How To Give Your Character a Style
While the DNA of your character is pretty important, the way your character is dressed is just as. They style of your character can reflect what your character thinks about the world around them and about themselves. I’ll be using some of my own characters to give examples of what I mean.
The Carefree Character (Delilah and Rose)
The carefree character would probably dress down rather than up at all times. They give off the impression that they don’t care what they wear, or at least they don’t care what others think about them. Delilah is a forty year old woman who wears childish cloths, usually bright with cute patterns on them. They’re always loose - her favorite shirt being her yellow off one shoulder t-shirt with a pink butterfly in the middle. It’s suppose to come off as though she’s stuck in the past, that she never had the chance to be a kid. It’s the main reason she doesn't stop Rose (her daughter) from being childish, herself. Rose’s outfits, however, are more so about the confidence she has in herself rather than how childish she is. Rose, like her mom, wears really bright cloths, but she makes them all herself. She wears neon clothing, her pants never given the chance to actually be blue and her shirts just as bad. She also always wears turtle necks. Her favorite pants are the “ugly” rainbow pants she made herself by using other colorful pants. The outfits are suppose to show that she doesn’t care about what people think about her exotic clothing. In fact, her outfits are her pride and joy, fashion being her passion.
The Bad Guy Character (Puppet Organization)
The bad guy character is usually dressed in dark clothing to symbolize that they are on the “dark side”. They can often give off a mysterious vibe, but the most it’s suppose to do is show the readers that they are the bad guy. (Note: They don’t always have to be the antagonist) The Puppet Organization all start out wearing grey, white, and black in the beginning due to the ritual of having a new member. (It’s a bit complex, so i won’t get into it.) After the three days are up, they can wear whatever, and the characters who don’t know the big bad secret are the only ones actually able to change clothing. This is suppose to show who knows what and how they end up in the end. Even Gluttness, the mentor of the main character, doesn’t get a chance to change, but this is mostly because he was onto something about the secret.
The Flirty Character (Offenderman from Creepypasta)
The flirty character is usually either wearing tight clothing or showey clothing. They usually mix with the party character, but not always. Their cloths are suppose to jump out and say, “This person is a creep!” or “This person is charismatic!” There is an exception, though, since there’s a Gentleman/Gentlewoman Flirt Subtype which are usually well dressed.An example of a flirty character is Offenderman from Creepypasta, who wears tight pants, no shirt, a long tie, and a trench coat. His outfit is suppose to give off a creepy vibe, but not at first.
The Party Character (Delilah)
The party character, like the flirty character, tends to wear tight clothing and showey clothing. There’s a big difference, though. The party character might flirt, but only do so at a party or big event while a flirty character does this around the clock. A party character female would probably wear shorts rather than tight pants and a party character male would be more likely to wear a longer V-neck rather than go completely shirtless. The party character also draws more attention to themselves using things like lights and glitter. (Not a must, though, just know that they like the attention.) Delilah, although she wears loose and childish clothing as a carefree trait, is also a party character. Her off one shoulder shirts can come off as flirtatious just as much as the butterfly pattern comes off as childish. She also goes to clubs often, but note that a party character doesn’t have to actually really party in order to be in this category.
The Crazy/Random Character (Rarity from MLP and Rose)
The crazy or random characters usually wear....well, crazy clothing. This can be in only the colors, but also the style. A good crazy character would more so be Rarity’s stress clothing from MLP:FiM, but doesn’t always have to be. (Look up Fairy Kei, it can fit the bill well at times). A random character can be shown in the same way, but is usually mentally stable. A good example of a random character is Rose, as her colorful clothing, although a sign of her confidence, is also a mark of her spontaneous attitude.
The Intelligent Character (Logan Sanders from Sander Sides)
The intelligent character is usually dressed professionally: tucked in flannels, dress cloths, ties of any sorts, ect. Sometimes they have glasses. A good example is Logan from Sander Sides, who wears a blue tie, a tucked in black long sleeved shirt, and dress pants (I’m assuming.). He’s always trying to get people to see that he’s not a joke and should be taken seriously. He uses his tie as an example a lot.
The Shy/Introverted Character (Hinata from Naruto and L from Death Note)
While shy and introverted characters are different, they usually have the same style. Think oversized sweaters and yoga pants or baggy t-shirts and loose jeans. A good example of a shy character is Hinata from Naruto who is usually seen wearing a long hoodie. An example of an introvert would be L from Death Note, who wears a loose white t-shirt and baggy pants. And no shoes, but I think that’s just a quirk.
There are many different subtypes of each category and you can combine each one together in different ways to get different kinds of characters. Remember to have fun with your character’s creation and that there is no absolute thing that you need to do in order for your character to prove that they are anything.
