How to: Dress Like a Splatoon Character.
I... have fallen into a Splatoon hyperfixation after playing Splatoon 3 for a week straight. I have fallen in love with the colors and character designs and thought...how can I look like that. Therefore, I will begin my journey to have the swag of an octo/inkling and will share what I think makes them look so cool. *based on splatoon 3 and my brief research of the other games*
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Before you begin your journey! Figure out the following things, like what colors you like to wear, if you can utilize/upcycle the things you already have, if you can make something!, and if you have a timeline. I do not intend to tell anyone they need to go out and buy this and that to achieve this look! It's just inspo and my take on it. : ) ! ANYWAYS ...
First! Let's look at the character customization options.
You can customize your hair, eyebrows, and legwear. These will be the first elements we talk about. (Think of these basics kind of as a uniform in a way. )
Hair: I think what makes the Splatoon hair so fun and successful is that they are SUPER stylized versions of average everyday hairstyles. So this one is simple to obtain! You just need to find a hairstyle that you enjoy within your limits. I don't think the color is necessary, but it is a cool plus if you are able to do that! Although... I believe that to complete the inkling vibe, you would want to keep whichever color you dye it to match the colors of your Splatoonian wardrobe! This would be considered your main color.
Eyebrows: I do not have much to say because you can just keep them as they are or match the Splatoon styles. You can even go crazy and dye them! I do not find them super essential.
Pants: There are various pants to choose from, but the key is to keep it simple. Select a basic neutral color when building your outfit. To be game accurate, select a black/gray(?) pair of bottoms. They can have accents of color, but this color would match your main color.
WE HAVE THE BASICS! YAY!
what's next?
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Headgear, Clothes, and shoes! oh... and your weapon too? I won't lie, but I do think that the weapons in Splatoon add to the cool factor of these characters! However, I don't think walking around with a paint roller will get the vibe across. I'll get into this in a bit. Let's start off with something easier.
Headgear: I think it is important to mention that you can equip only one of these at a time. There is a chicness to having minimal but exciting components to complete an outfit. We are essentially letting these one items speak fro them selves, but by all means get creative! You'll be more like a Splatoon Idol! : D!
We have a few categories of items here that stand out to me:
Glasses
Masks
Hats/Helmets
Headbands/Badanas
Headphons
The elements of these items lean into things like: spikes, sportswear, work-wear, street-wear, protective gear, multi-purpose, and armor.
Overall, they are often worn, but have an unrelated intended use for wear! For example, I really like how you can style the swimming goggles to just wear them on your head. So cool!
Clothes: This one seems pretty simple and adjustable depending on your style! Even just a graphic tee or a striped t-shirt will do. You can charge the shirts to be oversized or fitted to you, which I think is a nice touch! They seem to lean towards basic colors, but often combined with a pop of a fun color! I am noticing a lot of nature-inspired palettes like aquatic, sunsets, and earthy tones as well!
elements/themes: weather wear, punk, alt, flannels, stripes, logos, graphic tees, athleisure, customized/decorated jackets, layering, vests, arm warmers, crew neck, oversized, ski, gorp, flannel, button down, uniforms.
Shoes: Pretty much the same game as the clothes! Any shoe will do as they have so many options to fit various styles. Just make sure they complement some of the colors chosen in your outfit! A pair of black or white sneakers will always do the trick. These are sometimes paired with peaking socks, too!
Types of shoes: Loafers, hiking boots, sports boots, winter boots, sneakers, cleats, work boots, tabis, Converse, high top sneakers, socks and sandals, low cut sneakers, high boots, Dr. Martens, utility boots, slip-ons, water shoes, boxing boots, etc.
Weapon: I think to properly achieve this, you will have to get creative. In short, imagine the weapon and wear the protective gear you imagine it would require if it's not already equipped by your character. It's not always going to be socially acceptable to walk around with a cool water gun, but you could have paint brushes in your pocket. You can wear work gloves or any kind of gloves that make you seem like you're prepping to wield something to battle. Knee pads/arm pads could be another cool thing off the top of my head. :P
With this, I believe that you can build your basic ideal Splatoon inspired out-fit and look like a Splatoon character: ).
YAY!
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Other Add-ons:
Eyeliner!!! For more casual wear I think an inner water line style with black eyeliner would be awesome! If you like the winged looks i deff think you could do that too!
Ear jewelry. Frye comes to mind as i adore her design and ear jewlery. Earrings and ear cuffs would be awesome.
Reocurring items/patterns/themes through out your outfit
Accessories: I think more practical gear with function, like a watch would be cool! or a tool belt with items you are actually using.
Bag. A bookbag kind of gives the ink pack vibe, or a cool purse/hand bag could give off a weapon vibe depending on how you style it!
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LASTLY,
For inspiration, here are some non-playable characters and what I interpret their styles as! You can then look these styles up to get inspiration!
Side Order Agent 8!
I would describe this as post-apocalyptic tech wear or avant-post-apocalyptic? but with an athletic twist. Focus on having a monochrome outfit and items that cling to the body with tight-fitting materials and layers. idk thats my take on it
Marina
Marina is the real y3k pop diva. She has the pop idol genre of clothing down, which I think features statement pieces, accessories, and fun cuts of clothing
Spyke
Spyke wears comfortable boho-rustic style clothing with a business casual twist, I think!
Murch
Basic chill style. T-shirt and jeans can never go wrong.
Harmony
This is just street wear + the basic Splatoon uniform. Her pink eyeliner and cool hair make her pop!
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I used the Splatoon fan wiki to guide a lot of this :)
-xo, chao!