by: Staci Stallings
When readers think about the joy an author must feel when creating characters —the sheer exhilaration that here is a person under your complete control, that you can mold and form and make them do whatever you want (HAHA right!), I’m quite sure very few of them ever think about the issue of dressing characters.
Okay, maybe you do if you are a reader of historical fiction or if clothing is somehow synonymous with a character’s career choice or personality. But how many really give any real time to considering the clothing choices of characters?
I will tell you, from an author’s standpoint and as someone who is not a fashionista in any way, shape or form, clothing characters is one of the most challenging parts of creating them for me.
First, I have my own “style,” which isn’t, overall, what anyone would think of as super stylish. At home, I’m mostly in sweatpants and a STAR Laboratories sweatshirt (navy blue or gray—take your pick) and of course my green cabin socks. In the real world, I’m a little more dressy, but mostly I’m an I-have-three-pairs- of-shoes—tennis shoes, sandals, and boots kind of girl. I’m also not much of a hair person, having worn the same hairstyle of varying lengths for going on four decades now.
So, when a story calls for a character who thinks critically, or self-consciously, about clothing choices, I get out of my depth rather quickly. Worse, when I write about a character’s clothing, I often harken back to the days of my youth when the local paper would come out on Thursdays with the write-ups about the local weddings. There was always a section in the article about “the flowing gown made of shimmering satin had an empire waist and a mother-of-pearl detailed full cathedral length train.”
I mean, how much detail is too much? And how much is just not enough?
The reason I was thinking about this today was that I happened to see an ad on a website I frequent, and my thought when I saw the dress in the ad was, “Oh, that would look good on Taylor.” My next thought was, “Wait. Doesn’t she already have a dress kind of like that?” To which I replied, “Well, kind of but that’s her style, and this one is a little different than the other one because the top has navy and not just dusty pink…”
I’m not kidding you, I had that full conversation in my head before I realized that the person I was debating about over this dress was, in fact, a fictional character who only lives in my head. I couldn’t get this dress for her for Christmas or her birthday. I couldn’t even ask her opinion about it as to whether or not she would actually like it. I will never see it on her, and yet, here I am debating about how it would look on her and if she would even like it or not!
The funny thing about this is that Taylor really is far more into clothes than most of my characters usually are. Clothes are important to her. So important that I’ve actually noticed that she’s got a couple of clothing personalities—or her clothing fits the personality she happens to think she needs to put on and wear at any given time.
She has her church look, which is quite conservative and understated. Then she has her “art” style, which she is at present growing into. It’s kind of flowy with less “fit” and far more fabric. Then there’s her “every girl” look that’s either jeans and some type of sweater or cute top, or her dressier fitted mini with a cute top and jacket. And the shoes! Oh, the shoes! There’s no end to trying to find the perfect shoe for each and every outfit.
The thing is, when you’re not a clothes person, but you’re writing about a clothes person, it can be as intimidating as being a non-dancer writing about a dancer. You just feel like everyone is going to know you’re a complete fraud!
So, dear readers, what do you think about characters and their clothing? Have you ever read any clothing descriptions that you thought were over-the-top and trying too hard? Do you even notice the clothing descriptions or am I overthinking this thing completely? (Which is honestly a good possibility!)
Feel free to sound off!
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A stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side, Staci Stallings has numerous titles for readers to choose from. Not content to stay in one genre and write it to death, Staci’s stories run the gamut from young adult to adult, from motivational and inspirational to full-out Christian and back again. Every title is a new adventure! That’s what keeps Staci writing and you reading. Although she lives in Amarillo, Texas and her main career right now is her family, Staci touches the lives of people across the globe with her various Internet and writing endeavors.
I can usually get a good idea of the characters clothing by the setting and time period. So I really only need a brief description, if at all. (I am not a clothes person.)
Hi Staci:) Hmm, I’ve never thought about how much effort an author puts into dressing characters! I do notice what characters wear- it gives added insight into their personality/character, and I just enjoy reading about how different clothes might be put together.
Blessings:)
Ha! If I could stay in my jammies all day I’d be a happy girl!!
Hi Staci! Thanks for your intriguing blog! As I saw the title and read your blog, all I could think about was Swiss author Gottfried Keller’s delightful novella Kleider Machen Leute (Clothes Make the Man) published in 1874. Having traveled the world and the states and watching reruns of the TV show I Love Lucy, it saddens me how informal in attire and appearance Americans have become. While as a retiree, I enjoy wearing jeans and nice T-shirts, I do miss dressing up for the theater or a fancy dinner. I agree with Wemble that what a character wears gives added insight in their personality. Enjoy your weekend. Best wishes.
Like you said, I’m no fashionista, either, but every now and then, a character who REALLY CARES strolls into one of my books. It takes me aback and I have to carefully consider how to handle her!
I’m not a clothes person. I have 6 pairs of shoes (2 pairs are tennis shoes). At home I wear knit pants with elastic waist from LLBean. In the winter, I usually have on a sweat shirt. In summer, I wear t-shirts. When I go out, I dress up by putting on jeans. LOL I generally wear slacks and a top to church, though sometimes I wear jeans. I have 3 dresses and 2 skirts in my closet. Two of the dresses have never been worn. I can’t remember the last time I wore the others. We’ve lived here for 3 1/2 years and I know they haven’t been worn in that time. BTW, I’m a retired computer programmer. When I read a book that stresses the heroine wearing this and that brand on every other page, I can’t relate at all and am generally turned off. But I do like enough description to get a general feel for the style of the person.
