Describing Clothes

[Ruby]

I'm a costumer by trade and LOVE clothing more than is probably healthy... and MY answer is "no".

This thread has been discussed many times. You might consider searching it and seeing what has been said before, because they were pretty good advice.

If the clothing is important to the scene, I do describe it. Say, a character is dressed in evening attire... well they aren't wearing their normal get-up. So I describe it, vaguely. "He moved closer until his thigh pressed into her voluminous skirt..." "Looking dashing in his dark doublet and perfectly tied cravat, with his hair slicked back..."

For me, that brief description is enough. it paints an image of the rest of what a character is wearing.

On that same note, sometimes hinting at clothing is better. It allows the reader to determine what THEY want to see. For instance, I had a scene where a character was convalescing from an injury. I mentioned she wore an over-sized linen shirt and men's knickers. It doesn't matter to me how the reader pictures those clothes, whether they see knickers as long pants, buttoning at the knee, or boxer shorts. The point was only to get across that she was in her underwear, healing.

Sometimes I do explore clothing. In one chapter in my WiP, my MC receives a visit from her mother-in-law and a tailor. They strip her down, measure her, fit gowns all day and eventually pick four beautiful dresses. For a character who never had a first-hand dress in her life, it's a pretty important experience. That's why I showed it.

So, just determining how much impace is made by said clothing is a good place to start. Like, if you met somoene and they were dressed plainly, or like you, how much would you notice? Now if you went to the supermarket and saw someone dressed very differently... you'd notice more. It's just human nature. Remember to keep it true to your POV and it'll work out best.

Hi Caged Maiden, thank you for posting this. I found your suggestion very inspirational: I suddenly had a picture in my head of my main character, who is a time travelling Victorian wizard, standing in a modern supermarket in full Victorian dress. Now, wouldn't that be incongruous.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Hi Caged Maiden, thank you for posting this. I found your suggestion very inspirational: I suddenly had a picture in my head of my main character, who is a time travelling Victorian wizard, standing in a modern supermarket in full Victorian dress. Now, wouldn't that be incongruous.

I've actually BEEN in a similar situation, in my years performing in Renaissance festivals. We would go to the grocery store in a small group, in full garb, before the festival opened to buy sausage and cheese and small loaves of bread to eat during the day. We got quite a few stares. lol

 

[Ruby]

I've actually BEEN in a similar situation, in my years performing in Renaissance festivals. We would go to the grocery store in a small group, in full garb, before the festival opened to buy sausage and cheese and small loaves of bread to eat during the day. We got quite a few stares. lol

Hi A.E.Lowan, that is so amazing! I suppose the customers would just assume she was in fancy dress or an actress.
To make it really dramatic my MC would have to be staring in horror at people wearing modern dress, wouldn't she!

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Hi A.E.Lowan, that is so amazing! I suppose the customers would just assume she was in fancy dress or an actress.
To make it really dramatic my MC would have to be staring in horror at people wearing modern dress, wouldn't she!

If she's an actual Victorian, she would be quite shocked at all the exposed *gasp* flesh. Women wearing trousers, displaying their limbs in a wanton fashion. Can you imagine if she popped into our timeline during summer? Halter tops and the new fashion of cut-off jean shorts could give her the vapors!

 

[buyjupiter]

Hi Caged Maiden, thank you for posting this. I found your suggestion very inspirational: I suddenly had a picture in my head of my main character, who is a time travelling Victorian wizard, standing in a modern supermarket in full Victorian dress. Now, wouldn't that be incongruous.

I bought a "winter" jacket a couple of years ago that is full on late Victorian/early Edwardian day jacket. I love to pair it with my long full skirt and think that if I just added goggles and proper boots, I'd be steampunk in my normal clothes.

 

[Ruby]

If she's an actual Victorian, she would be quite shocked at all the exposed *gasp* flesh. Women wearing trousers, displaying their limbs in a wanton fashion. Can you imagine if she popped into our timeline during summer? Halter tops and the new fashion of cut-off jean shorts could give her the vapors!

Yes, it could be quite comedic! On a serious note, and referring to the original post, I think it is important to describe what your characters are wearing if your story takes place in an actual historical setting. For example, although I wanted my heroine to be a Victorian, I decided not to set the story in 1870 as women's dresses had the most enormous bustles, but in 1899 as the dresses were more streamlined. (There were some other reasons, too, but I needed her to be able to move about and she would have been restricted by the fashions.)
In another WIP, I've had to research what type of armour a knight would be wearing.
Writing Fantasy is not easy, is it?

 

[Guru Coyote]

I've actually BEEN in a similar situation, in my years performing in Renaissance festivals. We would go to the grocery store in a small group, in full garb, before the festival opened to buy sausage and cheese and small loaves of bread to eat during the day. We got quite a few stares. lol

There's a song the SCA used to sing in these instances: (to the tune of Walzing Mathilda)
"Freaking the Mundanes, Freaking the Mundanes, who'll come a Freaking the Mundanes with me..."