by Ruth Harris
The nip slip and wardrobe malfunction make good fodder for the gossip sites, but, for writers, wardrobes — clothes and accessories — are a powerful tool in the arsenal.
1. Clothes and accessories show, not tell.
Clothing and accessories instantly convey status, setting and mood.
They have their own language and vocabulary and can do a great deal of heavy lifting for writers.
The way your characters choose to present themselves through their coats and blouses, puffers, dresses, and workout wear, bracelets, belts, ties, and lingerie can foreshadow clues in a mystery, signal progress (or lack of) in a romance or provide unsettling events in a psychological thriller, represent an era in historical fiction.
- Is that eye-popping bling the real McCoy? Or a thrift shop bargain?
- A character attending a party in a drab outfit in need of a trip to the cleaners can feel off balance and vulnerable. Or indicate a tendency to making poor choices. Or underscore a determination to rebel that can reverberate through a novel.
- A pricey but unflattering (or inappropriate) suit or dress can imbue a character with a false sense of security the writer can then use to complicate or twist the plot.
- Camo purchased from a mil surplus site can indicate aggressiveness — or conceal weakness. Is your character a wimp? A fighter? A fashion victim? Or a trend setter?
2. Clothes instantly convey (and define) time, place and character.
- Mark Zuckerberg and his hoodie writing code, getting mega-rich, and ending up in deep doodoo.
- And what football coach, Bill Belichick, and his hoodie stalkng the sidelines?
- Einstein in his cardigan mulling theoretical physics on the grounds at Princeton.
- Anna Wintour and her trademark sunglasses in the first row in Paris.
- Monica and her thong at the White House.
- The Former Guy and his too-long ties in the Oval Office.
- Steve Jobs and his black turtleneck changing the world.
- Elizabeth Holmes and her black turtleneck. (She copied Steve Job’s look as she fleeced investors.)
- Another Holmes — Sherlock — and his deerstalker cap.
- Hillary and her pantssuits.
- Audrey Hepburn and French designer Givenchy.
- Kate Middleton and English designer Alexander McQueen.
- Diplomats don’t dress like bulldozer operators.
- The Temptations ID’d by their color-coordinated suits.
- In the time of Covid, nurses and doctors wear their PPE — a perfect disguise for any character in need of one for whatever reason. Or a marker of authority. Or a sign of caring and kindness.
- Pitchers and short stops don’t dress like quarterbacks or wide receivers. Or riders in the Tour de France.
- Figure skaters don’t dress like hockey players.
- Mountain climbers don’t dress like Formula One drivers.
- Wimbledon white.
- MAGA red.
- Antifa black.
- WFH sweats vs button-down office attire.
- And who wears pants for a Zoom call? Anyone?
Whether you’re writing sci-fi set on a faraway galaxy in the distant future, romance with a fire fighter, a medical thriller set in the present, or a spy story set during the Cold War, the clothes/uniforms/safety gear your chracters wear — or don’t wear — are a significant part of the story.
3. Clothes conceal — or reveal.
Whether you’re writing about a big city fashionista or a suburban stay-at-home-Mom, a tomboy in a small rural town, a 1920s flapper, a 1960s go-go dancer, a 1980s exec headed to the corner office in her jacket with power shoulders, a young skate boarder, a starving artist or a Queen, modern or otherwise, the characters will be different and their clothes will be different.
Whether you’re writing about Cardi B or Lady Gaga, Angela Merkel or Greta Thunberg, about Catherine the Great or the girl next door, their clothes are your secret weapon, a crucial part of the author’s tool kit, an essential way to bring your characters into sharp focus for yourself — and for your readers.
By the way, speaking of writing about a Queen, did you know that the hems of Queen Elizabeth’s skirts are weighted so that no errant gust of wind can blow her skirt up?
Never a photo of Her Majesty with her underpinnings revealed.
And, by the way, what’s in that purse she always carries over her arm? A candy bar? A flask? A .45?
Wouldn’t that be an intriguing plot point?
Not to forget, but doesn’t MarkZ look awfully shifty as he testifies before congress? Is he lying? Is he nervous? Or is he just uncomfortable in a suit? Reader wants to know.
And what happened when Anna Wintour lost her glasses while on a fashion shoot in a remote area of Borneo? Was the heat getting to her? Or was it something else? Who — or what — took Anna’s sunglasses? Reader wants to know that, too!
4. Shoes. They’re made for walking. Or for running.
Actors say that finding the “right” shoes for the character they’re about to play is key. Our characters’ shoes also matter.
