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Felizias β€” Character design: Clothing
Published: 2011-07-01 14:41:46 +0000 UTC; Views: 24418; Favourites: 591; Downloads: 70
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Description When creating an OC the personality and backstory are the most important aspects. But how will s/he be recognized if her/his hair, face and whole body looks just like an other one's OC?
The answer is simply: her/his clothing! Most people choose their clothing on their own. And not everybody buys the same shirt or shoes.
The choice of clothing is the best way to get recognized because a lot of matters are involved when you choose your new shirt. You consider age, attitude, gender, environment, hobbies, personality and profession (even when you're unemployed).

But let me show you step by step:


Age
This aspect is quite simple:
A baby or toddler will just wear clothes like romper suits and so on. But remember that the one responable for their clothing may also consider the kid's so far shown personality and all the other things I'm going to talk about later.
When the kid gets older, it's a bit different. Parents or people in charge will still be the one buying the kid's clothing but the kid will slowly start to decide on what it wants to wear too. Maybe it will even start to resist wearing special clothing.
This development will go on all their life and as it goes on things like hobbies and attitude will be outweighing more and more.


Environment
What you choose to wear is affected by the people surrounding you (friends, family, even strangers you meet just by chance) and of course the amount of money you can or are willing to spend.
Just imagine a poor family-loving girl in a little village and a rich trendsetter in a big city. There's no way they wear the same kind of clothes!


Attitude & personality
This two aspects make the big difference between e.g. two twinbrothers. They share the same family, (maybe) the same body and face but their personality won't be the same.
Let's say one of them is quiet, reserved and carries a good-willing so-what-attitude. He is most likely wearing baggy and cheap clothes while his company-loving but little mean brother with his we-r-kings-attitude won't ever put down his brand clothes and cap.
Remember that shy people often wear long clothing to hide or tried to fit everbody's style to not stick out.

Let's take me for an example:

I wear practical clothes because I don't care much enough about fitting in and what others think about me.
My clothes are often sporty or college-style because I like doing sports and like the used look because I still want to feel cool (yes, here's my atittude).
I also wear long clothes very often because I'm a bit shy and not really confident when it comes to my own body.
Wearing a necklace became a kind of habbit to me. It shows my unsureness and serves the function of protecting me. Because it's an unussual symbol it also shows who I am and who I want to be.

Just take a closer look at yourself and think of your own reasons and influences or maybe someone you are sure to know well.


Hobbies & profession
Of course there is a difference in how a book-lover and how a sport-loving guy dresses too.
But your hobby isn't that important. It is your profession.
It doesn't matter whether you are a professional artist, an office worker, simply unemployed or a student: You spend most time on your profession.

Just go on and do some research on your OC's profession and hobbies!


Now to colors!

All these aspects reflect in the colors a person tends to wear too.
The easiest rule would be that shy persons would most likely wear dark or dimmed colors that don't stick out much.
More confident persons usualy wear bright colors e.g. opaqued red or yellow to stick out more.
All in one: The more confident a person is the most likely s/he is to break with the rules.

Again, this is usualy a result of all factors I listed.


Remember: all of these aspects are connected with each other and do research and research and research. Because the more you do research, the better and more vital your OC will become.
Related content
Comments: 52

Felizias In reply to ??? [2020-03-02 15:18:20 +0000 UTC]

Wow, he. Is. Young.

At his age, his parents/caretakers would have to buy his clothes which means his own tastes might not be respected.

Other than that, girly/girl toddler clothes are not limited to dresses and dresses are always a little...ya know...

A skirt would be a nice alternative or just regular pants and a girly top in 'traditional' female colors (purple, pink...).


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Fantasiacorn In reply to Felizias [2020-03-02 18:45:42 +0000 UTC]

Thanks for the feedback!

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Felizias In reply to ??? [2020-03-02 15:18:03 +0000 UTC]

Wow, he. Is. Young.

At his age, his parents/caretakers would have to buy his clothes which means his own tastes might not be respected.

Other than that, girly/girl toddler clothes are not limited to dresses and dresses are always a little...ya know...

A skirt would be a nice alternative or just regular pants and a girly top in 'traditional' female colors (purple, pink...).


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PhoenixFury17 [2018-11-30 07:54:10 +0000 UTC]

Here's something: What about the time period the character is in? You wouldn't want characters to wear present day fashion in say, medieval times. It would definitely look odd. It's the same if you're looking for images to use in RPs. If the story is set in present day, you wouldn't want medieval clothing. Unless of course they are dressing for a movie or theater role or perhaps a re-enactment of sorts. When it comes to things like Final Fantasy, it's usually a mixture of different fashions. That should fit in with environment.

