how to describe fantasy clothing

The last minute change suggests an indecisive nature. In my case my character is new in town and this description of clothing doesnt come until hes getting ready for the party in chapter 4 and its in the context of getting dressed, there are reasons behind it, the party is a very big deal for him getting his foot in the door with other teens in town and he wants to be impressive or maybe wants lot of attention with all the sparklies. What I would like to ask is how you would go about describing very specific details on more complex clothing? Its a bit OCD of me. If you arent keeping at least a few secrets from your friends and loved ones, are you really living? And right at the heart of it were the leaders of societythe medieval lords. 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. Youre more than welcome to join us and wed love to have you on board. But they could also dress in modest, inexpensive-looking clothes. And if you dont write historical fiction? Lets take a look at some individual pieces of armor. Leather could be stitched into coats, or added to mail to provide added protection. Continued successes could see knights rise higher up the ranks. As well see below, medieval armor developed through necessitypeople needed to protect themselves from those wicked blades and needle-sharp darts. Before I delve into the more detailed aspects of creating clothing there's one final thing to keep in mind and that is that fashion repeats itself. Maybe theyre wearing an article of clothing that once belonged to someone theyve lost. The fantasy genre borrows an awful lot from medieval history. A velvet scrunchie. 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. 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. Its all in the craft.Its good that youre here to learn how to describe clothing in writing, because its a powerful tool. Pauldrons, gauntlets, and even leg armor were fashioned into elaborate designs. At least in most cases. Clothes that are loose and hanging in folds. It may be apocryphal, but Harold Godwinson is said to have done just that at the battle of Hastings in 1066. This is great! His pants are simple and narrow and reach down to his hard leather shoes. You can quickly convey a number of things about your characters based on the clothing they wear. The senses were deadened: sight limited, sound muffled, breathing stifled (depending on the type of helmet). 28 First of all, beautiful dress and mask! Given that I am writing alone in my apartment, you might rightfully conclude that my goal is to be comfortable. - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. Abi Wurdeman is the author of Cross-Section of a Human Heart: A Memoir of Early Adulthood, as well as the novella, Holiday Gifts for Insufferable People. Really like your article. The final design with all its layers will often hide elements of the clothing that a client may want to see later. Here are some classic characteristics you can draw out through clothing description. Something like this: As you can see, a knights armor is made up of a lot of different pieces. Non-visual senses are big, too. 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. An owl, a real owl! 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. Its about building a life and a world, and that is something you can do. Stiff with embroidery, strewn with pearls, encrusted with gemstones, they seem to stand by themselves. 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. They work, they're safe and in many cases have become a standard. In pre-thermometer times this was difficult as you can imagine, so instead, armorers observed the colour of the heated steel. It's something we have today as well, but they're oddly uncommon and work great for more futuristic looks. Now on the other end of the spectrum we have fantasy clothing and more history based clothing. Your articles are always very informative. That works. Consider this example from Hard Times. A few small details of clothing may distinguish your characters from each other, highlighting their personalities. Maybe a bracelet represents a character's relationship to her mother. In fact, you should be putting lots of thought and development into protagonists because thats who the story is about.But how much thought have you given to your tertiary characters? Whereas a more confident or attention seeking person might seek out the edges of what's socially acceptable more or just wear more stylish and potentially more colorful or flamboyant clothing. We'll 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. What your character wears can tell us a lot about how they feel or how they want to feel. How long do they need their clothes to last? 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. ^.^ Theyre probably less concerned with how they look (unless they want to look intimidating) and more concerned with things like survival or victory. Share. Conveniently, a lot of high status positions come with outfits or accessories that telegraph a persons position in the hierarchy. An owl in new ribbons, ha-ha-ha! Military service was always well-rewarded and violence applauded. List of Medieval Clothing (91 terms!) - The Medieverse: Tim's Realistic 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. Sometimes the simplest changes are enough to create something completely new and ideal for a particular universe. 