Hard on the heels of the release of Sarah Palin’s new book, “Going Rogue“, comes this interview with Lisa Kline, the New York stylist who bought a small fortune’s worth of clothes that later became a huge scandal during the 2008 presidential campaign. This article is a pared down version of the full interview Lisa gave to authors Shushannah Walse and Scott Conroy (“Sarah from Alaska: The Rise and Brutal Education of a New Conservative Superstar“).

A number of people who commented on the article wondered why something as “frivolous” as Palin’s vice-presidential wardrobe is worthy of news coverage. That question never arises for us, faithful readers. We already know that clothes are never simply just items made of cloth. They are symbolic of larger issues. In this case, “Wardrobegate” points up problems within the 2008 McCain-Palin Presidential campaign and with Mrs. Palin herself. The continuing news coverage of this particular misstep is both reflective of the public’s interest in reading about and dissecting the historic 2008 campaign and their interest in Sarah Palin’s national political ambitions.

So what specific problems is Wardrobegate symbolic of? Without getting into a detailed political analysis, let’s start with the McCain campaign as a whole and then move down to the candidate.

• Stylist Kline was hired at the last minute and tasked with putting together a posh wardrobe–first for Sarah and then for the entire Palin family–on a holiday weekend. The get-the-clothes-now-and-expense-be-damned approach reflects the fact that McCain put off selecting his running mate until the 11th hour. While McCain and his advisers had plenty of reasons for dithering, the fact is that announcing Sarah Palin as the vice presidential pick even a month ahead of time would have saved them considerable money and embarassment later on.
• The chain of authority and accountability was non-existent. No one took responsibility for ordering the new wardrobe or for riding herd on the budget as expenditures ballooned. This bit of mismanagement has to be laid at the feet of John McCain’s leadership style. McCain, by all accounts, preferred a non-hierarchial, improvisational structure for his organization which served him well in the past when he was running a small, underdog, insurgent campaign, but which caused major problems for the larger, more traditional campaign he was running in 2008.
• No one seemed at all concerned about saving the campaign money. Let me say that again. No one seemed at all concerned about saving the campaign money. This state of affairs is all the more unbelieveable considering how strapped for cash the McCain organization was. Yet again and again staffers thought nothing about picking up clothing items in “high end shops”. Could nobody pick anything up from Target or Fred Meyers?
• No one seemed at all concerned about how the donors’ money was being spent. If Mrs. Palin had bought a few high end suits and charged it to her own credit card, the kerfluffle might not even have made headlines. Charging the cost to the Republican National Committee made it everybody’s business. Earlier this year, the Federal Election Committee ruled that the McCain campaign did nothing illegal in charging expensive outfits to the RNC. While the campaign’s actions may not be illegal, it defies all common sense to suggest that designer duds for the personal use of the candidate are somehow reasonable expenditures that donors should pay for. As I said in an earlier post, if the Republicans can’t properly manage the money of their own contributors, how can they properly manage the public’s money?
• No one seemed at all concerned that dressing Sarah Palin in designer clothes would undermine her “Everywoman” image. Sarah Palin was being billed by the GOP as an average, working class hockey mom. It was absolutely critical that her clothes back that up. No one seemed to have understood the hypocrisy inherent in accusing one’s opponents of elitism–as Palin did during and after the campaign–while at the same time wearing expensive suits purchased from dens of elitism like Neiman-Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.
• Once the scandal broke, the campaign did not acknowledge their mistake and respond appropriately. The way the campaign handled what became a damaging story about their VP nominee was lame to say the least and again showed the campaign’s inability to stick to a message or deal effectively with problems.

So what does Wardrobegate say about Sarah Palin? As governor, Sarah had the reputation of being something of a fashion plate. Admittedly, in a state as devotedly casual as Alaska, that meant wearing red wedgies to the office instead of dress shoes or sneakers. Even so, her “fashion plate” rep wasn’t considered a liability. It was, after all, her own money and Sarah’s fondness for clothes most Alaskans couldn’t get at their local department store was just another charming idiosyncrasy in a reform-minded woman who was there to shake up the state capital.

