Today
we have Gail Carriger visiting, Miss Carriger is better known as the author of
the best seller series Parasol Protectorate and her newest series Finishing
School. And she is here today to give us a taste of how she does steampunk.
How you got into steampunk?
I came
to steampunk first as an aesthetic movement. I’m a longtime fan of vintage
clothing and Goth style; steampunk drew me in as a cheerful melding of the two.
I also love seeing recycled technology used as jewelry, and other examples of
how creative the maker community has become over the past few years.
What motivated you to write in this genre?
I'm
perhaps one of the last surviving fans of Gothic literature. The Victorian
Gothic literature movement saw the birth of science fiction (not to mention
other commercial genres like fantasy, horror, action adventure, mysteries, and
romance). The current steampunk literary movement is a weird kind of full
circle, taking sci–fi back to its roots, and I love that!
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| Photo by J. Daniewl Sawyer |
Steampunk
is a unique movement in that it isn’t entirely literary – it has ties to the
green movement, the maker community, burning man, musical groups, historical
reenactment societies, and the fashion world. Should it crest in popularity
within all of these different areas at the same time, steampunk might well rise
to the forefront of world counterculture. But I don’t think that is likely to
occur.
Right
now, I believe it has immense escapist appeal. With our economy in chaos,
steampunk offers up an alternative lifestyle of sedate civilized behavior. Do I
see that lasting? Probably not, but then no one attributed urban fantasy with
much staying power either, so I continue to hope.
Could you possible recommend a movie using a stemapunk books?
I
always recommend people start with a visual literary source when delving into
steampunk such as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, or Girl Genius.
Some of us have been curious, where you buy your parasols?
I
mostly purchase my parasols at steampunk conventions, my octopus one is from
Clockwork Couture ,
and the rest come from online vendor Lace Parasols and Fans who have a generous
and varied selection and decent prices.
Do you do your own gowns?
Short
answer, yes.
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| Photo by J. Daniel Sawyer |
Long answer: I'm open to thrifting an other
possibilities, and these days I shop for accessories at steampunk events. One
of my most commented upon pieces is a corset I tore apart and covered in
buttons and brass spoons. Yes, spoons. When I'm thrifting, I try to train my
mind to see what a piece of clothing could be, rather than what it is. Also I
keep my eyes open at places like Target, Kohls, or JC Penny.
Steampunk
turns up unexpectedly everywhere. I have a whole section of my website on
steampunk fashion with lots of images and links to easy steampunk DIY projects.
http://www.gailcarriger.com/steampunk/the-aesthetic My most popular steampunk
DIY is the pocket belt from cargo pants.
http://retrorack.blogspot.com/2012/05/steampunk-diy-pocket-belt.html
Some other steampunk merchants that you wish others would know
about?
The
cover model for the Parasol Protectorate series, Donna Ricci, has great
steampunk store that I think everyone should know about, Clockwork Couture. And I always recommend Dark Garden for corsets.
New and
soon to be released books by Gail Carriger:
-
Out now a collection of short stories where you
can find an original Parasol Protectorail short story.
-
Coming out the 5th of November:
I hope you enjoyed getting to know a bit of what is in Miss Carriger’s mind, if you wish to know more about miss Carriger know that you can find her in:
Great interview! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI wish there was a reason for me to dress up in Victorian steampunk outfits - they look so much fun!!! :)
I must confess I've been making mental steampunkish outfits for some time, I love the fact that most people that dress in that fashion make a whole character what would your character be Victoria?
ReplyDeleteOoh! Such a good question, I never gave it a real thought. I love those Victorian dresses though, bustle and all, accessorized with fun "steampunked" hats and goggles that sounds right up my alley! I have a steampunk board on Pinterest, and I pin the images that appeal to my taste, but unfortunately no place to wear such a costume. What about you? What's your fantasy character? :)
ReplyDeleteI change my mind a lot, this is the flavor of the week and know that I blame the Finishing School series.
ReplyDeleteRight now I am feeling more the owner of a small steampunk coffee that would be really used for gathering information and all around spying while keeping with society's standers.
Are there no conventions near you? or how about Halloween they are excellent excuses don't you think?
Nice! :)
ReplyDeleteI have never attended a convention, but maybe sometime in the future... we'll see! I can see myself doing something like that. And Halloween is a good excuse of course, except I'm not really going to any costumed parties this year. I'll plan better next year. ;)
Ooh, I didn't know she was coming out with a short story.
ReplyDeleteI just bought the audiobook of Soulless and I can't wait to listen to it!
I loved the Parasol Protectorate series and am excited to learn their is a short story coming out! I'm reading Etiquette & Espionage right now and am enjoying it!
ReplyDelete