Shoreline Trolley Museum with Steampunks

Shoreline Trolley Museum in December

Pahl and Danielle in front the red "snow plow" car. Photo credit to Alan Kendzior

The second meeting I attended in December 2024 was put on by the local Steampunk group at the Shoreline Trolley Museum.  Now if you've been following the blog for a few years, you'll know I got a private trolley for my fashion group in the off-season just when they started putting up the station decorations in mid-November of 2023. During the month of December, the museum is nicely decked out for the Christmas holiday before they close for the winter season.  In Sprague station, you can see a moving train above your head with Santa and gifts in it in the station, a giant red mailbox that contains letters for Santa, and a couple of Christmas trees. The line stops are also decorated as well as every trolley housed in the barns. It is truly a site to see the museum lit up for Christmas!  And the perfect time to dress up for photos too! The plan was to meet in the late morning, take some photos at the station and attend a trolley ride and tour together at noon.  

The Metropolitan Car with white lights in the interior

The Grinch on the Coney Island Car

Elf themed tree on the Connecticut Car (which is I believe the one we rode when I went with my group in Nov 2023)

Interior of the Connecticut Car with colored lights

Danielle in Han inspired Ouji

Now for this meeting, the steam punks didn't say what we had to wear. They encouraged Christmas theme, but Pahl and I decided to do something completely different. I styled myself as an "airship captain" and he was my "first mate". My outfit is also EGL fashion, but it is the more masculine side of it. Ouji, pronounced "O-G", is the Japanese word for prince. It is considered to be "a blend of youthful exuberance and Victorian sophistication", according to Sunica Design.  Even though it is considered to be "boy-style", it is not restricted to any gender.  A full ouji ensemble includes unique details such as asymmetrical cut shirts, waist coats in single and double-breasted styles, dress pants, pocket watches, monocles, ties, hats, and canes. I've seen all of these accents used in Steampunk style outfits, so I thought it would be the perfect event to debut my ouji style!

However, my ouji outfit has a distinct feeling that it is military inspired, but from what origin? The Princess Chronicles~The Stars Change Sleeveless Ouji Fashion Coat is a long black tunic with asymmetrical fasteners at the collar in a Chinese Hanfu style, with distinctive black on black embroidery at center of the chest and below the knee. I also purchased most of the pieces from The Stars Change series including the asymmetrical black blouse with the metal buttons and mutton sleeves, the embroidered adjustable trousers, the one shoulder waist belt, and the matching wool hat.  Additionally I am wearing a short blonde wig, a long prince like coat, and black combat boots. 

Hanfu is a style of clothing that Chinese people wore during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). The central principles of Hanfu are modesty, respect for tradition, and harmony. The design and structure of the clothing reflect the ideals of Confucianism. In Confucian philosophy, the clothing you wore expressed your role in society. The loose and flowing garments symbolized tranquility and balance, in harmony with nature and society. Hanfu also played an important role in one's social status. The material, color, and embellishments of the garment were regulated by social hierarchy. Emperors, nobles, and scholars wore specially designed hanfu, while commoners wore simpler versions. 

Historically, the color black was associated with the cyclical nature of life. It embodies the essence of water, flowing and adapting, symbolizing mystery, depth, and the unexplored realms of the Universe. Black can also exude an essence of martial valor and refined elegance. I imagine that when Chinese indie brand Princess Chronicles designed this coordinate, that they were thinking of someone wearing it who was brave but also interested in exploring the unknown. 

My first mate, Pahl, who upcycled many of the accessories in his outfit

Pahl had built or upcycled many accessories in his first mate outfit. The stun gun was once a soldering gun. His jet pack was once a vintage vacuum cleaner. His leather aviator coat has an asymmetrical closure to one side. Snow googles and a fin on an otherwise leather helmet. Utilitarian black cargo pants and tall black leather boots. Black fingerless leather gloves and a black belt with a metal atomic symbol as a fastener. While I steered us towards the unknown, like meeting up with new people we never met before, he had my back like a true rocketeer, even if it was just talking to new people and trying to remember their names!

I think I forgot to mention it was raining that day. Some people stayed on the car, but this is a great shot of folks coming up the yard by Alan Kendzior

My robes truly were long and flowing, and I felt very balanced in my all black han substyle of ouji EGL. Again, I seem to be the only person who bothers to bring an umbrella with them to a meeting. It just happens to work that my umbrella is a black and red pagoda style that effortlessly matches my outfit!

This might be next year's Christmas card. The caption might be, "Merry Christmas...or Else!"

Overall we had such a fun time! There were so many new faces for us, it was hard to keep everyone straight. I did run into a couple that I have been attending a regency style dance class with, so I spent most of my time getting to know them better while on the trolley ride itself. Everyone else had very appropriate Christmas colors and Victorian inspired styles, and ours were just not exactly that; you might say we were the real punks of the meeting! Regardless, the trolley volunteers/personnel thanked everyone profusely for dressing up, because I'm sure it made things more fun for the other random folks and families riding the same trolley as us.