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"Steampunk, once a cultish mix of sci-fi, steam and Victoriana in film and books, is now poised to conquer the world of fashion. Forecasters say the style, which blends the gaslight romance of Victorian London with a frisson of H G Wells and Jules Verne-inspired fantasy, is poised to make a massive leap from niche to the high street."
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What forecasters would these be, I wonder? Could it be Bip Ling? Tavi Gevinson? Maybe even Kanye? Please Margi Murphy, tell us what style prophets have been bellowing "This season, steampunk is in!" from the most fashionable rooftops in town:"The news will come as little surprise to the tens of thousands who are already into the retro-futuristic style. But experts at the computer giant IBM predict that 'steampunk will shift from low-production, high-cost 'craft' manufacturing to mass-production' within the next two years."Of course, IBM. I don't know about you guys, but when I want to know what look is going to get props this Spring/Summer, I look to the American multinational technology and consulting corporation that gave us such evergreen style accessories as the floppy disc and the electronic keypunch system to guide me towards the zeitgeist.

"IBM analysed social media and other internet sites, and found that the amount of online discussion about steampunk increased 11-fold between 2009 and 2012."
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"It also noted that, since 2010, more than 20 major department stores and other retailers had become "steampunk savvy."What does this mean? Has some kind of steampunk pressure group lobbied Debenhams into improving customer access for people in big hats? Have Selfridges reverted back to a mechanised till system? I guess they're gonna need to make some adjustments to how they're going to operate given "the tens of thousands who are already into the retro-futuristic style".Tens of thousands? Fuuuuuuuck.

"Evidence of the emerging trend can already be seen on the catwalks. Prada's winter men's campaign featured several of Hollywood's leading males, including Gary Oldman, Jamie Bell and Willem Dafoe – dressed for adventure in heavily tailored, steampunk-inspired suits."
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"The distinctive style – the name was first coined to distinguish a genre of fantasy set in an alternative Victorian era – can now be widely seen in everything from blockbuster films such as Van Helsing, starring Hugh Jackman, and the Robert Downey Jr Sherlock Holmes films."Hey, you know what's even more unreliable than paying IBM to read through tweets when you want to predict what's going to come into fashion? Taking tips from blockbuster movies. Take The Matrix: Everyone thought Keanu and Carrie-Anne Moss looked cool in those full-length leather jackets and Oakleys, but in reality they were only donned by sixth formers who spent their Saturdays trying to "free themselves from the dream world" by smoking banana peels after reading the Anarchist's Cookbook.IS THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY RIGHT?
No, of course it isn't. And thank fuck for that.
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