Fashion Show Stories
Some character stories from the last Fashion show...
Lady Aurora
The Seamstress repairing the fabric of the dimensions by realigning the warp and weft of interdimensional space.
The Portal at Steampunk HQ has malfunctioned! This has trapped some members of the subversive group, The Entities, in this dimension with us and Lady Aurora is also trapped here. She has been seeking power pods that were left scattered throughout the Dimensions by The Masters in eons past. She must also locate The Travellers who are hiding in this dimension and hopefully this timeline, to tell them that The Portal is broken and they need to repair it.
This knowledge has been a closely guarded secret and must remain so if there is to be any chance of The Entities being defeated.
Currently there is a war going on between the two factions; The Entities favour harvesting Fossil, which will see the ultimately destruction of this system whilst The Masters advocate the harnessing of Electromeck, a sustainable system that will ensure the survival of the human species.
The Portal uses a mix of Fossil and Electromeck. Fossil is the initial energy used to kick start the system into its electromeck self-sustaining maintenance mode. Lady Aurora must find and lock in at least one electromeck power pod and thus swing the balance towards electromeck, forever locking it as the default ongoing energy source for this dimension.
However, not all the pods are created equal... some are pure fossil power supplies, some are electromeck, and others are dangerous, entirely psychomeck devices whose true functions have been lost to us. Regardless, unless Lady Aurora succeeds in finding at least one useable, functional power pod, this dimension faces a catastrophic re-alignment and all devices, both electromeck and fossil, will cease to function.
Madiline De'Jarden
I am Madiline De’Jarden, or Madi for short. Although almost no-one calls me by that, they say it is improper to shorten someone’s name like that.
I am a young lady from the town of La Rochelle. My family is rich thanks to my father who is a famous inventor (he tells me he will build a time machine one day)
The De’Jarden’s have long been known for having extravagant garden parties in their 17th century manor house “Jarden de plantes” courtyard.
Personally I am not so interested in them; there are far too many rules regarding one’s behaviour in these kinds of social gatherings; stand up straight, wear the proper attire, talk to everyone, don’t pull faces at Madame D‘Void.
If my father ever really does build a time machine I plan to use it to get out of here, travel to the future to a time when hopefully society will have rid themselves of these ridiculous rules and laws.
I think myself quite a rebel for scheming like this, I wonder if it will ever lead to anything…
Countess Von Twickensime/Naughty Nellie
Its a warm Saturday in early July, 1897, and the Countess is out for her morning walk in the sunlit dew, smelling the roses and and vaporizing the rabbits that keep keep digging up the lawn. Its going to be another lovely day at Eaglehurst today.
The next thing the Countess sees a hot air balloon fly over towards the beach. Oh my goodness, she says, Nellie the laundry maid asked to go to the seaside today....now what was it. Oh yes Shortys Seaside Soiree.
The countess returned to the house... calling Nellie..Nellie.. where is that girl. The Countess went up stairs to look out the tall window only to see Nellie going across the paddock. ..Oh my that Nellie is a trick she is in her bathing costume already! and what on earth does she have on her feet....oh dear!
Nellie had a great day at the beach....meeting new people playing Quoits ,the horseshoe game, posing on the rocks...digging in the sand. Then it was the fashion show...Oh Nellie won.. such a surprise for so much fun.
She was having such a good time that she had forgotten how late it was. The sun was starting to set and a very tired Nellie found her laundry bag and put her bucket and spade in it and those funny fin shoes in it too and wearily went home.
The Countess saw how late Nellie was...such a trick of a girl and so late, I shall have to banish her to the laundry for the night...naughty Nellie.
Nellie was exhausted...but very very happy...because if Nellie can anyone can .she won the trophy for being heself ...and if you can hear that...
That is a very Naughty Nellie snoring in the laundry.
Professor Effie B. Itch..
Professor Effie B. Itch was once a leading scientist at the Bolshevik Military Asylum , Hacker Knackeroff . She was known by her collegues for her assuming airs of pod snappery and relentless egotism….............
Always feeling the need to eliminate the breeding of rogue canines, she was extremely efficient at luring and capturing the less fortunate with her wunderbar fitch snitcher !.
