how to describe fantasy clothing

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. And above all, people share their writing, get feedback, build friendships and develop greater confidence not just in their writing, but in themselves too. Nov 1, 2019 - Explore Arisa Nightingale's board "Male Fantasy Outfit Concepts & Designs", followed by 456 people on Pinterest. stylish, expensive clothing, yet not specific to a certain time or place. Examples of the prior are Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey and to some degree Star Wars and Tron. Technology goes beyond simply what kind of clothes could be made though, it also relates to how technology is incorporated into style in general. The answer can guide you towards certain fashion trends to inspire your characters wardrobe. Clean, powerful strikes were needed to disable a foe wearing mail. Besides, these are all just guidelines meant to spark some inspiration in you. Nylon and polyester fabrics weren't invented until almost the mid 20th century for example. Pingback: Fantasy Weapons - Medieval, Magic And Other Types - Richie Billing, Helping writers on their journey and readers find their next favourite story.. Look at this picture, is it insane for an author to try to describe this on a character? You can go for standard quasi medieval fantasy clothing. But status can be communicated in more subtle ways, too. You can continue to alter it to add cultural elements, like the previously mentioned elvish elements or you could stick with this and keep it simple. Either way, their goal is to be desirable, whatever desirable means in this situation. 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. Consider whether your characters attire might serve as a symbol, highlight a theme, or represent a conflict. 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. If done right you could even use these elements alone with clothing of today to sell a futuristic look. As soon as the actor enters stage right or left, we have an inkling of whether theyre a wealthy landowner or peasant, an elegant heiress or humble flower-seller. 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 Characters can also comment on or react to one anothers clothing, as long as the exchange reveals something about the world or relationship. Let it hang diagonally across their chest and over their shoulder instead. Both can lose clout simply by the way their peers respond to their wardrobe choices. The first time I joined my family for our biannual Minnesota fishing trip after moving to L.A. from the Midwest, I found myself constantly losing my aunt and mother. Excuse the on hold background music. Using a squared, pixelated look or circuitry patterns usually works great too, which can even be combined with layered clothing to create the circuitry feel. Here are some classic characteristics you can draw out through clothing description. They give you the chance to offer comic relief, a dash of wisdom, and just some good old fashioned friendship., Sidekick characters. An anxious college student buys a flower crown in the hopes of feeling young and free at Coachella. The aim is to arm you with what you need to enrich your tales with brilliant detail. 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. (Would people living in this area have access to leather goods? Something like this: As you can see, a knights armor is made up of a lot of different pieces. Theyll see it automatically. 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. Theyre the kind of thing that often happen organically, but you can actually make use of character secrets to make your stories better. I tend to avoid describing clothing. Fashionable: Clothes representing a current style in fashion. To create a more futuristic looking style an easy way of doing it is to incorporate technology into the clothing itself. To navigate your way through this guide, just click the links below. All of these advancements will become more and more common as time goes on, so it'd make sense for them to be part of our clothing in the future. 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? Heating to the perfect temperature was key. Think noble King Arthur and his knights of the roundtable. Would the fashion designers in your fantasy novel make use of dragon scales? Play with the question of presentation and power! She also writes for film and television with her brother and writing partner, Phil Wurdeman. How were women treated in the Middle Ages? Sneak around? Mail was lightweight and flexible. Finally there's all the little things that can make an outfit look more futuristic. Does your character need to hide? 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. These were worn on their own by those wanting greater speed and flexibility, but also by those unable to afford stronger armor. Chain mail is a great piece of fantasy armor to use in your stories purely because of its flexibility. I'm talking about the jagged, triangular shapes you find on some stealth planes or the digital camouflage patterns. Odds are, youve got a character who dresses to stay alive. 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. One reason clothing descriptions can start to feel like a tedious laundry list (see what I did there?) Only the most sophisticated, Dr. Urbino among them, wore their ordinary clothes. Arrows will bounce off steel crafted in such a wayunless from close range, as we discussed last week. Once quenched, the steel was re-heated to make it more resilient. Lets take a look at some individual pieces of armor. The tragedy of Azincourt, for example, occurred because of a poorly-chosen battleground that had flooded. 