Fashion

Page history last edited by Xenix 2 years, 8 months ago

Fashion is a very mutable thing. It changes from year to year, nation to nation, culture to culture, and sometimes even from city to city. As such, I am not going to dictate to you what your character can and can not consider fashionable. What I will do, however, is give you a foundation upon which to base your decisions about your character's clothing and sense of fashion.

Stated below is what is considered the ethnic, "traditional" dress for each region, along with some notes about what is currently in vogue amongst the local fashionistas ("pink is the new black", "schweaters are in this season", etc.). There will certainly be a fair number of individuals in any given society who will dress to emulate or impress those from other nations for one reason or another, and there are a thousand and twelve different aspects that could encourage or discourage somebody from wearing or not wearing a given piece of clothing.

For example, most nobles will be under social pressure to wear the latest and greatest versions of their culture's traditional and courtly clothing to all of this season's balls. Outside of social functions, however, a noble might wear something more to his or her taste and comfort. A clothing merchant is liable to want to be seen in the best and most beautiful that they have to offer to 'guilt' their clients into buying their wares so as not to be out-done by a mere merchant. Somebody who expects a fight is liable to opt for clothing that allows them to move easily or will offer protection, regardless of what it makes them look like. (I would consider this akin to somebody wearing jeans on a hot summer day. Odd, but not particularly rare.) As always, of course, the working class is going to wear what they need to wear in order to to their jobs.

Afrene

If anybody can give the süminth a run for their money in the Eclectic Fashion category, it's the sfrennen. The national propensity for reusing and recycling materials has extended itself into the peoples' clothes and your average afrennen doesn't look at a hole as something to fix, but an opportunity to add something new to their clothes. Patches and other additions are common at all levels of society. Some people just do it more for fashion than out a fervent desire to recycle absolutely everything.

	Male	Female
Upper Class	There is an emphasis on full shoulders and broad chests, coupled with lowered waistlines. Shirts with a turned down collar and a cravat worn in a variety of ways. Cravats of complex design made exclusively form recycled material are very popular. Waist coats, often designed to complement the cravat. Full length trousers, often paired with low boots. Frock or Chesterfield coats with repurposed trim. Wide-brimmed hats, often with fine banding. Bonus fashion points for a recycled banding.	The only level of female fashion where dresses outnumber trousers, many upper class women have made a point of wearing dresses as if to imply that they are above working in fields. To this effect, most dresses are also trimmed with delicate lace. Low, pointed waistline. Dresses that show off a thin, natural waist are especially popular, particularly when paired with a bell-shaped skirt. Emphasis on a narrow, natural shoulder line, such that the cloth in that area in thinner, lace, or possibly even absent entirely. It is very common to see trim that has been passed down through the family or that was once part of Great Aunt Edna's wedding dress. Or possibly her curtains.
Middle Class	Similar to the upper class, albeit with less fine materials. It is not uncommon to have a particularly fine cravat/waistcoat set, although it is more common to have only the cravat be of especially high quality. Frock coats are known, although used primarily for special events. Everyday use sees a much simpler coat thrown on.	Flip a coin to see if a given woman will be wearing trousers or skirts on a regular basis, or even on this particular day. Tastes vary with the expected workload and personality of the wearer. Dresses and skirts have raised hemlines and less of a bell shape. Also, much more of a hodgepodge look than at higher tiers. Heeled boots are popular in some quarters, as are low shoes, but most common are finely tooled and effective boots.
Lower Class	Reminiscent of the American cowboy. Vests and waistcoats are common atop a collared shirt. Vests and waistcoats made out of other pieces of clothing are even more common. It's not exactly uncommon to find somebody who forgoes both vest and waistcoat when actually expecting to do work. Wide-brimmed hats, the banding often the finest thing on the lower class man's person. Full length trousers, paired with durable boots, usually to mid-calf. A working man's boots.	Simple dresses or trousers with a shirt and vest combination. Very hodgepodge, with many outfits being more patches than original cloth after a few years. Shawls are growing in popularity, especially modeled after what folks believe Thevan shawls to look like. They can be made out of anything, though, and lend a certain flair to any outfit. Hats are just as common on women as men, although more often with a flower or two tucked into the banding.