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unicornomics [2016-04-03 14:37:56 +0000 UTC]

Another tip is your character's sensitivity to fabrics. Some people, especially if they're on the Autism spectrum, tend to be incredibly uncomfortable in rougher fabrics to the point of where they can't concentrate on anything else. Personally, I hate the feeling of lacy patterns directly on my skin.

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Felizias In reply to unicornomics [2016-04-17 10:34:15 +0000 UTC]

I haven't thought of fabrics at all at this point.
What fabrics you wear can have a lot of different factors though like your social and financial status, your day job (office or outdoor job) or where you live.

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tabulandia [2015-06-27 20:30:37 +0000 UTC]

Hidden by Commenter

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Felizias In reply to tabulandia [2015-06-28 08:11:52 +0000 UTC]

Thank you.

What points do you disagree on and why?

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tabulandia In reply to Felizias [2015-06-28 14:14:26 +0000 UTC]

Hidden by Commenter

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Felizias In reply to tabulandia [2015-06-28 14:19:25 +0000 UTC]

What do you mean by sharing bodies?

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tabulandia In reply to Felizias [2015-06-28 15:55:01 +0000 UTC]

Hidden by Commenter

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Felizias In reply to tabulandia [2015-06-28 16:05:52 +0000 UTC]

I did not use that expression in my tutorial.
Could you tell me where you read it?

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tabulandia In reply to Felizias [2015-06-28 17:07:28 +0000 UTC]

Hidden by Commenter

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Felizias In reply to tabulandia [2015-06-28 17:37:05 +0000 UTC]

You mean in my sample on with the twinbrothers?

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naynay224 [2014-06-15 04:35:48 +0000 UTC]

This was very helpful!

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Felizias In reply to naynay224 [2014-06-15 14:47:21 +0000 UTC]

Thank you for the comment.
I'm glad it helped you.

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sheepuns [2014-03-14 19:17:04 +0000 UTC]

This is great! Thank you so much for making this! I'll be sure to use these guidelines.

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Felizias In reply to sheepuns [2014-03-14 22:56:40 +0000 UTC]

I'm glad it's helpfull to you.

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Animedemon001 [2014-03-04 13:44:41 +0000 UTC]

Maybe you should add something about the dangers of certain clothing.

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Felizias In reply to Animedemon001 [2014-03-04 13:51:15 +0000 UTC]

What do you mean by dangers? Do you have an example for me?

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Animedemon001 In reply to Felizias [2014-03-04 13:53:06 +0000 UTC]

Acrylic clothing fusing to your skins, capes getting stuck in everything, ect.Β 

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Felizias In reply to Animedemon001 [2014-03-04 14:23:01 +0000 UTC]

Ah, you mean this: comments.deviantart.com/1/2160… 
I thought about adding this to my tool box. Maybe I should realy do it.

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Mimi-Hates-Cheese [2013-02-26 15:33:27 +0000 UTC]

Hey, I was studying a bit and found out that:
Loud people usually wear red, trusting people wear more blue than anything, angry people usually wear darker colors, and friendly-er people tend to wear green. I know this probably doesn't mean much to you right now, but I figured anyone who reads the comments would see it and maybe it would help them a bit. Sorry.

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Felizias In reply to Mimi-Hates-Cheese [2013-02-26 17:43:34 +0000 UTC]

Ups, sorry. I wrote about tendances in my other tutorial....

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Felizias In reply to Mimi-Hates-Cheese [2013-02-26 17:38:59 +0000 UTC]

In general you can say that if the persons did not study colors themselves and chose to wear those colors to disguise as something they are not.

Little sample? I chose to wear a green shirt during my oral exam because I knew my partner was very nervous about it and I read the color helps to concentrate. Realy worked out for her but I should have asked her to wear some green for me.

As I wrote, there is no "have to be" in this complex field.

Best thing to do is watch and question your own choices. (And maybe ask friends about your personality if you are unsure about this.)

Thanks for the comment anyway.

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DarkDevilZaria [2013-02-05 14:09:47 +0000 UTC]

wow that's a lot of favs and views O.O...
Congrats

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Felizias In reply to DarkDevilZaria [2013-02-05 15:40:37 +0000 UTC]

...this tutorial is 2 years old.
2 years on DA + decent written tutorial on an interesting but seldomly chosen topic + a lot of advertisement = a lot of views and favs

But thanks.

