Well cover everything from helmets and plate armor to chainmail. Similarly, find out (or, if youre creating a fantasy world, create) the garments your characters would wear in a particular time and place. Its about building a life and a world, and that is something you can do. Or one who was forever wearing poorly-fitted clothing that appeared to be handed down from friends? 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. 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. 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. 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. Either way, their goal is to be desirable, whatever desirable means in this situation. The important thing to remember is to remain in the character's point of view. Maybe their goal is to entice a mate. What are the rules of your characters world? PsstDoes Your Character Have a Secret? On the other hand you may wish to add layers for the same purpose. One way is to avoid what we call filter words. 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. Although such armor exists in fantasy worlds, its important to understand how things work in the real world, even at a basic level. Mail was one of the first types of metal armor developed, arguably by the Celts, though other sources say its origins came from Eastern Europe. The padded material could absorb blows from blunt weapons and provided some protection from cuts, but against well-forged weapons they were useless. Okay, maybe not.Secrets in real life can be a little trickywe all have thembut they have a way of blowing up in our faces, depending on how big they are.Your characters are really no different. On occasion, Abi pretends to be a poet. Look at this picture, is it insane for an author to try to describe this on a character? "White tunics" have been worn from 2016 to a good forty thousand years ago. And if you need a place to organize your complex responses, I recommend Dabbles Character Notes feature. And here are some great concepts for female fantasy armor. 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. 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. Thanks I will be following your blog from now one I just came across it today. For example, if a character is going on a date, you could write: Gem wanted to look sexy for her date downtown (but not easy), so she changed into more comfortable clothes. A scarlet pantsuit. Im struggling to properly figure out how to describe clothing for a fantasy setting Im trying to create. Give your wealthy character a pair of Louboutins and dress your non-wealthy characters in hand-me-downs. Sometimes they're more interesting and lovable than the main characters themselves and end up stealing the show., Secrets. Blunt, Once quenched, the steel was re-heated to make it more resilient. 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. Are the characters of your dystopian novel forced to make do with burlap and mud? Richie Billing writes fantasy fiction, historical fiction and stories of a darker nature. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Blunt weapons were effective, causing haemorrhaging and concussion, so padded garments known as a doublet or gambeson were worn underneath to provide added protection. The final design with all its layers will often hide elements of the clothing that a client may want to see later. Most clothing throughout history consisted of longer pieces of fabric and with minimal tailoring and cuts. Something like this: As you can see, a knights armor is made up of a lot of different pieces. 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. Game of Thrones/A Song Of Ice And Fire is one series that wonderfully explores fantasy armor and weapons. Can you imagine tweaking this to make your own set of fantasy armor? Were trying to avoid, Isabell gazed out the window, and by the way, she was wearing a white terry cloth robe.. I'm sort of into historical armor so would get a kick out of finding an excuse to talk about vambraces/rerebraces, spaulders, etc. One specific form of descriptive writing that particularly affects setting and characterization is the portrayal of characters' clothing. Changes in characters clothing can help revealcharacter development. Lets take a look at some individual pieces of armor. Examples of the latter are The Fifth Element and The Hunger Games. "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.". Armor, therefore, wasnt that heavya full suit weighed approximately 50 pounds, which is around 3 to 4 stone. 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. Whats the respected uniform, and does your character wear it? Heating to the perfect temperature was key. A pair of starched Wranglers. 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. You can weave clothing description into your process when using our story planner for writers. A scarf for example might be too hot for some areas, but it's obviously easy to leave those out. 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. Such simple things, but the clothes really helped show Jesus plight. I mean what your character wears provides a clue to how they see themselves, how they want to be seen, and even how others see them. 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? Not all trends return and fashion isn't perfectly cyclical. And its in designs that you can really go wild with your own fantasy armor. That decorative belt? Or it could be that they want to be charmed by their own image when they look in the mirror. He is old but stylish. As a result, feudal England became rife with young murderous men. 