Smart: Neat and tidy clothes but not necessarily formal. You find that its about more than throwing out fashion terms and listing articles of clothing. One very important aspect of describing attire well is understanding why youre describing it in the first place. A four-layer, bubble-gum pink taffeta skirt. Get free books, an invite to my exclusive writing group, writing tools and guides and much more when you join my community. An anxious college student buys a flower crown in the hopes of feeling young and free at Coachella. If your protagonist is donning a tri-cornered hat, loosening a corset, or strutting through town in a new toga, your reader has a good sense of time period. Use fashion and clothing history archives if necessary. Does your character need to hide? Love this topic!! If your character comes home and immediately sheds three layers of down and fleece, Im going to assume theyre not in San Antonio, Texas. Creating new clothing styles for fictional worlds can be a daunting task, there's just so much out there already and so many elements to play around with to create a fun and unique style, no matter whether the art form is visual or not. There are some elements which are common among most works of fiction when it comes to clothing, with these elements in mind it becomes a lot easier to turn the clothing we wear today or wore throughout history into a futuristic or more fantasy oriented equivalent. For a bigger image, just click on the link above. Pingback: A fantasy writers guide to Castles and Keeps: part one Richie Billing. An owl, a real owl! The image you create has to play a role in the narrative.Consider the character arc. However, you can tell your reader interesting things through a mismatch: A wealthy character might show off their expensive clothing. It makes for a more entertaining read. What would you think about a wealthy character who looked as though he shopped at thrift stores? How do you describe this dress - Writing Forums clothed and we should definitely be using them to portray our characters personalities. It gives you an idea of the capabilities that armor can have. - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. Most picture the knight when we talk about plated armorrigid tin men that can withstand all manner of blows. This description generator will create a mostly random description of either a dress or a suit, fit for formal occasions and other fancy needs. Just click the button below to find out more. Heres a cool video on making leather fantasy armor by YouTuber, Prince Armory. It's your creation, your imagination and your time you use and spend, so make sure you use and spend it on something you enjoy. Vividly describing the colors of your character's clothing can enliven ordinary writing. Not quite. This is less important for non-visual arts as clothing isn't always described in writing, but it can still be incredibly helpful to have a fully detailed character in your head or written down somewhere for reference and just to make everything feel more real and alive. Its fun to play with power in clothing, because it's a relative concept. Ideas are forever being shared and discussed. or the world theyre desperately resisting. But they are a common element used in fantasy clothing in all sorts of works of fiction. First and foremost, remember that clothing description is still storytelling. Or else that she feels shamed by her Aunt and thus decides to be good. Its about building a life and a world, and that is something you can do. What matters more to them: fashion or function? That would depend on a few things. Community . How long do they need their clothes to last? The bully Gradgrind is the type whod wear a waistcoat concealing an eyeglass for catching people out. You can also fulfil (or contradict) impressions your characters (or readers) form based on appearances. Another type of cheap armor, one up from gambesons, was boiled leather, also known as cuir bouilli. As well see below, medieval armor developed through necessitypeople needed to protect themselves from those wicked blades and needle-sharp darts. At the end of the day, they were professional slayers, swords for hire. Below, well take a look at the armor found in the fantasy genre, covering everything from chain mail to helmets. As knights became fully armored, so did their mounts. 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 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. On the other hand you may wish to add layers for the same purpose. When you use clothing to define who your character is, remember that it can also clarify how they feel about themselves and how they fit into the world around them. How were women treated in the Middle Ages? The train hums and throbs in place as people rush to pile in.. Blunt, Once quenched, the steel was re-heated to make it more resilient. Finally there's all the little things that can make an outfit look more futuristic. Most clothing throughout history consisted of longer pieces of fabric and with minimal tailoring and cuts. A scarlet pantsuit. 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. 