Sometimes they're more interesting and lovable than the main characters themselves and end up stealing the show., Secrets. But it can also be fun to play with the confidence and ease that comes with wealth. They were warriors first and foremost. Just click this link and dont even think about touching your wallet. Finally there's the aspect of fashion to take into account. What I would like to ask is how you would go about describing very specific details on more complex clothing? Stylish: Elegant and sophisticated clothing to grab attention. - Mix cultures. The good news is that attire is not only important, its also kind of fun when you start digging into it. Look at this picture, is it insane for an author to try to describe this on a character? And if you dont write historical fiction? But thats the case wherever you go. Great article. The reason we fuss over physical descriptions is not because its so important that the readers imagination gets it right. So Id say in films its more for cinematic effect and also for clarity so the viewer can see whos doing what. Like Marquez, compare and contrast characters clothes to reveal important details about their social status or position. To add to the previous mosaic part stealth technology can provide great patterns. You can immediately show a character is wealthy with descriptions of fine clothing. For example, a shy person will often wear 'regular' clothing, clothing that isn't too bright or outgoing in both design and colors. Vividly describing the colors of your character's clothing can enliven ordinary writing. Arrows will bounce off steel crafted in such a wayunless from close range, as we discussed, We mentioned gambesons above. - Change lengths. The unsung hero of so many stories. Military service was always well-rewarded and violence applauded. Pfoo, the owl! When heated, steel turns from yellow, to brown, to blue, to red. You can also check out some of my other guides too, like: If you have any questions about this guide on fantasy armor, please get in touch. Give your wealthy character a pair of Louboutins and dress your non-wealthy characters in hand-me-downs. See how Dickens contrasts the fact-obsessed, overbearingteacher Thomas Gradgrind and his wifes personalities through (among other details) their clothing description. Technology goes beyond simply what kind of clothes could be made though, it also relates to how technology is incorporated into style in general. Thus, "a dress" is inappropriate for a (male) prince, unless he is pretending to be a woman. Every time we got separated in a public space, I discovered myself in a sea of mature women with the same haircut and pastel tops. Instead of a nobleman being described as wearing red silk slippers, parachute pants, a bejeweled cloth belt, a flowing blouse and an ascot; you can simply describe him as wear very fancy and extravagant clothing befitting his high status in society. Characters can also comment on or react to one anothers clothing, as long as the exchange reveals something about the world or relationship. A few easy changes are to make one side longer than the other, so basically creating a diagonal cut instead of the standard horizontal one. Or they could be frantically running errands in leggings and a t-shirt. It's something we have today as well, but they're oddly uncommon and work great for more futuristic looks. Slog through another meaningless day in a world where nothing matters? If youre trying to learn how to describe clothing in writing, youre probably like me: Youve only pretended to know what organza is. In this section, Ive included some more guides on creating fantasy armor designs that you may find useful. Would the fashion designers in your fantasy novel make use of dragon scales? - Use nudity. If your character comes home and immediately sheds three layers of down and fleece, Im going to assume theyre not in San Antonio, Texas. These aren't the only elements either, pretty much every part of clothing changes with the times and depend heavily upon what's fashionable at the time. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e7bbcc198c936bc1af3fbda128514c44fcfc10f0513ea31cad7c21ae61ba0ab0.jpg. The more you know about real clothing and armor, the more tools in your bag of tricks for describing awesome fantasy pieces. Most clothing throughout history consisted of longer pieces of fabric and with minimal tailoring and cuts. or the world theyre desperately resisting. Which is to say, if you write from the point of view of a character who thinks of clothing only in terms of the simplest descriptors, that's just fine. The only cloak in the world made with silk spun by the cat-sized spiders that live in the forbidden mountains. Continued successes could see knights rise higher up the ranks. Pingback: A fantasy writers guide to Castles and Keeps: part one Richie Billing. Imagine your own armored knights storming through the battlefield like iron giants. But let's take a step back and look at what kind of clothing is usually associated with futuristic settings. The eye slits were narrow to prevent all sizes of arrowheads from finding their way through. But put me in a job interview wearing the same outfit, and youd probably start making new guesses about my intentions. A scarf for example might be too hot for some areas, but it's obviously easy to leave those out. Make sure you know whats hot and whats not in your specific setting, as well as what specific words the locals would use. One reason clothing descriptions can start to feel like a tedious laundry list (see what I did there?) When shes not writing, Abi is most likely hiking, reading, or texting her mother pictures of her houseplants to ask why they look like that. Fashion photographer Bill Cunningham said, Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life. Try applying this philosophy to clothing descriptions in your writing and see what happens. Now add a thick, layered scarf or attach a hood to this tunic and you're already well on your way to a customized look. Think of other interesting combinations: A teacher who dresses provocatively; a beggar with an innate sense of style. His writing offers a masterclass in how to describe clothing in stories. (Hopefully, I dont really know your life, so maybe not. If done right you could even use these elements alone with clothing of today to sell a futuristic look. Even things like tattoos, hair colors, eye colors and so on can help with this. On the other hand you may wish to add layers for the same purpose. Dostoyevsky