Shopping for Goggles.. Dieselpunk Style

"They Drink Tea"

Tea, a marvelous discovery for the western world. Little leaves picked at just the right moment, tossed by hand, toasted by eye to critical perfection, aged and shipped around the world to be chugged down for $4 in a paper cup on the run from an over priced chain of stores drizzled with sticky syrups and flavored non-dairy products.

The little leaf that the backs of mighty trading houses has fallen to a low. There is hope, You, yes your the one reading this so pay attention and stop thinking about searching for more top hats and corsets. Pay attention, ok now where were we, yes tea. You are bound to find yourself invited to tea or planning to host a casual tea now that you have gained access to the alternate history timelines. Many explorers and time travellers have failed to make it home for the lack of proper tea ettiquite or proper repasts at said events. Do not fail, otherwise you will never hear the end of it from your associates. This should be somewhat painless and should not take to long unless your a Colonial, yes..yes.. I mean American. 

OK, a bit of explanation will be in order I see. Tea service, is "Low" or High" tea, a reference to the tables which I am sure you can figure out. Low tea was taken in the sitting room at low tables with sofas and chairs handy.

 

High tea (or meat tea) is an early evening meal, typically eaten between 5pm and 7pm. It is now largely followed by a later lighter evening meal. High tea would usually consist of cold meats, eggs or fish, cakes and sandwiches. The America High Tea usually is referring to an afternoon tea party with various little cakes and "High" being more ones society standing than the tables it is served on.

Now that you have a bit of a clue you should be OK. Small savory and sweet items served with tea in the afternoon or early evening. Not really so intimidating or complicated when High Society is removed and you are left with a small repast amongst friends new and old.

Low Tea:

Full Tea -Tea, savories, scones, sweets 

Light Tea - Tea, scones and sweets

Cream Tea - Tea, scones, jam and cream

High Tea:

Savories - Tiny sandwiches or appetizers

Scones -  Served with jam & clotted cream 

Pastries - Cakes, sweets, cookies & shortbread

Drink Tea! ~CJ 

Come and sit with me and we'll have tea
And talk of things that were and things that are to be
Of places we will go and things that we will see

an exert from Lee Scott c 1998 Tea for Three

As a bit of history we can reportedly thank Duchess of Bedford for tea time. The Victorian lunches had gotten skimpier and skimpier and she found herself at a bit of a sinking sensation late in the afternoon. 

This started with having the servants sneak her tea and sundries but soon she invited her lady friends and upon returning from the summer in the country to London she continued the popular event. The Duchess would send calling cards around to invite friends  for "tea and a walking the fields." This was quickly picked up by other socially minded hostess.

Books & Things

Three newer additions to the Steampunk shelves at the local book stores. I will be posting more as I can get to them, several more new ones are out. Take a look at these for now and hope you can get your bibliophile fix for the week. Sad news as well, Borders Group will be closing its doors starting immediately. Good bye old friend.

The Newest from the "Parasol Protectorate" is out and selling. This is the 4th in the series with Timeless out next. A very fun read that hits the Urban Fantasy & Steampunk elements, a win, win for readers. All I have to say is "..a plague of zombie porcupines"

Behemoth follows Leviathan from Scott Westerfeld. This will attract the older as well as intermediate reader. Set in a Darwinist & Dieselpunk world at odds. Be sure to read Leviathan first, this is a good read and well worth the time.

"...Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men." 

 

The Steampunk Bible, I do not want to be too critical but I did find my hopes fall flat a little here. By far one of the best covers and tons of color pictures and some good beginner pages. Other than that I found it to be a mix of the more popular items you get goggling Steampunk and a lot of pictures from events. I will be passing on this one even for friends new to Steampunk. Back in a week or two with some new book fodder, cheers ~CJ

Steampunk & Not : The Native American Scandal

This will be a reoccurring string of posts showing examples of the best of Steampunk and the Not really Steampunk (but probably kool on it's own).

Recently I have been seeing this re-posted all over the Steampunk social community. I traced the pictures back to the Library. The Library created these ads for Australian printing company Colour Chiefs. These are some of the best add shots I have seen in a long time. Very fitting that we see a Mad Max, post apocalyptic Native American series of photos from Australia. Sorry, Not Steampunk folks its Cyberpunk at the closest. Plastic, chrome, computer circuit boards and CD discs are the antithesis to a Steampunk setting. That having been said I really would like to see a good Native American Indian outfit. On a side note:  The popular western icon that we all are familiar with (the settler vest or army jacket, wearing native chest pieces and headdress) come from the Victorian and the Edwardian time frame. The classic Native American Indian would be Steampunk with no changes by default. 

 

Thanks again and I will be posting more soon, take care. ~CJ

Venn chart of Steampunk & It's close relatives.

Steampunk and the Thrift Store

Ok, so now that you have discovered Steampunk and are getting an idea that you want to get out there and do your thing you need an outfit. Money is always the big problem but not to worry, do a little planning, rummage your closet and then head to your local thrifts stores. Basic outfits are relatively easy once you see what your going to need.

A shirt, vest, pants, shoes and a hat. These are the 5 main things you need.  I would suggest figuring out a persona you want to get the outfit for and take along some like minded friends to brainstorm with at the stores. Ransack the store and toss various items into your cart that might work. When you have a bit of a selection take some time and piece them together and try different combinations. Colors and patterns that work well with more than one piece will be a better bet for mixing and matching later when you need more outfits on the run.

    For a basic outfit a Mandarin or straight collar shirt will add a different look for you. If not a basic button collared dress shirt is a good option. Try and avoid prints and modern patterns in favor of solids, stripes or plaids.

    The vest, a basic one will do by maybe find one with pockets. You will find that you will want a pocket watch or a place to stick random items. Sturdy fabrics will hold up in the long run better than the satins and round out your look better till you go beyond the basics.

    Now to the Pants, corduroy, duck cloth (aka heavy cotton or Dickie's carpenter pants) will work well but in a pinch a pair of khakis or casual pants are just fine. If you are going to skip a vest try and find a pair of suspenders for your pants for a more Victorian look rather than a belt.
   
    Shoes first and foremost must feel good, you will find you will be heading to a Steampunk stroll or at a convention and need comfort, so get ones that fit well. Basic brown or black leather shoes (not shiny) will work, laced preferred. Ankle high boots or calf high depending on what type of outfit you want will do you right.

    The tricky find will be a hat. The thin driving hats or sometimes called golfers hats, bowler hats and top hats work great. The Driving Hats are going to be the easiest to find. For a cheap first hat they will be hard to go wrong with. 

   You should be well on your way to a basic outfit to hit your first Steampunk gathering. Steampunk does not have to be a costly hobby. On a side note to this I found a cheap set of old wire frame glasses, the kind that loop over your ear at a flea market for $3. I had lenses put in them and use them as my spare set or my main pair for events. Saved getting new frames and have vintage glasses for events. Good Luck and have fun.


 Sincerely,
~CJ