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.. That also will help readers really experience things through their eyes. 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. 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. 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. Not a Dabble user? Maybe theyre hoping to impress the cool kids or please their parents. I thought if I did that at the beginning of a chapter it would be better but I worry it will turn readers off. Once quenched, the steel was re-heated to make it more resilient. Describe these in passing to add visual colour and authenticity to your character descriptions. Good for the mobile knight. 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 04. Black and white usually does the trick as well. The senses were deadened: sight limited, sound muffled, breathing stifled (depending on the type of helmet). It would have been extremely warm too. - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. Adorable. Not to mention the social status of a person. One character might demonstrate their power by showing up to prom in a designer gown. But it can also be fun to play with the confidence and ease that comes with wealth. Make sure you know whats hot and whats not in your specific setting, as well as what specific words the locals would use. Again, I don't mean make your character walk around naked, but add elements of covering up or exposing certain areas of the body. Pauldrons, gauntlets, and even leg armor were fashioned into elaborate designs. Fashion trends come and go and they often return later, albeit in a slightly different form. You find that its about more than throwing out fashion terms and listing articles of clothing. It really doesnt take much. A vintage polka dot dress with a sweetheart neckline. You dont need it to sign up. 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. Expensive indeed, and heavystronger horses had to be bred to handle the weight. 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. So let's delve deeper into the details of how to actually figure out what your character wears. The aim is to arm you with what you need to enrich your tales with brilliant detail. Its because concrete details are incredibly effective in communicating abstract concepts. (Find out more). In some cases because they simply didn't have the technology for it, in others because it was too expensive and/or time consuming for the average person. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Character description may change over the course of a story to emphasize a characters arc. The time period of your story. I once wrote about imbuing everyday objects with meaning because talisman create great opportunities for symbolism! Instead of saying, for example I saw that the station gate was coming down and the last train was about to leave, you could say The station gate is already screeching closed. Youll be blown away by the number of awesome things on there. 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. What the description shows is that many of the inviteesplay at status through fancy dress. They mixed more traditional Asian styles with the more Western Industrial Revolution period styles. Only in certain situations is a description even needed. First and foremost we need to know who we're designing for. Ideas are forever being shared and discussed. He received his BA Honours in English Literature and his undergraduate in English Literature and Music from the University of Cape Town. 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? Just click the button below to find out more. The appearance of armor was a big deal for knights. Arrows will bounce off steel crafted in such a wayunless from close range, as we discussed, We mentioned gambesons above. Hi Paige, thank you (and thanks for your question). Clean, powerful strikes were needed to disable a foe wearing mail. Designing fantasy armor for your characters can be an awful lot of fun. is because we get stuck on what things look like. 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. Theyre the lifeblood of any relationship. In other words: To describe a fantasy world, use either neutral terms, or made up words. 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. So Id say in films its more for cinematic effect and also for clarity so the viewer can see whos doing what. That would depend on a few things. Stylish. 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. Earlier I mentioned how it's important to try and keep a feel of unfamiliarity to futuristic clothing. Pre-empt this by illustrating everything in layers and completing each layer of clothing. Heres a video showing the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of leather armor against arrows. Each suit was tailored to the individual. Youre already obsessing over hat styles and what the undergarment situation was at the time of your story. Arrows will bounce off steel crafted in such a wayunless from close range, as we discussed last week. Lets talk about how to describe clothing in writing organically. My story feels like its set more in medieval times, but I don't want my characters running around in full out tunics and. What matters more to them: fashion or function? ^.