They are more common around the chest and torso in Asian cultures though, so keep that in mind when adding diagonal lines. For example, headphones aren't really a piece of clothing, but they definitely affect our style. Those outfits can become iconic. Chausses / Chauces (15th century) Pantaloons; padded hosen for the legs, often worn under chainmail or plate armor. But status can be communicated in more subtle ways, too. 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. 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. It took leaving the Midwest to recognize it. (Cough-cough-cough.) The complete opposite is true for fantasy and historic clothing. The train hums and throbs in place as people rush to pile in.. We see the contrast between the characters friends reaction and the advisory words of Gems aunt. 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 . Details about fit, cut, and material go a long way when describing the clothing of a character who longs to attract. She also writes for film and television with her brother and writing partner, Phil Wurdeman. 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. One easy way of creating a more customized look is to simply use cultural elements in the standard clothing. In writing, the clothes kind of do make the (hu)man. Share. Trendy: Modern, fashionable, and up-to-date outfits. That's why it's valuable to learn these terms. 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I like the way you wrote this information. In other words: To describe a fantasy world, use either neutral terms, or made up words. The aim is to arm you with what you need to enrich your tales with brilliant detail. It was pretty easy to make, though laborious, and easy to repair. This may seem like a tricky thing to do as there's so much out there already, but it can often be as simple as simply changing a texture, the patterns used or the amount of fabric. Here are a few different types: We mentioned gambesons above. They can tell us what era they live in, and even a persons current state of mind or intent. 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. Plain: Ordinary clothes of one color like gray, beige, or black. Like all forms of exposition, your goal is to deliver this information without pulling the reader out of the story. - 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. Mantel describes the cardinals vestments: They bring out the cardinals vestments, his copes. In Dostoyevskys Crime and Punishment, the poor, Tuberculosis-stricken Katerina Ivanovnas husband is trampled to death by a horse-drawn cart. Sure, it helps your reader to know how you picture a character. Its because concrete details are incredibly effective in communicating abstract concepts. 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. When youre shopping for yourself, you know what you like but you dont know how to describe it. In a book, none of that is true. - 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). This includes items like steel-toed boots, heavy denim, or tech-forward, snag-resistant superhero spandex. This is mostly something to keep in mind when designing for characters living in the future, but it could work for alternative historic universes as well. Now turn the edges a different color or make them light up and you immediately have a more futuristic looking suit. Impoverished with children to care for, she uses her last money to give her husband a dignified funeral. But let's take a step back and look at what kind of clothing is usually associated with futuristic settings. 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. Only the most sophisticated, Dr. Urbino among them, wore their ordinary clothes. And as a reader, nothing bores me like an entire paragraph of detailed clothing description. How does their attire reflect what they want, what they fear, or where theyre going? As a friend told me, Wear jeans and glasses and have a favorite pen. Besides knowing who we design for we also have to know what the rules for designing are within the universe of our characters. 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. 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. 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. Now on the other end of the spectrum we have fantasy clothing and more history based clothing. 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). This article was very helpfulcan you post some examples of showing versus telling when describing clothing? Strips of leather were boiled in water, though some sources record oil and wax being used, and even animal urine. 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. Can you imagine tweaking this to make your own set of fantasy armor? The only cloak in the world made with silk spun by the cat-sized spiders that live in the forbidden mountains. This includes things like a pilots uniform, a tiara, or a Pink Ladies jacket. Use fashion and clothing history archives if necessary. Ill add it to my to do list . Impress someone with my indifference? 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. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e7bbcc198c936bc1af3fbda128514c44fcfc10f0513ea31cad7c21ae61ba0ab0.jpg. Both can lose clout simply by the way their peers respond to their wardrobe choices. 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. He is old but stylish. They're the ones who are always there to lend a helping hand, crack a joke, or provide some much-needed emotional relief.And let's be real, sometimes they dont go unsung. And lets not forget the trusty steed. Non-visual senses are big, too. Theyre the lifeblood of any relationship. From lowly serfs to great warriors, all could wear and fight effectively in chainmail. 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. Clean, powerful strikes were needed to disable a foe wearing mail. However, you can tell your reader interesting things through a mismatch: A wealthy character might show off their expensive clothing. And well dip back in time to look at medieval armor and how it was used and crafted. What I would like to ask is how you would go about describing very specific details on more complex clothing? 