Are you building characters and worlds that are rich with history, backstory, themes, and personalities? Yet, you have not used the clothing worn by your characters to tell a story. Well, then, you are missing out. Clothes can tell a story…if you care to listen.
Let me explain with an example.
This is a picture of me wearing a saree. Now in the “real” world, it can mean a lot of things but worlds in fiction have a set of rules and clothes fit into that. There everything from the drape of the saree to the colour of it can mean something- the blue could indicate sadness or royalty depending on your in-universe rules. The fact that I am wearing it with jeans, could be a hint of breaking cultural stereotypes.
We have seen this in fiction too, especially with colours. In the movie Thappad, the character is shown wearing blue when she lives with her husband. However, she is shown trading the blues for yellow- her favourite colour instead of his- when she moves towards independence.
The clothes your characters wear can serve as a calling card or show their personality. For example, In the Originals, Elijah Mickelson- an Original Vampire- is almost always shown wearing a suit, which tells us he is the politer and noble brother. Not only does this make the times he hurts people more impactful, it conveys his core values. Get him out of the suit and he’s a different person- which is what happens- spoilers ahead- when he looses his memory.
Clothes can also be used to set and break expectations or show socio-economic placing. For example, the characters in the Capitol are dressed ridiculously in The Hunger Games. This shows how they have lost rationale to glitz and glamour. Katniss stands out in her down-to-Earth clothing. This also shows the wealth discrepancy between the districts and the Capitol. It serves to highlight how out of touch with reality the Capitol and its inhabitants are.
Another way to use clothes is to set up expectations and then break them. Or have them show change. For example, if there was a fabric or colour reserved for the “upper-class” which eventually becomes available to everyone. This could show the world becoming more equal.
Thus, you can see that you can use clothes in a lot of ways in your story- but it depends on your world, characters, and themes.
Are you planning to use your characters’ clothing to tell a story? Happy World Storytelling Day- what story are you telling this year? Let me know in the comments. Want to make characters realistic? Try basing your protagonist and others on real people, like I do.
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Disclaimer- The ideas on this blog are inspired by creators such as The Plottery and SchoolofPlot. Also, blogs and works I have read and conversations I have had about writing.
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Updated- 17/10/2023
