1. U.G. Ridley

    U.G. Ridley I'm a wizard, Hagrid

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2016
    Messages:
    162
    Likes Received:
    115
    Location:
    Norway

    Resource with names of clothing, fabric, and other clothes-related facts?

    Discussion in 'Research' started by U.G. Ridley, Jun 28, 2016.

    One thing I'm really struggling with in my writing is describing people's clothes. Most things like the names of different types of clothing, fabric and such usually comes up in every day conversation with friends, and since I am a Norwegian, that means I haven't gotten to learn most of these yet. Sure, it comes up a lot in books, but I've never been able to retain that sort of information just from reading a book since I can't see the clothing. So basically, my descriptions often end up being overly long and hard to read since instead of just using the word for the type of clothes a character is wearing, or the name of the cloth the clothes are made of, I have to fully describe how it looks, and it just feels like something that most readers will get annoyed by. (I know I do...)
    I know some people like it when character descriptions are super vague when it comes to looks, and I agree for the most part, but there are scenes and situations - as well as spesific characters - where the reader having a good idea of how the character is supposed to look like is, in my opinion, crucial.

    So do any of you guys know of a resource I can use to become more familiar with this stuff?
     
  2. peachalulu

    peachalulu Member Reviewer Contributor

    Joined:
    May 20, 2012
    Messages:
    4,620
    Likes Received:
    3,807
    Location:
    occasionally Oz , mainly Canada
    What genre is this for? Is this for historical fiction or just present day/ modern stuff?
     
  3. U.G. Ridley

    U.G. Ridley I'm a wizard, Hagrid

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2016
    Messages:
    162
    Likes Received:
    115
    Location:
    Norway
    Both would do, since I write things that take place in all kinds of time-periods. But, at the moment I could really use some modern day stuff.
     
  4. peachalulu

    peachalulu Member Reviewer Contributor

    Joined:
    May 20, 2012
    Messages:
    4,620
    Likes Received:
    3,807
    Location:
    occasionally Oz , mainly Canada
    You could try typing in new/current fashion trends or 2016 trends in fashion in Google. I usually use Pinterest and then when I see something I like I follow the links to the articles. Or I look up things on Ebay by date or key phrases like trendy, chic, romantic, edgy, stylish, steampunk, gothic, urban street style etc. but I don't know of any specific sites - unless they're things like Vogue, sorry.
     
  5. U.G. Ridley

    U.G. Ridley I'm a wizard, Hagrid

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2016
    Messages:
    162
    Likes Received:
    115
    Location:
    Norway
    No worries, I'm sure I'll find something if I search long enough:agreed:
     
    peachalulu likes this.
  6. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2010
    Messages:
    15,262
    Likes Received:
    13,084
    I'm assuming that you want to be able to say " A silk brocade swallowtail coat, lined with iridescent chiffon", that sort of thing?

    (Glurp. Now I'm envisioning that, and the iridescence looks dreadful.)

    For fabrics, there are several fabric guides aimed at people who sew. If I go to Amazon and search for

    fabric guide sewing

    several come up.

    And if you search for

    costume dictionary

    a fair number of books about fashion come up, that I suspect will have lists of garments.
     
    U.G. Ridley likes this.
  7. bonijean2

    bonijean2 Ancient Artists And Storytellers Rock

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2016
    Messages:
    244
    Likes Received:
    132
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest USA
    I agree that investing in a good sewing instructional book might be a good idea or perhaps researching online or at your library the fabric timeline.
     
    U.G. Ridley likes this.

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice