One of my upcoming projects, The Inventor’s Daughter’s Husband, is set during the (end of the) Belle Epoque, and that got me to think a bit more deeply about how they would visually handle the transition from Steampunk to Dieselpunk, if such a thing existed in the early 1900s, and how these past social-economical factors in turn influence the fashion choices of the protagonist. It’s really interesting to see conventional steampunk fashion (gears in hats, extremely weird cuts, gears in everything) but personally I think it’s really impractical and almost nonsensical, if you really want to set your story true to actual fashion history as close as possible.
I kinda made up a few designs, starting from what I assume will be in the first part of the Steam Revolution, when being mechanical and practical are becoming the in thing. They are all based on the decades’ respective silhouettes.
Rosie’s fashion is supposed to echo some of the design elements of the Steampunk/Victorian age, while keeping the grace and sleek lines of the Dieselpunk/Edwardian (with the most radical of dress: a pair of pants!). She does a lot of work so her style is freeing. I am still working out on the details of the transition; mostly avoiding putting gears on everything. I wanna research more into Art Deco for the accessories part later on!!