how to describe fantasy clothing

Ready to sketch vivid characters for your novel? Plain: Ordinary clothes of one color like gray, beige, or black. It took a while to get ready, with the help of somebody else needed, usually squires, who began with the feet and worked up from there. 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. Let your mind fill in the details, always checking back in with your adjectives to make sure the concept is moving in the right direction. An owl in new ribbons, ha-ha-ha! Fancy clothing description generator - Fantasy name generators [Help] Coming up with Fantasy Outfits : r/fantasywriters - reddit Struggling with describing clothes for a fantasy setting. : r/DnD - reddit Improve this answer. Thanks Chuck! Now on the other end of the spectrum we have fantasy clothing and more history based clothing. 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. You walk down the usual street and suddenly some old memory hits you. 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. Fashionable: Clothes representing a current style in fashion. The appearance of armor was a big deal for knights. The more you know about real clothing and armor, the more tools in your bag of tricks for describing awesome fantasy pieces. 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. And what does she put that cap on for? Another important function of clothing description in stories is to create an authentic sense of time and place. Casual. On the other hand you may wish to add layers for the same purpose. One very important aspect of describing attire well is understanding why youre describing it in the first place. 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. - Gadgets, hair styles and accessories. It can genuinely be tough to come up with cool ideas for epic fantasy armor without drifting back to things that weve seen in the likes of Dungeons and Dragons, The Elder Scrolls and movies like Lord of the Rings. The tragedy of Azincourt, for example, occurred because of a poorly-chosen battleground that had flooded. Similar to how pixelated designs tend to look more futuristic so do designs full of geometrical shapes. is because we get stuck on what things look like. Richie Billing writes fantasy fiction, historical fiction and stories of a darker nature. The shrewd king essentially licensed out parcels of his land as rewards to his warriors in exchange for their military service. Theyre the lifeblood of any relationship. But if you do want some guidelines, inspiration or just help this guide'll hopefully provide it. But it makes a good story. Excuse the on hold background music. Reddit - Dive into anything Need help with clothing description in Fantasy | Royal Road 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. But Ive also noticed that artful clothing description does make a character, a setting, and even a moment more engaging. First and foremost we need to know who we're designing for. Do they need a ghillie suit to blend into the natural environment? Further reading How To Write Fight Scenes. In a book, none of that is true. Consider this example from Hard Times. How were women treated in the Middle Ages? - 'Stealth'. Its a bit OCD of me. Blades hacking, slicing and puncturing, cutting open gaping wounds and severing limbs and heads from bodies. So here are some more ways to alter a design while sticking with familiarity and a more historic feel: Pre-empt this by illustrating everything in layers and completing each layer of clothing. Using the work of Alexander McQueen, this unit guides students through the analysis of a fashion collection, introducing them to the critical language and methodologies needed to evaluate fashion design and runway presentation. One major element that makes creating more futuristic clothing easier is to make sure it doesn't look familiar, to make sure it doesn't look like something you'd come across today. To illustrate this let's take a standard men's suit as an example. And here are some great concepts for female fantasy armor. Understanding how to describe clothing in a story well will help you create fuller, richer character portraits. Writing Tips on Describing Clothes - Pen and the Pad "A dress" (or using "the" to refer to a particular "garment") means an item of clothing that is normally worn by women. 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. Technology goes beyond simply what kind of clothes could be made though, it also relates to how technology is incorporated into style in general. Impoverished with children to care for, she uses her last money to give her husband a dignified funeral. Tell us how the wool of your protagonists sheath dress scratches the skin on the underside of her arm. For more information, please see our Baggy. If you write historical fiction, youre probably way ahead of me. 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. 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. I love the way clothes can describe a character. 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. As I write this, I am wearing jeans that are too big, a gray t-shirt I inherited from a former roommate, and a pilled hoodie from a lighting vendor that works with my friends husbands company. What your character wears can tell us a lot about how they feel or how they want to feel. I never thought of there being a uniform for Midwestern ladyness. Shoes made with bendable displays already exist, allowing you to change your shoe's design on the fly. Select the most striking details and move on. Pingback: A fantasy writers guide to weaponry Richie Billing. Just click this link and dont even think about touching your wallet. If you look at popular works of fiction you'll find two trends, one is the simplistic and often tight-fit look and the other is the more over the top and extravagant look. See more ideas about fantasy clothing, anime outfits, character outfits. Both can lose clout simply by the way their peers respond to their wardrobe choices. And as a reader, nothing bores me like an entire paragraph of detailed clothing description. They can be important too.If you want to breathe life into your stories, it's time to give tertiary characters a little love. ^.