The Palin family is often portrayed by Sarah’s supporters as poor. That is simply not the case. While Todd and Sarah started off as working class, by the time Sarah was elected governor, the Palins had managed to achieve a comfortable, upper middle class lifestyle. They had a large, beautiful lakeside house, a private plane (Piper class), and a fleet of snowmachines including a high end racer for Iron Dog champion, Todd.  Income-wise, between the two of them, the family roughly cleared about $150,000-200,000 per year. In other words, the Palins could have afforded new clothes for their ascent onto the national stage although they could not have financed the boutique items the McCain campaign decided were necessary.

Most Alaskans can’t and don’t live like the Palins. While it’s true that many Alaskans shop second-hand, most don’t frequent upscale thrift shops like Second Run (formerly Out of the Closet) in Anchorage, Alaska where Governor Palin liked to shop. And even if they did, few would plunk down $300 for a designer suit jacket. There are very few places to wear uptown attire even in urban Alaska and people are more likely to spend $300 for a good parka. Carhartt, not Valentino, is the label Alaskans look for.

Did Sarah Palin request that the McCain campaign buy her and her family designer clothes? No. Did she express concern over the cost of some of the items? Yes. Did she put a stop to the practice of purchasing high end items with donor funds? No, she didn’t. And therein lies the crux of the problem. If you aren’t willing to take responsibility for something as important as your public image and as personal as the clothes on your back, how are you going to take responsibility for the country?

Why was an otherwise savvy politician willing to place her political future in the hands of McCain operatives? And why wasn’t she better able to handle the problems caused by the dysfunctional campaign? The answers to both those questions have to do with Sarah Palin’s management style and personality.

As governor, Palin had a dislike for the nitty-gritty details of governance. A laissez-faire manager, she was inclined to leave the day-to-day decisions to her staff  with mixed results–sometimes good and sometimes with serious political consequences (e.g. Troopergate).  For a charismatic woman, Palin also had considerable difficulty throughout her career getting along with the people she worked with (staff, legislators, council members, constituents, etc.). Her ascent to a position of power was frequently followed by sturm-and-drang falling outs with former friends, supporters, and allies–most of them Republicans and conservatives.

All of these qualities came to a head during her 2008 vice-presidential run. Yes, the McCain campaign made many serious mistakes, but Mrs. Palin should have paid more attention to where the clothes were coming from and the money was going to. And once the problem was discovered, Mrs. Palin should have worked with the McCain camp to deal with the scandal in a constructive way. Unfortunately, by that point in the campaign, the McCain and Palin camps had become so alienated from each other that Wardrobegate simply became another bitter point of contention.

After all this folderol, what was the final disposition of that pricey wardrobe? At the end of the campaign, Sarah and family returned the clothes to the RNC. The items that were unworn were supposed to be returned to the retail outlets that they were purchased from. The altered items could not be returned and were supposed to be donated to charity. As of May 2009, the Washington Post reported that the RNC, while claiming that the items were no longer “sitting in plastic bags around RNC headquarters”, would not (or possible could not) account for where the clothes had been donated or how many of the items had been given to charity.

Something poisonous, but delicate. Macaw-frey’s (Flickr) Snow White-inspired wicked witch outfit was concocted for her self-portrait, but I think it makes a great–and very sinister–Halloween costume.

Welcome to what is becoming a regular feature of mine–the post-Halloween costume round-up as determined by picture uploads on the ‘Net.  As always, I’m fondest of the people who have broken the mold in some fashion. Here are a few of my favorites.

Gallagher costume by wine me up (Flickr).  For anyone who was born after the 1980s, Gallagher was a popular, stand-up comedian of the time. Part of his act was smashing watermelons with a sledgehammer, hence the melon prop in this photo. Great likeness!

My own, my precious. Gollum mask and costume by zenwithin (Flickr). His wife dressed as Frodo. Photo by Audrey Goforth.

I’ve seen a lot of Headless Horsemen costumes, but this one has to be the most elaborate. I love the way the guy’s real head does double-duty as the prop head. It looks like he had to have some help marching. Photo by jmtimages (Flickr). Taken in Austin, Texas in Oct. 2009.

Yellowmerline created this great ostrich costume (Flickr). This is a swell idea and one I think lends itself to numerous variations e.g. flamingo, etc.

A closeup of Yellowmerline’s ostrich mask, made from papier mache. The eyes are ping pong balls and the details are drawn in with ink.

This is a wonderful, low-budget superhero costume that still captures the essence of the character. Robin Girl Wonder photo by PinkGooseCalgary (Flickr).

