Mantel creates a vivid sense of the wealth that the church amassed in these times. So Id say in films its more for cinematic effect and also for clarity so the viewer can see whos doing what. Is your central conflict a life-or-death situation? Are they overalls or coveralls? To illustrate this let's take a standard men's suit as an example. That works. What Clothes Say About Your Characters - The Write Practice Here are five examples: 1. To illustrate this in a way we did with the futuristic shirt example let's take a standard medieval tunic and turn it into a fantasy-themed version. Costume is a large part of a character. Changes in characters clothing can help revealcharacter development. Thanks Liv, Im glad you found this helpful. Its a good time. The complete opposite is true for fantasy and historic clothing. Impoverished with children to care for, she uses her last money to give her husband a dignified funeral. - "Digital look". Youre more than welcome to join us and wed love to have you on board. What are some ways to describe a character's clothing? Who's your rebel, and how does their clothing reflect their defiant spirit? As soon as the actor enters stage right or left, we have an inkling of whether theyre a wealthy landowner or peasant, an elegant heiress or humble flower-seller. Ideas are forever being shared and discussed. Chest plates had grand etchings. 160 Best Character description ideas | character description, fantasy From lowly serfs to great warriors, all could wear and fight effectively in chainmail. 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. Either way, their goal is to be desirable, whatever desirable means in this situation. 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. - Another way to use color is to make things seem like they're glowing even if they're not and to use gradients. Wearing a suit of armor was like being in your own private world. Creative Words to Describe Outfit & Clothing - INK That decorative belt? Pauldrons, gauntlets, and even leg armor were fashioned into elaborate designs. These are deep questions. Like Borges would say, Adorable. Black and white usually does the trick as well. At a quarter to six, Gem pulled off the low-cut top Emma had wolf-whistled and clappedat when theyd met for their usual weekend catch-up. Thus, "a dress" is inappropriate for a (male) prince, unless he is pretending to be a woman. Describing armor and clothing. : r/writing - reddit But it provided an odd sense of security. She also writes for film and television with her brother and writing partner, Phil Wurdeman. Once quenched, the steel was re-heated to make it more resilient. Which of these clothing types is your character most likely to reach for when starting their day? Richard the Lionheart, for instance, was celebrated amongst his peers for his ability to chop his enemys skulls down to the teeth. That would depend on a few things. A few small details of clothing may distinguish your characters from each other, highlighting their personalities. Theyre the kind of thing that often happen organically, but you can actually make use of character secrets to make your stories better. Youre already obsessing over hat styles and what the undergarment situation was at the time of your story. Stiff with embroidery, strewn with pearls, encrusted with gemstones, they seem to stand by themselves. As a quick question, in film you see a lot of heroes and leaders not wearing helmets. ), Your character and communitys financial resources. From time to time we may use affiliate links to help with the costs of running the site. As such, the contemporary tales that have followed, like Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Dungeons and Dragons and everything in between, have paid homage to that era. Using this site means trees will be planted. But they are a common element used in fantasy clothing in all sorts of works of fiction. Well cover everything from helmets and plate armor to chainmail. Lots of gear would have been looted. We often express ourselves through our clothing, at least when we have the freedom to do so, so knowing who we're designing for is the first step in creating the perfect outfit for a character. Think noble King Arthur and his knights of the roundtable. And above all, people share their writing, get feedback, build friendships and develop greater confidence not just in their writing, but in themselves too. You can use visual description to make a character more vivid in the readers minds eye. - Change lengths. Lets talk about how to describe clothing in writing organically. stylish, expensive clothing, yet not specific to a certain time or place. One easy way of creating a more customized look is to simply use cultural elements in the standard clothing. Similarly, show how different characters personalities are through apt clothing description. This one is simple, right? One specific form of descriptive writing that particularly affects setting and characterization is the portrayal of characters' clothing. How to Give Your Characters Style: Describing Clothing in Writing We therefore see in the fantasy genre characters equipped with grand helmets and beautiful pieces of plate armor. How to Analyze a Fashion Collection - Bloomsbury Fashion