Give Your Costume a Steampunk Makeover

Often times, Renaissance fairs have themed costume days during the season. Steampunk, as a costume genre, is becoming one of the biggest trends at Renaissance fairs. Since Renaissance enthusiasts are usually fascinated by history, it’s no surprise that the two go hand in hand. This year, if you’re attending a steampunk day, but want to save money on a costume, I’m going to show you how to give an old costume a steampunk makeover by adding a few accessories and simple modifications.

Digging through my old costumes, I came across this gypsy costume which is currently on sale on the website (here). To begin with this project, I created a collage on Polyvore to gather my ideas.
I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on this outfit so I purchased a couple of versatile craft items for this project to use for all the elements of my costume. Luckily, the costume I had already came with a lot of accessories including a head and hip scarf and a built-in corset design.

To begin, I replaced the gold ribbon bow with a long strip of faux leather to give the costume a darker look. I created a brooch using gears that I purchased from the craft store and pinned it onto the hip scarf. I also added a few small gears along the bottom edges of the hip scarf to add detail the look. To emphasize the look, I added a pair of black steampunk goggles (here) over the costume’s matching headscarf and a pair of lace gloves. I finished the costume with a pair of riding boots that I own and here’s the final look.

Now I’m ready for steampunk day at the Renaissance fair! If you want to give your look more details, you can always add a leather utility belt with pouches to the outfit or an underbust corset in a black or brown tone. Have you ever given an old costume a steampunk makeover? If so, please share your tips in the comments section below!