A “concept” costume that I really liked. The heroine is tied to the railroad tracks. Photo by Jim Kiefer (kieferman) on Flickr. Taken in New York in Oct. 2009.

I saw a couple of swine flu costumes, but I think that this was the best rendition. Again, a low budget costume that conveys the main idea. Posted on Insight Marketing Design Flickr feed. Insight Marketing is an advertising company in Sioux Falls, SD and this costume was part of their Halloween party.

Now here’s something you don’t see every day–a sexy Hamlet costume. Actually, photographer Lika Kalandadze (Flickr) was just setting up a Gothic, atmospheric shot, but I like the idea of turning the characters of the Bard into Halloween costumes.

Clothesmonaut, self-appointed Commissar of Fashion, gives a little shout-out to her sister enforcers. All your fashion faux pas are belong to us!

Jilltheimpossible shows off her newly stencilled werewolf T-shirt (Craftster). She didn’t make up the quote, but she did do the shirt.

Werewolves don’t get no respect–and they don’t get any decent costumes either. Think about it.  Vampires get the all the press, the babes, and the smart yet brooding outfits. Werewolves are lucky to get second billing, if they get any billing at all, and they almost never get an attractive transformation sequence.

Let’s face it. Most werewolf costumes are just plain unattractive and clunky-looking. They don’t say “scary yet sexy wolfperson” as much as they say “I got too near a vat of latex” or “sorry, I seem to have an unfortunate body hair problem”.

This Halloween I would like to challenge all the costumers out there to reinvent the werewolf for the 21st century. The first step is to see werewolves for what they are–cool shapeshifters, not  some demon or ungainly man-wolf hybrid.

With that in mind, let’s take a fresh look at werewolf costumes. Below are a couple of looks I like.

Dashing young werewolf about town  Brykmantra won several local costume contests with this 1987 wolfman costume. He improved on the look by lightening up on the brown face paint and layering the hair. (Flickr)

The enterprising Brykmantra kicks it old school by going with a classic wolfman interpretation–basically a suit with facepaint and a little extra body hair. Comfortable and–dare I say it?–tasteful, too. You could make this look more working class by dressing down–jeans and a T-shirt or long-sleeved flannel shirt. Think Wolverine from the X-men movies.

His night to howl. An unnamed gentleman models the Simplicity werewolf costume at Costume Con 27 in Maryland (2009). Posted by oldpatterns on Flickr.

The Simplicity option is a good one if you expect to be trekking around in nippy Halloween weather or if you prefer not to do heavy makeup. Basically, the outfit consists of a furry hood with ears, clawed gloves, and a sculpted chest protector-type vest that ties around the neck and at the waist.

Same model with coat off showing the back of the Simplicity werewolf vest (Costume Con 27, 2009, Maryland). As you can see, a coat or overshirt is necessary to cover up this part of the costume.

Call of the wild.  Designer Andrea Schewe poses with her creation (Costume Con 27, 2009, Maryland). Posted by oldpatterns on Flickr.

Flickr user ktb8293 posted this photo of her great werewolf makeup.

Another idea is to go with animal facepaint. I like that ktb8293 completely relies on makeup, not fake fur or fangs, to give her a “wolven” expression.

A close up of ktb8293’s werewolf face paint (Flickr).

Kory Bing constructed this great werewolf mask from paper mache, ribbon, and rabbit fur for Halloween 2004. The design is based on the story, “The Wolves of St. August”, from the Hellboy comic by Mike Mignola (Flickr).

If you don’t like the full face makeup idea, a classic, lightweight, animal face, masquerade mask is a great option. I like that Kory has gone for a realistic “wolf” look here and eschewed (no pun intended) the fake fur and latex snarl.

Kory shows off her full costume (Flickr).

Jedi Elf Queen created this Big Bad Wolf costume for a college production of Steven Sondheim’s  musical, “Into the Woods”.

I love the fact that the wolf has pirate boots as well as a furry peruke (wig), tied back in the proper 18th century, and a furry jabot.  The clothes are made using the Simplicity pirate costume pattern. Check out Jedi Elf Queen’s pictures here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on “Wolf/Pirate/Prince Costumes”. She has an especially clever “spat solution” for the swashbuckling boots.

The back of Jilltheimpossible’s wolf shirt. The clawmarks are a nice touch. (Craftster).

