Dressing Your Characters
Humans have had a need to adorn themselves since the beginning of time. When the first prehistoric man or woman added a bone or feathers to his or her hair or strung some saber-tooth tiger teeth on a cord, the fashion industry was born. It has been an important part of every culture and civilization. Even fictional people need to be concerned about their clothing. Regardless of the time period of your story, you need to take some time to consider what importance clothing and other fashion accessories will play.
Clothing helps give the flavor of the time and place of the setting of the book. Characters attired in knee britches and brocaded coats with silver buckles on their shoes immediately signal to the reader that the story is set some time in the late 1700s. Contemporary clothing is equally important in anchoring the reader in here and now.
Since what we wear not only reflects our social and financial position but also our personalities, choosing the right clothing and accessories can be an important tool to developing characters. Drab clothing could suggest a character that is repressed or hiding something. On the other hand, a character’s love of feathers, ruffles and gaudy accessories could indicate a shallow personality or they could be used by a character as a tool to fool others into underestimating him or her—think Scarlet Pimpernel.
Using clothing as something more than window dressing has helped delineate more than one character in fiction. Who can forget Peter Falk’s wrinkled rain coat in the TV show Columbo or Sherlock Holmes’ leather-stalking cap and caped coat or Darth Vader’s creepy black ensemble? Most authors and readers of a certain age are familiar with the film Gone with the Wind. Many have no doubt also read the book. One of the most memorable scenes is the one of Scarlett getting dressed to attend the barbeque at Twelve Oaks. The scene takes place in 1861 just hours before the country descends into the Civil War.
From the fashion point of view we get a revealing glimpse of what women of the time wore under those wide skirts. But interesting as the lesson in undergarments may be, Margaret Mitchell didn’t include that scene merely to educate the reader about corsets and petticoats. She intended the scene to introduce us to Scarlett O’Hara’s true nature. She may have been raised in a prim and proper Southern home, but at heart, Scarlett is no lady, at least not as defined by the period and culture she inhabited.
Keeping the above in mind, here are a few additional tips to consider when dressing your characters:
If writing a historical, research the fashions of the time period. In general it is best not to rely on movies. Hollywood’s version of costuming is aimed at the theatrical not historical accuracy.
Costuming is as important for male characters as female characters
Use the senses (feel of velvet, swish of taffeta, smell of wet wool, etc.)
Accessories like fans, purses, brief cases, neckties provide important details
In love scenes, undressing is as important as dressing. Know your underwear.
Avoid long passages describing what the character is wearing. Weave it into the story.
Once you’ve attributed a certain style or accessory to a particular character, continue to use it through out the story—judiciously
Beware of over indulging in a personal love of the fashions and clothing of the time. The clothing a character is wearing needs to have some significance to the story.
Along with the books on writing, every author’s bookcase should contain a few good fashion and costuming guides. There are many to choose from. Alison Carter’s, Underwear: the Fashion History is among my favorites (and makes for fascinating reading), as are any of the Writer’s Digest Everyday Life in …series. Internet sites abound with information and illustrations. Review sites carefully as not all internet sites are not created equal. Museum, universities and historical society sites are usually trustworthy. Beware of Wikipedia articles. They are frequently rife with mistakes, so be sure to cross check your information.
Readers are looking for believable characters that come alive and leap off the page at them. Making sure characters are properly attired as they progress through their story is one more way a writer can create fascinating and well-rounded characters. So go ahead, have fun and dress your characters for success.