Cosplayer: Sikay

Cosplayer: Mekaneko of Mekamelys Creations

Photographer: GLR Photography

Cosplayers at Anno 1900 in Luxembourg (2017)

Photographer: Damien Spike

Cosplayer: Sharon at Elf Fantasy Fair 2012

Photographer: Vera Frèrejean

Photographer: Omar Brunt

Cosplayer/Photo Editing: Orla Rose

Maurice Grunbaum at Amiens Victorian Pique Nique

Photographer: Alain Warnier

Cosplayer: Tithann Thanh

Photographer, Top: CAWPhotos

Photographer, Middle: Kosupics

Photographer, Bottom: Christopher Perez

For more multi-cultural Steampunk cosplay, check out these posts:

Steampunk the World

Bollywood Steampunk

Gold Bollywood Steampunk

Shanghai Steampunk Madam 

Steampunk Bedouin

Photographer: Derick Tortorella

Photographer: DeliciousBoutique in Philadelphia, PA

Cosplayers: Javert Marchand & Amarante Leroux

Photographer: Corey Smith

Model: Alina Phillips

Photographer: Genevieve Riker for Steamgirl.com

Photographer: Katie Reihman

We're currently working on the next installment of the Fashion Guide: women's tops and blouses! With all that Victorian fashion on the brain, we were extra excited to spot this photo of Amy Wilder in a gorgeous blouse with leg of mutton sleeves! 

Also known as 'gigot sleeves' (the french translation), leg of mutton sleeves puff out at the top and narrow just below the elbow, giving them the shape of a lamb shank. These sleeves begin slightly off the shoulder at the top of the arms, in order to give a woman downward sloping shoulders. At that time in the Romanticism movement, they felt the ideal woman should look like she was pining away for her lover. Somehow this was supposed to seem romantic, not depressing. It's one of the many Victorian ideals that we give the side-eye to.

Huge sleeves were a staple of the Victorian era because their width balanced out the width of the era's giant skirts, thus creating an hourglass shape and the illusion of an even narrower waist. Leg of mutton sleeves reached their popularity in the 1830s, before being pushed aside for more subdued sleeve styles. They came back into fashion again in the 1890s and lasted another decade.

In addition to that gorgeous blouse, Amy's wearing a corset and monocle made by one of our favorite sellers (they even made our curated Etsy list), Brute Force Studios!

Cosplayer: Amy Wilder

Photographer: Goat Farm Project

Corset & Monocle: Brute Force Studios

Cosplayer: Lilja Caskets

Photographer: Louise Cantwell

The Japanese 'Aristocrat' street style is an offshoot of the Gothic Lolita style, which originated in Harajuku in the late 1990s. Aristocrats emulate the fashion of 19th century upper class Europeans, so the aesthetic overlaps nicely with Steampunk fashion. If you're cosplaying as a Steampunk character of higher social status, take some inspiration from the gothic elegance of Aristocrat fashion.

Cosplayer: Hisahiro

Photo: TokyoFashion.com

Cosplayer: Luxia Cosplay

Photographer, Top: Pipparazzi - Fotografie

Photographer, Bottom: Jens Möller  

Cosplayer: MADmoiselle Meli

Photographer: Reiner Eisenbeis

Costumer: Bibian Blue 

Photographer: Marcela Patino

Photographer: Anna Fischer