The costumes people choose at Halloween are a snapshot of the zeitgeist of that time.  Fearlessly, I look into my crystal ball and predict the following for Halloween 2009:

• Akasha, Queen of the Damned and Heath Ledger’s Joker have lost none of their appeal judging by the number of hits on this blog.
• Zombies and pirates will make a good showing once again.
• Michael Jackson costumes will be popular, driven both by the Gloved One’s celebrity status and by his Halloween-themed music videos like “Thriller”.
• With the 2008 Presidential Election over, expect a sharp drop-off in political-themed costumes. Persistent names-in-the-news Sarah Palin and Bernie Madoff may show up.

Blackbeard (Edward Teach) makes his last stand in this painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris.

Avast here, me hearties! Aye, it be true that Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sept. 19th) has come and gone and once again we be found a-wantin’ in the piratical gear department due to a scurvy bout with the flu bug. Obviously, now that we’ve recovered and the wind is in the riggin’ so to speak, we must away to pillage yon costuming ports, but what should we be looking for?

Let’s aloft, says you, and ascertain.

Let your first stop be that den of wicked seafarers, the Gentlemen of Fortune, whom I have referred to before on these pages. In particular, I suggest checking out their Sailor Slops section (say that three times fast, especially after some grog). They talk about the clothes that a sailor re-enactor should be acquiring so let it be your guide to the costume items you should be looking for.

Burt Lancaster as Captain Vallo in the 1950s swashbuckler, “The Crimson Pirate”, still and away one of my favorite pirate flicks.  You could bounce quarters off of Burt’s physique as he swings through the rigging showing off the skills he acquired as a circus acrobat.

The second question for professional pirates is do you want to be a realistic pirate or a fantasy pirate? Both are good–and a little mixing never  hurts—but you need to understand the guidelines.

The caption reads “Decatur Boarding the Tripolitan Gunboat”, painting by Dennis Malone Carter. The painting depicts Lt. Stephen Decatur of the newly minted U. S. Navy going mano-a-mano with Barbary (Berber) pirates in either the first or second Barbary War. Barbary pirates were located in North Africa (you can see that some of them are wearing Algerian dress) and made it a habit to seize luckless crews and passengers, either holding them for ransom or selling them as slaves.

There’s nothing like a little historical research to set you on your way which brings us to the third question: do you want to be a Western pirate or an Eastern pirate? Choosing a Far or Near Eastern persona opens up a whole new world of fun and exotic clothing options. If, on the other hand, you are looking to be recognized by the general, non-privateering public, you will want to stick with Western dress of the 18th century.

Once you have answered these questions you are ready to set sail on your quest for the perfect pirate costume. Let us assume for the moment that you have opted to go with the Western pirate dress. You will need the following:

• A tricorn hat or a headscarf
• A big peasant-style shirt. Extra ruffles say “captain”, plain cotton says “sails before the mast”. Alternately, if you’re going for that Mr. Smee look, you could wear a horizontal striped T-shirt (which says “look out for crocodiles and flying kids”, but that’s another story).
• Knee-length pants. These can be knee breeches  or capri (cropped) pants. You can also use loose harem pants pulled up to the knee.
• Vest (hip or mid-thigh length). Optional but useful especially if you don’t have a coat and want something to tie the outfit together.
• Frock coat. If you’ve got one, wear it.  If not, skip it as this can be an expensive item to make or buy.
• Belt (optional). Could be leather, a length of rope, or a sash. Should have room to stash your dueling pistols or knife. If you are carrying a sword, you will need a baldrick  (a strip of leather that goes across the chest) in order to hoster your weapon.
• Boots or buckle shoes (critical, but difficult to find). If you have some sort of riding boot, by all means wear it. If you have short boots or shoes in a dark color, you can create a swashbuckler-type spat to go over the top of the shoe and around your calf.  The spat method is the easiest way to go if you want the look of a boot without shelling out the money for it.
• Accessories (eyepatch, earring, parrot, treasure map, treasure chest, temporary tattoo saying “Mother”, you be the judge)

Women have the option of either dressing like men (historically accurate and more practical) or going with a “tavern wench” outfit (just add a gypsy-style skirt and a tight bodice to the above list and you’re good).

