So, based off of the comments I got on the last chapter, I've decided to do a little series of chapters in this book on the periodization elements of steampunk. Since this genre gets its roots from both historical fiction and science fiction, and since many of the people that are reading this book seem to have transitioned into steampunk from science fiction, I'll be going over more of the historical elements, since that's what I'm best at. I'll also be starting a new book to talk about specific historical events during the Victorian era that you can take some inspiration from.
How can we possibly talk about a genre set in the Victorian era without mentioning the clothes? This is one of the most important aspects of the historical part of the genre: the second you start talking about bowler caps, waistcoats, and caged ballgowns, your reader's going to know exactly how to imagine the setting: the clothing of the Victorian era was, after all, very unique. I'll be adding onto this list as I think of more articles of clothing/accessories. Obviously, some of these definitions probably haven't changed since the Victorian era, but I thought it would be good to show what they looked like back then specifically.
Remember: since this is steampunk, you have a lot of freedom about how you use these articles of clothing. This chapter is just to tell you what they were called, who normally wore them, and what they normally looked like. Yours, of course, will probably have all sorts of fun steampunk things on them.
Also: keep in mind that people wore different things depending on whether or not they were in mourning. I didn't include any of that information here, because I wasn't sure how many people that would apply to, but if there's enough demand, I'll add it.
Blouse
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So, blouses are just what you probably think they are: a nice shirt, meant for a woman. These ranged in style throughout the period, but usually, the sleeves were long, and many either covered the neck entirely or had a slight v-neck. Many women also wore brooches on their blouses, too, and people that could afford it would often have lace and such on their blouses.
Bodice
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Part one of the Victorian-dresses-were-overly-complicated series. The bodice is the outer part of the dress on top, on the body. I'm pretty sure that it's specifically the part that goes over the corset, but I could be wrong. Just like the dresses of the period, they came in a really wide range of styles, which also depended on social status.
