I've gotten a lot of comments on the
How to Dress Your Character post and I just want to say upfront:
a) I'm seriously surprised at the response. I didn't think anybody was going to be interested in this besides myself and
maurheti, but if it works for you then that makes me very happy. And pleased. And I thought this was all rather clear from the title and the post itself, however...
b) The point of that post was to dress characters, not people. I'm not trying to dress anybody but the characters in my stories. I'm not saying you can't or shouldn't use it for whatever you like, but that was the point of the post. Dressing a flesh and blood being is very different from writing about it.
c) This is an overview. A very brief overview. There are things that I've left out for the sake of time and clarity and because I just didn't have the inclination at the time. (Always unbuttoning the bottom button on your jacket; you do not get a suit dry cleaned and pressed. Please god, don't. You just get it dry cleaned. The importance of Made-to-Measure as a step below Bespoke, or as the place between RTW and Bespoke). If I was making a proper go at covering menswear this wouldn't be one post, it would probably be six. Yes, six. Possibly seven. Maybe eight (casual wear x2, formal wear, suits, outerwear, accessories).
There are millions of things I didn't cover and even the brief overview is hella long. If you are interested, go out and do some legwork. Make up your own mind.
d) This is not meant to be anybody's Bible it's just meant to give Inception fandom an idea of what they're dealing with, to point out that there is more going on than just a guy putting on a jacket and matching pants.
e) It is not cohesive. Hell, it may not even be completely coherent. My point in putting it together was to create a jump-off to give people someplace to start from. To get people to think about the clothes when they write. Not so much to drop labels as to look at a cuff, or the collar of a shirt, the knot of a tie.
f) I am not Tim Gunn. I am not teaching a class at Parsons. My opinions are just that my opinions. You don't have to like them or agree with them. You may think Prada is the best thing since sliced bread. You may hate every designer or house I listed. You may think I did this shit all wrong: that's totally your prerogative. But.
Don't be an asshole about it. I'm not in your house pissing in your pocket; extend me the same courtesy.
g) I have always been a firm believer that if you want something done a certain way, you do it yourself. I did this for me. And M. Nothing's stopping you from doing your own.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled programme.