or the sacred beverage. However, I also nod in the direction of my books and my former profession. That’s part of the fun of steampunk—hinting at persona with apparel.
Here are a few of my very favorite and most useful steampunk accessories…
1. Holster
My parasol holster is made from an old pair of cargo shorts. You can adapt the idea for any oddball accessory you may have from a Nerf-modded steampunk gun to a wine bottle or a burrito (I support the idea of packing food at all times).
2. Goggles
Yes goggles and steampunk get a bad rap, but I still love them. I go so far as to mock the pervasiveness of this accessory in my books. (In my final Finishing School book, the young ladies of quality wear floating goggles while cutting onions.) However, it doesn’t stop me from being the proud owner of my very own pair. But here’s the thing, they have that little twist that make them me-ish – they have tea strainers for lenses. So useful! Brute Force Studios made these goggles, but it’s pretty fun to make your own using found objects that have meaning to you.
3. Fan
Speaking of Brute Force Studios, I love their leather fan. Perhaps not the most practical accessory but one thing I have learned at conventions is that temperatures vary widely. If a girl can arrange her costume to be cool in some rooms and warm in others, it’s never a bad thing. This fan is always welcome. I love it so much I mailed it to my publisher in the hopes that it might be part of the cover of my latest book. And they used it! They added blades because my character is a spy meets assassin, thus blades must be part of the equation. However, I’m glad mine is just leather, otherwise I’d never get it through TSA.