describes how Katerinas landlady, Amalia Ivanovna, dresses for the funeral: the table was properly laid at the time and fixed, and Amalia Ivanovna, feeling she had done her work well, had put on a black silk dress and a cap with new mourning ribbons and met the returning party with some pride. One of the first things I learned when I moved to L.A. is that writers do not dress professionally for big meetings in Hollywood. The easy way to describe the setting is when the characters interact with it, e.g. I mentioned my online writing group at the beginning of this guide. Which was, indeed, a little weird straight off! But Ive also noticed that artful clothing description does make a character, a setting, and even a moment more engaging. In Dostoyevskys Crime and Punishment, the poor, Tuberculosis-stricken Katerina Ivanovnas husband is trampled to death by a horse-drawn cart. Use your first-person narrators senses sight, hearing, touch, etc. Another important function of clothing description in stories is to create an authentic sense of time and place. If its 1st person you'll describe things from the POV of your character, and I find that that's different than if you're in, for example, 3rd person. For example, the corset wasn't popular until the 16th century and while earlier versions can be found incredibly early they weren't common place. An anxious college student buys a flower crown in the hopes of feeling young and free at Coachella. Our characters are always (mostly!) Here are five examples: 1. So below, well take a look at the relationship between the genre of fantasy and medieval armor. Pingback: Fantasy Weapons - Medieval, Magic And Other Types - Richie Billing, Helping writers on their journey and readers find their next favourite story.. I'm talking about the jagged, triangular shapes you find on some stealth planes or the digital camouflage patterns. Using a squared, pixelated look or circuitry patterns usually works great too, which can even be combined with layered clothing to create the circuitry feel. Send private message Achievements: Need help with clothing description in Fantasy #1 I'm writing a Fantasy Novel in the middle ages, filled with swords and magic However, I realize I have trouble trying to convey how the characters look, like what the nobles' attire, the bandit's armor. For fantasy stories to be more believable, we need to understand how it interacts with our characters, especially if theyre enchanted. Richard the Lionheart, for instance, was celebrated amongst his peers for his ability to chop his enemys skulls down to the teeth. Is this purely for cinematic effect or would some leaders remove their helmets to show their faces to their soldiers? These elements are very important when taking into account the previous point. Each suit was tailored to the individual. So here are some more ways to alter a design while sticking with familiarity and a more historic feel: For instance, if I'm reading a story and the narrative mentions jeans right off, I'm thinking mid twentieth century or later (while dungarees would be late nineteenth . - Another way to use color is to make things seem like they're glowing even if they're not and to use gradients. In battle, you are trying to strike a moving target, so mail was sufficient as most blows were glancing ones. There is simply more characterization, not only of Gem but the other characters, too. But the definition of sneaky depends on your characters situation. If sturdy is a top consideration, your character might be expecting trouble or adventure. But even regular elements can help with this. Its a good time. For example, think about a wealthy person and how that person might dress. Scarves as we know them today weren't really a thing in the middle ages (they were way different) and hoods pretty much came in the form of chaperons and liripipes (Google for reference if needed), not as part of a piece of clothing. ), The geographical location of your story. An owl, a real owl! Perhaps its because the genre was born out of stories that emerged from the Middle Ages like Beowulf and King Arthur (around the 10th-11th century). Another quick way of making standard clothing fantasy themed is by converting clothes form the relative future to one that could be created in whichever time period your universe falls under. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Helmets were arguably the most distinctive feature of an armored knight. You could even move the buttons to the side and have it close diagonally instead. I love the way clothes can describe a character. Use fashion and clothing history archives if necessary. But if you do want some guidelines, inspiration or just help this guide'll hopefully provide it. The clothing itself can be just standard medieval gear, but with these elements they immediately look (wood) elvish. Youll be blown away by the number of awesome things on there. This is great! Characters Wear More Than Just Clothes. - Make things look glossy, smooth and clean. ^.^ "Garb" or "dress" (without an article) is a rather drab abstract noun for what a person is wearing. Very informative. Consider this example from Hard Times. Stiff with embroidery, strewn with pearls, encrusted with gemstones, they seem to stand by themselves. I once wrote about imbuing everyday objects with meaning because talisman create great opportunities for symbolism! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 'There is a blog for every aspect of the writing journey.' Those of us who dont get all jazzed about writing clothing descriptions often fail to consider that a good wardrobe has layers. And above all, people share their writing, get feedback, build friendships and develop greater confidence not just in their writing, but in themselves too. Maybe theyre hoping to impress the cool kids or please their parents. - Gadgets, hair styles and accessories. But for writers like me who get stuck in the white socks, green dress rut, heres a quick reminder: Details about fabric, fit, quality, and color are super effective when it comes to creating a sense of character, place, or moment. Another type of cheap armor, one up from gambesons, was boiled leather, also known as cuir bouilli. These were worn on their own by those wanting greater speed and flexibility, but also by those unable to afford stronger armor. You may have seen steelworkers doing this after forging the likes of blades and horseshoes. Ready to sketch vivid characters for your novel? Clothing description also presents an opportunity