Armed with a brace of weapons of mass destruction, she effortlessly executed an astonishing journal of conquests. However, one dark dreary night she was to make the biggest mistake of her life!!!! Armed with her Arkansas toothpick and being quicker than greased lightning, the deed was done!
Her beloved, the esteemed and revered , Colonel Stormy Wrigglebottom was no longer Entire ! The poor Colonel was mortified and wanted to hang up his fiddle right there and then! To try and make amends, Effie vowed to wear his image as a reminder of the darstly deed. After much collie shangling that night, and a good old batty fang upon Effie, they both fell into bed exhausted.
Suffering long and hard from lack of bedroom intimacies they decided to adopt. Searching far and wide they fell in love with Princess Mocha Chi Chi Von Fluffbum , a classy little chihuahua from the Bohemian backblocks of Central Europe. They devoted their entire lives spoiling the young Mochachichi. Her latest acquisition being a rather splendid hot air balloon. She then sailed away to go mafficking on the boulevards of Paris
Trixie Teardrop Malone – The LibrarianTrixie Malone was born in Dublin in 1837 when the Great Queen came to power. Her father, captain of the Pirate Airship "African Queen", took her to England to escape the famine.From him she learned her greatest lesson.....that books were more precious than all his treasure chests. She was young when the Time Wars took her father and such was her devotion to him that it broke her in two. The scar of her sorrow is forever etched on her face and she became Trixie Teardrop Malone.She inherited "African Queen", built her Ocularium to show her what she sought, and her time device to transform books safely into the aether of knowledge.She travelled, broken hearted, protected only by a weapon powered by her father's magical timepiece, two enchanted Dragon Eggs and her Animal Familiar "Draga Zot". her only solace the books she was able to save from the terrible destruction waged on them by the time wars. Other travelers came to know her as "The Librarian"Such was her compassion that a gift was bestowed upon her by the "Great Doctor of Legend and Time"....a magical clockwork heart which eased the pain of others by collecting their teardrops, keeping them safe until enough time time passed that they became part of her own heart.He said her burden could only be eased by one who would willingly share another's pain without coercion, so she travels the corridors of time, seeking her books and the one who could give her the love she desires. But he is never to be found, for he is searching for her, in another Galaxy, in another time, as his heart too slowly fills with teardrops.
Fire Angel number 7
On watch, stationed in the Fire Brigade’s Dirigible( airship) high above the city, is Fire Angel number 7.
This highly trained volunteer, keeps watch over the bustling city below– on the lookout for any distress signals.
Any cries below of ‘FIRE' or ‘HELP‘, will have a quick response from our Fire Angel.
With the alarm bells ringing on the airship, our volunteer straps himself to his kit and starts opening the mechanical wings, before leaping off the deck . The control handle turns to adjusts the shape of the wings to allow for controlled descent. With a bit of skill and adrenaline he shoots downwards.
With the narrow streets and alleyways of the bustling city, the fold away design of the angel wings, can swoop and land into the tightest of alleys.
With a quick release from this wing’s, he is able to enter the burning building and liberate any distressed persons within seconds of the alert raised.
#7 can rescuing souls in distress by breaking down doors of the burning building , and carrying them out to safety.
When the ground based fire fighters arrive and take over, he is able to use the thermal upwinds to glide back up to the airship like a handglider, or use the tethered rope and pulleys, like an elevator, to get back up to the airship.
With his amazing vantage point, high about the city, Fire Angel #7 continues his watch of protection.
The Aethermaid
Ladies and Gentlemen – roll up roll up, come and see the 8th wonder of the world! Come and see for the first time ever in captivity, the close cousin to the mermaid of the seas, the stunningly beautiful but incredibly deadly Aethermaid!
The bedevilment of the dirigible, the curse of the captain, the agony of the aircrew, the visitation of the viscount, she lives in the Sky Kraken’s domain. Flying from cloud to cloud, this sinister beauty will seduce the helmsman, lure the zeppelins closer to the jagged mountain tops, and draw them deeper into the impending storm, just because she wants to collect some more shiny buttons or baubles.
Don’t be fooled by her crown of seashells – this was gifted from her mermaid cousins, when she and the sky Krakens visited their water-borne relatives. Note the devilish claws, which she uses to cling to the airship hulls, and shred the sails, to wave in the breeze, and to pick off the shiny cogs and rivets. She uses these to decorate her tail.