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DarkDevilZaria In reply to Felizias [2013-02-05 19:05:47 +0000 UTC]

I still think it's a pretty big accomplishment ...

You're welcome :3

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Felizias In reply to DarkDevilZaria [2013-02-05 19:06:53 +0000 UTC]

Nah, not realy...

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DarkDevilZaria In reply to Felizias [2013-02-05 19:07:24 +0000 UTC]

...

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Faraleigh [2012-12-29 21:11:10 +0000 UTC]

There’s a reason for everything and I appreciate that you recognize that clothing choice is no different in this respect! Clothing style isn’t the only thing to consider in regard to this, though. Color is just as important. Neutrals are chosen by practical people and those individuals who want to just not be noticed. I, for example, wore nothing but neutral colors in high school because I didn’t like attention. Brighter colors are more for extroverts and those who do want attention. Even now I’m not keen on wearing bright colors. I’m a ninja at heart. I also wore necklaces in high school (an obscene amount, though I was no Mr. T). It was my way of displaying a little bit about who I really was to the world even though I tried to stay hidden. I was also, in a way, honoring concepts by keeping them close to me. I was rather silly back then.

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Felizias In reply to Faraleigh [2012-12-29 21:16:18 +0000 UTC]

Thank you for your comment.

I didn't even think about colors when I wrote this.

But you are right. I wear a lot of dark and less flashy colors as I am still pretty shy...
I even dare to wear a black and silver ring at work now though as I am more proud of who I am.

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UchihaMandara In reply to Felizias [2016-11-26 00:33:50 +0000 UTC]

Actually, as an extreme introvert who wears glaringly bright colours and dresses with floral print on them, I'd like to make an addendum that a character's outfit can also be a form of their wish fulfilment and/or blatant attempt at manipulation.
Using myself as an example, as a medical student spending most of her time in a hospital setting, I wear bright, floral dresses (with a professional cut, obviously) for 3 reasons:

1. Manipulative: to cheer other people up. There's enough doom and gloom that I want to give patients and staff any reason to smile while they can.

2. Manipulative/wish-fulfillment: to cheer myself on/up: both as a form of wish fulfilment by trying to be more extroverted, and via the occasional dollop of praise about how I look. After having a long, bad day, even just a random janitor saying "you look nice today" can really turn your mood around by the time you get home.

3. Manipulative: when your superiors see "a young woman in a nice dress" they think to themselves "pretty but probably dumb" and have lower expectations. It's so much less embarrassing when you can't answer a question (because they always ask that one thing you don'tΒ know) when you at least look like you spend times on your looks, and you're both pleasantly surprised when you actually answer them correctly lol.

I need every self-confidence boost I can get while in hospital.

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Felizias In reply to UchihaMandara [2016-11-26 10:29:06 +0000 UTC]

Yes, consciously choosing colors and patters knowing their effects is possible.
Yet saying the sight of these people is not common is an understatement. (Even in Germany where arts are pretty well respected.)
I have played with colors since I have learned about color effects myself and it did have an effect on my personality as well after a certain time.
My examples for this are e.g.:
- Wearing a green shirt to a team exam as a concentration boost. (Yeah, my teammates were more concentrated than me. )
- Switching from mostly cold and dark colors to warm and bright ones. (Brightening the day of these around me and myself! )
- Very strict dress code for work I have never break out off (except for Casual Friday when I allow myself to wear a nice T-shirt): Semi-formal top (in bright colors) plus dark business pants and never anything revealing the 'boob creek' (Leading to me being better dressed than some but not to stuck-up / Actually helps to get anyone speak respectful to you and be less cunning than to 'dumb pretty ones' (as you described so well))

People attempting to copy styles of their idols is also a possibility, of course. (Not common around the countries I have visited so far though. (If you don't count cosplaying or carnival.))

I did not want to write a book here though.
This is supposed to be advise on building fictional characters and no psychology degree exam.
If people are looking for more depth, I suggest they don't rely on free content of the internet everyone can just put up without having to run even as much as a spellcheck on it. *coughcough*wikipedia*coughcough*
Knowledge is out there, guys! Just grab it!

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UchihaMandara In reply to Felizias [2016-11-26 19:11:20 +0000 UTC]

True true! Nevertheless, I found your tut really useful as a starting point so hopefully many others will too

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Faraleigh In reply to Felizias [2012-12-29 21:33:55 +0000 UTC]

Maybe you can add a little appendix to this that covers colors?

