how to describe fantasy clothing

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. Get free books, an invite to my exclusive writing group, writing tools and guides and much more when you join my community. The pieces around the vital organsthe chest and headwere thicker and heavier than those on the arms and legs to try and reduce weight as much as possible. I sincerely hope youve found some inspiration for your fantasy medieval armor. Very informative. They looked something like this: One of the main defensive strengths of plated armor came from its curved design, which deflected both blades and arrows. The fantasy genre borrows an awful lot from medieval history. When describing clothing in writing, consider: You can also use this aspect of clothing description to paint a vivid picture of the world you imagined. Clothing reflects the resources available in a specific time and place. A coat of mail was a complex web of metal rings, each locked with an iron rivet. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e7bbcc198c936bc1af3fbda128514c44fcfc10f0513ea31cad7c21ae61ba0ab0.jpg. Well also take a look at female fantasy armor and those used by, Mail was particularly effective against glancing blows. The shrewd king essentially licensed out parcels of his land as rewards to his warriors in exchange for their military service. The fact that Finally there's all the little things that can make an outfit look more futuristic. Reeking of piss on the battlefield was another weapon in the arsenal I suppose. If you arent keeping at least a few secrets from your friends and loved ones, are you really living? Describe these in passing to add visual colour and authenticity to your character descriptions. 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. But Ive also noticed that artful clothing description does make a character, a setting, and even a moment more engaging. - 'Stealth'. This includes items like steel-toed boots, heavy denim, or tech-forward, snag-resistant superhero spandex. Expensive indeed, and heavystronger horses had to be bred to handle the weight. ). If you write historical fiction, youre probably way ahead of me. The reader does not need the full outfit in one go. - Diagonal lines: Diagonal lines aren't all that common in historic clothing and they usually only came in the form of neck lines, the edges of unbuttoned jackets or from large pieces of fabric being held up (think ancient Rome). Id be willing to bet each of these items immediately brought to mind a semi-clear character. Heres a cool video on making leather fantasy armor by YouTuber, Prince Armory. As with mail, steel was the best material due to its hardness, which was obtained by heating the steel to extreme temperatures and then submerging it into cold water, a process known as quenching. This pride, though justifiable, displeased Katerina Ivanovna for some reason. Look how she sits with her mouth open! We naturally link clothing and identity, which is why wardrobe is such an effective tool for building a vivid character. One easy way of creating a more customized look is to simply use cultural elements in the standard clothing. But thats the case wherever you go. What I would like to ask is how you would go about describing very specific details on more complex clothing? Continued successes could see knights rise higher up the ranks. 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. Do they need a ghillie suit to blend into the natural environment? You can go for standard quasi medieval fantasy clothing. Such coats were made from brass or iron, though steel was deemed best due to its toughness. In one single piece of clothing description (a pink-eyed bundle of shawls), Dickens conveys how timid and ailing Mrs. Gradgrind is in contrast to her bullish, overbearing husband. Pingback: A fantasy writers guide to weaponry Richie Billing. Such simple things, but the clothes really helped show Jesus plight. The appearance of armor was a big deal for knights. Then this is their category. Were trying to avoid, Isabell gazed out the window, and by the way, she was wearing a white terry cloth robe.. Clothes that are loose and hanging in folds. The important thing to remember is to remain in the character's point of view. 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. They also wear talismans, jewelry, and other objects. At the end of the day, they were professional slayers, swords for hire. 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. 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. 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 . 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. In Dostoyevskys Crime and Punishment, the poor, Tuberculosis-stricken Katerina Ivanovnas husband is trampled to death by a horse-drawn cart. The good news is that attire is not only important, its also kind of fun when you start digging into it. I never thought of there being a uniform for Midwestern ladyness. Now on the other end of the spectrum we have fantasy clothing and more history based clothing. Not really. Black and white usually does the trick as well. Make it look very clean and smooth and it immediately feels more modern. Nov 28, 2022 - Explore Anung V's board "Character description" on Pinterest. 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. In other words: To describe a fantasy world, use either neutral terms, or made up words. One specific form of descriptive writing that particularly affects setting and characterization is the portrayal of characters' clothing. Sweaters or jumpers? - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. - Another way to use color is to make things seem like they're glowing even if they're not and to use gradients. is because we get stuck on what things look like. 1. Thanks Liv, Im glad you found this helpful. Improve this answer. Or one who was forever wearing poorly-fitted clothing that appeared to be handed down from friends? How to Give Your Characters Style: Describing Clothing in Writing Written by MasterClass Last updated: Aug 19, 2021 3 min read Creating vivid descriptions for a story or character is a mark of a great writer. You could introduce magical enchantments or ability-granting traits. To navigate your way through this guide, just click the links below. Do all your characters embrace it? 