2023 NOW NOVEL CC. stylish, expensive clothing, yet not specific to a certain time or place. In 2021 his debut novel, Pariah's Lament, an epic fantasy, was published by Of Metal and Magic. True, it all depends on your purpose. - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. And what does she put that cap on for? Chain mail is a great piece of fantasy armor to use in your stories purely because of its flexibility. One thing Ive always wondered is if someone wearing plate could fall down just right in a muddy battlefield, and get stuck there in the same way a large flat rock gets stuck laying in mud. Also, don't feel like you have to include every point I've made. Tell us how the wool of your protagonists sheath dress scratches the skin on the underside of her arm. Lets delve further into these ideas about describing characters dress: Think of your characters clothing like an actors costume in a play. Knights werent as immobile as people assum, though I can imagine in a quagmire itd be tricky to get up. It was my understanding that they quenched in oil, not water. A pair of starched Wranglers. Stealthy clothes bring to mind burglars clad in black outfits and soft-soled sneakers. And as a reader, nothing bores me like an entire paragraph of detailed clothing description. This includes items like steel-toed boots, heavy denim, or tech-forward, snag-resistant superhero spandex. Most clothing throughout history consisted of longer pieces of fabric and with minimal tailoring and cuts. 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. But I find looking back in time to the likes of the medieval period can provide some wonderful and unique ideas. The easy way to describe the setting is when the characters interact with it, e.g. 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. for any particular parts of an outfit. This is often enough to make something look more futuristic, especially if used on something that looks glossy, shiny and/or smooth. 80s-inspired. 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. Heating to the perfect temperature was key. By playing around with this you quickly create very subtle, but more unique fantasy-themed items. 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? The same goes for other types of technology that could realistically be incorporated into the design of your character's clothing. The more outlandish the fantasy species your character is the more outlandish you can usually be with clothing, but familiarity is usually still a solid ground for a realistic feel, even if the universe and the creatures are completely unrealistic. Am I trying to blow the interview? Lets talk about how to describe clothing in writing organically. Strips of leather were boiled in water, though some sources record oil and wax being used, and even animal urine. Clothes can betray our greatest joys and our deepest insecurities. Make sure you know whats hot and whats not in your specific setting, as well as what specific words the locals would use. 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. Sure, it helps your reader to know how you picture a character. Great article. That also will help readers really experience things through their eyes. What are some ways to describe a character's clothing? If it fits your universe it usually works, so don't be afraid of doing something different. 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). One easy way of creating a more customized look is to simply use cultural elements in the standard clothing. Is your character trying to attract positive attention? Will using real-world cultural vocabulary in a fantasy setting Delighted to hear youre finding this useful. - 'Stealth'. 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. You can go for standard quasi medieval fantasy clothing. First and foremost, remember that clothing description is still storytelling. Whenever other races or species are involved, like elves and trolls, it's often best to give them clothing that differs from whatever humans (and other races) wear, even if those differences are subtle. - Another way to use color is to make things seem like they're glowing even if they're not and to use gradients. Only the most powerful strikes could pierce such armor. So as a way of trying to control them and their behaviour, the code of chivalry and honour was introduced. In Dostoyevskys Crime and Punishment, the poor, Tuberculosis-stricken Katerina Ivanovnas husband is trampled to death by a horse-drawn cart. The shrewd king essentially licensed out parcels of his land as rewards to his warriors in exchange for their military service. You may have seen steelworkers doing this after forging the likes of blades and horseshoes. Thus, "a dress" is inappropriate for a (male) prince, unless he is pretending to be a woman. The padded material could absorb blows from blunt weapons and provided some protection from cuts, but against well-forged weapons they were useless. - Mix cultures. You can weave clothing description into your process when using our story planner for writers. Dragon scales, fiery furs and feathers and other elements can quickly turn a standard item into a fantasy one. The details create an authentic sense of a prominentcardinals dressin the 1500s. Subtle clothing changes can signal character development quite effectively in some scenarios. 2012 - Through fashion terms you can understand the fundamentals of the fashion industry. Were trying to avoid, Isabell gazed out the window, and by the way, she was wearing a white terry cloth robe.. So let's delve deeper into the details of how to actually figure out what your character wears. Baggy. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e7bbcc198c936bc1af3fbda128514c44fcfc10f0513ea31cad7c21ae61ba0ab0.jpg. 100 Words to Describe Clothes - grammarhow.com

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