I found an interesting question this morning. It is, “How do you decide what a character will be wearing?” There’s not a simple answer because I have to consider the typical dress code for a scene. If the scene takes place in an office, men would be dressed in a suit and tie. If there’s a woman in the scene, I might go with the pantsuit. I have a confession to make. I am not good at describing women’s clothing.
Sometimes clothing can be used to say something about a character. Going back to the office, if everyone is dressed in a suit and tie and our male character is casually dressed. He might be the company owner, or he is so valuable to the company he is allowed to dress however he would like. That second reason might be an excellent way to introduce jealousy on the part of other men. You see how it is not easy to answer that simple question I found in my email this morning.
Back to my confession, I have asked women how I should dress a character. Their answers have always been a surprise to me. They included clothing choices based on things I had never thought of. They asked about the weather, saying that most warm-weather clothing is so low-cut it tends to reveal too much. For office work, they would probably choose a camisole to solve that problem. If they are going out right after work, they may select half camisole. It’s small enough to be taken off and fit into even a tiny purse. For socializing, a low-cut top would be appropriate. And then they would go on and on about different choices. They would ask about backless tops. Did the character needs support for their bust line, and how that would affect their choices. Before long, I would be flummoxed. I would also be reminded that I’m not good at describing women’s clothing.