Chō

Chō has managed to revive the kilt, in several of its many forms, and to combine it with more eastern designs to create an unbifurcated garment for both sexes that is wholly Chō: the praghma(plural praghmata). It comes in several varieties, ranging from a knee-length walking praghma, to a belted great praghma version whose top can be worn as a cloak, to a robe-like full praghma style. The praghma can be made out of any material, but cotton and wool blends are the most popular with the common man, while some nobles favor lighter silks (they can afford to keep the fires burning). Leather versions are not unknown in some workplaces, especially as protective garments over trousers.

	Male	Female
Upper Class	The walking and full praghmata are the rule for high society, with an extremely ornate version of the great praghma designed as a dress uniform for nobles with military rank. Jackets and vests are popular with the walking and great praghmata. Stiff-collared shirt worn with any of them. Metal embellishments and buttons along the jacket or robe sleeves and sides. At this level, the pattern and individual pieces are all unique - commissioned from sought-after artists or passed down as family heirlooms. Hosiery to just under the knee, paired with stilted shoes, often with an ornamental calf sheath on one leg.	Walking praghmata are very common, with a matching shawl worn on occasion. Full praghmata for noble women fit tighter to the upper body to accommodate the popular bodices. Long cuirasse bodices, with the most fashionable going all the way to the thighs. A walking praghma is similar to a bodice over a skirt, while the full variety is more of a flowing garment that is briefly interrupted by the corset. Thevan bustles have been imported as a bustle-less, draping train for the full praghma. High necklines with flourished standing collars. Fashionable hats! Everybody loves a fashionable hat. Lighter colors.
Middle Class	Walking praghma are common, as are great praghma for travels. Full praghmata are worn at only a few ceremonial times, such as weddings, funerals, and affairs of state. The middle class deals with more utilitarian ornaments, leaning less towards embellishments on the sleeves and more towards buckles and buttons. Hosiery to just under the knee, with stilted shoes or boot depending on what one is doing and who one is trying to impress. Calf sheathes are still largely ornamental at this level.	Walking praghmata are common, with cuirasse bodices that don't go past the hip. Full praghmata are worn on very special occasions. Recent trend in corsets instead of bodices, mimicking other nations' fashions. High necklines with detachable collars. Muted colors, designed to not show the pollution as much as lighter ones would. Functional hats, with a passing nod to fashion.
Lower Class	Walking praghmata compete with trousers on a daily basis. Leather versions are often worn over trousers for protection. Great praghmata are used regularly by soldiers and other professionals who spend a lot of time on the road or out in the weather. Heavy shirts in dark colors. Ornamentation is limited to functional items. A sheath, however finely tooled, is still a sheath. No man, however, would be seen without a calf or belt sheath, no matter how finely or crudely tooled. Cotton facemasks and scarves are popular, as an entirely practical way to minimize the amount of dust and pollution that is breathed in.	Almost exclusively walking praghmata or trousers, and both at once is common, or a recently invented half-praghma worn over trousers. Shawls worn for travel or warmth. Form-fitting blouses paired with unboned bodices. Dark or muted colors. Functional hats, with the latest thing being to wear a token from one's mate on the hat. Often, this is the only bit of ornamentation that a man or woman will spend money on that does not have a utilitarian purpose. Cotton facemasks and scarves are popular, as an entirely practical way to minimize the amount of dust and pollution that is breathed in.

Eurum Islands

The eurites have far less access to woven materials than other Litanaeans and it shows in their attire. 90% of native clothing comes from the seals and other marine life that live all up and down the island chain. The general trend is, naturally, for more clothing in the south and less clothing in the much warmer north, with variations in-between.

