The Outfit.

Clothes maketh...SOMETHING.

Hello! What are we all wearing today?

Tricky isn’t it? Not just the weather, but getting older doesn’t help either…but have you ever stopped to think if your outfit works narratively? Probably not, but don’t worry, you don’t have to, because your life is not a storybook.

The other week I was talking about The Guns of Navarone on a podcast, and one of the things I forgot to mention was how much I love the wardrobe in that film. Before we go any further, lets just enjoy looking at them for a bit.

I mean, it helps that they’re all very attractive, but still, you have to admit there are some pretty strong looks there. It gets me thinking about how much character development and narrative to be conveyed in what people wear.

Personal Space.

In a way, this is an extension of the things I talked about in the newsletter I did on environmental storytelling, with clothing being a kind of micro environment, expressing the character within. However, physical spaces like someone's room, are more like ‘the truth', as no one changes their house, or redecorates on a complete whim. But with clothing, we can reveal how they are feeling that day or reflect the environment conditions without even showing them.

In a visual medium like comics, there are certain practical things that clothing has to do too, such as provide clear differentiation between characters. The Guns of Navarone is great at this, considering they are all in low key nautical garb, they’re all different enough that it's always clear who’s who. Once this is all established in the first half of the film, this then allows them to all dress as German soldiers in the second half and the film and the audience are still orientated.

Beyond the graphical and practical, the second thing to establish is realism. Is it a believable item of clothing that that character would wear in the world? And is there any additional information can we convey? Like what mood they are in, or what the weather is like?

Even as a kid I remember being irked that everyone in Friends had a brand new outfit for every episode. It just wasn't believable that these people had infinite wardrobes, but it also misses a great opportunity for some valuable storytelling. What is a character's go-to item of clothing for a fancy night out? Or staying in? Or a date? In Friends, despite it being a nice 90s time capsule (and the outfits being broadly in keeping for each character), it often comes across that everyone is trying a new look, all the time.

The opposite version of this is unhelpful too. To dress your character in a set uniform, works for something like The Simpsons, as the character needs to be iconic, and they’re frequently the anchoring element amongst the fantastical goings on. The baseline. But narratively, it gives us very little. Either Homer really likes white shirts, or he doesn’t care about what he wears at all. That’s it.

[ NB. Check out my contemporary references, guys! ]

The third element is probably thematic, and this is probably the most difficult to judge. Deployed too obviously, or disregarding the first two points, the results can be awful. At it's best, this element can sit just below the surface, subconsciously elevating the whole narrative for the reader. And I don’t think it’s always necessary either, as it’s better not used at all than used badly.

In the type of work I make, I’m trying to strike a balance between being graphically legible and being realistic. If I can get the third element in there, the thematic element, then that's a bonus.

Clothing Ellen in Victory Point.

I frequently use Victory Point when I’m looking for examples from my own work, and I think that's because it is narratively straightforward, so all the elements are easier to isolate. But for those of you who are unfamiliar, it features a woman called Ellen who returns to the small town she grew up in, stays with her father and heads back the next day (not exactly Lord of the Rings, sure, but slightly more happens too).

So, on the first day she arrives it's a beautiful summer's day and she wears an orange dress. The practical element it there; the landscape is mainly green, blue and white, so the orange pops out against the landscape. It also suits Ellen’s character, in that it's a choice, but it's also practical and considered. It also shows the audience who she wants to be seen as when she visits this place, that is currently not where she lives.

Red would also of have worked graphically, but it’s too strong for the character and comes with other associations, but there are still some thematic elements to be taken from it. The orange makes her slightly out of place, which is how she is feeling and one of the central concepts of the book.

The second day she is heading back to ‘the city' and it's raining. She wakes up and dresses for the life she is returning to, and also for the weather. She wears more muted colours, trousers, a top and a coat. Thematically the outfit feels more autonomous and we see it in relief to the slight whimsy of the day before, which is still her, but maybe not fully her.

The fulcrum point of the book is when she goes for a swim and reflects her being in limbo between two states by not wearing anything at all.

To sum up; the story is about Ellen working out who she is, where she's come from, and where she is going. So, what she wears tracks this arc, while at the same time: a) graphically working, b) suiting the character and the world and, c) conveying that theme.

As always, this is not the way to do it, it’s just the way I do it. But I do find it to be a fun and useful consideration in the writing process. When creating a character, I am always thinking about what they would wear, and in turn, that helps me work out who they are.

Anyway, I’ll leave you now to ponder what your current outfit says about you in the story of your life, and catch up with you next time.

Have a lovely day! I hope you’re dressed for it.

Owen D. Pomery