how to describe fantasy clothing

Baggy jeans. For example, think about a wealthy person and how that person might dress. In both of these it was mostly the rich who had the extravagant clothing, which brings back the earlier point of how culture influences what a character might wear. Make sure you know whats hot and whats not in your specific setting, as well as what specific words the locals would use. One very important aspect of describing attire well is understanding why youre describing it in the first place. Not a Dabble user? Youre more than welcome to join us and wed love to have you on board. You can also fulfil (or contradict) impressions your characters (or readers) form based on appearances. 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. A four-layer, bubble-gum pink taffeta skirt. You can immediately show a character is wealthy with descriptions of fine clothing. Characters can also comment on or react to one anothers clothing, as long as the exchange reveals something about the world or relationship. 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. Again, I don't mean make your character walk around naked, but add elements of covering up or exposing certain areas of the body. As time marched on, small plates of leather or iron were added to the mail to protect key areas, such as vital organs. Adding these other bits of lesser-known fantasy armor to your stories can really add extra depth to your worldbuilding. Pre-empt this by illustrating everything in layers and completing each layer of clothing. If you want futuristic fantasy simply follow the sci-fi/futuristic tips more or mix and match both sides. Privacy Policy. Helmets were arguably the most distinctive feature of an armored knight. This is a fun one. Fully geared up, you were a walking fortress. 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. Another important function of clothing description in stories is to create an authentic sense of time and place. Advertisements. 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. Its not an aspect of character design that bubbles up naturally from the depths of my creative soul. A person who doesn't want to draw attention to themselves would dress completely differently today than they would even a few decades ago. Its a bit OCD of me. So its unsurprising to see soldiers wielding swords and axes and shooting bows. They are more common around the chest and torso in Asian cultures though, so keep that in mind when adding diagonal lines. But as the show moved forward the suit got more ragged the jacket was open, then gone, the shirt cuffs undone, half the buttons undone and I think by the end when he was on the cross the shirt was gone. Or one who was forever wearing poorly-fitted clothing that appeared to be handed down from friends? You can weave clothing description into your process when using our story planner for writers. If done right you could even use these elements alone with clothing of today to sell a futuristic look. You may have imagined a man in an expensive suit or a woman in designer clothes. Separate and enlarge it, turn down the Opacity of the layer . ), Your character and communitys financial resources. Think armor, bulletproof vests, and bandoliers. Or it could be that they want to be charmed by their own image when they look in the mirror. Heres how to describe clothing in writing to show your readers the world to which your character belongs. The answer can guide you towards certain fashion trends to inspire your characters wardrobe. 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. The front part of helmets, or the visors, were there to raise or open so the wearer could breathe during taxing hand-to-hand combat or scan around the battlefield. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Heating to the perfect temperature was key. 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. Lets delve further into these ideas about describing characters dress: Think of your characters clothing like an actors costume in a play. Theyre the lifeblood of any relationship. Amalias dress thus comes across as insensitive to her; malicious even. That's why it's valuable to learn these terms. This pride, though justifiable, displeased Katerina Ivanovna for some reason. Thank you for sharing this valuable information. A simple t-shirt could be cut diagonally in the front, give both shoulder parts a different style from the arms, elongate one side and so on. Well, mostly. Sometimes they're more interesting and lovable than the main characters themselves and end up stealing the show., Secrets. They should be doing that. As a result, feudal England became rife with young murderous men. Its because concrete details are incredibly effective in communicating abstract concepts. True, it all depends on your purpose. That works. One character might demonstrate their power by showing up to prom in a designer gown. Mention the familiar swooshing of the neighbors tracksuit as he runs by the house every morning or how the aunts jacket always smells like cold air and pine needles. Dr. Urbino in Marquezs example above fits the latter category. It's part of culture, so it's definitely something to keep in mind since your fictional universes will have some form of culture as well. Clothes that are suitable for everyday wear rather than formal occasions. These shallow details help us go pretty deep on character. We see the contrast between the characters friends reaction and the advisory words of Gems aunt. In reality, a medieval lord could pretty much do what they liked. 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. Also try searching cool fantasy armor, or epic fantasy armor. Really, the topic of this article is not how to describe clothing in writing as much as it is how to tell a story with clothes. Another might claim power by striding in wearing torn jeans and a tank top. Another similar and perhaps way more popular example of this is Steampunk. A man's padded undercoat worn under a doublet and over a shirt; a woman's (often padded) under-tunic or the skirt of her riding habit. I like the way you wrote this information. 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. Thank you for reading our blog! Only the most sophisticated, Dr. Urbino among them, wore their ordinary clothes. Lets take a look at how clothing description indicates your characters identity, goals, and culture. What is the prevailing value in the society of your story? 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. If youre trying to learn how to describe clothing in writing, youre probably like me: Youve only pretended to know what organza is. A simple t-shirt could be cut diagonally in the front, give both shoulder parts a different style from the arms, elongate one side and so on. Chest plates had grand etchings. Which was, indeed, a little weird straight off! And ninety-nine percent of the clothing descriptions in your first draft are just jeans. I get it. What is a good way to do Show not tell in a first person POV state? These were worn on their own by those wanting greater speed and flexibility, but also by those unable to afford stronger armor. for any particular parts of an outfit. See how Dickens contrasts the fact-obsessed, overbearingteacher Thomas Gradgrind and his wifes personalities through (among other details) their clothing description. Youre not infodumping. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts The fact Gem goes with jeans and a tee could suggest that she trusts her aunts advice. The surrounding culture dictates what they cant wear if they want to be seen as free-thinking individuals. Knights were, indeed, hard to defeat in battle. When heated, steel turns from yellow, to brown, to blue, to red. With all that armor, its often assumed the medieval knight was immobile. 