Can Clothes Make the Character?
By David Corbett | November 10, 2023 |
Before the widespread accessibility of film and TV, elaborate physical descriptions in books were prized, even though they seldom if ever dealt solely with the exterior.
Joseph Conrad’s ability to sketch a character’s soul by describing his gait, his posture, his clothing, his face—“of pasty complexion and melancholy ugliness” (from The Secret Agent)—continues to awe me every time I read a passage from one of his books.
Katherine Anne Porter described the interplay of inner life and outer appearance as deftly, subtly, and astutely as anyone ever has. Consider this from “Old Mortality:”
Miranda persisted through her childhood in believing, in spite of her smallness, thinness, her little snubby nose saddled with freckles, her speckled gray eyes and habitual tantrums, that by some miracle she would grow into a tall, cream-colored brunette, like cousin Isabel; she decided always to wear a trailing white satin gown. Maria, born sensible, had no such illusions. “We are going to take after Mamma’s family,” she said. “It’s no use, we are. We’ll never be beautiful, we’ll always have freckles. And you,” she told Miranda, “haven’t even a good disposition.”
In contrast, Elmore Leonard relies almost exclusively on action and dialogue for characterization; but readers embrace his books primarily to delight in his characters, whom they “see” despite the relative lack of detail.
Some writers deliberately omit or limit physical descriptions altogether, especially of protagonists, for they believe the lack of detail permits a better opportunity for engagement from the reader.
Physical considerations are hardly moot, but beyond giving the reader enough information to picture the character sufficiently—whether that’s accomplished directly through description or indirectly through action and dialogue—the crucial questions are:
- How does her outward appearance reflect her inner life?
- How does her appearance affect her behavior?
- How does her appearance affect others’ reactions to her?
Such considerations are far more important than hair color, waist measurement, and exact height.
Although there are a number of considerations to keep in mind when rendering a character’s physical nature—health, age, race, class—for purposes of this post I’m going to focus solely on deportment and fashion sense.
Balzac equated sloppy attire with moral suicide, while another Frenchman, fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier, remarked that badly dressed people are always the most interesting. Despite the disagreement, both are avowing the importance of what we wear.
Even those who claim to pay no mind to how they dress are making a social statement, however halfhearted it might be. We dress for other people—or not, ignoring what others think, which amounts to pretty much the same thing.
Beyond the issue of shabby versus neat, comfy versus haute couture, questions worth considering include:
- Does your character have a sense of style? In what way—Goth? Bohemian? Label conscious? Does she disdain style as a narcissistic bother?
- Does she suit her dress to the occasion, or wear whatever she wants whenever she wants, occasion be damned?
- How crowded are her closets? Does this make her feel proud or uneasy?
- How old is the oldest thing she owns? How new is the newest? What does this tell you about her?
- Is there a favorite item of clothing? Why do they prefer it over everything else? When was the last time they wore it? If it’s been a long time, why?
These questions should not prompt quick-and-easy answers but scenes. Put another person in the picture if one isn’t there already. Attire reflects how comfortable we feel both in public and “in our own skin,” and dictates how others respond to us.
In Mark Costello’s Big If, the secret service agent Tashmo favors yoked suits with slashed pockets and wears his graying hair in a pompadour with long sideburns. His supervisor—a woman—won’t let him wear bolo ties, but a yoked suit without a bolo looks, to his way of thinking, ridiculous. “Never mind, fuck her—he loved his dudeish suits. They made him look, with the ’burns and the pomp and the zippered boots, like the carny-barking car impresarios he had worshipped as a kid.”
In Ellen Sussman’s French Lessons, Josie Felton is a high school French teacher grieving the end of an affair she could tell no one about; worse, she’s pregnant. Fleeing to Paris, she enlists a tutor to get her language skills up to local level, a young man named Nico, who is startlingly handsome. On their first walk together he drags her into a shop at the carrefour de la Croix Rouge and has her try on a pair of turquoise patent leather pumps. They hug her feet like “a new skin,” and she thinks that’s exactly what she needs.
It’s not just how one dresses that’s important:
- How much time does your character spend getting dressed? Imagine it. Watch him. Allow the scene to unfold.
- How does she put on her makeup?
- How does he shave? Meticulously? In a rush? (How often does he cut himself?)
- What is the first thing to come off when she gets home—the jacket? The shoes?
