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Sav style, at least. On building a steampunk outfit from the beginning:
Thrift shops/Salvation Army/Goodwill and garage sales are a great place to start looking. It's a good idea to either go in with an idea about the kind of costume you want to build (e.g. military, explorer, secret agent, society lady/gentleman, inventor, scientist, engineer, pilot, street urchin, pirate, etc. etc.) or to find a single costume piece that you like and build around that. What you'll need to get depends on a) what gender you are/your character or persona is and b) what kind of person that character is. Some good general rules of thumb:
1. Look for fabrics that are or look like wool, silk, linen, fine cotton, or canvas. Colors are awesome, especially jewel-tones (rich blue, red, green, purple, yellow). Military folks may be a little more subdued, but never underestimate the style of a rich blue Naval coat with gold trim. Lace and ruffles, feathers, and ribbon are appropriate for many characters. Gold or colored braid can add fashionable zip or military flair and cover up modern looking seams.
2. Copper and brass fittings, buttons, zippers, wire, and doodads are your friends. (Plumbing sections, fabric stores, craft stores, and the aforementioned used items stores).
3. Goggles are not, in fact, mandatory. They're great if they fit your character.
4a. Basics for gentlemen: Trousers or kilt, dress shirt, boots or leather dress shoes, a waistcoat/vest (fitted), and some sort of neck-cloth/tie/cravat. A fitted coat over top and a hat of some sort are good.
4b. Basics for ladies: Fitted trousers or skirt (layers are good here, try a petticoat or fake it with some lace tacked underneath!), dress shirt or blouse, stockings/tights, boots or button up shoes with as much or as little heel as you prefer, a waistcoat/vest (fitted) OR corset/bustier and shirtwaist, and some sort of neckcloth/tie/cravat. Alternately, a dress (look for rich colors, close cuts, and higher collars). Long sleeves are appropriate for most characters, but you can do that with a short coat. A fitted coat and a hat are a plus.
5. ACCESSORIES. Steampunk is allll about accessories, from the mundane (leather, cotton, or silk gloves, a handkerchief, old-fashioned-looking glasses, a silk scarf) to the bizarre (metal tubing "connecting" your arm to your body, "heat-detecting" binoculars). You'll just need to tailor it to your character. There are a ton of tutorials on the internet on making little steampunk accessories and gizmos.
It helps if you know how to sew, even a little. If not, why not try to learn? You should also invest in a few good tubes of superglue (mind your fingers), at least one pair of pliers, preferably two (one needlenose), scissors, and a hammer.
Don't be afraid to experiment. Decorate your hat with squashed pennies if you feel like it. Draw lightning bolts on your coat in brass buttons. Have fun.
EDITED TO ADD: I just remembered.
Patterns! Vertical stripes, checks and plaids (used in moderation), houndstooth, small flowers, diamonds and brocades are all good. For gentlemen, you might want to stick with one or two patterns and the rest solids, ladies can get away with a little more, and eccentrics (and pirates, mad scientists, etc.) can go pretty wild.
Thrift shops/Salvation Army/Goodwill and garage sales are a great place to start looking. It's a good idea to either go in with an idea about the kind of costume you want to build (e.g. military, explorer, secret agent, society lady/gentleman, inventor, scientist, engineer, pilot, street urchin, pirate, etc. etc.) or to find a single costume piece that you like and build around that. What you'll need to get depends on a) what gender you are/your character or persona is and b) what kind of person that character is. Some good general rules of thumb:
1. Look for fabrics that are or look like wool, silk, linen, fine cotton, or canvas. Colors are awesome, especially jewel-tones (rich blue, red, green, purple, yellow). Military folks may be a little more subdued, but never underestimate the style of a rich blue Naval coat with gold trim. Lace and ruffles, feathers, and ribbon are appropriate for many characters. Gold or colored braid can add fashionable zip or military flair and cover up modern looking seams.
2. Copper and brass fittings, buttons, zippers, wire, and doodads are your friends. (Plumbing sections, fabric stores, craft stores, and the aforementioned used items stores).
3. Goggles are not, in fact, mandatory. They're great if they fit your character.
4a. Basics for gentlemen: Trousers or kilt, dress shirt, boots or leather dress shoes, a waistcoat/vest (fitted), and some sort of neck-cloth/tie/cravat. A fitted coat over top and a hat of some sort are good.
4b. Basics for ladies: Fitted trousers or skirt (layers are good here, try a petticoat or fake it with some lace tacked underneath!), dress shirt or blouse, stockings/tights, boots or button up shoes with as much or as little heel as you prefer, a waistcoat/vest (fitted) OR corset/bustier and shirtwaist, and some sort of neckcloth/tie/cravat. Alternately, a dress (look for rich colors, close cuts, and higher collars). Long sleeves are appropriate for most characters, but you can do that with a short coat. A fitted coat and a hat are a plus.
5. ACCESSORIES. Steampunk is allll about accessories, from the mundane (leather, cotton, or silk gloves, a handkerchief, old-fashioned-looking glasses, a silk scarf) to the bizarre (metal tubing "connecting" your arm to your body, "heat-detecting" binoculars). You'll just need to tailor it to your character. There are a ton of tutorials on the internet on making little steampunk accessories and gizmos.
It helps if you know how to sew, even a little. If not, why not try to learn? You should also invest in a few good tubes of superglue (mind your fingers), at least one pair of pliers, preferably two (one needlenose), scissors, and a hammer.
Don't be afraid to experiment. Decorate your hat with squashed pennies if you feel like it. Draw lightning bolts on your coat in brass buttons. Have fun.
EDITED TO ADD: I just remembered.
Patterns! Vertical stripes, checks and plaids (used in moderation), houndstooth, small flowers, diamonds and brocades are all good. For gentlemen, you might want to stick with one or two patterns and the rest solids, ladies can get away with a little more, and eccentrics (and pirates, mad scientists, etc.) can go pretty wild.
My own outfit is in black, grey, off-white, black-and-white stripe, green stripe and green brocade. I've seen some pretty awesome bright purple brocade with black, red with brown and white stripes, and a lady who did herself all up in peacock colors and feather patterns.