^ What exactly are you trying to communicate about the character, setting, or situation? Try some colour. Clean, powerful strikes were needed to disable a foe wearing mail. 28 First of all, beautiful dress and mask! Separate and enlarge it, turn down the Opacity of the layer . But the biggest challenge can sometimes be simply making something look futuristic or historic fantasy-ish, which is the main focus of this guide. It may be apocryphal, but Harold Godwinson is said to have done just that at the battle of Hastings in 1066. Excuse the on hold background music. This includes items like steel-toed boots, heavy denim, or tech-forward, snag-resistant superhero spandex. Heating to the perfect temperature was key. Even the non-conformists are influenced by societal norms. A jacket or coat of mail was usually worn with a hood, or coif, of the same material to protect the head and neck. Why this arguably works better is the details of getting dressed tell us multiple details about Gem. Another quick way of making standard clothing fantasy themed is by converting clothes form the relative future to one that could be created in whichever time period your universe falls under. Plain: Ordinary clothes of one color like gray, beige, or black. and our This description generator will create a mostly random description of either a dress or a suit, fit for formal occasions and other fancy needs. Characters Wear More Than Just Clothes. (Would people living in this area have access to leather goods? I tend to avoid describing clothing. No problem! And right at the heart of it were the leaders of societythe medieval lords. Choose A Chapter The Fantasy Genre And Medieval Armor Chain Mail Plated Armor Helmets Other Types Of Armor The Medieval Knight Coats of plated armor soon came about, which consisted of a series of plates linked on top of one another. Chausses / Chauces (15th century) Pantaloons; padded hosen for the legs, often worn under chainmail or plate armor. I like the way you wrote this information. This article was very helpfulcan you post some examples of showing versus telling when describing clothing? Its a good time. She also writes for film and television with her brother and writing partner, Phil Wurdeman. Here are some classic characteristics you can draw out through clothing description. I have a hard time describing my thoughts on content, but I really felt I should here. Join Kickstart your Novel and get professional feedback on your first three chapters and story synopsis, plus workbooks and videos. Use fashion and clothing history archives if necessary. Maybe your character is snuggled up in their fleece pajamas while the blizzard rages outside. A four-layer, bubble-gum pink taffeta skirt. What your character wears can tell us a lot about how they feel or how they want to feel. In other words, research. Clothes that are loose and hanging in folds. Wearing a suit of armor was like being in your own private world. Characters can also comment on or react to one anothers clothing, as long as the exchange reveals something about the world or relationship. Costume is a large part of a character. I second the idea of describing the reactions of the characters to the city. 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. They were warriors first and foremost. Only the most sophisticated, Dr. Urbino among them, wore their ordinary clothes. Improve this answer. 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). 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. You can quickly convey a number of things about your characters based on the clothing they wear. A self-conscious kid tries to disappear inside their oversized sweatshirt. Now, for the feedbackit depends what POV you're writing in. This one is simple, right? The same goes for other types of technology that could realistically be incorporated into the design of your character's clothing. Mail was lightweight and flexible. The only cloak in the world made with silk spun by the cat-sized spiders that live in the forbidden mountains. Stylish: Elegant and sophisticated clothing to grab attention. Clothing is one of the easiest and most immediate ways to establish an historical setting. For a bigger image, just click on the link above. Use your first-person narrators senses sight, hearing, touch, etc. Otherwise they wont take you seriously as an artist.. 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. But I find looking back in time to the likes of the medieval period can provide some wonderful and unique ideas. An owl, a real owl! Help your readers feel the relaxed, organic cotton or the memory foam slipper, and theyll feel your characters priorities deep in their own souls. Similar to how pixelated designs tend to look more futuristic so do designs full of geometrical shapes. Thanks Benjamin! Consider whether your characters attire might serve as a symbol, highlight a theme, or represent a conflict. Clothing reflects the resources available in a specific time and place. 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. 