Steampunk Mermaid Visits The Convention

What happens when undersea maidens try to join the Victorian Elite
The inspiration for this came out of Steamcon's theme of Undersea in 2011. I wanted to show a mermaid who had come up onto land. Her clothes and accessories would all come from her impressions of land: shipwreaks, passing cruise ships and such.
From the top down:
Hat: The hat has the same material as the fins and features a spray of seaweed and a miniature mirrored port hole.
Shrug: The ruffled shrug is in a maroon crushed silk material that matches the shorts, it is composed of several types of seaweed.
Underbust Corset: The base comes from damsel in the dress. I cut out large patches and had bronze scaly skin show through. Chains and pearls also connect some of the rips I created along the bottom. Star fish and seaweed-like dried moss are attached in several places.
Pantaloons: These mini-bloomers are made of a vintage velvet skirt I had finally worn out. They have delicate flowered ribbon and lace along the edges.
Arms & Legs: Both the arms and the legs feature lovingly crafted fins. I used wire pasty colling racks and shaped them into the fins. Multi-hued fabric was attached with a clear pvc outer covering, all sewn to incorporate the metal 'bones' of the fins. This attached to our bronze scale fabric.On the arms delicate velvet and lace cuffs cover the edges of the fin bracers. On the legs SOCK DREAMS stripy socks (took several pairs to find just the right match) are slit along the caff and actually hook into the scaly fabric on the inside. The scaled fabric goes on under the socks and snaps into place. Several star fish (glued to pins) adorn these socks.
Shoes: two different pairs of victorian shoes, no doubt found at the oceans bottom
Bustle: the bustle is composed of tight pleated layers of golden brocade and the maroon velvet & silk. A faux antiqued bronze chain hangs across the back, along with strings of pearls. Long hanging strands of seaweed dangle down. All of this on top of a golden bussel from the previous years Steamcon.
Little friend: I'll try and find the close up shot of my fish. A fish tank is attached to a vintage rollerskate. A little label in brass shows his scientific name. Inside I hand painted a mechanical looking fish model I found for a Atlantis themed fishtank decor. Some seaweed in there too. I added some led lights for a fun touch. People loved the fish!!