Watch this stunning siren, and her captivating shimmy, her beguiling dance, that mesmerises the midshipman, and spellbinds the skipper – but be careful not to fall under her spell! (Ladies, you may want to cover your man’s eyes about now to break her spell!)
Go now, and spread the news, tell everyone to come and see what you have seen - this fiendish Femme Fatale,
the Aethermaid.
Mortimer Merriweather (SUPREME WINNER 2017)
Opportunistic Lunar Safari Guide.
Are you tired of gasping, when in the stratosphere? Or just plain breathless in the Ionosphere? You have enough to think about, when your airship is up at such a lofty height. Now you can breathe easy, with Dr. Gattling’s celebrated, indefatigable .. . . . Survival Apparatus for Vacuum Exclusion - S.A.V.E , (trade mark, patent Pending). Nature abhors a vacuum, and Dr. Gattling is none too keen about vacuum either. Keep that vacuum OUT.
With the aid of Dr. Gattling’s proven sleeve and trouser-cuff clamps, to keep what's in, in and keep what's out, out; and also with the help of the impervious tight-weave jump-suit, complete with viewing-cap, (pause) and air supply. Carefully pumped air . . (pause) .. . . is provided by ample, air-balls . . .(pause) . . . . providing fresh breaths for, oooh, about an hour, give or take. . . .
The wearing of the optional Dr. Gattling’s “Never-wind”; “Seen in the dark” timepiece is highly recommended, for this essential task. .. (pause) . . One hour is plenty of time (nervous grin) to take in the views; take on air-pirates on your terms or just gaze over the horizon; .. (pause) . . .waaay over the horizon . . . .The generous viewing-cap, allows one to don appropriate headwear, since a gentleman never leaves his base, without a hat.
CAUTION: Please be sure to scratch your nose BEFORE wearing this suit, as that will be impossible, once the suit is on.
The Seamstress
You will have met our next visitor in your younger days – not that you will remember! So let me tell you her story...
She is The Seamstress.
You have no doubt heard the proverb “A stitch in time saves nine”. In reality, this isn’t about sewing at all, but about time itself!Let me explain – the first thing anyone does as soon as they discover time travel is to travel back in time to visit their younger selves, to tell them the secret to perfecting time travel, or the next big invention to invent, or the winning lotto numbers – don’t tell me you haven’t done that, I know you have! But none of you considered what huge holes these shenanigans rip into the fabric of time, affecting not only your own timestream, but those of everyone around you, and for at least nine generations to come. You’d end up meeting people you shouldn’t have met, but missing people you should have met, everything alters, and sends tears throughout the fabric of time.
So The Seamstress is there to pull it all back together, carefully trimming away the memories of the meeting (small scissors for little jobs, large scissors for big jobs!), neatly sewing the edges back together (note the handy hat mounted sewing machine!), creating an almost seamless transition (ever felt like you’ve lost an hour or two of your day??)
so that by the time she has finished, you won’t remember your older self’s visit at all, or even the visit from the seamstress. She is then away again, locating the next tear in time, and heading off to repair the damage done by the next miscreant time traveller.
Does she get any thanks for this, keeping the threads of time from unravelling? Of course not – well, no-one remembers who she is or why she is there!
She is just – The Seamstress.
Professor Tha Nyew
Professor Tha Nyew is working on a new prototype.
She hopes her gadget will help solve one of the world’s most pressing problems – the housing shortage.
This is an issue close to her heart, as she grew up in an over-crowded apartment block.
This will be the Aggrandizer’s first test, and if successful, it will create a new, larger object in the shape of the original.Having donned her safety gear, Krayzia carefully prepares the machine, and then sets it in motion. …
She waits apprehensively.
No explosions this time!
She excitedly goes to the machine, checks it, then carefully opens the door of the results box …
The Countess Alexandrina Isabella Vladevescu
slips easily through any time dimension as she is the sister of Dracula. She flies at great speed over long distances in a very short time. Call for her assistance from any time continuum and she will be there almost instantaneously!
Sandy is a Victorian historian researching those buried in the Paupers Plots at Dunedin’s Northern Cemetery from 1873. She slipped into a time warp continuum and morphed into two sisters, The Countess from Romania and her sister, the Lady Alexandra Mary Leask from Scotland.