	Male	Female
Upper Class	Largely stolen merchandise from other nations. They have a particular love of thevan coats here recently. It is not unusual to find clan chiefs who dress exclusively in the style of one or another western nation and insist that their courtiers do the same. Faith-medals caught on a few centuries back and seem to be holding strong, especially those dedicated to Eura.	Largely stolen merchandise, but it's the rare woman who has a complete outfit from another nation, given the larger amount of material needed. Sarantican styes are popular in the north, while chō praghmata or pared-down thevan dresses dominate in the south. Faith-medals are common, although fans in the northern climes are coming into popularity.
Middle Class	It doesn't really exist, but the lower nobility and sea captains tend towards more hodge-podge outfits. Traditional fur and leather garments are common, matched with a snazzy ascot or hat as proof of one's conquests. The süminth practice of always carrying a weapon has certainly caught on amongst the eurites.	It doesn't really exist, but the lower nobility and sea captains tend towards more hodge-podge outfits. Male and female garments are fairly unisex, with drastic diversion only possible in the upper class. That said, the walking and great praghmata are popular with women precisely because they're unisex garments with a sense of the feminine.
Lower Class	The weak exist to serve the strong. That said, the strong do like to make sure that the weak have clothing enough to keep them alive and serving. Traditional, simplistic outfits are ubiquitous, with the occasional bit of flair from other cultures: droppings from the master's table, as it were.	The weak exist to serve the strong. That said, the strong do like to make sure that the weak have clothing enough to keep them alive and serving. Traditional, simplistic outfits are ubiquitous, with the occasional bit of flair from other cultures: droppings from the master's table, as it were.

Miln

Miln has a strong sense of House and Family expressed in its fashion. Nearby every family has a coat of arms that is proudly displayed on cloaks, swords, hats and, perhaps most importantly: fans. Fans are used by members of both genders (in distinct styles, mind you) to keep cool, display their family crest, and peer mysteriously over. After all, 90% of politics and matchmaking is done on the ballroom floor. In that respect, the milanese have developed a "language of ribbons" - farbband, using complex patterns and braids to 'speak' in a wholly silent language: announcing alliances, loyalties, availabilities, preferences, invitations, etc. The ribbons were originally attached to the crest-bearing fans, but have since expanded to be included just about anywhere: braided into hair, worn as a bracelet, pinned to a jacket, and the like.

	Male	Female
Upper Class	Full-length trousers, with distinct creases. Full shirts, with a creative variety of collar styles and some manner of necktie or neckcloth. Jackets and vests, with some healthy debate as to wether they should be worn open or closed. All agree that they should be worn, though. Heavy use of dyes and embroidery, the latter influenced by Sarantica. Fans are a must for any discerning member of nobility, often of fine leather or velvet. A few silversmiths have begun selling intricate folding fans made from dozens of thin metal pieces.	Off the shoulder dresses are very common, and outfits that leave the entire back bare have experienced a recent surge in popularity, much to the consternation of older, more conservative matrons. Corsets have always been common, but recent versions come in a low-backed variety designed to pair nicely with the new dresses. Slightly lighter dye and embroidery usage than the men of their class. Instead, women make far more use of jewelry , especially hair pieces and jeweled hair nets. Gloves are a must, as are fans, although the latter are more often made of delicate silk and lace with thin bone or metal supports.
Middle Class	Quite similar to the upper class, but toned down a few notches. There is a definite attempt to look fashionable, but not as if you have aspirations above your station. Some deem fans necessary to properly broker deals with the nobles, while others prefer to go without on the presumption that the nobles will appreciate them more for not attempting to ape those same nobles. Farbband is often done through braided knotwork pinned to a lapel when communicating with their own class or those lower.	Quite similar to the upper class, but toned down a few notches. There is a definite attempt to look fashionable, but not as if you have aspirations above your station. Jewelry is popular, but also expensive, and the current trend is to go for fewer, more tasteful pieces of jewelry, rather than a larger quantity of gaudy ones. Most women of this class have a fan, although it is much more common for it to be functional, rather than strictly decorative. Farbband is dealt with through fan-braids or ribbons braided directly into a lady's hair.
Lower Class	Three-quarter-length trousers or breeches, often with suspenders. Loose, full sleeved shirts that lace up in the south or button down in the north with simple band collars. Something should be worn over one's shirt, wether it be a coat in inclement weather or a light, simple vest at other times. Farbband is done through ribbons casually pinned to one's vest, or used to tie back the long hair that is becoming fashionable amongst the middle and lower classes.	Corsets are known, but when they do exist, they're strictly undergarments. Full-backed shirts, often on the looser side and gathered into a waistband. Skirts are deemed a 'must' for women, except for those professions that would absolutely require trousers. Farbband is almost exclusively hair-based, either braided or woven into long hair, or used as a hairband for shorter hair.