^ Make it mandatory to hold up a piece of clothing. stylish, expensive clothing, yet not specific to a certain time or place. 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. - 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. The geographical setting might suggest that your characters are expected to abide by strict rules for modesty or are celebrated for being wild and free. Also his mother was poor and anyone who knew that might wonder how he could afford such clothing so it hints at the actual story. (Would people living in this area have access to leather goods? The image you create has to play a role in the narrative.Consider the character arc. Here, for example, Hilary Mantel describes a Cardinals residence being plundered by the Kings men in 1529 England, in her historical novel Wolf Hall. I'm talking about the jagged, triangular shapes you find on some stealth planes or the digital camouflage patterns. Would the fashion designers in your fantasy novel make use of dragon scales? 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. 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. What does your character wear to feel safer in their world or in their own skin? Well come to this below. Those outfits can become iconic. But let's take a step back and look at what kind of clothing is usually associated with futuristic settings. How to design clothes with a sci-fi feel | Creative Bloq Ha-ha! Great idea. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. "He was wearing a spandex tank top" is an improvement from just mentioning that your character's wearing a shirt; but consider adding the element of color: "He was wearing a black-and-yellow-striped spandex tank top.". Using this site means trees will be planted. Even the non-conformists are influenced by societal norms. Black and white usually does the trick as well. But put me in a job interview wearing the same outfit, and youd probably start making new guesses about my intentions. Not really. First and foremost, remember that clothing description is still storytelling. We even have the technology to create clothing without seems. 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. Is this purely for cinematic effect or would some leaders remove their helmets to show their faces to their soldiers? Ive always wondered that too! 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. For a bigger image, just click on the link above. You can go for standard quasi medieval fantasy clothing. You may have imagined a man in an expensive suit or a woman in designer clothes. So as a way of trying to control them and their behaviour, the code of chivalry and honour was introduced. Thank you for reading our blog! These are usually a little trickier to do well as they can look familiar quickly, but it's a usually a good element to have at your disposal. (Where do they buy their clothes? How to Describe Clothes in English - ESL Advice The time period of your story. They're the Robin to your Batman, the Luigi to your Mario, the Samwise Gamgee to your Frodo Baggins. 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. - Geometry. All this to say: there is substantial storytelling power in a coral Life is Good t-shirt. The answer to this question gives you a ton of clarity. Obviously clothing is extremely varied, especially dresses. 2023 NOW NOVEL CC. For instance, if I'm reading a story and the narrative mentions jeans right off, I'm thinking mid twentieth century or later (while dungarees would be late nineteenth . 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. 28 First of all, beautiful dress and mask! Like all forms of exposition, your goal is to deliver this information without pulling the reader out of the story. Given that I am writing alone in my apartment, you might rightfully conclude that my goal is to be comfortable. One reason clothing descriptions can start to feel like a tedious laundry list (see what I did there?) That would depend on a few things. Most picture the knight when we talk about plated armorrigid tin men that can withstand all manner of blows. The reason we fuss over physical descriptions is not because its so important that the readers imagination gets it right. The aim is to arm you with what you need to enrich your tales with brilliant detail. These shallow details help us go pretty deep on character. 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. Thus, "a dress" is inappropriate for a (male) prince, unless he is pretending to be a woman. I like the way you wrote this information. Give your wealthy character a pair of Louboutins and dress your non-wealthy characters in hand-me-downs. Whats the respected uniform, and does your character wear it? Expensive indeed, and heavystronger horses had to be bred to handle the weight. We already have spray on clothing technology. The easy way to describe the setting is when the characters interact with it, e.g. PsstDoes Your Character Have a Secret? Of course there are more ways to alter historic designs and the middle ages aren't the only period to draw inspiration from. Another similar and perhaps way more popular example of this is Steampunk. Sometimes the simplest changes are enough to create something completely new and ideal for a particular universe. I second the idea of describing the reactions of the characters to the city. Clothes that are suitable for everyday wear rather than formal occasions. You can quickly convey a number of things about your characters based on the clothing they wear. This article was very helpfulcan you post some examples of showing versus telling when describing clothing?

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