to play with different points of view. It may be apocryphal, but Harold Godwinson is said to have done just that at the battle of Hastings in 1066. These images all go a lot further than white socks, green dress, and most of them dont require a lot of extra words. Another similar and perhaps way more popular example of this is Steampunk. They looked something like this: One of the main defensive strengths of plated armor came from its curved design, which deflected both blades and arrows. Its all in the craft.Its good that youre here to learn how to describe clothing in writing, because its a powerful tool. And as a reader, nothing bores me like an entire paragraph of detailed clothing description. If you write historical fiction, youre probably way ahead of me. How to describe clothing: 6 simple tips Use clothing to show status and position Build (or thwart) expectations using clothing descriptions Describe clothing to contrast character personalities Show clothing to avoid over-relying on telling Change clothing to highlight character development Use clothing details to create authentic setting They are more common around the chest and torso in Asian cultures though, so keep that in mind when adding diagonal lines. Chapters 1 and 2 were pretty decent and I started chapter 4 with him dressing for the party. The image you create has to play a role in the narrative.Consider the character arc. Not a Dabble user? Not to mention the social status of a person. Amalias dress thus comes across as insensitive to her; malicious even. Heating to the perfect temperature was key. With these two changes alone you already have an item that didn't exist in medieval times, but is familiar enough to work in a fantasy setting. Like Dostoyevsky, think how something as small as a characters change of clothing can affecttheir own or others behaviour. And here are some great concepts for female fantasy armor. Love this topic!! They mixed more traditional Asian styles with the more Western Industrial Revolution period styles. We therefore see in the fantasy genre characters equipped with grand helmets and beautiful pieces of plate armor. Much of the clothing we wear today were either rare or completely nonexistent a hundred years ago. It gives you an idea of the capabilities that armor can have. In visual mediums like TV or comics, cool outfits are on-screen the whole time, and they're the first and most obvious impression you'll get of the character, so they have a big impact on how the character is perceived. That would depend on a few things. Again, I don't mean make your character walk around naked, but add elements of covering up or exposing certain areas of the body. Changes in characters clothing can help revealcharacter development. All this to say: there is substantial storytelling power in a coral Life is Good t-shirt. So sometimes all it takes to create futuristic clothing is to take a trend that has passed, alter it slightly and you're done. Other elements you could include are mood-based changes (exists today), clothing that uses lights or glowing elements (exists today), clothing that can be repaired or changed on the go (exists today), smart technology woven into the fabric of clothing (exists today), changing colors (think chameleons) whenever you feel like it (exists today, kind of). A velvet scrunchie. A common (wood) elvish theme is to have lots of green tints, flowery elements and intricate embroidery. As for showing with clothing rather than telling, a writer could say, He was lazy and inattentive to his appearance about a character, or they could say his clothes always looked like hed just pulled them out of a pile in some corner of his bedroom and had thrown them on without a glance in the mirror. Great idea. I mean what your character wears provides a clue to how they see themselves, how they want to be seen, and even how others see them. Earlier I mentioned how it's important to try and keep a feel of unfamiliarity to futuristic clothing. Theyll see it automatically. So have fun with that. Plain: Ordinary clothes of one color like gray, beige, or black. I would be great to expand it with armor from other areas, Samurai armor, for example. Ive always wondered that too! Allrightsreserved, create an authentic sense of time and place, Use fashion and clothing history archives, https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e7bbcc198c936bc1af3fbda128514c44fcfc10f0513ea31cad7c21ae61ba0ab0.jpg, 1: Use clothing to show status and position, 2: Build (or thwart) expectations using clothing descriptions, 3: Describe clothing to contrastcharacters personalities, 4: Show clothing to avoid over-relying on telling, 5: Change characters clothing to highlight character development, 6: Use clothing details to recreate authentic setting, Build (or thwart) expectations using clothing descriptions, Describe clothing to contrast character personalities, Show clothing to avoid over-relying on telling, Change clothing to highlight character development, Use clothing details to create authentic setting. This usually involves dresses from some time pre-renaissance and a tunic or shirt paired with trousers for men and women who are doing warrior stuff. Some materials are used more than others, some colors are more desirable than others and some accessories are more desirable than others and these all changed throughout time. More on that in a bit. Or theyll be living off soda crackers and peanut butter for the next week because they drained their checking account for a suit to impress at their job interview. Blend in? Not really. )Secrets might not be something youve specifically thought about when youre drafting a story. Read these tips on how (and why) to describe clothes with examples from well-known novels: 1: Use clothing to show status and position 2: Build (or thwart) character expectations with clothing descriptions 3: Describe clothing to contrast characters' personalities 4: Show clothing to avoid over-relying on telling Any suggestions on how to properly do this? Richie Billing writes fantasy fiction, historical fiction and stories of a darker nature. For example, fur usually wasn't used as a piece of decoration for clothing and if used at all was often worn around the neck and shoulders or underneath other (often hide) clothing to keep warm. I like the way you wrote this information. Thanks Chuck! Even the non-conformists are influenced by societal norms. Heres how to describe clothing in writing to show your readers the world to which your character belongs.