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. Most clothing throughout history consisted of longer pieces of fabric and with minimal tailoring and cuts. Stiff with embroidery, strewn with pearls, encrusted with gemstones, they seem to stand by themselves. Subtle clothing changes can signal character development quite effectively in some scenarios. Using the work of Alexander McQueen, this unit guides students through the analysis of a fashion collection, introducing them to the critical language and methodologies needed to evaluate fashion design and runway presentation. 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. The reason we fuss over physical descriptions is not because its so important that the readers imagination gets it right. Just click the button below to find out more. Advertisements. Coats of plated armor soon came about, which consisted of a series of plates linked on top of one another. See more ideas about character description, fantasy fashion, fantasy clothing. 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. Fashionably elegant and sophisticated. As with body armor, great efforts were made with the designs of helmets. It gives you an idea of the capabilities that armor can have. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 'There is a blog for every aspect of the writing journey.' Once blue, it is quenched a second time, permanently fixing its hardness. We all love a character with a cool set of fantasy armor: the baresark Rek from David Gemmells Legend with his enchanted coat of bronze, or Tomas from Raymond Feists Riftwar Cycle with his gleaming white dragon plate which gifted him incredible power. What your character wears can tell us a lot about how they feel or how they want to feel. For instance, if I'm reading a story and the narrative mentions jeans right off, I'm thinking mid twentieth century or later (while dungarees would be late nineteenth . Clothing tells your reader a lot about your characters goals and motivations within a given scenario. 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. 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. Some helmets had chain attached which hung around and protected the neck, called an aventail, and most were padded inside, for added comfort. Its a good time. Play with the question of presentation and power! - 'Stealth'. Make sure you know whats hot and whats not in your specific setting, as well as what specific words the locals would use. In Dostoyevskys Crime and Punishment, the poor, Tuberculosis-stricken Katerina Ivanovnas husband is trampled to death by a horse-drawn cart. And as a reader, nothing bores me like an entire paragraph of detailed clothing description. Join Kickstart your Novel and get professional feedback on your first three chapters and story synopsis, plus workbooks and videos. So have fun with that. 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. I used to be under the mindset that describing attire was boring and it was better to let the reader fill in those details but especially with the novel Im working on now, I have used clothing to portray more about their character. The fact Gem goes with jeans and a tee could suggest that she trusts her aunts advice. In 2021 his debut novel, Pariah's Lament, an epic fantasy, was published by Of Metal and Magic. 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. One specific form of descriptive writing that particularly affects setting and characterization is the portrayal of characters' clothing. [Find more articles on character description in our complete guide to character creation.]. Reddit - Dive into anything 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. Do all your characters embrace it? A velvet scrunchie. First and foremost we need to know who we're designing for. Press J to jump to the feed. 1. My story feels like its set more in medieval times, but I don't want my characters running around in full out tunics and. - Geometry. Clothing reflects the resources available in a specific time and place. You can go for standard quasi medieval fantasy clothing. Our characters are always (mostly!) Were trying to avoid, Isabell gazed out the window, and by the way, she was wearing a white terry cloth robe.. Creative Words to Describe Outfit & Clothing - INK Thanks Liv, Im glad you found this helpful. As the battle continued through the day, a rumor grew that Harold had died or fled the field, I forget which. Really like your article. To illustrate this in a way we did with the futuristic shirt example let's take a standard medieval tunic and turn it into a fantasy-themed version. Think of the process like dressing a doll: start at the beginning and up build the layers. They are more common around the chest and torso in Asian cultures though, so keep that in mind when adding diagonal lines. I saw Jesus Christ Superstar a long time ago and Jesus was in a sharp black suit. 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. To discover more awesome ideas, head over to Pinterest and just search for female fantasy armor. And if you were skilled at surviving and killing, it was a good way to make a living. Have fun with it. 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. There's also the element of technology that has to be taken into account. To make it futuristic you could change where the buttons are, they're normally quite low and form a v-neck line when buttoned up, how about moving them to the top and creating an upside down V shape at the bottom. The details create an authentic sense of a prominentcardinals dressin the 1500s. 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. "White tunics" have been worn from 2016 to a good forty thousand years ago. Lets take a look at how clothing description indicates your characters identity, goals, and culture. Conveniently, a lot of high status positions come with outfits or accessories that telegraph a persons position in the hierarchy. Blunt weapons were effective, causing haemorrhaging and concussion, so padded garments known as a doublet or gambeson were worn underneath to provide added protection. It may be apocryphal, but Harold Godwinson is said to have done just that at the battle of Hastings in 1066. They can tell us what era they live in, and even a persons current state of mind or intent. Maybe theyre hoping to impress the cool kids or please their parents. Shoes made with bendable displays already exist, allowing you to change your shoe's design on the fly. What Clothes Say About Your Characters - The Write Practice But I find looking back in time to the likes of the medieval period can provide some wonderful and unique ideas. its obviously black with a centered zipper is easy but then the various pieces, the shapes, the colors, like two rows of this then a row of that, you get what I mean? 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. 