So many fashion genres and cultural interests embrace latex couture. Be it fetish parties, comic convention cosplay dress-ups, or just some celebrity wearing a latex LBD for a Hollywood award show, latex wardrobes and accessories cut across our lives in many instances. And as you have read here aplenty (and really what this blog is mostly about), we are thrilled by all these dovetailing moments.
Steampunk, a sure interest of many, and even a lifestyle for some, surely embraces latex as much, even more so, than many subcultures, interests, and design.
In this report from OtherWorld Fashion, we find the many Steampunk Festivals happening around the globe in 2025. And certainly, one can assume there will be plenty of folks attending these gatherings, from the UK, Sweden, and New Zealand to the US (and around and beyond) wearing goggles, their Victorian-era flavored dresses, many-pocketed vests….and their latex.
Taking a gander across our Steampunk Lookbook, one sees just a small amount of what could be worn when adopting the Steampunk aesthetic. Mostly considered as a subgenre of science fiction/fantasy fiction, Steampunk marries technology inspired by ‘steam’-powered 19th-century machines with fashions of the same time. It also often employs a smidgen (in some cases more than that) of a post-apocalyptic perspective.
All of it makes it perfect for latex couture.
Of course, the alt. fashion world has added all kinds of wonderful additions to the overall Steampunk aesthetic. With true Steampunk relying only on materials invented in the 19th century, one sees lots of brass and cloth, but for us latex lovers the ‘newer’ sartorial imaginings of the look is where all kinds of latex slip in among the pocket watches, parasols, goggles and waistcoats.
As popular in current popular culture as cosplay (and the two often dovetail to be sure) historical touchstones make for strong statements and as much keep this fashion, style, and fiction alive into the midway mark of this decade. Surely, we will see lots of people populating the Steampunk events coming up, as delving into the many fashions, latex and not, of this popular sensibility.
We say, let the steam rise off full imaginings far into the future.
