His pants are simple and narrow and reach down to his hard leather shoes. Theyre probably less concerned with how they look (unless they want to look intimidating) and more concerned with things like survival or victory. Are they overalls or coveralls? The easy way to describe the setting is when the characters interact with it, e.g. Think of other interesting combinations: A teacher who dresses provocatively; a beggar with an innate sense of style. 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. - Convert future clothing to a historic version. Without decriptions of the clothing it's a bit boring, the novel becomes a list of people the reader can't imagine doing things. Arrows will bounce off steel crafted in such a wayunless from close range, as we discussed, We mentioned gambesons above. You can try all Dabbles premium features for free for fourteen days. 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. (Cough-cough-cough.) Well cover everything from helmets and plate armor to chainmail. 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. Richard the Lionheart, for instance, was celebrated amongst his peers for his ability to chop his enemys skulls down to the teeth. But thats the case wherever you go. Nov 28, 2022 - Explore Anung V's board "Character description" on Pinterest. In this section, Ive included some more guides on creating fantasy armor designs that you may find useful. Theyre just too important defensively. This one is simple, right? Not all trends return and fashion isn't perfectly cyclical. Whether its a matter of indulgence or survival, feeling good is a deeply relatable goal. And medieval warfare was a bloody affair. Finally there's all the little things that can make an outfit look more futuristic. Its something readers definitely appreciate, which I found with Pariahs Lament. Not quite. What exactly are you trying to communicate about the character, setting, or situation? Chest plates had grand etchings. 80s-inspired. Such coats were made from brass or iron, though steel was deemed best due to its toughness. Does your character need to hide? 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. Select the most striking details and move on. 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. This description generator will create a mostly random description of either a dress or a suit, fit for formal occasions and other fancy needs. It makes for a more entertaining read. Armor, therefore, wasnt that heavya full suit weighed approximately 50 pounds, which is around 3 to 4 stone. As well see below, one of the best things about using medieval armor in a fantasy story is the freedom to elevate it in some way. As with body armor, great efforts were made with the designs of helmets. Fully geared up, you were a walking fortress. 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. Play with the question of presentation and power! Only the most powerful strikes could pierce such armor. He is old but stylish. It's easy to try this out too, at least the simple line version. Lets talk about how to describe clothing in writing organically. Such simple things, but the clothes really helped show Jesus plight. Hi Paige, thank you (and thanks for your question). Required fields are marked *. Characters wear more than just clothes. But they werent administrators. I'm sort of into historical armor so would get a kick out of finding an excuse to talk about vambraces/rerebraces, spaulders, etc. 04. Its hard to really appreciate just how sickeningly awful medieval warfare would have been. 2023 NOW NOVEL CC. Have fun with it. clothed and we should definitely be using them to portray our characters personalities. Pfoo, the owl! But it makes a good story. He took off his helmet and a Norman archer made a lucky shot that put out Harolds eye and ended the battle.It should be noted that, with the helmets of the time, it wasnt necessary for Harold to take off his helmet, either to be seen or to get his eye shot out. One of her poems is (legally) stamped into a sidewalk in Santa Clarita, California. Not really. Do they need a ghillie suit to blend into the natural environment? Richie also runs The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed, a podcast devoted to helping writers improve their craft. Improve this answer. Great points. Maybe theyre hoping to impress the cool kids or please their parents. Use the Character section of the Idea Finder to develop quick story ideas and flesh out your storys cast. Examples of the latter are The Fifth Element and The Hunger Games. But for writers like me who get stuck in the white socks, green dress rut, heres a quick reminder: Details about fabric, fit, quality, and color are super effective when it comes to creating a sense of character, place, or moment. Great article. Make it look very clean and smooth and it immediately feels more modern. Designing fantasy armor for your characters can be an awful lot of fun. 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. What is the prevailing value in the society of your story? An anxious college student buys a flower crown in the hopes of feeling young and free at Coachella. A vintage polka dot dress with a sweetheart neckline. We have all sorts of headphone designs to reflect our clothing styles and just wearing or not wearing a headphone will completely change how a character is often perceived. They were warriors first and foremost. 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 . Good for the mobile knight. Most clothing throughout history consisted of longer pieces of fabric and with minimal tailoring and cuts. Some had pointed snouts, the purpose of which was to deflect arrows when walking into arrow storms. Similarly, show how different characters personalities are through apt clothing description. Your trust fund character might be completely confident showing up to a party in board shorts and flip-flops. You can immediately show a character is wealthy with descriptions of fine clothing. Let it hang diagonally across their chest and over their shoulder instead. Clothes can betray our greatest joys and our deepest insecurities. - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. 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 A velvet scrunchie. However, you can tell your reader interesting things through a mismatch: A wealthy character might show off their expensive clothing. 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. But they are a common element used in fantasy clothing in all sorts of works of fiction. Knights werent as immobile as people assum, though I can imagine in a quagmire itd be tricky to get up. - Gadgets, hair styles and accessories. (Has denim been invented yet? Because it actually is possible. Thank you for reading our blog! Nov 1, 2019 - Explore Arisa Nightingale's board "Male Fantasy Outfit Concepts & Designs", followed by 456 people on Pinterest. 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. Through fashion terms you can understand the fundamentals of the fashion industry. Id be willing to bet each of these items immediately brought to mind a semi-clear character. 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. But it can also be fun to play with the confidence and ease that comes with wealth. 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. Lots of gear would have been looted. They're the Robin to your Batman, the Luigi to your Mario, the Samwise Gamgee to your Frodo Baggins. 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. is because we get stuck on what things look like. We even have the technology to create clothing without seems. Any suggestions on how to properly do this? Coats of plated armor soon came about, which consisted of a series of plates linked on top of one another. - Mix cultures. The shrewd king essentially licensed out parcels of his land as rewards to his warriors in exchange for their military service. As a result, feudal England became rife with young murderous men. This article was very helpfulcan you post some examples of showing versus telling when describing clothing? Fashionable: Clothes representing a current style in fashion. He received his BA Honours in English Literature and his undergraduate in English Literature and Music from the University of Cape Town. They are more common around the chest and torso in Asian cultures though, so keep that in mind when adding diagonal lines. Maybe a bracelet represents a character's relationship to her mother. When heated, steel turns from yellow, to brown, to blue, to red. 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. Thanks, Teresa, and for sharing that great example from the stage. Make them earn any sightof skin, Aunt P always said. 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. Like Dostoyevsky, think how something as small as a characters change of clothing can affecttheir own or others behaviour. You walk down the usual street and suddenly some old memory hits you. The surrounding culture dictates what they cant wear if they want to be seen as free-thinking individuals. 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. 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 Would the fashion designers in your fantasy novel make use of dragon scales? Make it mandatory to hold up a piece of clothing. Or they could be frantically running errands in leggings and a t-shirt. (Huh.). They can tell us what era they live in, and even a persons current state of mind or intent. If your character comes home and immediately sheds three layers of down and fleece, Im going to assume theyre not in San Antonio, Texas. Shoes made with bendable displays already exist, allowing you to change your shoe's design on the fly.