Shoes can (and will) evoke characters who will look different, who walk different, whose lives, motivations, goals will be different.
For example—
- The fashionista’s stilettos as she hunts for Mr. Right — or tracks down the bad guy.
- The surfer’s flip-flops.
- The tomboy’s Nikes.
- The downtown rebel’s Doc Martens.
- A pair of magic shoes to whisk the character to another world..
- A glass slipper to lead the Prince to his true love.
- The treads of the killer’s sneakers ID the brand and help investigatore solve the case.
5. Scarves, jewelry and accessories — lethal or not.
Lots of possibilities here—
- The heiress with a bloody shirt in her Vuitton bag in Park Avenue Blondes. Did she kill the billionaire? Or was it her fortune-hunting husband?
- In Anne’s Ghostwriters in the Sky, Camilla Randall arrives at the writers’ conference on the back of an outlaw biker’s motorcycle, but she’s wearing Fendi pumps and an Hermes scarf.
- A grocery store tote holding a baby bottle and Pampers. Is she a Mom? A nanny? Or an actress auditioning for a break through role?
- The killer uses a paisley scarf to strangle his victims — and, later, signal for help by tying it to his car’s antenna when he gets caught in a blizzard. And don’t forget the fashion-savvy dectective puts the clues together and solves the case.
- The surprise inheritance of a Victorian brooch can lead a smart, contemporary heroine into another era — and unexpected adventures.
- A receipt for a diamond bracelet found in the glove compartment can prove to a wife that her husband is cheating. Or is he planning the bracelet as her anniversary gift? And how does he explain himself and convince her that her suspicions were mistaken?
- Any competent assassin or bad guy will have the appropriate accessories — an AK15 or a weaponized drone.
- And what about the twisted serial killer? A bow and arrow? A medical kit with poison? Or is it that damn paisley scarf again?
6. Twists and surprises.
Looks can reveal the truth or looks can deceive. The twists and turns are up to the writer but wardrobes accurately described, can launch an engaging, twisty plot.
Take the socialite out of the snooty bistro, put her into vegan lunch counter and you have the beginnings of a plot. What will she think of the bearded video artist who, apparently needing to make a little money, serves her the organic sprout sandwich? What will he think of her? Intrigue? Disdain? Conflict maybe? Leading to sparks?
Then the twist: the “starving” artist working in an organic luncheonette turns out to be a good-guy Department of Health Inspector and the fashionista turns out to be the devil in (knock-off) Prada.
7. Red balconette bras and sequined thongs.
Whatever your character wears — or doesn’t wear — underneath his/her clothes can be turned into a plot point.
In The Big Six Oh!, narrator Blake Weston’s frenemy, the Glam Gourmet, is famous for her red balconette bras and jackets unbuttoned down to the Mason-Dixon line. When Blake worries her husband might be straying, the GG offers advice, but Blake resists.
“Red balconette bras aren’t my style.”
“Maybe they should be.”
Maybe she was right.
- Then there’s the unexpected shock of basic Fruit-of-the Loom white cotton under the fashionista’s haute couture?
- Does the suburban Mom flaunt lacy, silky undies from Paris?
- A sequined thong for the tomboy?
- A va-va-voom bikini for that prim, uptight third grade teacher?
- And what about the rule-breaking downtown artist? A bullet bra maybe? Or a dowdy old-fashioned girdle?
If you’re writing historicals, don’t forget that corsets were abandoned in the 1920’s, that underwire bras became popular in the 1950’s and that recently a bra dating from the Middle Ages was found in Austria.
8. Briefs, boxers, tighty whites or Calvins?
Let’s not forget our heroes, either, the bad boys and the good ones.
- Does the powerful executive in his custom-tailored Saville Road duds indulge in a silk g-string underneath? Comfy? Or kinky?
- The electro-punk musician in tightie whities?
- What does that superhero wear under his tights and cape?
- What, if anything, comes between that cool and clever superspy and his Calvins?
- Is that honest politician (this is fiction we’re talking about, right?) wearing Spanx under his drab off-the-rack suit?
9. What if clothes could talk?
What would they say?
- Does that grungy sweatshirt the MC has had since college remind him of his glory on the baseball diamond?
- Or the time the villain struck out when the championship game was on the line?
- What about that come-hither dress she wore on her first date with The One?
- The unlucky tank top she wore the night The One dumped her to marry someone else.
- The cozy scarf his/her favorite aunt made for him/her that she left in a taxi.
- The sad, neglected sweater in the back of his/her closet that only wants to be worn.
- What would happen if clothes could talk and tell their version of what happened?