Now this outfit says “comfortable”. This gentleman of fortune was photographed at the Washington State Rennaisance Faire (Flickr).  He’s wearing a Turkish vest and what look to be harem pants to me.  I like the way the pants and the headscarf coordinate.

Long John Silver (“Treasure Island”) as envisioned by Munro Orr.  I highly recommend both the original novel by Robert Louis Stevenson and the movie version featuring Charleton Heston as Long John.

Long John’s near doppelganger, Lord Gregor (Flickr). Notice that Gregor has his own treasure chest carefully tied to his belt.

Captain Ashton “Weirdbeard” Syn (Flickr). I would call this look “Goth pirate”. Never be afraid to put your own personal spin on your costume. Allowing your personality to come out is what makes your character unique. And, yes, Captain Syn is a leather worker who makes all of his own gear.

If you haven’t seen the remake of “Peter Pan” with Jason Isaacs as Captain Hook, go forth and rent it immediately. The movie takes the Peter Pan story back to its roots, not as an adventure story for boys, but a coming of age story for girls. The costumes are beautifully done and Isaacs is alternately charming and scary as Captain Hook.

The tricorn goes uptown with this charming, sea-themed creation by Darla Teagarden (Etsy).

A lady pirate from the 2006 Dragoncon (Flickr).  I call this look “lingerie pirate” and it is definitely a fantasy creation. Extra points to our pirate belle for finding a way to recycle her bellydance bra.

The ultimate accessory: a live parrot. Just be sure your shirt is washable–if ye take my meanin’, matey.  Pirate and parrot were photographed at the Washington Renaissance Faire (Flickr).

Finally, finally, finally, it looks like my peacock costume is coming together. I found a peacock feather printed cotton at a local quilt store that I really liked (about $8.00/yd) and bought everything they had left on the bolt. I won a custom made bellydance tassel belt at a silent auction one of the local troupes put on so I’m going to have Liz, my seamstress, make part of the fabric into a belt. Depending on how much is left over, I’m thinking about having the rest made into a short-sleeved, knee-length Ghawazee jacket that I could wear over a variety of shifts.

This is the exact same fabric I found at my local quilt shop, shown here made into a mouse pad. It’s a Carrie Miller print and comes in about six different colors, but I thought the kelly green background (see in photo) was the most striking. (Image from Etsy).

Right now, I’m in designer heaven, rummaging through my stash of trims and fabrics to see what goes with a kelly green peacock print. I’ve got some electric blue sequins, some gold and blue metallic trim, and some coin trim with small gold coins.

More information as the project develops down the line.

Zooey Deschanel as D.G. in the Sci-Fi Channel mini-series, “Tin Man”. A better shot of the Spanish-style black-over-red dress she borrows to infiltrate the nightclub.

KLCtheBookworm was kind enough to pass on to me some screencaps she had gotten from moirariordan at LiveJournal. The screencaps show some of the “Tin Man” costume details I had been unable to find other photos of.  Enjoy!

KLC points out that D.G.’s dress seems a little big for her–a detail I had missed–but which is consistent with her borrowing it from DeMilo’s stash.

“Search your feelings, D.G. You know it to be true.” Okay, wrong movie ….

I thought initially that the dancers were wearing a one piece bodysuit, but they actually appear to be wearing a camisole top and high cut briefs, Las Vegas showgirl style.

Love the little poofy sleeves. The beading around the tamborines seems to be the pre-strung beading you can find the upholstery section of large fabric stores.

I thought that the dancers were wearing metallic caps, but these appear to be metallic scarves instead.

A brief glimpse of the ballroom style shoes the dancers are wearing (“Tin Man”).

“They went that away. Let’s get some horses and head them off at the pass.” Actually, a nice screencap showing that elusive insignia (“Tin Man”). See some other views below.

Ah, a man who enjoys his work. Zero (Callum Keith Rennie) prepares to give Wyatt Cain (lower right hand corner) an attitude adjustment (“Tin Man”).

“Just click my heels together and I’ll be back in Kansas, eh?” Zero (Callum Keith Rennie) gets up close and personal with Azakadellia’s secretary (“Tin Man”).

The pin up of the Sorceress all of the Longcoats have in their lockers. Kathleen Robertson as Azakadellia (“Tin Man”) showing her beaded nightdress and mermaid skirt. I suspect that the nightdress is actually an Indian khameez split up the front. The skirt looks to be a simple straight skirt with a line of runching on the front.

