Snapshots from Gaslight Steampunk Expo 2022

The first weekend of October I had the supreme pleasure of attending this year’s Gaslight Steampunk Expo.  I was invited to present four slide-history talks. This year, I focussed on the theme of the event, Halloween!  So I presented talks on The Femme Fatale, Victorian/Edwardian Fancy Dress, The Winchester Mystery House, and a brief history of Halloween.

Assiut Head to Toe

Photographer Alisha Westerfeld and I chose to wear assiut head to toe on the Saturday of the Expo.  My goal for 2022 is to wear this amazing assiut robe to every event I attend through the end of the year.  So far, I’m making it happen.

For this event, I decided to skip a dance belt for ease of movement. My base layer is a long-sleeve tee shirt and leggings to make this robe comfortable for all-day wear. Alisha paired her decadent assiut tabard with a long slinky skirt. It was a serious blast to be so dramatic, sparkly, and still comfortable!

 

Gilded Age Assiut Vest

One of the projects for the upcoming book on costuming with assiut is this dapper assiut vest. My long-time friends Nancy and Jim joined me in this current book. Nancy and I collaborated on the embellishment of this ready-made vest similar to this one.  We used a pieced hand-stitched applique technique and swapped out the buttons.  Jim Hay styled his vest with pants, a coat, and an amazing top hat. In this outfit, Jim could keep up with Carnegie, Vanderbilt, or Rockefeller!

Clockwork Alchemy

My next steampunk-themed event will be Clockwork Alchemy, April 7-9 in San Mateo California. I look forward to bringing some super-nerdy history slide talks to this event.

Now I’m off to clean my studio to prepare for my next wave of costuming for the upcoming book.
Have a fantastic and creative day,
~ Dawn Devine ~ Davina
October 14, 2022