Would there be truth? Or consequences?
Only the writer knows.
And only the writer can tell — and show.
by Ruth Harris (@RuthHarrisBooks) January 30, 2022
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What about you, scriveners? I love adding accessories to my characters. Camilla has her Hermes scarves and designer shoes left over from a more prosperous life.. Do you use clothing to identify or define any of your characters? I think Ruth has given us a wealth of writing prompts here as well!
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The Big Six-Oh by Ruth Harris
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Blake Weston, is a smart, savvy, no BS former fashion editor. Her handsome, sexy husband, Ralph Marino, is a très James Bond ex-cop and head of security for an international media company.
When Blake buys a faux Chanel bag from a sidewalk vendor, the danger starts—but doesn’t end—with a scary mugging in broad daylight. From there, it escalates to face-to-face encounters with a gun-toting jailbird, a lovelorn Afghan war lord, and a celeb chef in a red balconette bra.
Meanwhile, Ralph is about to hit the Big Six Oh! and he’s not happy about it. Not that Blake is exactly thrilled. Especially now that she suspects Ralph might be cheating on her. Again.
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So much to think about, Anne.
I don’t normally think about clothes and fashion when writing (unless I am writing steampunk because readers expect those details). I guess I need to incorporate fashion to my writing.
Great post, Anne. Thank you.
Ingmar—Ruth here. Glad the post helped. You don’t need to incorporate fashion, just be aware that clothing/accessories can be a big help in bringing a character into focus.
“I think Ruth has given us a wealth of writing prompts.” Yeah, bravo, Anne. I don’t know how many times I’ve read some writing guru tell us poor scriveners to avoid lengthy wardrobe descriptions. I call BS on that. As you say, Ruth, clothing and accessories can do so, so much to show us a character.
Thanks, Garry. And, by the way, please note that I said nothing about lengthy descriptions. Just one or two really good, on-target mentions will do lots of heavy lifting when it comes to character descriptions. You don’t have to mention 8 times that Character X’s suit or dress has gravy stains or badly scuffed shoes to make your point.
I probably don’t consider clothing as much as I should. (Although military garb is the standard for all of my main characters.) This last book, set on a wild desert planet, had the biggest variety of clothes.
Great list of what to consider!
Alex—thanks! Hope you can use my list as a springboard for ideas to create vivid, memorable characters, the kind readers will be able to “see.”
Yes! Excellent information.
mcullen—Thank you. Glad you found my post relevant. Hope it will stir up some helpful ideas.
Wonderful post. So much to think about. Thank you, both
Thank you, Judith. We hope our ideas will led to some creative inspiration in your own work!
Certainly got ideas flowing, Ruth, thank you.
Mahvellous, Ms. Harris, brava! Absolutely no comment on what I’m wearing beneath the waist on Zoom calls, but agree this is a crucial point for any kind of writing that you want the reader to SEE. And that’s most likely any kind of writing…
I get to teach young folks a Myth-Fantasy Tale unit the next seven weeks, and I’m busy giving them advice about The Big Picture. Create a whole world, I say. Report on the races, the climate, think about the quest, the presence of magic. Draw a map. They do their work, and I must say it’s always fabulous.
But when it’s time to submit the draft of the opening, I tell them to set the scene with some of these details, and yet, two or three always give me a ton of description about the main characters. Hair, eye color, clothing to the nines; it’s incredible, they can really SEE them. And when they convey that detail it always helps the story. I’m impressed every year by young writers who start here, the micro-level I suppose, and show me the world starting from there.
Since I’m about ready to start writing my sequel, this is timely and helpful. I don’t usually think about clothes and accessories. I guess I should! This is a good post with a lot of great ideas. Thank you, Ruth.
Inspirational post, Ruth!
Brought to mind Indiana’s hat that simply couldn’t be lost – no matter what happened.
Fans often focus on iconic attire for a favorite character, making that character more memorable and recognizable. Habitual actions tied to that attire (constantly shaping a hat, compulsively buttoning top shirt buttons) can also reveal/underscore personality quirks or show distress when the habit can’t be ‘fed’ for some reason.
I’ll be incorporating this post into my writing tips for my editing clients as something that can add so much (as you stress) and is too often an ignored opportunity to create depth with our characters.
Thanks for sharing the great reminder and a goldmine of writing prompts! :o)
In my historical novels, I think dress is important so the reader can visualise unfamiliar clothing. One character in my book set in the Viking era is shown as being well off by his clothing.
I love the idea of clothes telling a story.
VM—Thanks. You’re absolutely right! Clothes tell — and show — the characters and the story.
