A Very Punky Halloween

Happy October, everybody! Not only has Autumn arrived, but Halloween - one of my favorite holidays - is right around the corner! Why do I love Halloween? Well, aside from having a valid excuse to eat a LOT of candy and the delightful terror of haunted houses, Halloween is all about costumes!!!

I'm a huge cosplay fan! I love to see people's recreations of beloved characters. If you're not familiar with cosplay, I strongly suggest taking a look at the YouTube series Just Cos on the Nerdist Channel. It really opened my eyes to what cosplay means to its participants; it's actually quite freeing. 

Upon "researching" cosplay, I came across two interesting costume styles I'd like to share: Steampunk & Cyberpunk.

Steampunk

If you're familiar with the setting of Bioshock: Infinite, that is essentially Steampunk. Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that is more retrospective than futuristic. The style is 19th Century Western, but the technology well-beyond that.

Steampunk dates back to early 20th century science fiction literature, although most cosplayers are not specific characters. Instead Steampunk cosplayers are simply people from a different era - the far future where another Industrial Revolution is taking place.

Characteristics of a Steampunk costume:

• No neon or bold colors; more browns, creams, neutral colors
• Industrial aspects (typically gears, clocks)
• 19th century fashion (corsets, top hats, ruffled skirts, etc)

Cyberpunk

I like to think of Cyberpunk as the opposite of Steampunk. Where Steampunk is the punk of the past, Cyberpunk is the punk of the future.

The Cyberpunk style seems to have originated in the late 20th century. (The 1980s respectively.) Again, these cosplayers are not any particularly character, but instead represent a future time period. The Cyberpunk future is one where humans have merged with very advanced technology to create a world of androids and cyborgs.

Characteristics of a Cyberpunk costume:

• Bright neon/Bold colors/Metallics
• Lights
• Technology (mechanical limbs/enhancements)
• Tubes/wires
• Colored Hair
• *Gothic elements & Sex appeal

*Not entirely sure why Cyberpunk is more Gothic and revealing, but those are common characteristics.

If you're still looking for a cool Halloween costume idea, you might consider being a punk. There is a lot of creative potential here! Steampunk Tinkerbell, Cyberpunk Bride...

And, of course, there's always the classic punk...

Check out my Facebook page for more geeky fun 

& let me know what you want to be for Halloween!