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. Such coats were made from brass or iron, though steel was deemed best due to its toughness. However, you can show and imply a characters intention without spelling it out: Theyd agreed to meet downtown at six. Chapters 1 and 2 were pretty decent and I started chapter 4 with him dressing for the party. A common (wood) elvish theme is to have lots of green tints, flowery elements and intricate embroidery. Vividly describing the colors of your character's clothing can enliven ordinary writing. It's easy to try this out too, at least the simple line version. Do they need a ghillie suit to blend into the natural environment? Clothes that are suitable for everyday wear rather than formal occasions. Which was, indeed, a little weird straight off! In the historical fiction books Ive read, none of the heroes took off their helmets unless they were knocked off, or bashed in. Reeking of piss on the battlefield was another weapon in the arsenal I suppose. The train hums and throbs in place as people rush to pile in.. I can only imagine the pain of the chafing! Slog through another meaningless day in a world where nothing matters? Discover an extensive list of terms you may want to know here. Now turn the edges a different color or make them light up and you immediately have a more futuristic looking suit. In a book, none of that is true. All this to say: there is substantial storytelling power in a coral Life is Good t-shirt. The description will describe a lot of clothing pieces, some of which you may not need depending on where your character lives. But it makes a good story. Also bear in mind that not all clothing descriptions have to be presented as She put on x or He was wearing y. You can draw your readers attention to an item of clothing by having your character draw on their jeans or fiddle with their collar. Also try searching cool fantasy armor, or epic fantasy armor. Make it look very clean and smooth and it immediately feels more modern. Maybe a bracelet represents a character's relationship to her mother. - Change lengths. Dr. Urbino in Marquezs example above fits the latter category. Achieving glory in battle was one way of earning a knighthood. To navigate your way through this guide, just click the links below. And of course, location provides a clue for what it takes to be comfortable in the world of your story. Any suggestions on how to properly do this? But that doesn't mean you can't deviate from these guidelines completely and do whatever you wish. In Dostoyevskys Crime and Punishment, the poor, Tuberculosis-stricken Katerina Ivanovnas husband is trampled to death by a horse-drawn cart. Do your characters care deeply about looking respectable, or are they more afraid of putting on airs? Or is it really important for a reader to know the specific pattern? That cloth ribbon tied around their waist? Thus, "a dress" is inappropriate for a (male) prince, unless he is pretending to be a woman. So below, well take a look at the relationship between the genre of fantasy and medieval armor. They could withstand high-velocity strikes from a javelin or lance, driven home by somebody charging forwards on horseback. Use the Character section of the Idea Finder to develop quick story ideas and flesh out your storys cast. The bully Gradgrind is the type whod wear a waistcoat concealing an eyeglass for catching people out. 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. Am I trying to blow the interview? Clothes can betray our greatest joys and our deepest insecurities. Other elements you could include are mood-based changes (exists today), clothing that uses lights or glowing elements (exists today), clothing that can be repaired or changed on the go (exists today), smart technology woven into the fabric of clothing (exists today), changing colors (think chameleons) whenever you feel like it (exists today, kind of). It illustrates brilliantly the differences between fantasy armor and the boring armor of reality, in this case, Gothic armor. 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. Borrowed armor wouldnt fit as well as a suit made for the wearer and wouldnt be as well balanced, so someone in borrowed armor would be more likely to have problems moving in his armor. If you tell your readers about Nanettes light pink cardigan and string of pearls, you dont have to say much about the shoes and skirt and silk blouse. Because like all other character details, its not enough to paint a picture. Adding these other bits of lesser-known fantasy armor to your stories can really add extra depth to your worldbuilding. 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. If there is one thing I hope you take from all of this, its that none of this is about describing what a character looks like. He's had over a dozen short stories published in various magazines and journals, with one adapted for BBC radio. A possible source of conflict for a story, perhaps! 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. Well also take a look at female fantasy armor and those used by, Mail was particularly effective against glancing blows. If sturdy is a top consideration, your character might be expecting trouble or adventure. 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? - Convert future clothing to a historic version. We even have the technology to create clothing without seems. Heres a great visual guide on female fantasy armor by YouTuber Shadiversity. The aim is to arm you with what you need to enrich your tales with brilliant detail. Youre still not off the hook. Blades hacking, slicing and puncturing, cutting open gaping wounds and severing limbs and heads from bodies. But your reader is going to picture something whether you guide them or not. The Victorian author Charles Dickens is widely regarded as a master of characterization, for good reason. Your trust fund character might be completely confident showing up to a party in board shorts and flip-flops.