billowing black robes - random thoughts
In fan fiction, the majority of the opinion of the stories that I have read seem to do Severus up in a limited variety of black clothing. I've become a player of "spot the outfit" when delving into a good fiction to seek what choices the authors may make.
Which is your favorite choice of Snape Clothing when reading fan fiction?
Traditional Black Wizarding Robes - The celebrated
snapesforte has him in traditional robes with nothing underneath except his pants and bits. She has described his robes in detail in her fiction Taking Over Me and in Soul Play elaborates in Chapter 22 The Prince's Advocates: "His travelling cloak was hanging off his shoulders, around his upper arms. His robes had been parted down the front, opening him to her. His pants were tugged down, just enough." Snapesforte is an author who has made the most thorough Snape-Study of anyone that I know of online. I agree with her analysis based primarily on the text from Philosopher's Stone "Snape was holding his robes above his knees. One of his legs was bloody and mangled..." . This attire has become a favorite outfit of mine, but ultimately very few authors have chosen to go with this choice of attire.
Frock Coats and Waistcoats - Two of my favorite authors have chosen to go with this movie based clothing, and I admit that until I read up on Canon Snape Clothing a couple of years ago at Half-Blood Prince I wasn't adverse to the idea of this fashion or his choice of fastenings.
theatresm used the buttons in a splendid method in Chaos is Come Again, Chapter Three: "Buttons finally sorted, he flung the coat off, threw it over the chair next to Hermione..." Another author Bloodcult of Freud (
yanniconny) uses not only the buttons but the layers of black clothing for a slow laborous undressing in Tyger! Tyger!, Chapter Two: "It took him forever to undress. Hermione counted no less than four layers of clothes, over a hundred tiny black buttons. What an agonising and terrifying striptease." Snape may be a bit outdated or over-dressed but I have to say that the frock coat suits his persnickety personality.
Black Robes, White Dress Shirt, and Black Trousers - A favorite of many and easily convertable to muggle fashion for a man who lives on a deserted muggle street.
wonderfulwrites makes excellent use of this dress in Walk Through the Fire, Chapter One Persephone: "It was Snape, too thin and strangely human in his shirtsleeves and trousers, on the far side of the room with his wand at his side." Author, Kailin, chose some practical clothing for potions work in Snape, A History, Chapter Four: "A stained brown leather apron covered a dingy white shirt, its sleeves rolled up over the elbows. Dirty trainers peeked out from the worn bottoms of black trousers that had clearly seen better days." SnapeySnax in Augury and Ardor, Chapter Three even used this type clothing "His fingers were working the buttons open on his linen shirt" in the privacy of his rooms at The Dark Lord's headquarters. I have to admit that when you are dealing with any sort of muggle setting these garments are practical and tend to make the scene easier to bear than dealing with numerous glamours and transfiguration.
Muggle Attire - Here is where people get creative and depending on the writing it can be brilliant or dead wrong. I've read safe choices like black jumpers, white dress shirts with threadbare collars, and oversized trenchcoats hanging off his spare frame. A few ludicrous choices like black leather trousers with leather cord fastenings and even a navy windbreaker have worked to a certain extent. The greatest achievement thus far would be Bloodcult of Freud's (
yanniconny) dress selection in Seven Preposterous Things, Chapter Eleven: "On second look, he was shirtless, and the jacket was wrapped around his shoulders. Despite the persistent warm weather, her ersatz husband had taken to wearing a decidedly decrepit leather jacket. She supposed it had usurped the place of his swirling black wizard's robes....She hadn't seen him in anything other than blue jean trousers and a short sleeved black shirt in the months since they'd left England." The image of Snape in this apparel should not work, but it does, the author has it so right, it hurts.
Nighttime Threads - Alas, what is underneath the robes is anyone's guess, but different authors like different things.
shiv5468 chose in A Law To Herself, Chapter Ten: a "shabby green dressing gown",
wendynat in Cloak of Courage chose " loose black trousers, of some sort of soft material, and an open dressing robe... also black..." in Chapter Six, and finally in a story by
snarkypants, our Snape is caught unawares by a floo call in Becoming, Chapter Two: "...he emerged from his en suite lavatory, wrapped in a shabby blue brocade dressing gown. As he walked, drops of water rained from his wet hair." 10 points to Slytherin for dressing gowns of any colour.
Original Ideas - There have been other eccentric choices for our malevolent Professor in black: a kilt in Lady of the Masque's inventive In Annulo, velvet, inky Death Eater robes, a jaunty bowler hat in Grainne's darkly amusing Insidious, and shredded threadbare-to-nothing robes in the dreaded Azkaban stories such as
dolefullydsired 's sweet Beyond All Doubt, Chapter Five: "He had no shirt, and his ribs poked prominently through the skin of his torso."
I love Snape descriptions, now tell me what you like best!
(all quotes used without permission)