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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 . First and foremost we need to know who we're designing for. Any suggestions on how to properly do this? You could even move the buttons to the side and have it close diagonally instead. Jeans and a tee it was. There is simply more characterization, not only of Gem but the other characters, too. Arrows will bounce off steel crafted in such a wayunless from close range, as we discussed, We mentioned gambesons above. Or they could be frantically running errands in leggings and a t-shirt. show how hard is to escape in a narrow street. Before I delve into the more detailed aspects of creating clothing there's one final thing to keep in mind and that is that fashion repeats itself. 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: 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. For more information, please see our - "Digital look". If your character comes home and immediately sheds three layers of down and fleece, Im going to assume theyre not in San Antonio, Texas. Like Marquez, compare and contrast characters clothes to reveal important details about their social status or position. Slog through another meaningless day in a world where nothing matters? The unsung hero of so many stories. Besides knowing who we design for we also have to know what the rules for designing are within the universe of our characters. The eye slits were narrow to prevent all sizes of arrowheads from finding their way through. We therefore see in the fantasy genre characters equipped with grand helmets and beautiful pieces of plate armor. Its because concrete details are incredibly effective in communicating abstract concepts. Share. In Dostoyevskys Crime and Punishment, the poor, Tuberculosis-stricken Katerina Ivanovnas husband is trampled to death by a horse-drawn cart. These small but mighty players can add depth, complexity, and a fresh perspective to your plot. Not quite. 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. Thanks Chuck! 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. But they werent administrators. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts ^.^ If you arent keeping at least a few secrets from your friends and loved ones, are you really living? Heres a great visual guide on female fantasy armor by YouTuber Shadiversity. 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. Great article. (Huh.). Casual. Although such armor exists in fantasy worlds, its important to understand how things work in the real world, even at a basic level. It gives you an idea of the capabilities that armor can have. We'll also take a look at female fantasy armor and those used by knights, potential designs, and ways to help you find inspiration for creating your own. Leonidas in 300, for instance, almost certainly wore a helmet in the battle with the Persians! But it can also be fun to play with the confidence and ease that comes with wealth. ), Your character and communitys financial resources. For example, fur usually wasn't used as a piece of decoration for clothing and if used at all was often worn around the neck and shoulders or underneath other (often hide) clothing to keep warm. Thanks Liv, Im glad you found this helpful. Get free books, an invite to my exclusive writing group, writing tools and guides and much more when you join my community. 28 First of all, beautiful dress and mask! A band t-shirt. Since it's a friends' get-together, let's wear casual attire. Your article is really great. - Furs and other animal parts: A quick and obvious way of making something look more fantasy-themed is by simply adding elements of fantasy creatures. A person who doesn't want to draw attention to themselves would dress completely differently today than they would even a few decades ago. And when Mother Nature gets involved, even the best suit of armor can have problems. And what weve covered here today is only just the tip of the iceberg. Stylish: Elegant and sophisticated clothing to grab attention. Maybe their goal is to entice a mate. It can be as simple as making a dress shorter, a jacket longer or sleeves wider and longer. 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. Its about building a life and a world, and that is something you can do. Given that I am writing alone in my apartment, you might rightfully conclude that my goal is to be comfortable. These detail could suggest that your character is miserly or down-to-earth despite their wealth. Press J to jump to the feed. A few easy changes are to make one side longer than the other, so basically creating a diagonal cut instead of the standard horizontal one. Join Kickstart your Novel and get professional feedback on your first three chapters and story synopsis, plus workbooks and videos. 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. Below, well take a look at the armor found in the fantasy genre, covering everything from chain mail to helmets. 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. However, you can tell your reader interesting things through a mismatch: A wealthy character might show off their expensive clothing. Knights were, indeed, hard to defeat in battle. Trendy: Modern, fashionable, and up-to-date outfits. 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. A few small details of clothing may distinguish your characters from each other, highlighting their personalities. And if you were skilled at surviving and killing, it was a good way to make a living. 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. 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. The good news is that attire is not only important, its also kind of fun when you start digging into it. 