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| I knit a cardigan to wear around the house--it's really cool to read about hand-made clothes in books! |
For one, they show the personality of the character. People pick their own clothes, and those choices can reflect something about them. A favorite color, for example, might show up in most of their outfits, or a favorite style (flowing sleeves, dark colors, stripes, a particular brand, etc.). A bubbly girl with an eye for cute things might wear a frilly blouse, bright-colored skirt, and quirky shoes, while a teenage guy with a sense of humor might wear regular jeans, a baseball cap, and a T-shirt with a pun on it.
Clothes also show the financial condition of the character or their family. Not always, but at the very least it gives an opportunity to write about any money issues the character has. Are the character's outfits cheap, mismatched, or hand-me-downs? Where do they go clothes shopping, and do they love it or dread it? Do they donate clothes whenever they start to get tiny holes, or do they keep wearing them even when their friends mention growing tears?
In many situations, a working character has a specific outfit that they end up wearing all the time. In Kiera Cass's Selection series, the girls of the Selection were always wearing fabulous dresses (which had great descriptions!). And it wasn't just to make the girls look pretty; as competitors for marriage to the country's prince, it was their job to look royal and beautiful. Their outfits pertained to what they were doing and what they were training to do.
In addition, clothes can showcase an aspect of the setting--particularly if the character's government is different than the reader's. If the genre is historical fiction, depending on the time period, clothes could be handmade. In a dystopia, clothes made for the wealthy would definitely be different than the clothes of the poor/ordinary citizens, and sometimes clothes are linked directly to other forms of social classes (like how in Veronica Roth's Divergent series, people wore outfits that had the color of their faction). And of course, if the character's world is different than real life, there's an opportunity to create a completely new fashion style.
On some occasions, outfits can also be used as tools. A jacket could cover something up, you could catch a scurrying creature/device with a hat, glasses can be used to start a small fire. And I've read more than one novel where the character cuts strips of cloth to use as a makeshift bandage when they have a cut.
And if you're writing an action/adventure/suspense story where there are fight scenes, clothes can be grabbed or yanked by the character's opponent. It's an option for when punches and kicks start to get overused.
There are things to keep in mind, of course, when writing about clothes. For one, they've got to match the story's terrain. Someone living near the top of a mountain probably wouldn't be wearing thin clothing. The style should also be in tune with both the character and the situation--if a female character hates girly things, she would try to avoid dances where she'd have to wear a dress. A writer's also got to keep in mind that as action or events happen in the story, clothes can get affected. When you tumble down a steep hill, there's going to be dirt/grass stains on those jeans; if you're wearing the same jacket for a long time, it's going to get worn out, particularly at the elbows. Also, when writing about clothes, unless it's linked to the plot, genre, character, or the setting, one might not want to include too many detailed descriptions. To some people, what the character is wearing isn't very interesting, and they'd skip over entire scenes thinking it wouldn't be important.
So there are a few observations. What do you think?
Do clothes play a significant role in your story? Does your character have a favorite outfit? What is it? :)
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