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. Baggy jeans. There's a few other elements to keep in mind as well, but in most cases it's best not to worry at all, let your imagination go wild and simply create and enjoy what you want to create. Well also take a look at female fantasy armor and those used by knights, potential designs, and ways to help you find inspiration for creating your own. Give your wealthy character a pair of Louboutins and dress your non-wealthy characters in hand-me-downs. See more ideas about fantasy clothing, anime outfits, character outfits. 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? 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. Clothing reflects the resources available in a specific time and place. But they could also dress in modest, inexpensive-looking clothes. Even things like tattoos, hair colors, eye colors and so on can help with this. So below, well take a look at the relationship between the genre of fantasy and medieval armor. Like Dostoyevsky, think how something as small as a characters change of clothing can affecttheir own or others behaviour. 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.. The important thing to remember is to remain in the character's point of view. Who is your character at the beginning of the story, and how can you dress them to establish their normal? Metallic works well too, but make sure any metal bits or metallic looking bits are smooth and clean looking too, otherwise it might look too historic. 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? Describing clothes? : r/writing - reddit Pfoo, the owl! With all that armor, its often assumed the medieval knight was immobile. Ha-ha! And what does she put that cap on for? Sci-fi and fantasy don't necessarily have to be futuristic and historic respectively, but they're commonly associated as such, so for the sake of simplicity that's what I'm going with for the purposes of this guide. Not all trends return and fashion isn't perfectly cyclical. A band t-shirt. The jacket has a narrow, rectangular neckline which reveals part of the fancy shirt worn below it and is worn with a light rope belt, which is held together by a simple knot. Struggling with describing clothes for a fantasy setting. : r/DnD - reddit You may have seen steelworkers doing this after forging the likes of blades and horseshoes. Blend in? You can try all Dabbles premium features for free for fourteen days. "Garb" or "dress" (without an article) is a rather drab abstract noun for what a person is wearing. And if you dont write historical fiction? I can only imagine the pain of the chafing! Added on top of that the condition that they had to supply him with soldiers too. It illustrates brilliantly the differences between fantasy armor and the boring armor of reality, in this case, Gothic armor. On occasion, Abi pretends to be a poet. - 'Stealth'. - Gadgets, hair styles and accessories. This includes things like a pilots uniform, a tiara, or a Pink Ladies jacket. Hello, I am attempting to write my first fantasy novel (and my first novel), and I'm having difficulty visualizing what kind of clothes my characters should be wearing. Someone jumps down from a boundary wall wearing dark clothes and clutching a bag, that's enough of a clue they're a burglar, and if the protagonist now has to chase them then a description of the form those clothes take down to the buckles on the shoes is going to break the flow. A person who doesn't want to draw attention to themselves would dress completely differently today than they would even a few decades ago. Stealthy clothes bring to mind burglars clad in black outfits and soft-soled sneakers. Otherwise they wont take you seriously as an artist.. One easy way of creating a more customized look is to simply use cultural elements in the standard clothing. Your trust fund character might be completely confident showing up to a party in board shorts and flip-flops. Much of the clothing we wear today were either rare or completely nonexistent a hundred years ago. These are deep questions. Thus his plain dress is, ironically, indicative of higher status. 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. A lowly one at that, but one very much capable of climbing the ladder. Thank you for sharing this valuable information. Either way, their goal is to be desirable, whatever desirable means in this situation. [Find more articles on character description in our complete guide to character creation.]. These images all go a lot further than white socks, green dress, and most of them dont require a lot of extra words. Now this won't work for every piece of clothing of course, not everything has buttons or edges that allow for simple changes we don't already use today, so here are a few ways that are commonly used to make things look more futuristic: Besides, these are all just guidelines meant to spark some inspiration in you. Consider this example from Hard Times. I have a hard time describing my thoughts on content, but I really felt I should here. 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. Really like your article. We already have spray on clothing technology. - As far as colors go they often seem to be either toned down or bright and happy (or even over the top), depending on the style. Do your main characters tend to steal the show in your novels? For fantasy stories to be more believable, we need to understand how it interacts with our characters, especially if theyre enchanted. I love the way clothes can describe a character. How to Describe Clothing in Writing Without Boring Everybody Clothes can betray our greatest joys and our deepest insecurities. 