how to describe fantasy clothing

(Cough-cough-cough.) I'm sort of into historical armor so would get a kick out of finding an excuse to talk about vambraces/rerebraces, spaulders, etc. Not quite. Designing fantasy armor for your characters can be an awful lot of fun. I saw Jesus Christ Superstar a long time ago and Jesus was in a sharp black suit. 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. 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. Great idea. Have fun with it. Do they need a ghillie suit to blend into the natural environment? Heres how to describe clothing in writing to show your readers the world to which your character belongs. Well cover everything from helmets and plate armor to chainmail. Richie also runs The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed, a podcast devoted to helping writers improve their craft. Do your main characters tend to steal the show in your novels? The reader does not need the full outfit in one go. We therefore see in the fantasy genre characters equipped with grand helmets and beautiful pieces of plate armor. Helpful links to blog posts, articles, videos and guides are shared every day. Play with the question of presentation and power! Clothes that are suitable for everyday wear rather than formal occasions. Characters can also comment on or react to one anothers clothing, as long as the exchange reveals something about the world or relationship. 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? This can be a very effective way if your universe is based on an existing culture. Improving Google Rankings With Keywords And Content, Tips On How To Make An Essay More Engaging, A fantasy writers guide to weaponry Richie Billing, A fantasy writers guide to Castles and Keeps: part one Richie Billing, The Life of the Medieval Lord - Richie Billing, How To Create Your Very Own Living Breathing Fantasy World - Richie Billing, Fantasy Races - The Ultimate Guide To Elves, Orcs and Dwarves | Richie Billing, Killer Diseases of the Middle Ages | Richie Billing, Medieval Cannons: The Essential Guide | Richie Billing, On Writing: Fantasy Without Magic Of Metal and Magic Publishing, The Lives Of Medieval Peasants - Richie Billing, Fantasy Weapons - Medieval, Magic And Other Types - Richie Billing, Great Examples Of The 5 Senses In Writing, 5 Mistakes Men Can Make Writing Women Characters, The Power of Words: Essay Writing Techniques, Mastering Body Language With Former FBI Agent Joe Navarro, A Lawyer's Perspective On Writing Fantasy, Do you want to grow your mailing list, check out. - Another way to use color is to make things seem like they're glowing even if they're not and to use gradients. Lets take a look at some individual pieces of armor. Only in certain situations is a description even needed. Jordan is a writer, editor, community manager and product developer. The eye slits were narrow to prevent all sizes of arrowheads from finding their way through. Each suit was tailored to the individual. We already have spray on clothing technology. Stylish: Elegant and sophisticated clothing to grab attention. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. So this really reaffirmed that approach for me. The description will describe a lot of clothing pieces, some of which you may not need depending on where your character lives. 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. We naturally link clothing and identity, which is why wardrobe is such an effective tool for building a vivid character. Consider this example from Hard Times. With these two changes alone you already have an item that didn't exist in medieval times, but is familiar enough to work in a fantasy setting. Some had pointed snouts, the purpose of which was to deflect arrows when walking into arrow storms. Chest plates had grand etchings. 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. If your character comes home and immediately sheds three layers of down and fleece, Im going to assume theyre not in San Antonio, Texas. Added on top of that the condition that they had to supply him with soldiers too. Your trust fund character might be completely confident showing up to a party in board shorts and flip-flops. 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. 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. In the historical fiction books Ive read, none of the heroes took off their helmets unless they were knocked off, or bashed in. The tragedy of Azincourt, for example, occurred because of a poorly-chosen battleground that had flooded. Good for the mobile knight. I really loved this article, but I have one question, it was very helpful. On the other hand you may wish to add layers for the same purpose. Ready to sketch vivid characters for your novel? Sometimes the simplest changes are enough to create something completely new and ideal for a particular universe. Then this is their category. Like Dostoyevsky, think how something as small as a characters change of clothing can affecttheir own or others behaviour. It took leaving the Midwest to recognize it. You dont need it to sign up. However, you can show and imply a characters intention without spelling it out: Theyd agreed to meet downtown at six. His writing offers a masterclass in how to describe clothing in stories. Do all your characters embrace it? Your email address will not be published. "Garb" or "dress" (without an article) is a rather drab abstract noun for what a person is wearing. Clean, powerful strikes were needed to disable a foe wearing mail. 