Nothing Like A New Hat

In order to start your steampunk look you have to begin collecting the right items to modify whether they be goggles, weapons or articles of clothing.  I started in earnest with one of the most basic things, a top hat.  This goes in line with what I envision when I think about making a steampunk outfit.  A basic black top hat can be modified with a leather hat band that has gears or some type of metal/mechanical pieces added to give it a sort of petrochanicle look.  I have decided to opt for a modified set of goggles to be worn around my top hat to give it the steampunk look I'm going for.

The best advice I can give anyone who might be trying to make their own outfit for whatever occasion is to try to invest the least money initially as possible.  This is usually easier said than done but trying to stick to thrift stores, yard sales or even postings on Craig's List can help you save a lot of cash that you can better spend on things that may not be able to be found second hand.  Paints and some types of hardware that may be needed to help with your project will normally have to be bought new so I try to save as much as I can on everything else.

I purchased my top hat almost one year ago right after the Halloween season was over with from a specialty store, Spirit, that is only open during that time of year.  My brother and his wife had just moved out of state and their old townhouse was just around the block from the costume store that was having huge markdowns since the season was over with.  The polyester hat that I bought is not necessarily the highest quality head gear you can find but it looks good and I'm not worried much about experimenting with it since I don't have a lot of money tied up in it in the first place.  For right now it is simply a black hat but once I start adding more stuff to it there should be a distinct look achieved.