You ended with the name of my town, Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Where eccentric outfits rule.
Amber—Eccentric outfits? Yay! Make notes! They will be gold.
In historical fiction, getting clothes right often involves some pretty major research, especially since so much of what people think they know is wrong, such as that armor was so heavy knights could not mount a horse unaided. In which case how were they supposed to fight in it? Totally 100% wrong. Or the idea pretty common that in the middle ages no one washed their clothes. Not to mention details like what did they sleep in, what was under their outer clothing, and when did lace become common? And it can play a huge part in showing social rank, etc.
Thanks JR for pointing out exactly how the relevant details of clothing/outfitting help set the tone and establish credibility in first-class historical fiction. Writers! Listen up!
I use vivid descriptions for clothing/body/etc. all the time with my characters. Basically detail for main and secondary, minimal for throwaways. And I do make it period and/or scene appropriate as well. I usually cover everything and anything when it comes to describing my characters. Makes writing just that more enjoyable.
GB—Good for you! Sounds like you know what you’re doing. Your approach also makes reading much more enjoyable. And what reader doesn’t love that?
VM—Thanks. You’re absolutely right! Clothes tell — and show — the characters and the story.
Maria—Ooooh! I forgot about Indiana’s hat. Great point! I also love your focus on habitual actions connected to idea. Like constantly adjusting an errant bra strap. Or too-tight pants. There’s no end to telling actions your comment inspires. Thanks! Love it!
Patricia—Thank *you*! A bit of focus on clothes and accessories can easily lead to deeper and more dimensional characterization.
Invaluable information Ruth – thank you! This is really something I need to focus on so much more in my writing. Part of it is that I do not notice fashion in real life in the slightest – I’ve been wearing the same jeans, plaid shorts, and geeky t-shirts for most of my life with little variation; and couldn’t tell you what someone was wearing yesterday if my life depended on it. (I shudder to think how a writer would describe my fashion sense, or lack thereof, and what they’d be hoping to convey there!)
Irvin—thank you for the flattering words! And by the way, your description of your own ensembles paints a vivid, unforgettable portrait. What it conveys is up to the writer! 😉
I love fashion. My mother was an Italian dress maker. I grew up woth fashion all around me. I’m one of those people who has an extensive wardrobe and never throw anything out—I can build a myriad of looks and styles. My wardrobe is like a the Barbie accessories wardrobe—hats, shoes, belts, bags all to match. I still have my Mary Quant doll … I even change her outfits … I listen to fashion podcasts, read books that feature fashion, have coffee books on fashion and designers, and yes, fashion and what my characters wears feature in my stories—to build their persoanlity and quirks. I love, loved this article. My insides fizzled and sparked with excitement. I sat and read, and wanted to lift my hand and cry out, Me, me, me!’
Valerie—Thanks for a great comment. I didn’t know MaryQ had a doll. Good for you for keeping it! The mention of MaryQ reminds me of Carnaby Street, the Beatles, Sassoon haircuts, Jean Muir and Zandra Rhodes — using clothes effectively in fiction will bring up lots of associations in readers and help connect them to your book. So, so valuable.
I do think about clothes, but not always in the right way. You’ve help me discover this. I focus on clothes when the outfit must impress – but now, I’ll be giving this more thought.
Thanks,
Anna Michelle
Anna Michelle—Thanks for the kind words. So glad to hear my post has widened your scope when you write about clothes. The right — or wrong — outfit can make a big difference in a character’s arc. It’s no accident fashion is a billion dollar business!
Excellent advice, Ruth! I’ve given some characters a signature style, while others might get only one item, like a fedora. A line or two is all we need, IMHO. Trust the reader to remember. Loved the clothes in The Big Six-Oh! Who could forget that red balconette bra? LOL
Sue—Thanks! And, yes, a line or two is all it takes to bring a character into strong, clear focus. We’re not writing fashion/style advice. We need just a few references to make our point.
Glad you liked the red balconette bra. It was soooo Charlotte, wasn’t it? The Glam Gourmet indeed! LOL
Hi Anne,
It was a very insightful read! I think you are right. I am working on my book as well, and clothes will add a certain dimension to the character which will definitely help my plot. I did add a little about clothing in some of my chapters, but I think I will be revisiting my book, and adding a bit more. It will help me set the mood, and paint a word picture to engage the readers better. Thanks a lot for sharing this, it was very helpful.
Hi John— Ruth here. Glad to hear my post was helpful. Sounds like your revisions will add depth and dimension to your book. Which is, after all the whole point of revisions! Good luck!