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. 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. A self-conscious kid tries to disappear inside their oversized sweatshirt. With the major shapes in the thumbnails defined, choose the one that best exemplifies the feeling you're looking for. A few small details of clothing may distinguish your characters from each other, highlighting their personalities. To illustrate this let's take a standard men's suit as an example. Who doesnt like being comfortable when killing? The more you know about real clothing and armor, the more tools in your bag of tricks for describing awesome fantasy pieces. Do they need a ghillie suit to blend into the natural environment? First and foremost, remember that clothing description is still storytelling. For fantasy stories to be more believable, we need to understand how it interacts with our characters, especially if theyre enchanted. 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. You can even use different pieces of clothing to cover up body parts differently. Then this is their category. We naturally link clothing and identity, which is why wardrobe is such an effective tool for building a vivid character. - Furs and other animal parts: A quick and obvious way of making something look more fantasy-themed is by simply adding elements of fantasy creatures. One way to deal with clothing is to not try to be unique. The train hums and throbs in place as people rush to pile in.. The rope belt is solely decorative and a status symbol. Non-visual senses are big, too. A lowly one at that, but one very much capable of climbing the ladder. Never hose for men and probably never puffy breeches. A velvet scrunchie. As well see below, medieval armor developed through necessitypeople needed to protect themselves from those wicked blades and needle-sharp darts. Mail was particularly effective against glancing blows. But there is so much more to the experience of clothing than that. [Find more articles on character description in our complete guide to character creation.]. Changes in characters clothing can help revealcharacter development. Chausses / Chauces (15th century) Pantaloons; padded hosen for the legs, often worn under chainmail or plate armor. 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. Make them earn any sightof skin, Aunt P always said. This is further influenced/confirmed by the show Forged in Fire where the judges were a half step from putting their heads in their hands when a smith put his hot blade in water instead of oil to cool it down. Dragon scales, fiery furs and feathers and other elements can quickly turn a standard item into a fantasy one. Think touchable fabrics and the light scent of lavender soap. Continued successes could see knights rise higher up the ranks. Now on the other end of the spectrum we have fantasy clothing and more history based clothing. These small but mighty players can add depth, complexity, and a fresh perspective to your plot. Delighted to hear youre finding this useful. Thus his plain dress is, ironically, indicative of higher status. 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. The eye slits were narrow to prevent all sizes of arrowheads from finding their way through. Which of these clothing types is your character most likely to reach for when starting their day? You can go for standard quasi medieval fantasy clothing. 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 When youre shopping for yourself, you know what you like but you dont know how to describe it. I tend to avoid describing clothing. They mixed more traditional Asian styles with the more Western Industrial Revolution period styles. The aim was not to cause any impediment to movement. Maybe your character is snuggled up in their fleece pajamas while the blizzard rages outside. - "Digital look". Thanks, Teresa, and for sharing that great example from the stage. Wearing a suit of armor was like being in your own private world. 2023 NOW NOVEL CC. Understanding how to describe clothing in a story well will help you create fuller, richer character portraits. 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. It was my understanding that they quenched in oil, not water. When heated, steel turns from yellow, to brown, to blue, to red. 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. I can only imagine the pain of the chafing! 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. Ready to sketch vivid characters for your novel? We even have the technology to create clothing without seems. Expensive indeed, and heavystronger horses had to be bred to handle the weight. Theyll see it automatically. I would be great to expand it with armor from other areas, Samurai armor, for example. Richie also runs The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed, a podcast devoted to helping writers improve their craft. 04. So Id say in films its more for cinematic effect and also for clarity so the viewer can see whos doing what. I'm talking about the jagged, triangular shapes you find on some stealth planes or the digital camouflage patterns. First and foremost we need to know who we're designing for. The shrewd king essentially licensed out parcels of his land as rewards to his warriors in exchange for their military service. Military service was always well-rewarded and violence applauded. Richie Billing writes fantasy fiction, historical fiction and stories of a darker nature. Not quite. But if you do want some guidelines, inspiration or just help this guide'll hopefully provide it. But let's take a step back and look at what kind of clothing is usually associated with futuristic settings. But they are a common element used in fantasy clothing in all sorts of works of fiction. Theyre the kind of thing that often happen organically, but you can actually make use of character secrets to make your stories better. No problem! (Would people living in this area have access to leather goods? show how hard is to escape in a narrow street. 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. Pingback: The Life of the Medieval Lord - Richie Billing, Pingback: How To Create Your Very Own Living Breathing Fantasy World - Richie Billing, Pingback: Fantasy Races - The Ultimate Guide To Elves, Orcs and Dwarves | Richie Billing, Pingback: Killer Diseases of the Middle Ages | Richie Billing, Pingback: Medieval Cannons: The Essential Guide | Richie Billing, Pingback: On Writing: Fantasy Without Magic Of Metal and Magic Publishing, Pingback: The Lives Of Medieval Peasants - Richie Billing. That decorative belt? Both can lose clout simply by the way their peers respond to their wardrobe choices. Vividly describing the colors of your character's clothing can enliven ordinary writing. Join Kickstart your Novel and get professional feedback on your first three chapters and story synopsis, plus workbooks and videos. Im writing a little in the Epic Fantasy genre and there were quite a few useful notes I wasnt aware of here. 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. You can try all Dabbles premium features for free for fourteen days. What the description shows is that many of the inviteesplay at status through fancy dress. Similarly, find out (or, if youre creating a fantasy world, create) the garments your characters would wear in a particular time and place. 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. But they werent administrators. The senses were deadened: sight limited, sound muffled, breathing stifled (depending on the type of helmet). The fantasy genre borrows an awful lot from medieval history. 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. Youll be blown away by the number of awesome things on there. It's easy to try this out too, at least the simple line version.

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