Lizbit: I grew up in a small town, where my sister and I used to love playing characters in the forest around our home. My parents have always encouraged us to pursue our interests, and raised us to be strong women. My father is a collector and a tinkerer, he especially likes old radio’s, vehicles and clocks, while my mother is quite the art lover and history buff. I think this is why I am so drawn to Steampunk.

To me, Steampunk embodies a place and time that we accidentally skipped through, or maybe where we will end up… It’s about taking the old, and creating functional pieces, that are as beautiful to look at, as they are useful. Steampunk is about being socially and technologically advanced. Blending Old World ideas of morality and courtesy, while allowing women to be just as, if not more staunch than their male counterparts. Adding to its allure, there is magic and mystery with space aged gizmos.

Lizbit: Lady Mechanika is a character and story created and illustrated by Joe Benitez, and is available through Aspen Comics, inspired by the Steampunk genre.

She was found by local authorities in England, surrounded by corpses, and body parts. Her limbs had been amputated, and replaced with mechanical ones. She has no memory of her former life, so has built herself a new one. She is now a private detective, using her unique limbs and abilities, to solve cases that the police can’t, or wont.

“Lady Mechanika is about a young woman’s search for her own identity as she solves other mysteries involving science and the supernatural.” – Joe Benitez Official Website.

Lizbit: I get my inspiration for the costumes from the genre itself. Steampunk characters are the funniest outfits to make, because there is a beautiful mix of antiquated garments, as well as endless possibilities for accessories. My rule of thumb when creating a new character, or outfit, is that it must have at least one piece of leather, metal (jewelry, clocks, rivets etc.) and a lot of layers. I usually start with a corset and bloomers, and go from there. I also keep in mind that the most popular choice of fabric for the era is leather or silk, because those are fabrics that would withstand the journey through time. When making jewelry for a character it’s helpful to base what you’re making on something living, like a beetle, or making something in metal after an accessory that is typically fabric, like a chain link bow tie.

Lizbit: I am currently working on an original Steampunk project with Ken Nash, and have two other outfits ready for wear.

This particular Steampunk cosplay is very special to me. I love Joe’s character, and wanted to do her justice. His series is full of Steampunk pieces, which were the inspiration for these costumes. The brown outfit was my first attempt at sewing, since a Sailor Pluto costume at age 12. I almost lost an eye and my mind sewing the leather underbust. Thank goodness for YouTube and a lesson from my Love’s mom.

Ken had the goggles, and my partner gave me the gun, which helped tie the whole look together. Neither are a necessity for Steampunk, but they sure are fun to play with.

Steampunk is a very fun theme to cosplay because there are so many options! You get to mix soft and luxurious fabric with very structured articles, which create the posture and feel of the Victorian era. The more layers the better, which allows the cosplayer to have full creative freedom over how much or little they show, and it is a really cool base to start an original character from. What other genre could get away with mixing top hats, corsets, bustle skirts and brass ?