Central The good news is that attire is not only important, its also kind of fun when you start digging into it. Character description may change over the course of a story to emphasize a characters arc. It took leaving the Midwest to recognize it. The answer to this question gives you a ton of clarity. Sneak around? Here are a few different types: We mentioned gambesons above. Community . its obviously black with a centered zipper is easy but then the various pieces, the shapes, the colors, like two rows of this then a row of that, you get what I mean? What the description shows is that many of the inviteesplay at status through fancy dress. - Break up clothing into more separate pieces and give them their own styles. Maybe a bracelet represents a character's relationship to her mother. Clothes that are loose and hanging in folds. I don't mean make your characters walk around naked, but exposing (or covering) body parts in ways we don't today helps make ordinary clothing look different, which in turn helps sell the idea of it being futuristic. A four-layer, bubble-gum pink taffeta skirt. Lets talk about how to use clothing description as a storytelling tool, how to dress your character for their personality and setting, and how to make clothes interesting to anyone. I love to wear baggy trousers in summer. Elsewhere, Mantels novel is full of descriptions of garments for specific, era-appropriate purposes: Riding cloaks, town coats, and other clothing people of means would have worn at this time. 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. This is a heavy generalization of course and entirely based on Western culture of today, but these rules may not apply at all in a fictional universe, no matter if it's futuristic or based on a historic setting. Clothes can betray our greatest joys and our deepest insecurities. But even regular elements can help with this. Stylish: Elegant and sophisticated clothing to grab attention. The landladys dress highlights, by contrast, the downward spiral of Katerinas fortunes, and she responds to the landladys prideful clothing with her own wounded pride: Look at her, shes making round eyes, she feels that we are talking about her and cant understand. Without decriptions of the clothing it's a bit boring, the novel becomes a list of people the reader can't imagine doing things. Do they strive to be humble before their god or do they want to spend this one and only life as their bold, ostentatious selves? Theyll see it automatically. Below, well take a look at the armor found in the fantasy genre, covering everything from chain mail to helmets. Troubles with Clothing in Fantasy + Some Ideas - Brielle Andela And what does she put that cap on for? Clothes can betray our greatest joys and our deepest insecurities. The changes and improvements made by technology will often create new trends or alter old ones to the point you may as well consider them a new one, so depending on the technology available in your fictional universe you may wish to create a completely new trend. What your character wears reveals where they come from, how they rank in society, how they want to be perceived, and even how they feel about themselves. Your trust fund character might be completely confident showing up to a party in board shorts and flip-flops. - Christine, on How to describe clothing in a story (with examples), 8 story hook examples (how to grab attention), Story structure examples: How to create payoffs for readers, How to describe to immerse readers (complete guide), How to write deep POV: 8 tips and examples, 9 exposition examples: How to write clear introductions, How to make a plot captivating: 7 strategies, Writing great characters: 5 lessons from modern novels. (Hopefully, I dont really know your life, so maybe not. In battle, you are trying to strike a moving target, so mail was sufficient as most blows were glancing ones. The appearance of armor was a big deal for knights. Beyond medieval Europe, you have the Far East, the Romans, Viking Before you know it youll have designed a full set of fantasy roman or viking armor. Heres a great visual guide on female fantasy armor by YouTuber Shadiversity. Whether its a matter of indulgence or survival, feeling good is a deeply relatable goal. Shoes made with bendable displays already exist, allowing you to change your shoe's design on the fly. Compare this, then, to Dickens description of Gradgrinds wife in the following chapter (Gradgrinds wealthy but poverty-claiming friend has just told Mrs. Gradgrind he was born in a ditch): Mrs. Gradgrind, a little, thin, white, pink-eyed bundle of shawls, of surpassing feebleness, mental and bodily; who was always taking physic without any effect, and who, whenever she showed a symptom of coming to life, was invariably stunned by some weighty piece of fact tumbling on her; Mrs. Gradgrind hoped it was a dry ditch? Each lesson breaks down the analysis of one component of a fashion collection, progressing from a consideration of the designer's technique and influences to the . Dragon scales, fiery furs and feathers and other elements can quickly turn a standard item into a fantasy one. - Mix cultures. As well see below, one of the best things about using medieval armor in a fantasy story is