In a later scene, Azakadellia (Kathleen Robertson) is shown wearing a lightweight black robe over her nightwear ensemble.

Airofday, the Indian fortune teller/informant, that our heroes meet in the Realm of the Unwanted.  Her outfit most closely resembles an Indian-influenced bellydance costume–straight skirt, costume bra, and big, metallic veil draped across her body and over her shoulder. In the movie, Airofday is part of a trio of dancers which would make this outfit a fun group costume.

A closeup of Airofday’s makeup which we don’t really get to see during the film.  The design comes off as metallic eyeshadow on screen when it is really the outline of an open eye on her eyelid, the pupil done in metallic blue. Very cool, very freaky.

Stretch lace gauntlet from Tombo Designs. You know you want it.

Because Gothic and Steampunk fashion share a fondness for some of the same time periods, you would not be off base in choosing a Gothic theme for your Steampunk bellydance performance and costume. For all things gothic and bellydance-y, I highly recommend Laura Tempest Schmidt’s appropriately named Gothic Bellydance Resource. Tempest analyzes the elements of Gothic bellydance costuming, talks about Goth performance elements, has a collection of dancer images, and provides links to definitions of the Goth subculture.

My major recommendation, if you are planning to go the Gothic route, is to beware of doing an all-black costume. Remember that when the stage is dark-colored, the backdrop is dark, and the lights are down, you and your black costume are going to disappear almost entirely. Do your audience a favor and wear colors that can be seen at the back of the room. These can be “Gothic” shades like wine red or intense purple or you can go for broke and wear all white.  If you must go the “basic black” routine, consider making everything on your costume–and I mean EVERYTHING, not just your bra and belt–as shiny, sparkly, mirrored, sequinned, or LED-enhanced as humanly possibly. You want your audience to see your entire body move, not just stray patches of skin.

Up until now, I’ve been talking about essentially using other time periods as a basis for your Steampunk costume. While it can be very useful to have a prototype to work from, another–and very fun–approach is to seize upon the fantasy element of steampunk and build a costume (and a character) from entirely from scratch.

Imagine if you were living in an alternate reality and you wanted to put together a Middle Eastern dance costume, not knowing anything about what a “bellydance outfit” should look like. You would know, for example, that you wanted to highlight the movement of your hips and shoulders so the question becomes how best to do that. What kind of outfit would you construct? What materials would you use? Metal? Leather? Gears? Flattened beer caps? Washers? Bits of brass? Fringe? What would you be able to find lying about that you could cut up or reuse?

Elizabeth James poses in her handmade, snake dance (as in dancing with an actual python) costume. Posted on her blog, Altered States.

Costume bra decorated with washers and metal chains by Basha (Tribe.net). Nice use of diagonal lines on the cups.  She made this outfit for a goth industrial number that she did.

Matching choker by Basha (Tribe.net) crafted from washers which are wrapped and then linked together.  This design would also look good made from brass or copper. When you are a Middle Eastern dancer, a trip down the hardware aisle of your local department store can be very inspirational.

Bodice made from an old leather coat that has been cut up and re-purposed. Posted by Jazuchan on (Etsy).  Second hand leather garments have the advantage of already being broken in so they are soft and comfortable.

The standard Turkish-Arab vest re-done in faux leather by Velvet Mechanism (Etsy).  I’ve seen similar vests made with just canvas or polyester straps in which case they are usually referred to as “harnesses”.

What I’m talking about is not just a theatrical approach to costume making, but a theatrical approach to CHARACTER building. Who is your character? Are you a dancer in a converted factory on the outskirts of town? A saloon hall entertainer in a science fiction-influenced western as portrayed in TV shows like the “Wild, Wild West” (1965) or “The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.” (1993)? A clockwork robot? A retro-futuristic space traveler?

And what kind of music are you dancing to? Drums? Electronica? Sound effects such as the wind, spacecraft landing, etc? Trash can lids being hit with hammers?

All of these considerations are going to influence the kind of costume that you make and the kind of performance that you give. Below are a few ideas for steampunk character costumes.