I don't even wear jewelry anymore (other than the ring in my ear), though it's more for the sake of practicality than anything else. There's a lot of jewelry I've seen that I like but I just don't care to wear it. I'm also not a feminine individual, so I tend to avoid feminine things (people might get the wrong impression about who I am if I were, say, wearing a bunch of rings or necklaces).

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starrypawz [2011-10-22 19:22:23 +0000 UTC]

These are some good tips. They're the sort of things I consider when making my characters. This is a nice, simple guide for people who are just starting to get into character design.

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Felizias In reply to starrypawz [2011-10-22 19:23:24 +0000 UTC]

Thank you~

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starrypawz In reply to Felizias [2011-10-23 07:33:01 +0000 UTC]

No probs

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ariasgemini [2011-09-07 00:09:51 +0000 UTC]

Thanks for making this I hadn't thought about how hobbies/professions would affect clothing. Plus, it did make me step back a bit and look at my characters again.

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Felizias In reply to ariasgemini [2011-09-07 05:14:39 +0000 UTC]

You're very welcome. So glad it's usefull for you.

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ariasgemini In reply to Felizias [2011-09-09 00:39:01 +0000 UTC]

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GoldenQueen [2011-07-27 19:34:31 +0000 UTC]

Ich hab ehrlich gesagt nie so genau über die Kleidung meiner OCs nachgedacht (ich wusste nur immer ungefÀhr die Farbtâne, wenn überhaupt *lach).... aber du hast schon recht mit dem Tutorial. Übrigens find ich, dass dein Schreibstil sehr angenehm zu lesen ist und du gut erklÀren kannst. Auf jeden Fall ist das hier ziemlich hilfreich (boah, ich muss mich erst wieder daran gewâhnen, deutsche Kommentare zu schreiben Das mach ich hier viel zu selten) und ich hab jetzt beim ersten Lesen nur einen Fehler gefunden: "what others thing about me." Das stammt aus dem kursivgedruckten, und das "thing" müsste "think" sein^^ Ansonsten ein einwandfreier Text. Danke für das klasse Tutorial.

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Felizias In reply to GoldenQueen [2011-07-28 08:03:50 +0000 UTC]

Oh mein Gott. Wie peinlich...

Aber danke fΓΌr den Kommentar und das Kompliment.

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GoldenQueen In reply to Felizias [2011-07-28 19:30:21 +0000 UTC]

Macht ja nichts, sowas passiert mir andauernd.

Gern geschehen.

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Cnids [2011-07-26 15:42:45 +0000 UTC]

I find most of the points addressed here seem to be general common sense in terms of things. I was hoping for more of a tutorial dealing with clothing design in terms of different styles of ornamentation and garment shape.

Ah well, I suppose it's still an interesting guide for someone just starting out with writing original characters.

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Azarashii In reply to Cnids [2011-07-27 06:57:53 +0000 UTC]

You'd think people would understand the kind of stuff, but it seems that people would rather dress their characters in clothing they find pretty (even though they seem to be more impractical than not), and it can get especially bad when dealing with female characters. Someone pointed out above that they had noticed an unfortunately common trait to put women who are fighting in heels, which, unless they have some sort of magical skill that prevents them from twisting their ankle and/or hurting themselves, would be a pretty bad idea. And if you look at fantasy games that involve fighting, you'll notice that more often than not, you'll have characters dressed in either overly-decorated or skimpy outfits that would be dangerous in a fight. Or, if you will, look at Jasmine from the movie Aladdin. It would seem practical enough, except for the fact that her outfit that she wore throughout the movie was based off of what concubines wore, which isn't something you'd expect a princess to wear.


TL;DR version: Common sense is too often discarded when it comes to clothing, and the points made about clothing in this tutorial need to be hammered home.


(Sorry for the wall of text, btw )

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Cnids In reply to Azarashii [2011-07-27 14:22:59 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, women in high heels doing fights are so stupid. In general, it seems to be that female characters have to be "hot" first, and "functional" second.

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Azarashii In reply to Cnids [2011-08-11 20:55:26 +0000 UTC]

Honestly, I think everyone who makes a fighting-character should try to imagine any outfit they make on themselves (or a parent/child/other extremely close relative) and ask themselves whether or not they'd leave the house in said outfit, let alone fight in it.

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Felizias In reply to Cnids [2011-07-26 15:47:35 +0000 UTC]

Hm...I wasn't thinking about that...
Thanks

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