the freedom to elevate it in some way. Be specific and accurate. Describe these in passing to add visual colour and authenticity to your character descriptions. Finally there's the aspect of fashion to take into account. The Victorian author Charles Dickens is widely regarded as a master of characterization, for good reason. Play with the question of presentation and power! Another benefit to chain mail, a point which can slip the mind of writers, is that it was cheap and efficient, able to accommodate different-sized warriors, unlike expensive plated armor. Its not an aspect of character design that bubbles up naturally from the depths of my creative soul. Youre working essential details into the narrative at the moment when they are most relevant. However, you can tell your reader interesting things through a mismatch: A wealthy character might show off their expensive clothing. Much of the clothing we wear today were either rare or completely nonexistent a hundred years ago. is because we get stuck on what things look like. Another similar and perhaps way more popular example of this is Steampunk. 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). Hi Paige, thank you (and thanks for your question). Richie Billing writes fantasy fiction, historical fiction and stories of a darker nature. They're the Robin to your Batman, the Luigi to your Mario, the Samwise Gamgee to your Frodo Baggins. Impress someone with my indifference? They give you the chance to offer comic relief, a dash of wisdom, and just some good old fashioned friendship., Sidekick characters. Coats of plated armor soon came about, which consisted of a series of plates linked on top of one another. But there is so much more to the experience of clothing than that. (Has denim been invented yet? 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. In other words: To describe a fantasy world, use either neutral terms, or made up words. I mentioned my online writing group at the beginning of this guide. Do your main characters tend to steal the show in your novels? Each suit was tailored to the individual. 04. You can weave clothing description into your process when using our story planner for writers. Love this topic!! (Huh.). 1. Like say a vest with mirrored sequins and rhinestones, but they all go in a pattern and you feel the need to describe the pattern line by line? Non-visual senses are big, too. As a friend told me, Wear jeans and glasses and have a favorite pen. 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. "Garb" or "dress" (without an article) is a rather drab abstract noun for what a person is wearing. The easy way to describe the setting is when the characters interact with it, e.g. Thats a good example of using clothing to reinforce the narrative of a characters arc. Really like your article. Smart: Neat and tidy clothes but not necessarily formal. 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The aim was not to cause any impediment to movement. 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. - Gadgets, hair styles and accessories. Mail was particularly effective against glancing blows. Chain mail is a great piece of fantasy armor to use in your stories purely because of its flexibility. Expensive indeed, and heavystronger horses had to be bred to handle the weight. He received his BA Honours in English Literature and his undergraduate in English Literature and Music from the University of Cape Town. I tend to avoid describing clothing. and our Stealthy clothes bring to mind burglars clad in black outfits and soft-soled sneakers. Its hard to really appreciate just how sickeningly awful medieval warfare would have been. Great points. Most picture the knight when we talk about plated armorrigid tin men that can withstand all manner of blows. Once blue, it is quenched a second time, permanently fixing its hardness. Do they need a ghillie suit to blend into the natural environment? 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. All of these advancements will become more and more common as time goes on, so it'd make sense for them to be part of our clothing in the future. For more information, please see our Dont worry, thats not a trick question. What backstory or character motivations could combinations of appearance and reality suggest? Get an image of a blank shirt and simply draw the lines on it, it'll form a great base to work with. Our wardrobes are influenced by our age, geography, culture, hobbies, and a million other aspects of our worlds. Heres a video showing the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of leather armor against arrows. Those warriors came from the people who lived on the lands under the watch of the knights. Youre not infodumping. I thought if I did that at the beginning of a chapter it would be better but I worry it will turn readers 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. And lets not forget the trusty steed. But Ive also noticed that artful clothing description does make a character, a setting, and even a moment more engaging. All cultures have dress codes to some degree, some more so than others and some more stricter than others, but every culture has a range of styles that would be considered normal, 'out there' and unacceptable to most.