The Baltimore Museum of Industry's Bull & Oyster Roast was a great outlet for Tori Boats' "steampunk and gaudy" fashion sense, something she can't completely indulge in, given her job in business development for the defense industry.
"I work in a very conservative industry. So I try to find a suit that has a puffed sleeve, and some ruffles, a little lace trim or just something that's a little girly without being too girly, because then you're not taken very seriously," says the 39-year-old West Friendship resident.
However, outside work, her style is just the start of how Boats lets her creative juices flow in a number of directions.
"I'm an artist, but I work in the computer field. I knit, and I crochet. I paint. I'm teaching myself guitar off YouTube. I used to play trumpet in school. I'm about to learn how to make jewelry," she said. "I'm insatiable."
HER STYLE: "I love steampunk. Steampunk is very fitted and then it flares. … It's very feminine, but you still are masculine at the same time. You're not full of flowers. There's lace, but with leather. And grommets. … And I think I like [to be gaudy] because I'm from Texas, where everything's bigger."
HER ENSEMBLE: Brown and camel knit vest with braid and faux fur trim ("very steam-punkesque") and black knot front jersey tunic from the Venus catalog. Style & Co. jeans from Macy's. BP wine-colored round-toe Mary Janes with lug soles from Nordstrom. Thai pearl and chain necklace made by a friend. Silver and crystal stretch cuff from a shop in Las Vegas. Crystal drop earrings from The Limited. Diamond and gold ring from the Texas jewelry store her parents used to own. Timex Ironman Triathlon watch — "because I have three kids and it has three alarms. I'm very forgetful."
SHE POO-POOS PURSES: "Because they're heavy, and why would I want to put all that crap in one? ... I have pockets. And my cellphone [holder] is also my wallet."
BONKERS FOR BALLET: "It is mentally draining to throw yourself into something that's so hard. Yet it's beautiful and breathy. And they wear the most awesome costumes ever. … I started taking ballet as an adult. I love it, everything about it. ... I can make tutus. It's the only thing I know how to sew. My Pinterest is all about tutus and ballerinas and steampunk and sewing."
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