I don’t necessarily notice description or lack of description of clothing on characters when I read. I don’t like over description when it comes to clothes. Just a touch of a description is enough.
I guess I’m somewhat interested in fashion, though I never buy name brands and have given up ever trying to be trendy. ;)
But I enjoy listening to descriptions of what characters wear, as it tells something about a person. What a person chooses to show to the world can even become part of their identity. Think of how a person’s clothing and jewelry can automatically tell that they identify with the Goth community, or the rock music scene, or the preppy clique.
The only time I think dress description goes over the top is when it’s a period story, and it feels like the unique clothing of the day (I’m thinking specifically of cravats in Regency fashion) are mentioned over and over, or how they’re worn is described in detail without it affecting the plot in any way (as a “wardrobe malfunction” might).
I like a minimalist approach for dress description. Enough to establish setting (he wore pressed khakis and a golf shirt to work) or emotional impact (all he could manage from the depths of his depression were sweats and a pair of big foam bear claw slippers). I could see a period piece spending more description on wardrobe to give a sense of setting, but I’m not a big fan of period stories myself. My own wardrobe is highly limited to the what-still-fits category. No cash ‘n’ no fashion! :-)
Technical clothing is worth a bit more too, like uniforms or something for sci-fi, again only to establish setting.
I’m definitely NOT a clothes or shoes person!! Give me my jeans, a top, sneakers or sandals, and I’m good to go! I don’t mess with my hair, either, it’s gotta be wash, comb and go with me!!! Of course, I do have dressier clothes for church, used to have to “dress” for work, which was nice suits and dresses. Still, I’m happiest in jeans. I honestly don’t pay much attention to the clothes in books. I read the descriptions, as that helps me with the characters personality, but if you tell me jeans and a top, that’s fine, too!! I think it really depends on the character, too, if they’re into clothes I expect a few more details.
I enjoy reading about the clothing style.
I enjoyed reading this. There have been a few authors who have gone overboard, in my estimation, in their description of what a character is wearing. Some description is helpful, but going into great detail on various elements of the outfit and/or stressing the brand name (which I have no clue on) is lost on me :-)
Mary, I’m not a clothes person either. When I wrote my one historical, trying to get the clothing just right was a pain! Modern dress is so much easier unless the person is a clothes person!
Thanks for stopping by!
Wemble,
I’m sure there are some authors who breeze right through this gauntlet. Me, not so much.
:)
God bless!
Paula Marie,
That’s me! The less thought and hassle, the better!
Have an awesome day!
Renate,
I, too, very much miss the more dressed-up dress. Some of the “fashions” today leave a lot to be desired– like cloth and style. That’s why even my un-dressiest characters are fully clothed though it might be the jeans and T-shirt kind of attire.
Have a great weekend & thanks for stopping by!
I’m not sure how, but a LOT of my characters decide to take me out of my comfort zone. Some of them it’s clothes or chosen hobby or chosen career or chosen style of “being…” You get the picture. I’m just glad I can write about it and not try to live it. :)
Thanks for popping in!
Sherri,
I put all of my skirts and dresses in my upstairs closet to make room for the things I actually wear. I have them… just in case the need ever arises, but so far, it hasn’t.
From one non-clothes person to the other, happy dressing today!
Merrilee,
I usually don’t until I hit a character who clothes are super-important, and then I’m left going, “Uhhhhhh….”
Thanks for stopping by!
Lila,
That’s funny because there’s a scene early on in Making Believe where Taylor goes to a new college, and the students in the class are described. One of them is Goth and one of them is trying to hard to be hot, etc. It takes next to nothing to “see” them in the descriptions. I hadn’t really thought about that until your comment.
Oh, and don’t get me started on jewelry! :)
Have a wonderful day!
Trudy,
I think from the replies I’ve read, we’re all more enamored with books than clothes. :)
Have an awesome day!
I think it’s interesting that dressing DOWN to show depression or low mood is probably easier for me than dressing UP for a mid-important event. I can also easily do dress UP-UP like a gown for a prom for example. It’s that mid-range that gets me probably because it takes up most of the book and so I have to keep coming up with new and different outfits. I can be creative with clothes to a point and then, I’m so over it.
Have a great day!
Agreed!
That’s cool, Lucy. I shall keep trying then.
God bless & thanks for stopping by!
Margaret,
Ugh. If I had to go searching for actual brands, I’d be sunk! I don’t even know who makes what, so I’m not sure where I’d even start with that. Thankfully, this heroine likes clothes but not the designer kind. :)
Have a great weekend!
Found you from Instagram! Nice to know where your people are coming from right?
I am not a clothes person and I have the t-shirt or maybe 2 to prove it.
I struggle with getting my characters dressed. Mostly they put on a dress, might be a favorite or black -lots of historical writing at the moment. Contemporary characters I check out Pinterest a lot. Too bad this doesn’t work for my personal stuff. :)