Sarantica

Sarantica has a traditional class system of ruling nobles and owned peasants. While the current systems have branched out and varied considerably from those initial, survival-of-the-strongest kingdoms, tradition has maintained a general system of nobles who take care of those peasants in a pseudo feudal system. Color and embroidery patterns was an ancient method of denoting the noble house that you were associated with, and it has carried through to modern times as a traditional practice. So, those lower class members working for nobles tend to use the noble house's colors to decorate their own clothing. Similarly, looser and whiter garments have always been the domain of the upper echelons – associated with leisure and luxury – while stiffer, more fitted, and darker colored garments are worn by the lower classes – who receive many of their more expensive clothes from those same noble houses, drawing them further under the house's influence.

	Male	Female
Upper Class	Loose pants, fitted at the ankles of calves. Loose sleeves, fitted at the wrists. Extensive embroidery on loose, flowing shirts and soft vests. White materials predominant, although when it comes to accent pieces: If it can be dyed, it will be dyed. Bare feet are traditional, with painted toes and designs. Toe rings and other foot jewelry are not uncommon on men.	Loose fitting dresses, with lots of tight gathers. Unboned, high waist bodice, although there has been a recent trend towards corsets coming in from Miln. Drawbacks help to define shape of the neckline and waist. Embroidered trim and abstract designs. White materials predominant, although when it comes to accent pieces: If it can be dyed, it will be dyed. Bare feet are traditional, with painted toes and designs.
Middle Class	Pastel colored materials, lightly fitted. Stiff fitted vests embroidered in untraditional designs as an attempt to 'step outside' the traditional class system. While not starched, they do tend to be of stiffer materials to hold their shape. Embroidery on the vest only, light edge trimming. Sandals.	Pastel colors, lightly fitted. Middle class women lean towards vests as an attempt to 'step outside' the traditional class system. While not starched, they do tend to be of stiffer materials to hold their shape. Embroidery on the vest only, trimming the edge. Sandals.
Lower Class	Darker colors, of lightweight materials. Semi-fitted shirts and pants. Starched vests with embroidered designs. Typically, a man will own only one or two such vests, the thread provided by an employer. Enclosed shoes or sandals that might as well be the former.	Darker colors, of lightweight materials. Material is more draped and less drawn back. Starched bodice with embroidered designs. Typically, a woman will only own one or two such, the thread provided by an employer. Enclosed shoes or sandals that might as well be the former.

Süminthur

What is listed here is, even more than most nations, completely subject to change based upon personal, cultural, or geographical whims. Being from Süminthur is like having a free pass to beg, borrow, and steal from other cultures' wardrobes to your heart's content. Possibly the only common thread of süminth fashion is the use of native luxuries, particularly fur, small bits of intricate jewelry, feathers, and a traditional use of polished and lacquered bone accents. It also bears some mention that Süminthur lacks decency laws. That is to say, you won't be arrested for going about your business in the buff. You may, however, cause a bit of a ruckus up until you just become known as "that person".

