So maybe you liked Alice’s Steamdress in American McGee’s Alice: The Madness Returns? I’m not very good with fashion but I thought it be fun to find clothes that have a similar feel without costing an arm and a leg.

I may or may not succeed.

I looked for approximations of the style and will share, for brevity, a few examples (in pictures) with prices (US dollars, correct at the time of posting). The pics will be linked to the item they depict.

I heartily recommend doing deeper searches to find more. They’ll likely be better than anything I found in my quick searches on google shopping. A lot of this stuff can be found on eBay, etsy and costume stores. Nothing like Halloween clearance prices to get some sweet outfits.

A few notes:
-If you’re good with sewing and crafting, you should be able find a few patterns around to work with.
-The more you’re willing to invest, the better stuff you’ll find (naturally) but that’s not my goal here.
-I also suggest playing around with color and style. Maybe you don’t want a high collar blouse or prefer a pencil skirt. Don’t be limited by the look but be inspired!

Anyway, let’s see what pieces we’ll need.

Overview:

1. Waist: corset
2. Top: Blouse
3. Bottom: Skirt & Pettcioat
4. Legs: Socks
5. Feet: Boots
6. Accessories
7. Addendum: outerwear

This wouldn’t be a very steampunk-ish style without corsets! I went with classic black here but there are other colors available. Be aware that some of the sites where you’ll find pieces like these are NSFW. If you get a simpler corset like the first two but still want belts, just grab a few at your favorite store.

Now on to a ruffles! I stumbled upon several on eBay. I personally own two similar tops that were a steal from my local Goodwill store. I chose only to show white blouses but black would work and they come in all sort of fun colors.

Another staple: the fluffy skirt! Man this whole thing is so fun. This is where I’d go all out on color or play with patterns, personally. :3 Anyway, More black. Haha. Circle skirts are super easy to make, cut two concentric circles and hem in the edges. Also, petticoats and crinolines will add fullness to the skirt. Some will be more fluffy than others, as you like.

Now for those legs! This is easily the cheapest part of the look, whew. Depending on the length of the skirt, you may want to go with tights/leggings or socks. On a side note, these advertisers are so unoriginal, these ladies all have the same shoe style. O.o

Oh my goodness, the hardest part: finding decent boots. I don’t know why this is so hard for me. Maybe I could just buy a pair of regular black boots and add the buckles…I love how Hot Topic’s was best (in my opinion) for both price and appearance.

A few finishing touches. Unfortunately, I’m not sure on the apron. >< Perhaps looking for  “lolita apron” might do? And the bows…oh my goodness, not going there. I have failed! [swoon] Where was I? Not all is lost. The omega charm necklace is specific to Alice (or at least the game’s Alice) but that was kind of point, wasn’t it? I feel an investment in belt buckles added to straps would go a long way with this outfit…I digress. Here the few finishing touches I could scrounge up:

Well, I tried. You’ll look awesome anyway. :) Going with what I’ve got here, you can get the look for just under $80 but it’ll probably be more. I think the key is to get a few important pieces over time and feel free to experiment with mixing and matching pieces together. I like that all these items separately can still work in other outfits and for all I know, you may a few of them lying around already.

Let me know of any additions or changes you would make. I’d also love to see pics if you get this together. <3

ADDENDUM! Outerwear?
How dare I forget this?! I was so looking forward to it, too! That adorable puff sleeve is just tasty.

I want grapes now…

Key words: Bolero, shrug, puff sleeve