Ironfest 2018: Top 10 Wild West pop culture inspirations

We found plenty. This is intended to be a fun but by no means exhaustive list of movies, tv shows and books that we believe could inspire some Ironfest gear. 

While we have included some historical Wild West, we have focused on fiction that includes the fun blend of western and sci-fi flavour. Enjoy. 

Let's get the obvious one over with first. Wild Wild West (1999) drew sci-fi into the American Frontier with an unashamedly Steampunk aesthetic. The machinery, steam-powered horrors and focus on the railways all make this an ideal place to find inspiration for costumes. 

Stephen King’s foray into sci-fi fantasy The Dark Tower comprises eight novels exploring the Gunslinger’s search for the tower. Bleak landscapes, strangely intuitive characters and the fight against evil provide plenty of fodder for inspiration for costuming. 

The third in the franchise took the characters back into the Wild West frontier and never will we forget the way Michael J Fox was dwarfed was his ten-gallon hat. 

It created an aesthetic all of its own – a gritty post-apocalyptic heaven for the bush mechanic. The use of found materials for costumes and machines has been replicated in many end-of-world stories, including Book of Eli (2010) among others. The series provides an endless body of ideas for accessories and costumes – many of which could be adapted from things you’ll find in the back shed. 

Dr Who has stepped into the Wild West and met one of the most memorable creatures of his travels along the way. The Peacemaker would certainly make a memorable costume choice (and pose a challenge to the home creator). 

When a cowboy wakes up with an alien technology strapped to his wrist, things are bound to get ugly. An interesting combination of traditional western (featuring sci-fi fav Harrison Ford and James Bond Daniel Craig) and space adventure, it is a slow burn with plenty of atmosphere of the wild west. 

From the fertile brain of Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of the Tarzan series, came the Barsoom series centred around Captain John Carter.

Set in the wake of the American Civil War, Carter finds himself transported to Mars, a land of red-skinned peoples and strange creatures, many of whom would like to take a bite out of his hide.  

This futuristic sci-fi television series, set in a Wild West theme park, including the frontier town of Sweetwater, features androids indistinguishable from humans. Outside these created set pieces are a staff that is tasked with overseeing the park. But of course not everything goes smoothly, in the fine Jurassic Park tradition of automated theme parks. 

This is a brief move away from the sci-fi and instead is drawing on a strictly authentic Wild West feel from the famous Dead Wood settlement. 

A historical fiction filled with real-life frontier characters, Dead Wood offers the grit and realism of the Wild West, from the hard-drinking Calamity Jane to the machination of businessman Al Swearengen. 

Of course, we haven’t forgotten the home of the space cowboy, Firefly (and the film follow-up Serenity). This very short-lived yet influential Joss Whedon series gave us a very distinctive Wild West style, blended with Asian and futuristic elements.  

Its characters are much beloved for their humour and style, from the heroic captain Mal to companion Inara, mechanic Kaylee and pilot Wash. 

Here are some other fun inspiration ideas for costumes that could conceivable live amongst the Wilds of the West. 

Blade: The vampire hunter with his long leather coat is always going to be a fav. 

Lord of the Rings: Strider (Aragon) could have easily stepped out of a Wild West story.  

Outlander: Undoubtedly Scotland is the Wild West of the UK and Jamie and Claire provide some great costume ideas.