Picture these small and simple events with care. By some curious magic they can enliven your character in your own mind’s eye, helping you bring her to life on the page.
How have you used a character’s deportment, sense of style, or personal dress code to depict their inner life?
How have you used these aspects of a character’s physical nature to depict their social standing among others?
David Corbett (he/him) is the author of seven novels: The Devil’s Redhead, Done for a Dime (a New York Times Notable Book), Blood of Paradise (nominated for numerous awards, including the Edgar, Do They Know I’m Running?, The Mercy of the Night, The Long-Lost Love Letters of Doc Holliday, and The Truth Against the World. He has also published the story collection Thirteen Confessions and the novella The Devil Prayed and Darkness Fell.
David’s short fiction and poetry have appeared in a broad array of magazines and anthologies, with pieces twice selected for Best American Mystery Stories.
His non-fiction has appeared in numerous venues, including the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Narrative, Zyzzyva, MovieMaker, The Writer, and Writer’s Digest.
He has taught both online and in classroom settings through the UCLA Extension’s Writers’ Program, Book Passage, LitReactor, 826 Valencia, The Grotto in San Francisco, and at numerous writing conferences across the US, Canada, and Mexico. In January 2013 Penguin published his textbook on the craft of characterization, The Art of Character (“A writer’s bible that will lead to your character’s soul.” —Elizabeth Brundage), and Writer’s Digest published his follow-up, The Compass of Character, in October 2019.
With a light touch, as one of the many things you can express about a character, yes – all the time.
But NOT as an info dump.
Since I write in deep third person pov for my three main characters, this is part of what each character might notice about the others – we have no reason to describe what someone else wears to ourselves unless there’s something that catches our (as the character) attention in the moment.
A few:
Andrew comes to visit, notices:
He wondered what was going on as the door was opened by a tall blond man in sweat clothes and sneakers. Andrew assessed automatically: salon sun streaks, sculpted chest muscles that came from a gym, tanning-booth bronze. A fan?
“Come in. I am Paalo. She will one minute be.”
No blink of recognition. No offered hand. Scandinavian? Writer lady likes strapping young lads? Mind yer own business, boyo.
Andrew (actor) getting ready for work:
The makeup trailer was cool in the dawn of another cloudless day, and he wore sweatpants and a tatty hooded sweatshirt with a zippered front under the protective cape Carmella, the makeup artist, had whisked around his neck. Her hands were as gnarled as her face, and as light and careless as butterfly wings. Coffee, ignored, sat near her right elbow slowly becoming mud.
Bianca (actress) has been watching the filming of a Revolutionary War movie with Andrew in it:
And here he was.
Dust, dirt, sweat, blood, and bandages caked his makeup. Even at a distance he smelled. “Did ye get enough?” Huge grin. Men.
Kary (writer) taking notes on set during filming:
During the next two takes, Kary moved on to the crew, noting clothing, tics, headgear, steel-toe’d workboots versus sandals, hats… each choice revealing. Body language equaled subconscious choice: posture, attitude, eye contact—hierarchy, dominance, competence. The female crew members were almost as fascinating as the actors, the male more predictable. Too many to capture…
ONLY what the characters think, say, and do – as observed by themselves or other characters. No narrator.
It’s fun.
David, thank you!
This is a timely post for me as a do a second pass on my WIP. My protagonist is a prosecutor and ‘shines’ in front of the camera on the courthouse steps, and is no-nonsense brilliant in the courtroom.
I’ve been watching Leticia James and am in awe of her ‘presence’ in front of the cameras vs. the defense attorneys.
The straightforward statements she makes remind me a cruise missile while the defense looks like confetti being tossed in the air.
This 2nd pass is going to be all about these details so this post is a keeper near my keyboard.
PS- And I think Ms. James smiles and kicks off her shoes before the coat comes off.
Hey there, David. Great post. I love the questions you suggest to explore a character’s choices about appearance. Perfect timing for me for my current WIP. I do use clothing to relate the character’s personality but struggle to make it short and snappy so it doesn’t get tedious and slow down the tension of a scene. I end up asking, does the reader really care about what he’s wearing?
The reader will care what the character is wearing if the character cares–if it’s part of their strategy for success in the scene. Is it display (if so is it honest or deceptive)? Disguise? Armor? Camouflage? Something to hide behind? All of this can be addressed succinctly in the setup section of the scene, where what the character wants and what stands in her way are introduced.