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. I sincerely hope youve found some inspiration for your fantasy medieval armor. A lowly one at that, but one very much capable of climbing the ladder. Thus his plain dress is, ironically, indicative of higher status. So this really reaffirmed that approach for me. Without decriptions of the clothing it's a bit boring, the novel becomes a list of people the reader can't imagine doing things. The pieces around the vital organsthe chest and headwere thicker and heavier than those on the arms and legs to try and reduce weight as much as possible. The last minute change suggests an indecisive nature. 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. Even the non-conformists are influenced by societal norms. Those outfits can become iconic. In writing, the clothes kind of do make the (hu)man. Not a Dabble user? Because it actually is possible. 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. How long do they need their clothes to last? This pride, though justifiable, displeased Katerina Ivanovna for some reason. So let's delve deeper into the details of how to actually figure out what your character wears. A few small details of clothing may distinguish your characters from each other, highlighting their personalities. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts If youre trying to learn how to describe clothing in writing, youre probably like me: Youve only pretended to know what organza is. In pre-thermometer times this was difficult as you can imagine, so instead, armorers observed the colour of the heated steel. 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. A scarf for example might be too hot for some areas, but it's obviously easy to leave those out. Pre-empt this by illustrating everything in layers and completing each layer of clothing. Nylon and polyester fabrics weren't invented until almost the mid 20th century for example. What is a good way to do Show not tell in a first person POV state? Do your main characters tend to steal the show in your novels? (Find out more). Fashion trends come and go and they often return later, albeit in a slightly different form. Clothes can betray our greatest joys and our deepest insecurities. 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? So sometimes all it takes to create futuristic clothing is to take a trend that has passed, alter it slightly and you're done. Medieval clothing description generator - Fantasy name generators With historical fiction one interesting aspect is to bring back the reader to that time period. You dont need it to sign up. 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: ^.^ I second the idea of describing the reactions of the characters to the city. Clothes can betray our greatest joys and our deepest insecurities. Well also take a look at female fantasy armor and those used by, Mail was particularly effective against glancing blows. 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). Examples of the latter are The Fifth Element and The Hunger Games. 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? As time marched on, small plates of leather or iron were added to the mail to protect key areas, such as vital organs. "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.". On the other hand you may wish to add layers for the same purpose. 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. A self-conscious kid tries to disappear inside their oversized sweatshirt. Technology goes beyond simply what kind of clothes could be made though, it also relates to how technology is incorporated into style in general. Or it could be that they want to be charmed by their own image when they look in the mirror. And well dip back in time to look at medieval armor and how it was used and crafted. Looking for a word - prince's clothes - English Language Learners Stack 2023 NOW NOVEL CC. They give you the chance to offer comic relief, a dash of wisdom, and just some good old fashioned friendship., Sidekick characters. 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. But the definition of sneaky depends on your characters situation. Make it mandatory to hold up a piece of clothing. A band t-shirt. Thank you for reading our blog! 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. Make them earn any sightof skin, Aunt P always said. Your email address will not be published. Here are some classic characteristics you can draw out through clothing description. The only cloak in the world made with silk spun by the cat-sized spiders that live in the forbidden mountains. So why not join the gang? Finally there's the aspect of fashion to take into account. Such coats were made from brass or iron, though steel was deemed best due to its toughness. ), The geographical location of your story. Understanding how to describe clothing in a story well will help you create fuller, richer character portraits. Chapters 1 and 2 were pretty decent and I started chapter 4 with him dressing for the party. Below, well take a look at the armor found in the fantasy genre, covering everything from chain mail to helmets. What does your character wear to feel safer in their world or in their own skin? 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With the major shapes in the thumbnails defined, choose the one that best exemplifies the feeling you're looking for. I would be great to expand it with armor from other areas, Samurai armor, for example. And if you want more, this documentary is excellent. - Break up clothing into more separate pieces and give them their own styles. So Id say in films its more for cinematic effect and also for clarity so the viewer can see whos doing what. Given that I am writing alone in my apartment, you might rightfully conclude that my goal is to be comfortable. 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. If sturdy is a top consideration, your character might be expecting trouble or adventure. Since it's a friends' get-together, let's wear casual attire. We see the contrast between the characters friends reaction and the advisory words of Gems aunt. Well, mostly. Perhaps its because the genre was born out of stories that emerged from the Middle Ages like Beowulf and King Arthur (around the 10th-11th century). Fantasy Armor - The Ultimate Guide - Richie Billing Thanks Benjamin! Its a bit OCD of me. An owl, a real owl! 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. Both doublets and chain mail were worn in conjunction with plated armor for that added protection, particularly for areas plate could not cover, such as arms and the groin. Separate and enlarge it, turn down the Opacity of the layer . Characters wear more than just clothes. I tried to add as much variety as possible, but without turning the whole description into a mess. In the historical fiction books Ive read, none of the heroes took off their helmets unless they were knocked off, or bashed in. 