Their parents were fairly mobile!
This was the Countess’s first costume and it created her steampunk name. Her son’s 40th birthday was on Hallowe’en, 2014 and celebrated with a Hallowe’en Fancy Dress party. Sandy arrived as Dracula’s sister!
The top has rose trim attached with safety pins for ease of removal. The jacket, petticoat and skirt were purchased off Trade Me. The rose trim is featured again on the skirt and is removable. The wool top hat was purchased at a half price Boxing Day sale. The scarf was already in the current wardrobe. The fob watch is a family heirloom and still goes and the key to wind it up is here. The bow and medal was a Christmas Gift from Lady Rose Thorne. The flat shoes make walking long distances easy and the matching rose trim is super glued on the front.
So on 31 October 2014 at 7pm, Sandy Cleary became The Countess Alexandrina Isabella Vladevescu
The Countess uses mind power, hypnotic eyes, speed and an 1886 ladies hand pistol for defence. She has sharp teeth too!!! She is great to have on your side!
Commodore Ranier Hawke
Born in 1590 to a very rich family and sent to school at Oxford for a little ...programming, he naturally he ran away to sea at 19 intent on making a name for himself (preferable a name with more than one syllable)
Signing on as an emigrant to The Jamestown colony of Virginia he boarded The Sea Venture in early 1609, he was wrecked along with 500 others during a hurricane near Bermuda.
Renier ws flung from the poop deck into the swirling sea. Most would be lost but as luck would have it this young man knew how to swim and with the help of some flotsam he managed to stay afloat for 2 days.
Unfortunately he was miles from land and any other ship...EXCEPT.... the one floating above him. There ...in the sky... yes, up there was a thingy.......long and kinda lumpy thingy... making throbbing noises. To his surprise a rope appeared from what was obviously the bow of the thing and he was whisked from his watery fate to a world of wonder.
The deck of the Flag Ship Merchant Lucretia of the Merchants Of the time travelling tea trade was a wonder to behold for a lad from York.
But this is the very deck that Ranier Hawke would eventually walk as the Commodore of the fleetTravelling time and space with The Merchants fleet buying and selling the most exotic of produce for the most discerning of of customers.... Yourselves of course,
The Costume.............................................
Hat: real leather.
Merchants Captain flight insignia on front,
Hawk feather for luck.Jacket: Taken from a pirate who thought he was faster than the Lucretia.
Web belting: hand made including the buckels which supports the modified 1862 Remmington shock pistol.
The powder horn: for jellybabies .
And the short knife/ walking stickBoots: are tight and light for swashbuckling action.
Rifle:..A Hawke Raptor sonic neuraliser plus others
Baron Albert Thistledome Fiennes
(I'll bet this’ll do me fine)
The Baron, an Airship magnate of note as well as gad about.....sorry that is cad about town is the industrialist that developed the Idvorsky time like curve manifold, solving the self consistency principle. This allowed time travel and existing in the same time period at the same time. He bought or wheedled the patent for David Schwarz's rigid airship and by adding the manifold created the Time Specific Line of airships now known as the only luxurious way to travel through time to international destinations of worthy note.
His family motto means to pray for a brave soul, which he believes applies to others that come up against him in business. His reputation of getting what he wants from deals through means not entirely above board is well perceived. He believes the rule of law is a guideline rather than set in stone.
His tail coat and trousers were found at the $3 clothing warehouse in Christchurch for $48. A small modification was the replacement of buttons on the coat back with part of a leather belt. The boots were acquired from AliExpress and slightly coloured with gilding paste. The baron could not be without his top hat constructed of EVA foam decorated with an old tie, goggles and feathers. His trusty cane has a water tap top with a piece from an opshop candelabra on a wooden shaft.
An obvious dandy he amuses himself with indulgent diversions to his own advantage.
Best you steer clear of this Kraken like mollusc or expect peril.
The Governess
Traveling on the time specific princess line.
The governess can travel quickly to any time.
She will tend her charges with the utmost care.
But if they are ill mannered then they had best beware.
History lessons are always fun, but only if all their chores are done.
She has a bag packed with every need, for every when and where.
Created by Sharon her seamstress friend with the greatest flair.
She carries a trusty cane to guide her ways, from tomorrow's realms thru to yesterday's.