Good luck with the WIP!
Great post– thought provoking! The outer reflecting the inner.
Thank you! Hope it proves helpful in your writing.
Definitely something to think about, David — and I agree with your comment, that the reader will care if the character does.
That ties in to something fun about writing clothes: that for the protagonist, getting them described *isn’t* the great “can I show this without a mirror” strain of showing the character’s face. Because clothes are a choice, it doesn’t take much to make the protagonist aware of how the outfit they picked is making an impression, or it’s bulky or warm or at risk of staining or just comforting wearing their favorites. Clothes reflect the person, but that person doesn’t take them so much for granted that we can’t tweak the moment so that even they pay attention to what they put on.
“Of all the days to wear heels…”
Exactly, Ken. I am reminded of the Seinfeld episode in which George gets a winter coat made of Gortex, which he announces repeatedly to everyone within earshot. He looks like the Michelin Man in the thing, and when he and Kramer visit a wine shop to get something to bring to a party, he ends up knocking down an entire display of wine bottles because of his clueless regard for how big the thing is. Pride cometh before a fall, and thy name is Gortex.
I love this, David. I have one character who lives for clothes and who wants to be a designer. Her best friend, my protagonist, lives in jeans and old tee shirts, her favorite being one from Asbury Park with Springsteen on the front. Her lack if fashion sense gets her ridiculed by other girls and makes the BF crazy, but over time (read; many revisions) I’ve come to see the MC’s disdain for her appearance as a chin-jut or a challenge to others.
Well said, Susan. A refusal to be “stylish” is a statement, just as much as “living for clothes.” And it isn’t just that dichotomy that prevails. People dress differently for different occasions. My wife has a closet full of shoes, but day-to-day she’s enamored with flannel and “cozy pants.”
This is interesting…my MC is a nurse who wears scrubs. We know about her from her actions more than anything else. But when her daughter is missing, one suspect was wearing a stethoscope, so there is a discussion to see if she acts like a real nurse. The detective asks: How’s your wife wear hers (stethoscope) when at work?”
“Ella is known for losing hers; but when she has it, the rubber cording is around her neck, the ear pieces hanging down over one breast, the bell, hearing piece over the other.”
Langley laughed. “Got it.
That paints a perfect picture, Elizabeth, and tells us something interesting about the character, how she frequently loses her stethoscope and has responded with an innovative solution that in a small way makes her stand out. Nicely done.
Thanks, David. This is how most RN’s wear their stethoscopes, easy to pull into use. A pocket might work, but you would wear it hanging down…it would, well, get into things!
Great ways to portray a character through attire. I try not to overdo descriptions unless it shows the reader a hint of personality. My protagonist adheres to the rule of not wearing white till after Memorial Day.
Clothing choices can also indicate interior conflict. I have one character choosing a sleek, sophisticated dress, trying to convince herself that she is the confident party-goer she is determined to become. Another buys a pair of fancy high heels to reconnect with her daring teen years (only to be pursuer by a dedicated salesman with the sensible flats she needs).
What a timing! The next scene I need to write is about my protagonist buying a dress for a formal event she is invited to. She does not want to go, but saying “no” isn’t an option. What will she wear? Something to defy the occasion, I think. A statement, rather subtle, as she cannot afford to be rude to the hostess. But something stating “you don’t own me”.
Hello David. I was at the conference, so I come late to the latest of your excellent posts. How a writer approaches outer appearances says a lot about her approach to character development. I like seeing characters as they reveal themselves through what they say, and how they say it. In my current WIP, I open the first scene by showing the central character making observations about other people’s clothing. It’s my hope that doing this reveals him, and suggests his own appearance by inference. Thanks again for making us all more conscious as writers.
Such useful and insightful suggestions and illustrations, David–sharing with authors in my newsletter. Thanks!
Great post, thanks. I love the excerpts you used.
In my first novel, The Sleeping Serpent, the main character is a costume designer for a TV series. I used clothes throughout the novel with all of the characters: A young screen writer, an art dealer, a martial arts stuntwoman, and a producer. All powerful women but different personalities — I felt the clothing was a terrific way to define the characters in addition to their behavior and body language interaction with the narcissistic male character they were all involved with. I probably should not have name dropped designers as some readers didn’t know who they were! But I wanted it clear that there was significant money spent on their clothing. I had fun making a fashion storyboard for each character.