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. - Convert future clothing to a historic version. Embarrassed by her own inability to dress in finery for the occasion (and by being upstaged), Katerina resorts to scathing mockery of Amalia. Only the most powerful strikes could pierce such armor. As for showing with clothing rather than telling, a writer could say, He was lazy and inattentive to his appearance about a character, or they could say his clothes always looked like hed just pulled them out of a pile in some corner of his bedroom and had thrown them on without a glance in the mirror. Another might claim power by striding in wearing torn jeans and a tank top. But if you do want some guidelines, inspiration or just help this guide'll hopefully provide it. If you stopped to think about it, you may even notice yourself imagining things as specific as age, hobbies, and ambitions. But put me in a job interview wearing the same outfit, and youd probably start making new guesses about my intentions. 1. One does not refer to "a garb". Slog through another meaningless day in a world where nothing matters? Thanks I will be following your blog from now one I just came across it today. 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. 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. Follow edited Jun 17, 2020 at 9:43. 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 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. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. If your character comes home and immediately sheds three layers of down and fleece, Im going to assume theyre not in San Antonio, Texas. Get it right, and you transport your readers to a vivid world. Through fashion terms you can understand the fundamentals of the fashion industry. Mail was particularly effective against glancing blows. We naturally link clothing and identity, which is why wardrobe is such an effective tool for building a vivid character. Costume is a large part of a character. Stiff with embroidery, strewn with pearls, encrusted with gemstones, they seem to stand by themselves. This is great! For example, a meticulously dressed character who is discovered in a disheveled and poorly dressed state. The answer to this question gives you a ton of clarity. Lots of gear would have been looted. This is a fun one. Thus his plain dress is, ironically, indicative of higher status. Press J to jump to the feed. Youll be blown away by the number of awesome things on there. (Hopefully, I dont really know your life, so maybe not. No problem! - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. Maybe a bit of both. In Gabriel Garcia Marquezs Love in the Time of Cholera (1985), we learn of a doctors status through his being the only person at an event who is not smartly dressed: Although it was not customary for invitations to request special attire, least of all for a luncheon in the country, the women wore evening gowns and precious jewels and most of the men were dressed in dinner jackets with black ties, and some even wore frock coats. Pingback: A fantasy writers guide to Castles and Keeps: part one Richie Billing. Its a good time. 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. How were women treated in the Middle Ages? Not to mention the social status of a person. 2023 NOW NOVEL CC. Characters can also comment on or react to one anothers clothing, as long as the exchange reveals something about the world or relationship. I tried to add as much variety as possible, but without turning the whole description into a mess. Leonidas in 300, for instance, almost certainly wore a helmet in the battle with the Persians! Think of other interesting combinations: A teacher who dresses provocatively; a beggar with an innate sense of style. As a result, feudal England became rife with young murderous men. Not to pile on, but dont forget to make sure you know which materials wereand werentavailable in the world of your novel. Its a bit OCD of me. Much of the clothing we wear today were either rare or completely nonexistent a hundred years ago. Maybe your character is snuggled up in their fleece pajamas while the blizzard rages outside. I'm talking about the jagged, triangular shapes you find on some stealth planes or the digital camouflage patterns. You can go for standard quasi medieval fantasy clothing. Richie also runs The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed, a podcast devoted to helping writers improve their craft. You find that its about more than throwing out fashion terms and listing articles of clothing. That would depend on a few things. Its all in the craft.Its good that youre here to learn how to describe clothing in writing, because its a powerful tool. In this section, Ive included some more guides on creating fantasy armor designs that you may find useful. Fashionable: Clothes representing a current style in fashion. Armor, therefore, wasnt that heavya full suit weighed approximately 50 pounds, which is around 3 to 4 stone. Smart: Neat and tidy clothes but not necessarily formal. Vividly describing the colors of your character's clothing can enliven ordinary writing. The padded material could absorb blows from blunt, A Guide To Writing Stories That Genuinely Helps, "Helped me land my first book deal" - Jack Shannon, Author, Get More Writing Support From Fellow Fantasy Writers, A complete guide to worldbuilding, with a template. I'm sort of into historical armor so would get a kick out of finding an excuse to talk about vambraces/rerebraces, spaulders, etc. At the end of the day, they were professional slayers, swords for hire. But your reader is going to picture something whether you guide them or not. Here, for example, Hilary Mantel describes a Cardinals residence being plundered by the Kings men in 1529 England, in her historical novel Wolf Hall. It can be as simple as making a dress shorter, a jacket longer or sleeves wider and longer. Or at least they know what century theyre in. You can try all Dabbles premium features for free for fourteen days. 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. Join Kickstart your Novel and get professional feedback on your first three chapters and story synopsis, plus workbooks and videos. Mail was lightweight and flexible. One of her poems is (legally) stamped into a sidewalk in Santa Clarita, California. 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. Richie Billing writes fantasy fiction, historical fiction and stories of a darker nature. You really can tell a lot about a person by what they wear, or what they dont wear. He received his BA Honours in English Literature and his undergraduate in English Literature and Music from the University of Cape Town.

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