The Not So Naked Truth
Uniforms, Clothing, Costumes, and Accessories in Character Description with Menswear Design Expert, Gavin David O'Reilly.
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I’m deep into second-round developmental edits for my forthcoming book, The Pelican Tide coming May 2024 from Lake Union Publishing.
Edits are an opportunity to fact check and brighten descriptions. No one likes to fact check more than me! I’ve been researching uniforms and gear (I love gear) for oil rig workers, chefs, and firefighters. These are all characters who appear in the novel. Even a brief mention of a character is the opportunity to paint a mental image for the reader.
Details matter. Write them right and you immerse the reader in your story. Make a mistake, and you’ll lose credibility with readers who work in the professionals you’re describing, or who have experience in your “fictional” world.
Into the Wardrobe of History
I’m now fascinated with clothing and accessory descriptions in writing. Historic, contemporary, and speculative novels are full of clothing descriptions. Non-fiction writing, fashion, crime, and news use clothing styles to describe people and even pet fashion. Here are few.
1920’s Flapper Fashion (this link is amazing!)
World War II ( lipstick was weaponized for the war effort morale)
With my head spinning with ideas, I had to talk to someone about fashion and what it means to people and how this could improve my writing.
I spoke with menswear designer, Gavin David O’Reilly to talk all things clothes, style, and fashion.
Gavin hails from Ireland, studied fashion in the U.K., and is now a menswear buyer working in Montreal. He’s traveled the world. He also produces his own line of upcycled leather accessories. Shopping with him is like walking into an art gallery with an artist or a grocery store with a chef.
Gavin loves clothes and accessories. I’ve seen him wear an evolving style of clothes from smart dress, which he describes as classic well-tailored menswear; comic book cosplay core, punk style if he’s out for the night; fitted and soft cotton Ts for hanging around his studio, and always paired with his one-of-a-kind leather bags. He says there’s an image of what a fashion designer looks like - Edna from the Incredibles and he’s not falling into that, but he loves this character.
Meet Edna - NO CAPES - the iconic fashion designer responsible for dressing The Incredibles
Gavin says that everything we wear is an expression of who we are. Yet, fashion choices are tribal. We dress to identify with a group and to be part of a trend that defines who we are.
People who “thrift” are expressing their desire for sustainability. This is a throwback to the 1970s Hippie movement - see the link I posted above.
Athleisurewear “yoga mom” speaks to someone who seeks to achieve an active lifestyle of comfort.
Women and men wearing business suits are projecting power and status
Silicon Valley millionaires in sleeveless fleece vests and torn jeans are beyond caring what others think.
I came across this fantastic clothing and accessory description in an unlikely place, a business leadership book, The Gift of Influence by Tommy Spaulding.
He was dressed stylishly in an Armani suit, open collar shirt, silver chain, and leather bracelets that gave him a cool edge. Now, if you’ve seen me around…My idea of avant-garde is untucking my polo shirt from my GAP khaki shorts.
Brands like Armani and Gap are global and if you use them in your writing, you can quickly establish status and intent. Just be sure to capitalize them because they are proper nouns.
In my own work, I’ve written about Gortex hiking books, LL Bean bags, and Maui Jim sunglasses. While it is often easier and more evergreen to create neutral descriptions in writing, a brand replaces a thousand words: Stetson hats, Louboutin shoes, Gucci purses, Levi jeans. You get it.
Beyond What You Can See
Clothing descriptions are more than brands and colors. Here are some ideas Gavin fed me:
Clothes and sounds
The rip and tactile sensation of Velcro on a sneaker (he calls them trainers)
The satisfying pop of a snap on a winter coat
The crinkly sounds of a windbreaker
Heels clicking on a marble floor
The zing of a zipper going up or down (I’m not a romance writer)
The scuff of slippers
The rip of fabric being torn
Clothes and smell
The warm and woodsy smell of leather
The chemical smell of plastic
Fresh linen
Fresh laundry
Wet or damp wool in a subway or train - organic, wet, and nasty
Mittens drying on a radiator (hello fellow New Englanders who had radiators)
Putrid sweat on work clothes or active wear
The lingering smell of cologne or perfume on a scarf or a jacket
First Impressions Matter
Clothing also changes how people (characters, too) feel about themselves and how others see them. I asked Gavin what he could tell about someone from what they wear.
He said that a man (or woman) in an ill-fitting suit, either too big or too small, could be someone whose body has changed recently. Or someone who took bad advice from a salesperson.
He remembers being told at one time that the first two things people notice are your hair and shoes. That’s a quickie top to bottom look.
That started a conversation on hats and characterization.
Here’s what a hat says about a character:
The era the story is set
The weather
The sport they play
The religion they practice
Their profession
Their age
Their social status
Their level of civility - do they remove their hat when entering a building or sitting at the table
Here’s an interesting link on hats.
Putting on Your Ritz or Your Church Clothes
I asked Gavin how clothing changes how we feel about ourselves. He described his first memories of dressing in formal wear for church back in Ireland as a boy. The clothes signified this was a serious outing.
I too remember putting on a “temple dress” for Friday night services with my family. I loved dressing up after a week of school clothes. That’s another style to remember. School clothes, school uniforms, and after-school play clothes.
He said to consider how people dress for their first job interview or how their parents told them they should dress. The clothing projects an image and can make you feel confident or not if you’re forced into a style that doesn’t suit you. (pun intended)
People put in hours of effort dressing for the weekend, whether it’s to impress a date or find one. (I wore pink to watch the Barbie movie in a dark theatre - but this “costume” signified to the world who I was.)
Dressing for a sporting event also changes your mindset, for both the players and the fans. A friend recently told me about her Penn State outfit she was planning to wear to the next game. She remembers being in the stadium for white out days when everyone wore white, or stripe days (see photo above) where you wear either a blue or white shirt depending on where in the stadium you sit.
Clearly I’ve been living under a rock as I had no idea this was a thing!
Clothing as History
In a follow on newsletter, I will discuss clothing as history. Here’s a swinging preview. The Zoot Suit Riot - it was a real event that had to do with clothing and nothing to do with the song!
But for now, know that clothing is tied to history and events and taking the time to learn a few details will add depth to stories and characters
Enter the Clothing Lightning Round
Before this become as a classic TLDNR ramble, here are some specific fashion word and ideas. I hope they inspire you to dress up your writing. And the moment I finished, I came up with a dozen more. Tell me what you think is missing and I’ll repost soon!
I’m Only Half Dressed!
Gavin provided me with an amazing list of resources and that’s the heart of this newsletter. But in the interest of losing your attention ( I am aware) I’ll post a part II next week with amazing fashion research resources. If you’re curious about a particular item of clothing or fashion trend let me know.
Thank you to Gavin O’Reilly! I can’t wait to go shopping with you again!