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Steampunk dresses are primarily influenced by Victorian and Edwardian outfits. Due to this, elegant long dresses with frills and corsets are popular in the Steampunk community. However, the Steampunk style may include additional accessories and designs that feature Steampunk designs such as gears and other steam-powered looking technology. Many dresses go past elegance, and into badass with corsets over the top of dresses and short trims with ripped edges. There are many different styles of Steampunk dresses.
Types of Steampunk dresses
Depending on your style preference, there are many different types of Steampunk dresses. One of which is elegant Victorian dresses such as a mourning dress, or a riding dress. You can also get civil war inspired dresses. These are all traditional looking and will most likely be paired with accessories from the Steampunk style. Corset dresses are also popular in the Steampunk community, with a long frill at the back tapered to a shorter frill at the front. This style looks badass and adventurous, and can be paired with your favourite Steampunk accessories. Steampunk wedding dresses are also popular, specifically for Steampunk weddings, of course. They provide a traditional and elegant look that is often simple in design but very beautiful. Gothic Steampunk dresses are another option, they tend to be black with intrinsic detail and often netting. Victorian era maid dresses can also be seen within the Steampunk community, with a wide bottom and tight top, this style of dress looks very elegant. A more modern look dress are dresses that are in the style of military or pilot garments. These tend to be short in style, khaki coloured, and paired with the relevant accessories.
Umbrellas and headpieces are common accessories to be paired with Steampunk dresses. Dresses can be worn for cosplay, weddings, or everyday wear. It depends on what your preferences are.
Examples of Steampunk Dresses
This is a corset dress that has the option to also be a gothic Steampunk dress with the option of black. The addition of leather on the corset makes the dress look post-apocalyptic, while also making it known that you won’t take any nonsense. The metal hooks on the corset add to the look by adding elegance, showing that you have style, but you’re still not to be messed with. The clean, robust fit on the top half looks almost makes the person wearing it look focused and ready. This dress can be paired with accessories such as a headpiece or goggles. A pistol will also look great sitting in a leg holster on this dress for a convention.
This dress is perfect for a pirate style. The corset paired with the blouse beneath the dress provides the pirate aesthetic without even the need for accessories (of course, pairing it with accessories will make it look even more perfect). A pirate sword would look great with this outfit at a convention. A headpiece, hat, or goggles will also provide an extra something to this dress.
This pirate or western style dress contains an under-bust that has the effect of showing your power. It says that you can look good and still be ready to do what needs to be done. The vertical stripes going down the corset hint again at your pirate origin with stripes being a noted feature of many pirate costumes. If going to a convention, this dress will look great with a holster and an old pirate pistol. It will also look amazing if it is paired with goggles.
This gothic dress provides elegance and beauty with the detail on the netting and corset. The long back tapering to a short front offers the ‘business in the back, party in the front look’. Except it is more ‘elegance in the back, badass in the front’. This is a great party dress that you can wear even out-with the Steampunk community. It’s versatile and beautiful with a range of options for adding to the Steampunk aesthetic for conventions, such as adding a leg holster or a hat.
This gothic style dress is simple in style, with frills at the sleeves, neck, and hem. The slight corset style front with the ribbons, adds to the Steampunk aesthetic and creates the impression of being elegant, yet ready for anything. This look is perfect for Steampunk fashion as it is based on a post-apocalyptic world. This dress will also be perfect for occasions when you are at a party that is not Steampunk themed.
This costume is perfect for cosplaying at a convention. The costume only contains the jacket and dress, so you can pair it with your favourite accessories, such as the headpiece pictured. The pattern on the material is also notably elegant looking, contrasting with the jacket that gives this outfit a pirate vibe to it.
Leather is always a badass addition to any outfit, it makes your Steampunk outfit more prepared and accurate. It gives this impression because in a post-apocalyptic world, we would need to wear appropriate clothing, clothing that is prepared for danger at any time. This outfit provides plenty of leather and a very short skirt that gives the impression of being a confident woman who likes to wear what they want without judgement. It’s nice to think of a post-apocalyptic world in which women are not treated as sexual objects. This outfit as with many of the others, may represent women owning their bodies while looking badass and ready to fight.
This dress is perfect for those who wish to cosplay as a pilot. The khaki colour and minimal style provide a perfect pilot or maybe even military style costume. The exposed hoop underneath the dress is a key feature that is perfect for the Steampunk style. The exposed hoop is, in many ways, like the exposed gears and mechanisations that are such a key part of the Steampunk community. Dress can be paired with your favourite accessories, flight goggles will work perfectly, and boots will also look amazing with this dress. The dress is evidently Victorian in style, particularly the top half, with some extra Steampunk features such as the exposed hoop, the short skirt, and the belt.
If you enjoyed this article on steampunk dresses you might also like to read about steampunk corsets.