Frazer Murcock Steel Punk
You can hear the drums in the distance
Discord in the air
You can hear the drums in the distance
Witness
The Lady Falconesse has transported this lone renegade back from his Wasteland, along with a piece of his childhood.
The costume has been fashioned from the remains of the Supreme Commanders Battle Lords Monster Teapot Racing past life on the desolate speedways
The body is created out of motor cross body armour, reinforced with bulletproof vinyl
The boots are from a past life before he became a renegade fighter.The trousers are constructed from Lifetime denim, made to endure the rigours of dust-storms and numerous battles
And no renegade fighter is complete without his trusty rifle, the weapon as morphed over the years, parts cannibalized, repairs from the skins of the hunted.
Off the course
He is the fury and the force
He is the river and the source
Behold the Cerberus
Guns and gas and Gods
Chronos Captain & Miss Adventure
My Name is Captain Chronos, I have traversed the time lines of planet earth with my trusty companion “Miss adventure”.
This was all made possible when a rip in the space time continuum transported us to the time continuum's HQ in the future. They modified and trained us to be able us to travel safely through time and space.
We slip here and there in time perfectly cloaked by the temporal field assimilation unit (cunningly disguised as an army surplus pith helmet and a CD rom motor) and equiped with the Quasi nuclear positronic phase lock the device that enables time and space travel and incidentally doubles up as a stun OR VAPORISE weapon, a particularly useful feature when one is being chased by a Tyrannosaurus Rex! ( and fabricated from old Pneumatic and house hold fittings, illumination effects purchased on line)
The exoskeletal boot implants not only give one that smashing, “Devil may care!” street walk but also absorb the impact after leaping tall buildings with a single bound. (these were made from army surplus and hydraulic cylinders.Together we have witnessed truly amazing events, both in the past and the future. We never forget however, it is now our sworn duty to preserve the time lines, to observe but never be observed.
WITH THE HELP OF THE CONTINUUM
WE WILL PREVENT TIME BANDITS FROM DISTORTING THE PURITY OF THE LINE!
Professor D’Still
Professor D’Still is a French Scot - his family originally settling in France from Scotland as part of Mary, Queen of Scots Court where she spent her childhood waiting for marriage to Frances, the French King’s son and heir.
Professor D’Still hails from a long line of practicing Alchemists, with ancient texts and secret formulas handed down from Father to Son.
Born in 1820, his family later moved to Pontailer in Eastern France near the Swiss border to escape the unrest in central France.
Pontailer is well known for its Absinthe production, and it is here that he began applying his Alchemy knowledge to the production of a unique Absinthe – a special elixir of life.
Regular imbibing of this Absinthe Elixir has ensured a very long life.
The costume celebrates the Scottish ancestry of the character in the form of the Kilt, but with the addition of a Victorian bustle – a very stylised version of how a Great Kilt would sometimes be worn.
The wing-tip collar shirt and deep green velvet waistcoat ensure a very Neo Victorian look.
The Professorial Robes are distressed to represent the Alchemist history and the top hat with its miniature Absinthe Still highlights the character’s profession and is more in character than the usual Steampunk goggles.
9 0800 PLAGUE
Who you gonna call - Plague Doctors
Next on the catwalk could you please welcome time travellers, Nurse Hyperica Syringe and Dr Bubo Bagworthy accompanied by their faithful assistant Fluffy. These blundering blister blasters have been butchering buboes and busting pustules since before it was even cool.
Some may say that any man marauding through time in a mask shaped like that is definitely compensating for something. But believe me I have seen the size of his “boil lance” and it is nothing to be sneezed at. In fact sneezing at anything around these two is not recommended as they take that as an open invitation to break out their tools of the trade and get their grubby paws to work on curing your ailments (be they real or imagined).
Though their bedside manner may leave a little to be desired they are always ready to go. In this time or the next. They are never seen without their trusty needles and syringes- known to all of their patients (or should that be victims?) through the ages by all as weapons of mass extraction (of pus that is). If you’re a touch squeamish and needles aren’t your style they always come armed with their own special brand of alternative medicine. Be that some awful advice, a foul tasting tincture for you to swallow, or as a last resort a painful but quick death from their assistant Fluffy who deals with all failures and non-paying customers.