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. Vividly describing the colors of your character's clothing can enliven ordinary writing. Wearing a suit of armor was like being in your own private world. Its fun to play with power in clothing, because it's a relative concept. Only when youre keeping secrets in fiction, you can make them even darker and deeper than any you might ever have in real life. You really can tell a lot about a person by what they wear, or what they dont wear. Privacy Policy. 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). or the world theyre desperately resisting. They could withstand high-velocity strikes from a javelin or lance, driven home by somebody charging forwards on horseback. Even things like tattoos, hair colors, eye colors and so on can help with this. Youre still not off the hook. There are some elements which are common among most works of fiction when it comes to clothing, with these elements in mind it becomes a lot easier to turn the clothing we wear today or wore throughout history into a futuristic or more fantasy oriented equivalent. Richie also runs The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed, a podcast devoted to helping writers improve their craft. And ninety-nine percent of the clothing descriptions in your first draft are just jeans. I get it. 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. They work, they're safe and in many cases have become a standard. A velvet scrunchie. With the major shapes in the thumbnails defined, choose the one that best exemplifies the feeling you're looking for. Very informative. Dont worry, thats not a trick question. - Convert future clothing to a historic version. In other words, research. The reader does not need the full outfit in one go. Or it could be that they want to be charmed by their own image when they look in the mirror. But you may run into difficulties when it comes to the practicalities. Not really. Military service was always well-rewarded and violence applauded. Achieving glory in battle was one way of earning a knighthood. Its something readers definitely appreciate, which I found with Pariahs Lament. But as the show moved forward the suit got more ragged the jacket was open, then gone, the shirt cuffs undone, half the buttons undone and I think by the end when he was on the cross the shirt was gone. On occasion, Abi pretends to be a poet. Stealthy clothes bring to mind burglars clad in black outfits and soft-soled sneakers. (Find out more). One way to deal with clothing is to not try to be unique. Once blue, it is quenched a second time, permanently fixing its hardness. Those warriors came from the people who lived on the lands under the watch of the knights. The bully Gradgrind is the type whod wear a waistcoat concealing an eyeglass for catching people out. Really like your article. But even regular elements can help with this. - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. But thats the case wherever you go. Fashion trends come and go and they often return later, albeit in a slightly different form. For example, a shy person will often wear 'regular' clothing, clothing that isn't too bright or outgoing in both design and colors. Thanks, Sana. 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. That was the theory. Clothing reflects the resources available in a specific time and place. But they are a common element used in fantasy clothing in all sorts of works of fiction. But Ive also noticed that artful clothing description does make a character, a setting, and even a moment more engaging. 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. Pingback: A fantasy writers guide to Castles and Keeps: part one Richie Billing. Reeking of piss on the battlefield was another weapon in the arsenal I suppose. Expensive indeed, and heavystronger horses had to be bred to handle the weight. 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. 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. But it provided an odd sense of security. True, it all depends on your purpose. Think touchable fabrics and the light scent of lavender soap. What I would like to ask is how you would go about describing very specific details on more complex clothing? Ready to sketch vivid characters for your novel? With all that armor, its often assumed the medieval knight was immobile. 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. - 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). Helmets were arguably the most distinctive feature of an armored knight. One of the first things I learned when I moved to L.A. is that writers do not dress professionally for big meetings in Hollywood. Can you imagine tweaking this to make your own set of fantasy armor? Compare this, then, to Dickens description of Gradgrinds wife in the following chapter (Gradgrinds wealthy but poverty-claiming friend has just told Mrs. Gradgrind he was born in a ditch): Mrs. Gradgrind, a little, thin, white, pink-eyed bundle of shawls, of surpassing feebleness, mental and bodily; who was always taking physic without any effect, and who, whenever she showed a symptom of coming to life, was invariably stunned by some weighty piece of fact tumbling on her; Mrs. Gradgrind hoped it was a dry ditch? In battle, you are trying to strike a moving target, so mail was sufficient as most blows were glancing ones. Particularly in genres such as historical fiction and fantasy, clothing can help to create other worlds (or a long gone era of our own). That fancy Ming dynasty dress looks completely different with exposed shoulders and that medieval set of pants look completely different if you turn them into shorts with exposed legs.

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