Steampunk Inspired Lolita & Victoria's Clockwork Emporium Review

I've been asked a few times to do a post about Steamlolita but I've been putting it off for a while because I'm by no means a Steampunk expert! Recently, however, I was asked by Victoria's Clockwork Emporium to review one of their gorgeous steampunk pieces and it has once again made me a bit intrigued by this odd combination of Victorian elegance and futuristic fantasy.

First up is the review piece from Victoria's Clockwork Emporium! I was sent a lovely hair clip with the iconic steampunk cogs and gears. The hair clip was sent very quickly, within a few days, and was packaged securely in a bubble mailer and slipped inside one of the most awesome bags I've ever seen.


The piece itself is very well made. The first thing I did, of course, was try to pull it apart. Well, maybe not, but I did test it a bit to see how well it was held together. Try as I might, none of the various little cogs fell off, it looks like they are held on with a pretty industrial strength glue, which is incredibly important on a piece like this, where all the more pieces mean all the more opportunities for something to fall off.

  I loved the packaging! The piece was in this awesome skull covered bag!

The gears and cogs are in a variety of different metal colors: silver, bronze and brass. Making this piece easy to coordinate with other pieces of jewelery you happen to be wearing because you really don't have to worry so much about the metal colors matching.

I was very impressed with how beefy the piece was, this wasn't just a couple small cogs glued together, it was practically a layer cake made out of broken watch parts! It is by no means at all a heavy hair clip, but it's definitely substantial, which makes it feel all the more sturdy and unbreakable.


 One thing I particularly like about the clip was that that the clock hand moves around! It's not exactly like I'm going to be fiddling around with it while it's clipped in my hair, but it's definitely a little touch that I really liked.


Victoria's Clockwork Emporium has a lot more to offer than just Steampunk pieces, although Steampunk clockwork pieces are their specialty, but they also offer a fair amount of pieces that are perfect for the Victorian inclined Classic Lolita.

Mixing Steampunk with Lolita
As I have mentioned, getting my hands on a cog-covered Steampunk piece really piqued my interest in this unique style mishmash. I certainly didn't magically transform into a master of steam-powered Victorian aircraft in the past week and a half, but I have spent much more time oogling Steamlita coordinates than I have in quite a while. Personally, I don't ever find myself too enthusiastic about the completely over the top Steampunk outfits, the ones that involve props and elaborate costume pieces (Although I would love to be able to try my hand at making some of them! I've secretly always wanted a steam-powered Pip Boy), as cool as they may be, I just prefer outfits that are more day-to-day wearable, despite how far out from the norm it is. Which is why a Classic Lolita with little Steampunk details- cog jewelery, utility belts, spats, aviation hats, etc. is definitely my preferred mixing of the Steampunk style with Lolita.

Some of my favorite Steampunk Lolita outfits are by AyraLeona on Deviantart. Her Steampunk outfits definitely have the balance of wearability and creativity that I really love! It doesn't look like she's in a costume, it looks like this is just what she wears. I feel like she's taken the Steampunk style and really made it her own.

I think that the Victorian nature of Steampunk lends itself very well to mixing with Lolita, and even if you don't want to go all out and build yourself steam-powered leather and brass gauntlets, you can still add a very obvious Steampunk touchs to your Lolita outfits that really adds something different from the generally girly and cute touches that you often find with Lolita.

Again, I am by no means a Steampunk expert, so I don't think I could really give any great advice on how to successfully mix the two styles other than "moderation!", so instead I'd like to ask how other people mix the two styles. Do any of you also participate in the Steampunk hobby/lifestyle/fashion? If you do, do you mix it in with your Lolita wardrobe? Where on the Lolita to Steampunk spectrum do you personally feel like is the ideal Steamlita? I might not be an expert on the style, but I do know that it's a somewhat hard style to get right. Go too much one way and you just get a Steampunk outfit with a shorter skirt, too much the other, and it's just Classic Lolita with maybe a pair of goggles.

11 comments:

  1. I love Steampunk! (and lolita~ haha) I teach at a university and just taught a lesson on steampunk to my freshman yesterday. Most of them thought it was cool, although one was like "these people are crazy". 

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  2. Oh Wow! Thank you so much for being featured here! Your blog was my inspiration for starting a blog myself (rufflesandsteam.blogspot.com) and it means a lot to me, seeing my oufits here!
    I really love steampunk lolita because I think both styles fit together so well! Both take their inspiration from the victorian era so they have a lot of elements in common.

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  3. Now I know it exists :O
    And it is great! 

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  4. Great post!
    I like the look of Steampunk, but I've never actually tried much to do it because I don't know much about it... but I'd love to do Steampunk Lolita. I'll check out that store, definitely. 

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  5. I like steampunk and lolita combined as well, and steampunk on its own, but I also prefer moderated, every day wear outfits. This is why I really like some of Kato (of Steampunk Couture)'s outfits, because she often just layers different clothes in steamy colors, topping it all with a pair of goggles or some nice boots, but it's definitely on the more casual side (if not in this case lolita, but similar guidelines can be applied). To add a bit of steampunk flair, I'm a fan of brooches or some jewelry in general, or something like a fancy t-shirt with a steam themed print (they were all the rage in departament stores here last year, I was surprised), or boots with spats, or a bustle. I'm not particularly a huge fan of gigantic or elaborate accessories like helmets, and especially nothing you have to lug around (so no steamguns or the like please), or even corsets, for every day wear, so I side with you on that one. :)

    I guess I prefer the classic lolita with goggles in the end :) 

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  6. Thank you very much for the kind review of my gear hair barrette.  I enjoy making them and all my pieces that I sell.  I really enjoyed your whole Steamlolita article.  

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  7. I love steampunk lolita! I tried to put together a coordinate for a convention last summer. (A couple of pics can be seen here: http://roseteasugar.blogspot.com/2011/09/tracon.html - I intended to make a cogwheel print for the white skirt by printing the picture on iron-on paper, but in the end couldn't find an ink printer, just laser ones, so I had to drop it...) I also love to include bits and pieces from both steampunk and lolita in my "regular" style.

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  8. I love steampunk lolita! I tried to put together a coordinate for a convention last summer. (A couple of pics can be seen in my blog here: http://roseteasugar.blogspot.c... - I intended to make a cogwheel print for the white skirt by printing the picture on iron-on paper, but in the end couldn't find an ink printer, just laser ones, so I had to drop it...) I also love to include bits and pieces from both steampunk and lolita in my "regular" style.

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  9. This is awesome! I didn't even know there was such a style! Steamlita that is. It's gorgeous! And I absolutely love the hair clip! Thanks for such an awesome review! =)

    ~ Kieli ~

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  10. Hi girl!! I found the blog and I really Ilike it! is so great =)

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