Fashion: Historical & What Not To Do

Through my study of the Pictorial Encyclopaedia of Historical Costume, I've become more familiar with various country's fashion and their periodical styles. I've noticed that even in ancient times, despite distance many locations have taken inspiration from others as patterns can be formed. This can also be attributed to the differing manufacturing process and technological advancement. As I'll have a sense of culture across my species, fashion would be a great way to connect them, but this also means certain styles will be better than others to fit all body types.

Antiquity

English 1100's - 1800's

German 1100's - 1800's

French 1100's - 1800's

Often in fantasy, fashion is based off elements of the real world, but can become extremely extravagant and defy physics. I've always had a strong interest in fashion when it comes to character design, so when it's used in such a way, it really stands out to me and dispels my immersion in the game. This also occurs when armour is used in a ridiculous manner. If armour is used it should cover most of the body and not leave vulnerable areas. Characters can be wearing something so skimpy it's insulting, especially when there's no attempt at being subtle, and this isn't just females either. Or they can have armour that's so bulky they couldn't possibly move. I intend to keep functionality and practicality firmly in my mind when designing my characters, but not so that it impedes my creativity or appealing aesthetics. I think this makes my point:

Yeah... There's nothing wrong with making a character attractive or giving them sex appeal, but seriously, these tropes are getting irritating. I also found an article relating to this that was quite interesting and entertaining.

Fantasy Armor and Lady Bits

"As the placard indicates, this is from the film Elizabeth: The Golden Age. It is gorgeous. Modeled on German Gothic Plate, I have only a minor gripe with it: no neck protection. That’s important stuff, but let’s look more at what they did right. They made the armor functional, yet feminine with the detail work. The overall form could easily go on a man, but the trim, the collar, the cuffs were character and period appropriate. Brilliant."

"However, artists aren't always going for practicality or historical relevance. Style will often trump practicality in costume design. Just look at Sauron, one of the most epic suits of armor ever worn; If this guy lifted his arms too high he’d poke his eyes out with his own pauldrons. So this is awesome but impractical armor, so why don’t we deride this design? Because we believe that it’s appropriate for the world and the character. More on that later."

I like how the author talks about how to balance what is acceptable, as in letting artistic license and sense of disbelief allow you to believe designs are appropriate within a certain limit. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West does this well with Monkey and Trip, who both show a bit of skin. But this is reasonable: Monkey is shirtless, but this is to make him akin to an animal or savage. Trip's clothes are tight fitting, showing off her form without it being bare to the world.