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. In this scene, Gradgrind returns home to find his children playing outside: A space of stunted grass and dry rubbish being between him and the young rabble, he took his eyeglass out of his waistcoat to look for any child he knew by name, and might order off. 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. And what weve covered here today is only just the tip of the iceberg. One way is to avoid what we call filter words. Its a bit OCD of me. Note that with the camouflage patterns it's best to use this style, but make them less randomized to avoid the military look, unless that's what you're going for of course. Whether its a matter of indulgence or survival, feeling good is a deeply relatable goal. Chain mail is a great piece of fantasy armor to use in your stories purely because of its flexibility. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Discover an extensive list of terms you may want to know here. How to create a fantasy costume design | Creative Bloq You can use visual description to make a character more vivid in the readers minds eye. The more you know about real clothing and armor, the more tools in your bag of tricks for describing awesome fantasy pieces. Theyll see it automatically. Make it look very clean and smooth and it immediately feels more modern. 2023 NOW NOVEL CC. She also writes for film and television with her brother and writing partner, Phil Wurdeman. The first time I joined my family for our biannual Minnesota fishing trip after moving to L.A. from the Midwest, I found myself constantly losing my aunt and mother. They give you the chance to offer comic relief, a dash of wisdom, and just some good old fashioned friendship., Sidekick characters. As with body armor, great efforts were made with the designs of helmets. 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. Adding these other bits of lesser-known fantasy armor to your stories can really add extra depth to your worldbuilding. Chest plates had grand etchings. Or it could be that they want to be charmed by their own image when they look in the mirror. Your article is really great. Make sure you know whats hot and whats not in your specific setting, as well as what specific words the locals would use. Will using real-world cultural vocabulary in a fantasy setting You can quickly convey a number of things about your characters based on the clothing they wear. I really loved this article, but I have one question, it was very helpful. 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. - 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. 80s-inspired. Particularly in genres such as historical fiction and fantasy, clothing can help to create other worlds (or a long gone era of our own). Stylish: Elegant and sophisticated clothing to grab attention. Heating to the perfect temperature was key. Describing clothes : writing - reddit Impress someone with my indifference? Clothing creation guide - Roll for Fantasy Some had pointed snouts, the purpose of which was to deflect arrows when walking into arrow storms. 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. 28 First of all, beautiful dress and mask! 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 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. Only the most sophisticated, Dr. Urbino among them, wore their ordinary clothes. The easy way to describe the setting is when the characters interact with it, e.g. Youre more than welcome to join us and wed love to have you on board. Mail was lightweight and flexible. The appearance of armor was a big deal for knights. Chapters 1 and 2 were pretty decent and I started chapter 4 with him dressing for the party. I second the idea of describing the reactions of the characters to the city. We all love a character with a cool set of fantasy armor: the baresark Rek from David Gemmells Legend with his enchanted coat of bronze, or Tomas from Raymond Feists Riftwar Cycle with his gleaming white dragon plate which gifted him incredible power. ), Your character and communitys financial resources. Blunt weapons were effective, causing haemorrhaging and concussion, so padded garments known as a doublet or gambeson were worn underneath to provide added protection. Nylon and polyester fabrics weren't invented until almost the mid 20th century for example. What also worries me is that in Chapter 3 I used a lot of descriptions of the house, like the main characters room and then I had him go to various other rooms, looked at pictures of his family he has yet to meet so chapter 3 had the least story development or social scenes but the ones it had were good ones and I ended it with a scene that creates more development and story hype. Again, I don't mean make your character walk around naked, but add elements of covering up or exposing certain areas of the body. For example, a meticulously dressed character who is discovered in a disheveled and poorly dressed state. The aim was not to cause any impediment to movement. ), The geographical location of your story. 2012 - Coats of plated armor soon came about, which consisted of a series of plates linked on top of one another. Clothing tells your reader a lot about your characters goals and motivations within a given scenario. - Geometry. 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.
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