Friday, November 20, 2009

Steampunk Themed Cosplay at TusCon

A citizen journalist/blogger wrote about TusCon, a sci-fi, fantasy and horror convention that took place in Tucson over the weekend--this year with a Steampunk theme. This was her first con, so she shared her discovery.

“I admit while I am a die-hard sci-fi/scary book and Star Trek fan, I have not ever attended a convention for their genres.

“This little convention has a 36-year history and has usually been small with no advertising and is mostly centered on the literary arts. This year they had authors, panels and readings...an art show... dealers, movie screenings, anime, computer gaming, and CosPlay.

“I mostly saw costumes that were kind of western, kind of futuristic and didn’t understand why at the time…CosPlay is short for 'costume play' or in other words dressing up with an opportunity for role play. This year they had a CosPlay competition with a steampunk theme. Steampunk? What the hec is that?

“Just then I came across…Gary Hayes, all 6 feet 6 inches of him, in steampunk attire… I asked him, okay, what the hec is steampunk. He asked if I had ever read Jules Verne. Of course! Or seen the Wild Wild West series or movie. Yes! Well, that’s steampunk – futuristic western themes. Ahhhh. (If you have never read Jules Verne, you better get on it).”

In an earlier post to our costume blog entitled “You Might Be a Steampunk”, we explained that storylines and characters that fit in the genre come from the era when steam power was still prominent. The written works of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne are central to the subgenre, but themes found there have been played out in anime and manga, film and role playing games, among other places.

Our Southern Gentleman costume would be a good fit, especially if accessorized with shiny brass retro-futuristic gadgets! Or we can always create a custom costume to your specifications....

Labels: cosplay costumes, Custom Costumes, Custom Steampunk costume