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. What is the prevailing value in the society of your story? Particularly in genres such as historical fiction and fantasy, clothing can help to create other worlds (or a long gone era of our own). Send private message Achievements: Need help with clothing description in Fantasy #1 I'm writing a Fantasy Novel in the middle ages, filled with swords and magic However, I realize I have trouble trying to convey how the characters look, like what the nobles' attire, the bandit's armor. Even the non-conformists are influenced by societal norms. Fully geared up, you were a walking fortress. And of course, location provides a clue for what it takes to be comfortable in the world of your story. Give your wealthy character a pair of Louboutins and dress your non-wealthy characters in hand-me-downs. 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. Here are five examples: 1. 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. Pre-empt this by illustrating everything in layers and completing each layer of clothing. The line could be thin or thick, glowing, metallic-looking or just plain, padded or smooth, patterned, decorated or simply a seem. Figurative language . I can only imagine the pain of the chafing! 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. A warrior had to fight the enemy, and to fight his armor as well would be too distracting. The train hums and throbs in place as people rush to pile in.. Stiff with embroidery, strewn with pearls, encrusted with gemstones, they seem to stand by themselves. The answer can guide you towards certain fashion trends to inspire your characters wardrobe. 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 four-layer, bubble-gum pink taffeta skirt. Obviously clothing is extremely varied, especially dresses. Odds are, youve got a character who dresses to stay alive. 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. 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. 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. Those of us who dont get all jazzed about writing clothing descriptions often fail to consider that a good wardrobe has layers. Those outfits can become iconic. Does your character need to hide? But thats the case wherever you go. Theyll see it automatically. If done right you could even use these elements alone with clothing of today to sell a futuristic look. Heating to the perfect temperature was key. 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. It may be apocryphal, but Harold Godwinson is said to have done just that at the battle of Hastings in 1066. This is great! Both can lose clout simply by the way their peers respond to their wardrobe choices. You can quickly convey a number of things about your characters based on the clothing they wear. Our wardrobes are influenced by our age, geography, culture, hobbies, and a million other aspects of our worlds. 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. Not to pile on, but dont forget to make sure you know which materials wereand werentavailable in the world of your novel. Yet Dr. Urbinos status as a respected doctor is earned he has nothing to prove by dressing smarter. This idea of knights becoming lords was introduced in England by William the Conqueror. - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. Think of the process like dressing a doll: start at the beginning and up build the layers. Youre working essential details into the narrative at the moment when they are most relevant. If you write historical fiction, youre probably way ahead of me. Clothes can betray our greatest joys and our deepest insecurities. Think armor, bulletproof vests, and bandoliers. Once quenched, the steel was re-heated to make it more resilient. 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. One character might demonstrate their power by showing up to prom in a designer gown. From lowly serfs to great warriors, all could wear and fight effectively in chainmail. Only the most sophisticated, Dr. Urbino among them, wore their ordinary clothes. Your main character just put on some makeup and changed into a fancy dress, complete with heels and a tiny handbag. I love to wear baggy trousers in summer. Character description may change over the course of a story to emphasize a characters arc. The fact Gem goes with jeans and a tee could suggest that she trusts her aunts advice. Excuse the on hold background music. But your reader is going to picture something whether you guide them or not. 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. Look how she sits with her mouth open! 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. Do they strive to be humble before their god or do they want to spend this one and only life as their bold, ostentatious selves? 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. Its hard to really appreciate just how sickeningly awful medieval warfare would have been. Let it hang diagonally across their chest and over their shoulder instead. But it provided an odd sense of security. Or one who was forever wearing poorly-fitted clothing that appeared to be handed down from friends? They should be doing that. Improve this answer. An owl, a real owl! To illustrate this let's take a standard men's suit as an example. One very important aspect of describing attire well is understanding why youre describing it in the first place.

Lois Smith Daughter, Peter Livanos Aston Martin, Articles H