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. William the Conquerors society was shaped with war in mind. Stylish: Elegant and sophisticated clothing to grab attention. Your main character just put on some makeup and changed into a fancy dress, complete with heels and a tiny handbag. Pingback: The Life of the Medieval Lord - Richie Billing, Pingback: How To Create Your Very Own Living Breathing Fantasy World - Richie Billing, Pingback: Fantasy Races - The Ultimate Guide To Elves, Orcs and Dwarves | Richie Billing, Pingback: Killer Diseases of the Middle Ages | Richie Billing, Pingback: Medieval Cannons: The Essential Guide | Richie Billing, Pingback: On Writing: Fantasy Without Magic Of Metal and Magic Publishing, Pingback: The Lives Of Medieval Peasants - Richie Billing. Meanwhile, the character who works two jobs while going to school full-time might scour the Goodwill rack for a designer tag to help them fit in at the same party. Thats a good example of using clothing to reinforce the narrative of a characters arc. Even things like tattoos, hair colors, eye colors and so on can help with this. Fancy dresses. Now on the other end of the spectrum we have fantasy clothing and more history based clothing. You really can tell a lot about a person by what they wear, or what they dont wear. Great article. Because like all other character details, its not enough to paint a picture. Adorable. Characters Wear More Than Just Clothes. As knights became fully armored, so did their mounts. What matters more to them: fashion or function? They're the Robin to your Batman, the Luigi to your Mario, the Samwise Gamgee to your Frodo Baggins. I'm sort of into historical armor so would get a kick out of finding an excuse to talk about vambraces/rerebraces, spaulders, etc. Why this arguably works better is the details of getting dressed tell us multiple details about Gem. Sometimes the simplest changes are enough to create something completely new and ideal for a particular universe. 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. Another important function of clothing description in stories is to create an authentic sense of time and place. 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. Blades hacking, slicing and puncturing, cutting open gaping wounds and severing limbs and heads from bodies. This idea of knights becoming lords was introduced in England by William the Conqueror. Clothing description also presents an opportunity to play with different points of view. One of her poems is (legally) stamped into a sidewalk in Santa Clarita, California. The reader does not need the full outfit in one go. How to Analyze a Fashion Collection - Bloomsbury Fashion Central As far as guidelines go this is the first to be broken though, consider this one more of a starting point rather than something to necessarily end on. Further reading How To Write Fight Scenes. Consider this example from Hard Times. Examples of the prior are Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey and to some degree Star Wars and Tron. You walk down the usual street and suddenly some old memory hits you. Clothing creation guide - Roll for Fantasy The changes and improvements made by technology will often create new trends or alter old ones to the point you may as well consider them a new one, so depending on the technology available in your fictional universe you may wish to create a completely new trend. 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. Instead of a nobleman being described as wearing red silk slippers, parachute pants, a bejeweled cloth belt, a flowing blouse and an ascot; you can simply describe him as wear very fancy and extravagant clothing befitting his high status in society. Using this site means trees will be planted. If done right you could even use these elements alone with clothing of today to sell a futuristic look. How to Describe Clothing in a Story (with Examples) | Now Novel Non-visual senses are big, too. A vintage polka dot dress with a sweetheart neckline. By playing around with this you quickly create very subtle, but more unique fantasy-themed items. 60s-inspired. And when Mother Nature gets involved, even the best suit of armor can have problems. When heated, steel turns from yellow, to brown, to blue, to red. Similar to how pixelated designs tend to look more futuristic so do designs full of geometrical shapes. Clean, powerful strikes were needed to disable a foe wearing mail. The bully Gradgrind is the type whod wear a waistcoat concealing an eyeglass for catching people out. 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? A coat of mail was a complex web of metal rings, each locked with an iron rivet. Heres a superb glossary, with pictures, of all types of armor. This is often enough to make something look more futuristic, especially if used on something that looks glossy, shiny and/or smooth. They work, they're safe and in many cases have become a standard. Its hard to really appreciate just how sickeningly awful medieval warfare would have been. Will using real-world cultural vocabulary in a fantasy setting That said, once you describe how a person dresses you shouldn't really keep doing it unless it is relevant to the plot. That also will help readers really experience things through their eyes. But your reader is going to picture something whether you guide them or not. I'll make a separate point for sci-fi/futuristic clothing and fantasy/historic clothing. 100 Words to Describe Clothes - grammarhow.com 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. Something like this: As you can see, a knights armor is made up of a lot of different pieces. - Make things look glossy, smooth and clean. I love the way clothes can describe a character. stylish, expensive clothing, yet not specific to a certain time or place. (Cough-cough-cough.) Or at least they know what century theyre in. Dont worry, thats not a trick question. In other words, research. From lowly serfs to great warriors, all could wear and fight effectively in chainmail. - As far as colors go they often seem to be either toned down or bright and happy (or even over the top), depending on the style. All this to say: there is substantial storytelling power in a coral Life is Good t-shirt. Who's your rebel, and how does their clothing reflect their defiant spirit? 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. 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 Maybe theyre wearing an article of clothing that once belonged to someone theyve lost. How to Describe Clothes in English - ESL Advice Also, don't feel like you have to include every point I've made. 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. I once wrote about imbuing everyday objects with meaning because talisman create great opportunities for symbolism! Look how she sits with her mouth open! It's what we're slowly doing today. And here are some great concepts for female fantasy armor. Ill add it to my to do list .
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