Steampunk picks up steam in LA...with a little help!

It was day one of the Comikaze invasion down at the LA Convention Center and we had a blast walking around and looking at all the amazing costumes. Sure, there were your regular Star Wars fans, the obligatory Anime girls, and even Gonzo (yes, THAT Gonzo) made an appearance. Although they were all fun, the real reason I went was to get the low down on the Steampunk movement that is finally gathering (ahem) Steam here in LA!
Steampunk has long had a presence in other cities, predominately Seattle and the East Coast, but it's been a well kept secret here in LA.
One girl is set to help change all that! Dina Kampmeyer, an avid Steampunk fan, has worked tirelessly to help bring Steampunk into the spotlight it deserves! She was a huge driving force in ensuring that Steampunk had their own 101 panel this year at Comikaze and was kind enough to take time out of her very busy schedule to answer a few of my questions!


UH: When did you first hear about Steampunk and what about it appealed to you?
DINA: I had never heard of Steampunk until I met my boyfriend 2 years ago.
The first picture I ever saw of him was in costume and I was instantly intrigued. As a curvy female, I love the Victorian sillouette and what it does to a woman’s figure. I have also always had a thing for men dressing up in suits and they look even better in Steampunk garb.
There’s something very refined and civilized about the community and the fashion that really draws me to it.











UH: You’ve got some great photos on your Facebook page with some incredibly fun pics at different events…have you always been drawn to creative events like these?
DINA: Well thanks. It’s sort of amazing to me that I had never once
cosplayed (short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea) until a couple of years ago. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday and I always loved to dress up, but I wasn’t really involved with the geek community and didn’t realize that you could dress up any time of the year and have fun. Now that I’m aware, you can hardly stop me from cosplaying. I have created so many outfits already and I have a ton more that I can’t wait to start on. I’ve
always been an unofficial event planner amongst my friends, but I really love having a group to plan things for.


















UH: Growing up, I bet you had the best Halloween costumes…what was your favorite? Did you make it yourself? (Labyrinth of Jareth photos are pretty sweet!)
DINA: Hah, I was always a little too into Halloween which didn’t make me super popular in elementary school, but the first costume that I loved when I was a kid was my California Raisin costume. It was so cute and I got to hide in it all day which was the first time I used anonymity
in costuming. I wouldn’t have dreamed of making a costume until a couple of years ago when I taught myself to sew and alter clothes. I’m gonna start work on my first dress pattern soon, so wish me luck!


















UH: Tell us what inspires you every day…or even just what makes you get out of bed every day (right now mine’s the PSL at Starbucks…)
DINA: Mmm, coffee. I have my coffee pot on a timer, so when I hear that beep go off in the kitchen, it makes it much easier to get out of bed. I am also listening to all of the Harry Potter books on tape during my commute these days, so that gets me excited in the morning too.

UH: Do you consider yourself “grown up” yet or are you still a big kid?
DINA: I am definitely a grown-up and one of my least expressions on the planet is, “30 is the new 20”. I think it’s important for us all to be responsible adults, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t be silly and enjoy life to the fullest! I still play board games, read young adult novels and dress up for fun. So yah, I’m a grown-up who loves her life and isn’t ashamed to like what I like.

UH: If you could give advice to someone just starting to get into the Steampunk movement, what would it be?
DINA: Excellent question and I was brand-new myself just a couple of years ago, so I can sympathize. I would say to start small, but don’t be afraid to get out there. If you don’t want to spend $200 on a whole outfit, find something in your closet that might work and just go get
some cool stockings or a Victorian hairpiece. I prefer to buy individual pieces instead of whole outfits because 1) It’s cheaper 2) You’ll be able to create more outfits if you can mix and match from your collection. Try and find a local community of Steampunks that you can hang out with and who can give you specific advice. Steampunks love to help out creating costumes, so don’t be afraid to ask. If you can’t find anyone in your area, look online and use etsy.com and
artfire.com to find some fantastic handmade pieces.























UH: What’s your favorite book? Movie?
DINA: That’s a tough one because I love so many different things. If you make me choose though, I’m gonna have to say that my favorite single book is Dune. I first read it in high school for a book report and it completely opened my eyes to science fiction literature and I haven’t
looked back since. My favorite movie is definitely the Lord of the Rings trilogy (yes, I count it as one movie). It’s such a powerful story and it is told with such passion and beauty. I can’t wait for
the Hobbit films!

UH: You’ve really done a lot of work getting Steampunk the recognition it deserves at Comikaze…can you tell us about what you did and how you did it?
DINA: I first heard about Comikaze Expo through my fellow co-founders of the League of Extraordinary Ladies. I emailed Regina Carpinelli who was putting it together to ask if she was interested in having a Steampunk presence at the show. I had been very disappointed at
ComicCon this year that there was only one Steampunk panel the entire time and that it was so crowded I couldn’t get in the door. I met with Regina and she was so excited about including our little community and gave me a lot of freedom to plan several panels and get people
involved. I contacted my friends at the League of S.T.E.A.M. who very kindly agreed to plan some of the panels for me. We’ve got 4 panels planned which is very exciting to me! I’ll be speaking on one panel on Saturday and then moderating my very first panel on Sunday at noon.
I’m very nervous, but I hope we can get a huge turnout and that we’ll be well received.

(On a side note...the Saturday panel was this morning and was a HUGE success!)













UH: It’s a Friday or Saturday night, where would a great place for Steampunk fun be?
DINA: Well, I think that definitely depends on the weekend. There seems to be special events going on all of the time. If you’re ever up for driving down to San Diego, they have a huge Steampunk group down there that does a monthly gathering with live music. In LA, make sure you’re part of the Manticore Society on Facebook because people post events on there all of the time. Also, if you just want to head out to a cool bar, I would recommend the Edison or Villains Tavern. You can definitely dress up at either place and feel right at home.

UH: Anything else you want to add? This is where you just get to blow
off steam (ha ha!), rant and rave or brag or whatever else you’d like!
DINA: Oh gosh, I’m not much of a ranter or a bragger but I suppose I should mention the League of Extraordinary Ladies which I co-founded with a group of amazing geeky gals.We’re trying to unite the geek girl community (although we love geek boys too), which definitely includes Steampunks. We’ve got a huge Facebook group and a website, www.thelxl.com. I actually write the dating column on there, so check it out. Thanks for your time!

You can catch Dina online through her Facebook page and of course through the League of Extraordinary Ladies...
For more information on Steampunk, check out this link (Will take you to Wikipedia).
:)