Is It Steampunk? Week 3: PVC Bustle Skirt

It's time to play Is It Steampunk?  It's the game where I post a picture of a real product for sale and you tell me if it's actually Steampunk or just another imitator.  Use the voting buttons at the bottom of the post to tell me if it is Stone-Cold Steam (Steampunk) or the Sahara Desert (Not Steampunk). Let's get started.

This week's product is by Etsy user GothicBurlesque and is called a "Slick Pvc Bustle Skirt STEAMPUNK Goth BURLESQUE."  It sells for $60.00 on Etsy 176 customer reviews with an almost 5-star average rating.

How about it Steampunkers?  Is It Steampunk?  Click those voting buttons or sound off in the comments below.  If not Steampunk, how would you describe it?

Sewor Steampunk Watch Review

I came across another unfamiliar watch brand on Etsy so I decided to do some snooping around. This particular watch was posted by user SchimmelsShop out of Gilbert, Arizona, USA. The watch has 1,036 reviews as of this posting and almost all of them are 5-Star.  I found this a little suspicious so I looked through the reviews and found that the reviews appear to be legit. A couple of the users complained that the leather band felt "Cheap" but for $35 they were okay with it and still gave it at least 4 stars.

The brand Sewor is a Chinese company (Which makes sense given that their brand name reads like Sewer).  Something must have been lost in translation.  Apart from Etsy in the United States, very few websites carry the brand. However, they are quite popular on Alibaba and Aliexpress, and you'll pay less than half the cost per unit.  Of course, you might have to buy at least 10. Etsy has become littered with resellers of Chinese products lately, which can be a good or bad thing. You're likely to pay less for a decent product (Even if you could get it cheaper elsewhere), but the point of Etsy is to be a marketplace for handmade or at least somewhat unique products that are not manufactured in bulk.

Doesn't this go against that very principle? I find it ironic when Steampunk items in particular are sold in mass quantities, eschewing the point of the genre: idolizing a simpler time with unique products that were singularly made for you. Is this unrealistic for the average consumer? Sure. But that doesn't mean we have to buy the same thing every Tom, Dick, and Jane are buying. At the very least, if someone's going to sell a product like this on Etsy, I would hope they would change the band for something they hand made. If you're going to go the commercial route, you might as well buy it for $15 on Aliexpress.

Trevor's Rating of the Sewor Watch: 80% (For a standard Chinese-made Steampunk-influenced watch that can be bought for $15 somewhere else. Please exercise those fingers and do a quick google search. An informed consumer will drive down prices on all products).

Steampunk Coat Review

This great jacket is billed as a brown black cropped jacket with brass details.  The seller is TalismanaDesigns, hailing from my rainy homeland, Oregon.  

From the seller: "I am using an enzyme technique with the fabric and it's taking on a fabulous antiqued leather effect that emphasizes the seams and detail stitching. Has that Pre-Post-Apocalypse appeal. Will be enhanced by dustings of playa, or general hard living. Raw edges for outlaws, space cowboys, and airship pirates. 

Looooong sleeves, slightly flared and scalloped, they'll likely come down to your knuckles. When I'm working I cuff them back. The back comes down into a subtle flattering curve. The zipper stops at your cleavage with a slight keyhole effect. To get warm and cozy you use the stylee cross-over collar. Really nice high neck. 

One of my inspirations for this design was to have something for the dancefloor. It's warm enough, especially in crucial sleeves and neck, to take care of you on festival nights - but streamlined enough to carry or tie at your waist once the bass drops and you start sweating. I've named it the Libra Coat. As a Libra, I like all my choices available. This is the perfectly balanced coat. It does as much of the work as possible of a big coat, in the sleekest ninja package."

Personally, it reminds me of something I might find one of the characters in my books wearing. Almost post-apocalyptic but decidedly Steampunk.

Trevor's Rating of the Steampunk Coat: 92% (For a great looking coat that looks durable and functional, all at the low price of $58.00)

Be sure to tune in this Friday for another edition of "Is It Steampunk?"

Is It Steampunk?

Is It Steampunk? You Decide. Every Friday I post a picture and link to a product that is actually for sale. This product is billed as "Steampunk." But is it really Steampunk? That's up to you! Use the voting buttons below each post to log your opinion.  Is it "Stone-Cold Steam," or drier than the "Sahara Desert?"

Week 7 (3/6/2015): Steampunk Dust
Week 6 (2/28/2015): Steampunk Owl Sculpture
Week 5 (2/20/2015): BDSM Bondage Collar (Steampunk)
Week 4 (2/13/2015): Steampunk Rat Ornament
Week 3 (2/6/2015): PVC Bustle Skirt
Week 2 (1/30/2015): Steampunk Spats by J Souza
Week 1 (1/23/2015): Upcycled King Louie Costume