	Male	Female
Upper Class	Pick another nation and use their fashion. Swap out materials as desired and add in accessories and accents made of processed luxuries. Most nobles do not feel the need to carry a large weapon on them every second of the day. That is, after all, what they have servants for. Expect to find the servant nearby, though. When not, a belt knife or derringer is not uncommon.	Pick another nation and use their fashion. Swap out materials as desired and add in accessories and accents made of processed luxuries. Most nobles do not feel the need to carry a large weapon on them every second of the day. That is, after all, what they have servants for. Expect to find the servant nearby, though. When not, a belt knife or derringer is not uncommon.
Middle Class	Nonexistent, at least to the same extent as the rest of Litanaea. Move up or down on this chart.	Nonexistent, at least to the same extent as the rest of Litanaea. Move up or down on this chart.
Lower Class	The lower class embraces the simple tunic and trews that most of Litanaea's nations started off with, way back when. A weapon is almost more common than underwear, as almost nobody old enough to use a weapon properly goes unarmed in public.	Lower class females opt for a simply tunic and trews, or a basic dress and belt combination. As with men, a weapon is extremely common, as suited to a woman's strengths and weaknesses as men's weapons are.

Thevia

Thevia overall shows a greater degree of complex clothing pieces in its society. The invention of the sewing machine has made it economical for the middle class, and even some of the lower class, to be seen in trimmed, darted, and pleated articles. No longer does it take weeks for a team of skilled seamstresses to make a noblewoman's dress for the ball. Rather, it can be done in days, with plenty of time left over for the lady to change her mind and have it sent back for alterations and modifications. For some, at least, the sewing machine seems to be a bit of a mixed blessing.

Thevia is also the source of the Iomeian religion and, through that, faith medals that serve roughly the same purpose as holy symbols or saint medals. Individuals wear faith medals as a sign that they have faith and that their god(s) will watch over them. Often, they are dedicated to a single deity, but some depict multiple gods that the individual feels special ties to.

	Male	Female
Upper Class	Frock coats with fanciful trim and edging. Ascots and scarves are favored, in jewel or complementary tones. Long jackets and vests, sometimes layered vests for high class balls. A top hat is an absolute must for any gentleman. Faith medals blend with other jewelry at this level, turned more into ornamentation than a sign of religious dedication. Jewelry as a whole is popular, utilizing gems, rare metals, and other luxury materials.	Dresses with boned bodices and mantelets form the base. Bustles are in: tiered, draped, and decorated. Frilled with slight ornamentation and short train for outdoor use Extravagent and heavily ornamented for indoor use Fancy shawls are coming back into fashion, often matched to a gentleman's ascot. Rounder, high waistlines with a low neckline, although any skin shown by the latter is cover by raised lace trim. Ornamentation with jewelry is limited to a single finely-worked piece or a few small, tasteful pieces.
Middle Class	Generally the same frock coat, vest, and trousers that the upper class wear, albeit with less fine materials. A top hat if you want to push into the upper class and be snazzy. Faith medals tend to be more elaborate and of finer materials than the lower class.	Dresses are similar in overall shape and appearance to that of the upper class, but with less fancy layering. Mantelets may go entirely missing, but a central brooch nearly always takes the place. Bustles are similar to the upper class, but without an attached train. Having pleated cloth layers along the neckline is common.
Lower Class	Layered to keep off the cold, with little regard for elegance. Thick pants and shirt, topped with a warm vest. Colorful scarves or neckerchiefs are common, as are caps. Faith medals are popular, well-worn, and are often the single most expensive item that a man might own.	Layered to keep off the cold, with little regard for elegance. Fewer and thicker petticoats, with nonexistent bustles. Pants are not unknown for working women, but deemed utility clothing. Unboned bodices, usually with a central heirloom brooch. A woman's faith medal might hang from her brooch.