how to describe fantasy clothing

"White tunics" have been worn from 2016 to a good forty thousand years ago. And when Mother Nature gets involved, even the best suit of armor can have problems. The more people that join this thriving group the better it becomes. With the major shapes in the thumbnails defined, choose the one that best exemplifies the feeling you're looking for. Thanks, Teresa, and for sharing that great example from the stage. So have fun with that. When heated, steel turns from yellow, to brown, to blue, to red. Clothing description in a story is useful because it often gives additional information about a character that you might otherwise tell. (Hopefully, I dont really know your life, so maybe not. This article has compiled 100 different words you can use to describe clothes, and below the main list of 100 words we've explained our reasoning for a lot of the top picks from that very list, for your personal enjoyment. Stealthy clothes bring to mind burglars clad in black outfits and soft-soled sneakers. 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. Then this is their category. Which was, indeed, a little weird straight off! Adding them with intention can help increase tension, make twists hit that much harder, and keep your reader engaged., How to Describe Clothing in Writing Without Boring Everybody, Tertiary Characters: Giving Your Background Players Life, Sidekicks: The Loyal Companion Your Hero Needs. The final design with all its layers will often hide elements of the clothing that a client may want to see later. 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. (Huh.). Another might claim power by striding in wearing torn jeans and a tank top. Get free books, an invite to my exclusive writing group, writing tools and guides and much more when you join my community. How were women treated in the Middle Ages? Advertisements. Thanks I will be following your blog from now one I just came across it today. 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. 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. The shrewd king essentially licensed out parcels of his land as rewards to his warriors in exchange for their military service. Even things like tattoos, hair colors, eye colors and so on can help with this. Chest plates had grand etchings. But the definition of sneaky depends on your characters situation. Only the most powerful strikes could pierce such armor. It doesn't exclude those that don't know what a qipao is, nor break immersion for those who do. Lets take a look at some ways you can develop those unique ideas: In this section, well take a look at some cool pieces of knight armor in fantasy that people have designed over the years, to give you even more inspiration for your own designs. Were trying to avoid, Isabell gazed out the window, and by the way, she was wearing a white terry cloth robe.. For example, headphones aren't really a piece of clothing, but they definitely affect our style. Baggy. Lets talk about how to describe clothing in writing organically. Your main character just put on some makeup and changed into a fancy dress, complete with heels and a tiny handbag. Embarrassed by her own inability to dress in finery for the occasion (and by being upstaged), Katerina resorts to scathing mockery of Amalia. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 'There is a blog for every aspect of the writing journey.' Press J to jump to the feed. If you tell your readers about Nanettes light pink cardigan and string of pearls, you dont have to say much about the shoes and skirt and silk blouse. 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. Chain mail is a great piece of fantasy armor to use in your stories purely because of its flexibility. When describing clothing in writing, consider: You can also use this aspect of clothing description to paint a vivid picture of the world you imagined. Both doublets and chain mail were worn in conjunction with plated armor for that added protection, particularly for areas plate could not cover, such as arms and the groin. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Just click the button below to find out more. The eye slits were narrow to prevent all sizes of arrowheads from finding their way through. You could even move the buttons to the side and have it close diagonally instead. Lets take a look at some individual pieces of armor. Im writing a little in the Epic Fantasy genre and there were quite a few useful notes I wasnt aware of here. For example, if a character is going on a date, you could write: Gem wanted to look sexy for her date downtown (but not easy), so she changed into more comfortable clothes. Normally I dont dress characters with such complex clothing that takes more than a few sentences to describe but the vest was inspired by a picture I saw and it took at least a paragraph to describe. So here are some more ways to alter a design while sticking with familiarity and a more historic feel: See how Dickens contrasts the fact-obsessed, overbearingteacher Thomas Gradgrind and his wifes personalities through (among other details) their clothing description. You