Cheap Steampunk Wardrobe Items at Roses
As more people are exposed to steampunk fashion, the inevitable result is that you will find it popping up in your local shopping venues. Sure enough, I recently poked around at my local Roses Store and found several steampunk-worthy tops for between $5 and $15 each. [Examples: tailored white cotton blouse, high ruffled collar, short puffy sleeves gathered into ruffled bands, ruffles down the front....short sleeved tailored blouse in black cotton eyelet fabric, 30's style blouse...] Brand new, no steam-related alterations needed, and for less than it would cost for the fabric. Win!
There were also a number of skirts that would do on their own or with very few alterations could be steamed up even more. I also recommend checking out their hats, which can be had for between $5-$25. Most of the ladies' styles would need a few tweaks to get the right look, but there were a number of straw hats for the gentlemen that would be good to go right off the rack. (Sorry, gents - I neglected to check for stuff like shirts, vests, pants, suspenders and so forth. Next time I'm in the neighbourhood I'll take a look.)
Normally I'd offer links and images from the store's website, but weirdly, Roses doesn't seem to have a website of its own. Anyway, here is a link to a Yahoo listing for Roses locations within 50 miles of Durham.