Kerry’s steampunk burlesque bustle
Kerry approached me after the talk on historical underwear I gave back in February, wanting a Steampunk-inspired bustle based on my 1870s bustle petticoat to use in her burlesque performances. After nailing down design ideas, we had lots of fun picking fabric. Because Kerry is using this for performances, and needs to be able to have it cleaned frequently, we went for synthetics instead of natural fibres. Together we found a really nice, heavy, bronze-coloured satin: It is being contrasted with a truly lovely rayon with slightly irregular black and silver stripes: The whole outfit is about contrasts: shiny with matte, stiff with flowy, structured with draping, masculine and feminine. Steampunk is the perfect foil for these contrasts, as steampunk is all about the contrast between modern technology and the less industrial, handmade aesthetic of pre-assembly line days. There are lots of fun things going into the bustle: And as the obvious follow on to that: I hope you enjoyed all the sneak peeks! On Saturday for my finished project I’ll show you the completed …