dont need it to sign up. Maybe your character is snuggled up in their fleece pajamas while the blizzard rages outside. By playing around with this you quickly create very subtle, but more unique fantasy-themed items. Although such armor exists in fantasy worlds, its important to understand how things work in the real world, even at a basic level. Sweaters or jumpers? Some helmets had chain attached which hung around and protected the neck, called an aventail, and most were padded inside, for added comfort. Be specific and accurate. You can quickly convey a number of things about your characters based on the clothing they wear. What would you think about a wealthy character who looked as though he shopped at thrift stores? Obviously clothing is extremely varied, especially dresses. Think of other interesting combinations: A teacher who dresses provocatively; a beggar with an innate sense of style. For a bigger image, just click on the link above. Maybe your character heads out on the town wearing a daring leopard print jumpsuit, only to have their best friend immediately ask where they got the kitty costume.. That's why it's valuable to learn these terms. Delighted to hear youre finding this useful. Also bear in mind that not all clothing descriptions have to be presented as She put on x or He was wearing y. You can draw your readers attention to an item of clothing by having your character draw on their jeans or fiddle with their collar. Youll be blown away by the number of awesome things on there. See more ideas about fantasy clothing, anime outfits, character outfits. Is your character trying to attract positive attention? Copyright 2023 Richie Billing | Fantasy Writer. Without decriptions of the clothing it's a bit boring, the novel becomes a list of people the reader can't imagine doing things. Does your character need to hide? Stylish: Elegant and sophisticated clothing to grab attention. Our wardrobes are influenced by our age, geography, culture, hobbies, and a million other aspects of our worlds. A vintage polka dot dress with a sweetheart neckline. Or else that she feels shamed by her Aunt and thus decides to be good. Richie Billing writes fantasy fiction, historical fiction and stories of a darker nature. Yet Dr. Urbinos status as a respected doctor is earned he has nothing to prove by dressing smarter. Either way, their goal is to be desirable, whatever desirable means in this situation. Pingback: A fantasy writers guide to Castles and Keeps: part one Richie Billing. And if you dont write historical fiction? (Where do they buy their clothes? Its a bit OCD of me. The padded material could absorb blows from blunt weapons and provided some protection from cuts, but against well-forged weapons they were useless. Or is it really important for a reader to know the specific pattern? True, it all depends on your purpose. Would the fashion designers in your fantasy novel make use of dragon scales? And if you need a place to organize your complex responses, I recommend Dabbles Character Notes feature. You can even use different pieces of clothing to cover up body parts differently. He's had over a dozen short stories published in various magazines and journals, with one adapted for BBC radio. As time marched on, small plates of leather or iron were added to the mail to protect key areas, such as vital organs. - Change lengths. Id be willing to bet each of these items immediately brought to mind a semi-clear character. His writing offers a masterclass in how to describe clothing in stories. Pre-empt this by illustrating everything in layers and completing each layer of clothing. The clothing itself can be just standard medieval gear, but with these elements they immediately look (wood) elvish. Katerina is affronted by Amalias fine dress because it is new and shows pride. Follow edited Jun 17, 2020 at 9:43. This is great! But it provided an odd sense of security. It took leaving the Midwest to recognize it. The senses were deadened: sight limited, sound muffled, breathing stifled (depending on the type of helmet). Who's your rebel, and how does their clothing reflect their defiant spirit? Okay, maybe not.Secrets in real life can be a little trickywe all have thembut they have a way of blowing up in our faces, depending on how big they are.Your characters are really no different. Leather could be stitched into coats, or added to mail to provide added protection. But they werent administrators. Is your central conflict a life-or-death situation? Here are five examples: 1. A warrior had to fight the enemy, and to fight his armor as well would be too distracting. That also will help readers really experience things through their eyes. Play with the question of presentation and power! So we've covered ways to make clothing look both futuristic and historic, but these are all just guidelines and mostly based on what's been done before. (Cough-cough-cough.) ^.^ Community . Hopefully, you now have more wardrobe ideas for your characters than just red shirt, blue pants. But what about the process of actually sharing these details in your novel?

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