Where is my prairie sun?
Sep. 2nd, 2009 11:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mmymoonI'm at Vivien's house, but she had to run to the dentist, so... I'm gonna natter on about fashion.
Aside -- Has anyone heard the whole lolita urban legend about "I MADE FRIENDS WITH THIS PERSON JUST TO STEAL HER BRAND CLOTHING" ? I did my undergrad thesis on urban legends, you see, and the academicbullshit reasoning is that most urban legends are about fear and coded morality. So my conjecture is that this one is about making friends with other lolitas/freaks/internet people, because they totally only are only in it for their own gain.
It's a good thing I'm twice Viv's size, you know, or I'd apparently feel absolutely compelled to make off with her belongings at this moment. Darn subculture people; we can't be trusted. I guess I could try to steal her cats, but why anyone would steal a cat...
Yeah, anyway. Before she left, we were looking at this cute indie brand: Moon Afternoon.
GOTHIC LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE! Who called it? Who called it, eh? I love that style... while mostly I consider my historical influences more Rococo than Victorian -- eff the Victorians, really -- but if I'm going to draw on anything from the 1880s, it's going to be the FRONTIER mode of dress, which was utilitarian and practical, but still cute.
Actually, that's one the things that keeps me from getting too excited about steampunk -- so most of steampunk seems like your generic darkwave fashion/music/etc., done over in sepia, but there's this whole ROLEPLAY aspect about the Victorian-esque elseworld. The problem is, it seems like every single female is either a pirate or a saloon girl with lots of exposed cleavage who comes from a major urban center IN ENGLAND -- which wouldn't be my persona at all. I'd be an American girl, who probably moved west. Where are all the good, honest women, Sarah, plain and tall, who made themselves practical garments out of nice calico?
(Although I think Cory should be the good, honest woman. I'd basically be a ranch hand, complete with riding skirt and work boots, and tired lines around my face from riding the range.)
I'm not dumping on airship pirates, I'm just asking: Where have all the cowboys gone?
... anyway, it's cold here (noooo!) but one benefit is that I can finally start wearing pants/leggings under my skirts again, and I forgot how much I like the way that looks. (It's not that I'm ashamed of my legs, it's that I'm TALL, and wearing short skirts makes me feel oddly chopped up.) I think I might finally make some ankle-length pantaloons like I keep thinking would be cute, and try those with my frillier outfits. It was certainly an authentic period fashion, for young girls, at least, and adorable!
Aside -- Has anyone heard the whole lolita urban legend about "I MADE FRIENDS WITH THIS PERSON JUST TO STEAL HER BRAND CLOTHING" ? I did my undergrad thesis on urban legends, you see, and the academic
It's a good thing I'm twice Viv's size, you know, or I'd apparently feel absolutely compelled to make off with her belongings at this moment. Darn subculture people; we can't be trusted. I guess I could try to steal her cats, but why anyone would steal a cat...
Yeah, anyway. Before she left, we were looking at this cute indie brand: Moon Afternoon.
GOTHIC LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE! Who called it? Who called it, eh? I love that style... while mostly I consider my historical influences more Rococo than Victorian -- eff the Victorians, really -- but if I'm going to draw on anything from the 1880s, it's going to be the FRONTIER mode of dress, which was utilitarian and practical, but still cute.
Actually, that's one the things that keeps me from getting too excited about steampunk -- so most of steampunk seems like your generic darkwave fashion/music/etc., done over in sepia, but there's this whole ROLEPLAY aspect about the Victorian-esque elseworld. The problem is, it seems like every single female is either a pirate or a saloon girl with lots of exposed cleavage who comes from a major urban center IN ENGLAND -- which wouldn't be my persona at all. I'd be an American girl, who probably moved west. Where are all the good, honest women, Sarah, plain and tall, who made themselves practical garments out of nice calico?
(Although I think Cory should be the good, honest woman. I'd basically be a ranch hand, complete with riding skirt and work boots, and tired lines around my face from riding the range.)
I'm not dumping on airship pirates, I'm just asking: Where have all the cowboys gone?
... anyway, it's cold here (noooo!) but one benefit is that I can finally start wearing pants/leggings under my skirts again, and I forgot how much I like the way that looks. (It's not that I'm ashamed of my legs, it's that I'm TALL, and wearing short skirts makes me feel oddly chopped up.) I think I might finally make some ankle-length pantaloons like I keep thinking would be cute, and try those with my frillier outfits. It was certainly an authentic period fashion, for young girls, at least, and adorable!
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Date: 2009-09-02 03:51 pm (UTC)EDIT: Oh, and my other steampunk influence is Girl Genius, so if it's NOT about Texan magic realism then clearly it should be about mad science and ornate ray guns.
Yay for cold-enough-to-wear-pantaloons!
no subject
Date: 2009-09-02 04:52 pm (UTC)I have always wondered *why* Steampunk focuses on just the Victorian Industrial revolution, when really, I think it could easily expand to the Manifest Destiny ideals as well.
Granted, that's not to say that cowboys didn't exist in the early 1900's. But you're right - everyone always takes on some role of city dweller. What about the farmers? The trains men? The mountaineers?
On that note, I am now going to create a steampunk mountain man. What does he have to do with steam or the expanding ideology of the genre? I'm not sure yet, but he's certainly going to be more worthy than the Gibson Girl Sunday Park walker type with gears thrown on her skirt for good measure.
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Date: 2009-09-02 05:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-02 09:56 pm (UTC)So 20s!
Does this even count as lolita? I dunno, lolita clothing is always so cute...these clothes are beautiful.
Also, don't forget the Deadwood stereotype about frontier women; HOORS. haha.
I recently bought a discard book from the library...I think it's Time Life's book called The Women, which is basically a ton of accounts and photographs of women who were moving out west. It's just as you say. Good, honest women, smudged faces and practical clothing, setting a formal dinner down on a shipping crate or something so her husband could have a decent meal along the Oregon trail.
Hee! I like it.
To make an essay out of a comment, I'd say people are more into steampunk because it's FUTURE-Y! In the past! Haha. Even though it's really old fashioned too.
I've decided I like Candyfuture, which I've been reading about on Doe Deere's blogazine...it's shiny and pastel and has rocketships and unicorns. :D
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Date: 2009-09-03 02:46 am (UTC)Wow, that sounds like The Future: Brought to you by Lisa Frank ;p
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Date: 2009-09-03 03:06 am (UTC)of course, i always did like Lisa Frank as a kid...
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Date: 2009-09-03 12:22 am (UTC)In high school, when I wore all those long black skirts, I had a couple of pairs of snug stirrup pants and I wore those until they were so ratty they had to be thrown out :<
YOU KNOW WHAT I REALLY WANT? JERSEY TIGHTS WITH FEET. Like leggings material...only full-on hose. They only make them in children-size! MY legs get cold too dammit.
LOL STIRRUP PANTS
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Date: 2009-09-03 02:42 am (UTC)True, most Steampunk is Anglo-centric, but--
Date: 2009-09-03 02:48 am (UTC)Last one for tonight, I swear!
Date: 2009-09-03 02:51 am (UTC)