Saturday Steam: Epbot Reader Costume Gallery!

In one week I'll be at MegaCon here in Orlando, glowing it up as Lady Vadore. EEEEEE!! I know I've worn the mask and corset twice now, but I'm still ridiculously nervous. And excited. I'm, like, nerv-ited.

I've been making minor adjustments to my costume this weekend, from replacing my tusks (how often do you hear a girl say that?) to jazzing up my cane. I've also added a small microphone and speaker, so maybe I can shout less and be heard more this time. :)

John and I will be at the con all three days, so feel free to tweet me if you'd like to find us to say hi. I'm still working out which day I'll be in costume, but I'm hoping it will be the latter half of Saturday, so I can see Wil Wheaton's panel in the morning. Depends how well I can manage to truck the costume in and change there at the center. I need John's help to get into the corset, so THAT should be interesting. (My kingdom for a companion bathroom!) Anyway, I'll be sure to bring plenty of Epbot and Vader-riding-a-My-Little-Pony pins, so just track me to down to claim one!

Since I'm working on *my* costume, I thought it'd be fun to show off a bunch of *your* costumes for today's roundup. These are all Epbot readers, and I believe everyone here made and/or assembled their costumes themselves, so this should be great costume inspiration as well as a fun way to put faces with a few of your fellow readers.

Heeeere weeee gooooo!

Let's start off with Caitlin S. and her guy at Otakon:

Love it. Love it all.

And Signe A. as a steampunk Jedi:

Adam H. with two of his mates in Salem, MA:

Aw yeah, men in goggles. Am I right, or am I right?

My iPhoto just ate the name of this file, so I'm not sure which of you lovelies sent it in. Sorry! Still, I have to show you these amazing back packs:

 I'm especially smitten with the clockwork wings. WANT.

(Again, let me know if this is you!)

[Update: Helen tells me that's Joe Hernandez of Penny Dreadful Productions, the steampunk production group I've admired for years. Still not sure on the winged lady, though!]

Julia C. not only made herself an entire steampunk Wonder Woman ensemble:

She also made costumes for her entire group!

That's Green Lantern, Hulk, and Wolverine with Julia, and she tells me she was sewing for weeks to get all the costumes ready.

You've got to see all the detail on Julia's chest plate, though - it's my favorite part:

GORGEOUS.

Here's Carrie R., looking dapper:

And Amanda G. as a steampunk Riddler!

Photo by iM photography

I would wear Allison O.'s costume all day, any day - convention or no!

LOVE. 

I'm such a sucker for poofy skirts and boots.

Scott N. makes a deeLIGHTful steamy Buzz Lightyear:

 SO AWESOME.

And check out Jessica W. as a glammed up Captain America:

She even painted that parasol herself!

Keila K., looking sweet:

...with a gigantic gun strapped to her back. Hee!

In fact, let's take a closer look at that gun:

Niiice. I'm digging that leather detailing!

Ok, just a few more:

Here's Kristen B. and her hubby at their very first convention - a steampunk convention!

She put both outfits together, and check out the sweet hair piece she made, too:

Meagan W. makes a kick-ass steampunk mechanic:

Mrowr.

And finally, here's Sjöfn, whose name is beyond awesome even though I have no idea how to even BEGIN to pronounce it:

I love her costume to death, but I think I love Sjöfn's pose even more. SO CUTE.

Well, I hope you enjoyed, and that this helped any of you looking to make the leap into steampunk cosplay yourself!

*******

Ah, but wait, I have one more thing to share!

Part of the reason I'm sprucing up my Vadore costume is because after MegaCon I'll be shipping it off to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where it will be placed on display in a museum for the entire summer! (I KNOW, RIGHT?!) 

The Sawyer Home, part of the Oshkosh Public Museum.

Being asked to be part of an exhibit like this was a huge honor, and I can't even tell you how excited I am.

Anyway, I mention this because the museum is looking for more rayguns and steampunk accessories to include in their exhibit, so they've asked me to help spread the word. "Accessories" include any and everything from goggles to USB drives to masks, bags, or flasks. Shipping will be reimbursed by the museum, and your item will be returned after the exhibit closes in September. The museum will credit you with a plaque next to your item, so you makers out there could see this as a form of free advertising. (I believe they'll credit websites, as well.)

If you have something you'd like considered, e-mail a photo of your item(s) to Mike Breza, the museum's assistant director. (He's a cool guy. Tell him I sent you.) His e-mail is mbreza [at] ci.oshkosh.wi [dot] us.

Ok, NOW I 'm done. Happy Saturday, everyone!