The dancers of Barbary Coast Shakedown (Mira Betz, left, and Elizabeth Strong, right) post in their California saloon hall girl costumes.  The granny boots add that extra panache. Posted by foca71 on (Flickr)

Mira Betz again in a 1920s, jazz hall-influenced costume. She has sleeked her hair back and drawn in pincurls on her forehead with a makeup pencil. The cool hair ornaments are actually appliques that are secured to her hairdo with bobby pins. (Flickr)

Fayzah Claudia as an android in a retro-futuristic space suit reminiscent of the 1920s-30s.  See more images of her body suit, complete with helmet and raygun on her website.  See clips of her performance on “Fantasy Bellydance” by World Dance New York (Fayzah appears about 1:58 in). You can also see a brief glimpse of Sarah Skinner in her Salome costume as well.

The answer is “anything she wants” because the music and costume you choose as a dancer for your steampunk number really depends on how you choose to define “steampunk”. Like many other American bellydancers, I’ve been bitten by the steampunk bug and what follows is my research into how best to translate steampunk into a Middle Eastern dance context.

Silk shantung ghawazee coat worn over paisley cotton voile undertunic. Made by Kathleen Crowley (see blog on sidebar), posted on Tribe.net. Notice how the floor length coat resembles Western dresses of the Victorian era. You could leave the accessories as is or steampunk them up, substituting washers and gears for the coins on the belt and bra, for example. Another possibility would be to go with a knee length coat worn over a full skirt with ruffled pantaloons underneath.

To start with, you could legitimately go 100% ethnic. Steampunk fashion is generally based around a Victorian/Edwardian look and the traditional costume and music of the Middle East have not changed that much in two hundred some years.  My suggestion would be to pick a Near Eastern country that Europeans of the 19th and early 20th century would be familiar with such as Egypt, Turkey, or Northern Africa and use the costume of those regions as a jumping off point.

A second approach would be to base your costume and performance on Middle Eastern dance as seen on the American stage of the late 19th and early 20th century. Thanks to the American Memory project at the Library of Congress, we have actual footage of what early dancers were wearing at the time. Here Princess Rajah balances a chair (notice that she does some floorwork as well) and  Ella Lola does a Turkish dance. You can find second hand copies of these silent films on YouTube, but I prefer to point people to the actual Library of Congress site as it has more context information.

Princess Rajah spins during her chair balancing dance (American Memory, Library of Congress) . Although her ruffled skirt appears short, it is actually ballet-length, falling a little above her ankle.

Ella Lola does her Turkish dance (American Memory, Library of Congress). Her knee-length skirt appears to be made of assuit.

This is the dance as it existed when it was first crossing out of the ethnic immigrant communities and onto the Western vaudeville stage. The costumes are variations on either 19th century street/stagewear. The movements are still done today and are completely recognizable to a 21st century Middle Eastern dancer.

A third possibility is to base your costume on a more Orientalist theme–the Near East as seen through Western eyes. “Salome”-style costumes were very popular on the 19th century/early 20th century stage at this time and have a fantasy element that is very in keeping with the steampunk aesthetic.

Sarah Skinner models her Salome-inspired bra and belt ensemble which she created for her seven veils dance.  Click here and scroll down to the June 24, 2008 entry (“Salome Costume”) for her blog post about the construction of this outfit. Follow her links at the end of the post to read more about Salome and her take on the dance of the seven veils.

Andrea Deagon, an academic and a dancer, has done research on the origins of the Salome story. Her slideshow, “The Salome Dancers: An Eastern Dance Takes Western Roots”,  which showcases a number of the images and performers of the era is available here.

Princess Farhanna (Pleasant Gehman) posing in her turn-of-the-century bellydance costume.

Princess Farhana also created a beautiful, 1900s-era costume. She writes about making this ensemble on her blog (“Creating Flash Out of Trash, Feb. 23, 2009).  A dancer after my own heart, she used materials she already had and a lot of gold spray paint. The end result: a costume that looks expensive, but only cost $36.00. Click on the Feb. 12, 2009 photo (“It’s a Small World After All!”) for a closeup of the costume including the lace rosettes she hand-glued onto the skirt.

Other Orientalist-inspired eras to look at for costuming ideas would be Art Nouveau and Art Deco. I’ve often thought, for example, that Queen Latifah’s costume from the movie “Chicago” would make a great, 1920s-style beladi dress.

Queen Latifah as Matron “Mama” Morton belting out “When You’re Good to Mama” from the movie musical “Chicago”. Notice the fabulous arm drapes.