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. Embarrassed by her own inability to dress in finery for the occasion (and by being upstaged), Katerina resorts to scathing mockery of Amalia. Its okay if Todds checks his designer watch three pages after you mention his silk tie. The fact Gem goes with jeans and a tee could suggest that she trusts her aunts advice. 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. 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. What your character wears can tell us a lot about how they feel or how they want to feel. To make it futuristic you could change where the buttons are, they're normally quite low and form a v-neck line when buttoned up, how about moving them to the top and creating an upside down V shape at the bottom. These were worn on their own by those wanting greater speed and flexibility, but also by those unable to afford stronger armor. And if you dont write historical fiction? Ideas are forever being shared and discussed. A common (wood) elvish theme is to have lots of green tints, flowery elements and intricate embroidery. Advertisements. A band t-shirt. 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 They could withstand high-velocity strikes from a javelin or lance, driven home by somebody charging forwards on horseback. Lets delve further into these ideas about describing characters dress: Think of your characters clothing like an actors costume in a play. You can even use different pieces of clothing to cover up body parts differently. Those of us who dont get all jazzed about writing clothing descriptions often fail to consider that a good wardrobe has layers. Follow edited Jun 17, 2020 at 9:43. Pingback: Fantasy Weapons - Medieval, Magic And Other Types - Richie Billing, Helping writers on their journey and readers find their next favourite story.. Thanks Chuck! What the description shows is that many of the inviteesplay at status through fancy dress. Stylish. They're the Robin to your Batman, the Luigi to your Mario, the Samwise Gamgee to your Frodo Baggins. In battle, you are trying to strike a moving target, so mail was sufficient as most blows were glancing ones. In a fantasy setting, you may be trying to conjure up a certain feel right off the bat based on how you describe a character's clothing (and the words you use to describe them). Think the previously mentioned Fifth Element and Hunger Games clothing versus Star Trek, Star Wars and so on clothing. Youll be blown away by the number of awesome things on there. The clothing itself can be just standard medieval gear, but with these elements they immediately look (wood) elvish. Press J to jump to the feed. 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? Adding these other bits of lesser-known fantasy armor to your stories can really add extra depth to your worldbuilding. Maybe a bracelet represents a character's relationship to her mother. This usually involves dresses from some time pre-renaissance and a tunic or shirt paired with trousers for men and women who are doing warrior stuff. See more ideas about character description, fantasy fashion, fantasy clothing. Added on top of that the condition that they had to supply him with soldiers too. Tell us how the wool of your protagonists sheath dress scratches the skin on the underside of her arm. You can quickly convey a number of things about your characters based on the clothing they wear. Achieving glory in battle was one way of earning a knighthood. Here are five examples: 1. s a fantastic image that Thomas Feichtmeir, AKA Cyangmou has put together. 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. Great points. So here are some more ways to alter a design while sticking with familiarity and a more historic feel: I love to wear baggy trousers in summer. What your character wears can tell us a lot about how they feel or how they want to feel. 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. Other clothing pieces could be various types of hats and scarves, (trench) coats and even something as simple as pockets or buttons used for fastening rather than as decoration to name just a few. I saw Jesus Christ Superstar a long time ago and Jesus was in a sharp black suit. If a knight fell from a horse, he could quite easily pick himself up, not stuck on the ground like a tortoise knocked on its shell. But they werent administrators. Which brings me to my next point. Maybe their goal is to entice a mate. Characters Wear More Than Just Clothes. 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 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? 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. Besides, these are all just guidelines meant to spark some inspiration in you. Great article. How do they change, and how does their clothing reflect that change? A few small details of clothing may distinguish your characters from each other, highlighting their personalities. You find that its about more than throwing out fashion terms and listing articles of clothing. Love this topic!! Use the Character section of the Idea Finder to develop quick story ideas and flesh out your storys cast. You suddenly know which details to include, which to leave out, and whether to call it a blood-red cloak or a goji berry wrap. Stylish: Elegant and sophisticated clothing to grab attention. Heres a superb glossary, with pictures, of all types of armor. Now turn the edges a different color or make them light up and you immediately have a more futuristic looking suit. Pauldrons, gauntlets, and even leg armor were fashioned into elaborate designs. Character description may change over the course of a story to emphasize a characters arc. When heated, steel turns from yellow, to brown, to blue, to red. A warrior had to fight the enemy, and to fight his armor as well would be too distracting. 