Everyone knows that grey hides the dirt. I will leave it to your imagination to ponder why these two despicable characters chose such a colour for their robes. Yes these two are to medicine what Sweeny Todd was to hairdressing. Please put your hands together and cough for our demented doctors of doom, Nurse Hyperica Syringe and Dr Bubo Bagworthy.
Agent Y-dans
Introducing Agent Y-dans (pronounced Why Dance)
Why has she chosen her Steampunk Persona as Agent Y’Dans, it’s quite simple, her name is SANDY spelt backwards AND by chance, she doesn’t like to dance!! So WHY DANCE?!
This outfit was her first in her coming out as a Steampunker. Quite a scary start, actually absolutely terrifying to dress in steampunk to an Art Gallery opening in Invercargill, of the set design for art-house N.Z. Steampunk inspired movie ‘the Ballad of Mad Dog Quinn’. Watch this space when it comes out. It started as a $5 pink top hat with intentions of painting black. However pink it became, even though she was wearing pink the first time in her life!
The costume morphed around it. A free coat redesigned with ‘Sandified’ tails and upcycling bargain purchases and gifts. As a avid Dolphinohologist, Mental Health Advocate and supporting the cause of Breast Cancer Awareness, her embellishments respresent these. Also being a Kwozzie – Australian, now Kiwi Citizenship is part and parcel of her being.
Her niche is breaking traditions and she has a unique dress style in her outfits, Certainly not feminine Victorian, and reflects her slightly offbeat eccentric humour. A bit of a oxymoron, you may say; a lady dressed as a man in pink. And a hint of emancipation, liberating herself from wearing a corset and entrapment of a long skirt. The unique attraction of Steampunk is there is no set rules on dress-code, expression of interpretation and aligned to a individuals personality.
Major Sherlock-Browne and captain Ogilvie.
Representing Her Majesty's New Munster Steam Fusiliers, I present Major Sherlock-Browne and captain Ogilvie.
These fearless chaps have only recently returned from serving their Queen and Country on the Empires most distant and Godforsaken outpost, the colony of Syrtis Major on the planet Mars.
They wear their distinctive Martian service kit which features the scarlet tunic, pith helmet, sand goggles and anti-gravitational boots. The Major is sporting his favoured sidearm, the Wembley Mk2 'Pulveriser'. Somewhat inaccurate but perfect for close order fighting. He proudly bears the Regimental colours. Captain Ogilvie is equipped with the latest Enfield, electric-arc carbine complete with gyroscopic sights and Cataclysmic Incineration capability. It is a highly effective means of persuasion when dealing with hostile and lesser types.
Still suffering from the effects of the harsh Martian sunlight, he wears special spectacles to protect his damaged eyes. The inspiration for these outfits came about when one of us spotted a scarlet tunic on the rack at the Outdoor and Army store. Everything just fell into place over time.
The tunics are cut-down Chelsea pensioner coats with epaulets and piping added by the lovely Jane from Sew Know-How. The helmets and gaiters are also care oh Outdoor and Army. The electric carbine is the creation of Warren(forgotten his last name) whilst the Wembley is a converted replica pistol. Steampunk allows us to combine our shared interest in military history and militarily and the opportunity to have FUN with like-minded 'proper' types and to return to a simpler time when the Atlas was swathed in the red of the Empire. Three cheers for the Queen!
Inspector of Nuisances. - Roscoe Dangerfield
Ladies and Gentlemen introducing; Captain Roscoe Dangerfield, Inspector of Nuisances.
Travelling through time and space using the Dangerfield removal and transfer system or DRATS for short (Patent Pending), Captain
Dangerfield tracks down nefarious villains who have inserted themselves into the wrong space time continuum.
Traditional in style but constructed by Roscoe himself of modern materials, Roscoe’s clothes help him to easily blend in regardless of the era he finds himself in.
The coachman’s coat Roscoe is wearing is made from an op-shop raincoat .
The cape is a kilt that has been cut in half and sewn on. The Gauntlets are a pair of op shop gloves extended with bits of an old handbag, braid and various found items.
Rumour has it that the Drats machine itself is made from a hacksaw handle , bits of an old kerosene lamp and a lampshade, however this is doubtful as the Drats machine is a truly inspired invention.
Ladies and gentleman rest easy this night as you know the gallant Captain Dangerfield has you covered.