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. Richie Billing writes fantasy fiction, historical fiction and stories of a darker nature. Does your character need to hide? So sometimes all it takes to create futuristic clothing is to take a trend that has passed, alter it slightly and you're done. One character might demonstrate their power by showing up to prom in a designer gown. Consider this example from Hard Times. Well come to this below. That's why it's valuable to learn these terms. But let's take a step back and look at what kind of clothing is usually associated with futuristic settings. I mentioned my online writing group at the beginning of this guide. Also, don't feel like you have to include every point I've made. Scarves as we know them today weren't really a thing in the middle ages (they were way different) and hoods pretty much came in the form of chaperons and liripipes (Google for reference if needed), not as part of a piece of clothing. Those outfits can become iconic. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Meanwhile, the character who works two jobs while going to school full-time might scour the Goodwill rack for a designer tag to help them fit in at the same party. If you stopped to think about it, you may even notice yourself imagining things as specific as age, hobbies, and ambitions. His writing offers a masterclass in how to describe clothing in stories. 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. Theyre the kind of thing that often happen organically, but you can actually make use of character secrets to make your stories better. Maybe your character is snuggled up in their fleece pajamas while the blizzard rages outside. Clean, powerful strikes were needed to disable a foe wearing mail. If youre good at talking clothes, you can sit this one out. Similar to how pixelated designs tend to look more futuristic so do designs full of geometrical shapes. You can keep track of your characters signature style, upload photos, note how their style evolves, and keep these ideas right at your fingertips as you write. And its in designs that you can really go wild with your own fantasy armor. With all that armor, its often assumed the medieval knight was immobile. Think of other interesting combinations: A teacher who dresses provocatively; a beggar with an innate sense of style. Am I trying to blow the interview? Only the most sophisticated, Dr. Urbino among them, wore their ordinary clothes. - Geometry. Choose A Chapter The Fantasy Genre And Medieval Armor Chain Mail Plated Armor Helmets Other Types Of Armor The Medieval Knight Now, if you write historical fiction, its important to research the clothing of your chosen era. Lets talk about how to describe clothing in writing organically. Fully geared up, you were a walking fortress. Arrows will bounce off steel crafted in such a wayunless from close range, as we discussed, We mentioned gambesons above. 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. Youre not infodumping. A scarlet pantsuit. From lowly serfs to great warriors, all could wear and fight effectively in chainmail. These shallow details help us go pretty deep on character. Our characters are always (mostly!) They are more common around the chest and torso in Asian cultures though, so keep that in mind when adding diagonal lines. Heres a great visual guide on female fantasy armor by YouTuber Shadiversity. So let's delve deeper into the details of how to actually figure out what your character wears. Thus, "a dress" is inappropriate for a (male) prince, unless he is pretending to be a woman. It makes for a more entertaining read. It took leaving the Midwest to recognize it. 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. And if you need a place to organize your complex responses, I recommend Dabbles Character Notes feature. Nudity was often either a complete taboo or just common place in many cultures throughout history, so by changing these taboos (and others) you immediately create a fictional piece. Knights werent as immobile as people assum, though I can imagine in a quagmire itd be tricky to get up. For example, a meticulously dressed character who is discovered in a disheveled and poorly dressed state. In reality, a medieval lord could pretty much do what they liked. 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. 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. It's also an indirect way to describe their physical appearance by examining how the clothes fit them. Or they could be frantically running errands in leggings and a t-shirt. 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: Only the most powerful strikes could pierce such armor. 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. In most cases simply copying the style of whichever era you've based your story on is enough, but it can be fun to create your own styles and in some cases it'd make sense to have your own styles as well. 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This is often enough to make something look more futuristic, especially if used on something that looks glossy, shiny and/or smooth. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. (Would people living in this area have access to leather goods? Affordable . Clothes can betray our greatest joys and our deepest insecurities. Another important function of clothing description in stories is to create an authentic sense of time and place. - 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. 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. 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. 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. But status can be communicated in more subtle ways, too. An anxious college student buys a flower crown in the hopes of feeling young and free at Coachella. Can you imagine tweaking this to make your own set of fantasy armor? This includes things like a pilots uniform, a tiara, or a Pink Ladies jacket. I'll allow my fangirl side to shine for a second and use the Legend of Korra as an example of how mixing styles can work amazingly well. 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. As well see below, medieval armor developed through necessitypeople needed to protect themselves from those wicked blades and needle-sharp darts. Privacy Policy.

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