All dressed up

[marycatelli]

Ah, the adventures of inspiration.  Starting with a picture means it starts with how the heroine is dressed, before even I know her name.  The muse was content to only tweak the appearance -- before she threw in that really, it was a bit of Cinderella thing, those bright colors.  In her city, bright colors are childish.  Her aunt insists on her wearing them because she's annoyed with how the character is continuing her education.  If she were a proper adult, she would wear sober browns and grays and blacks.  Perhaps white for enlivenment.

Looks like this story's going to involve clothes.

The muse has thrown out a few more ideas.  There's going to be a city where they are surprised at her unbound hair, because obviously she's married, wearing colors like that.  Maidens wear white and gray, and widows, black.  Then, there are going to be countries where her style of clothing is too foreign to be anything except foreign.  And at one point someone's going to spangle some dress with stars, to indicate that she's a wizard, which she is.

Hmm.  Perhaps one where her owning different colored clothing makes her look like she's claiming different occupations -- of different prestige and status, at that.

A bit odd at that, because she is not herself particularly concerned with her clothing.  She can mend it, of course, but she's not going to be strong on the technical details of the clothing she encounters.

Of course, that just gives the muse a chance to let rip on the symbolism and social significance of it all.

Comments

[mythusmage.livejournal.com]

The colors her apparent maturity.

The compexity her socio-economic class.

The style her sexual, political, and/or religious orientation.

The mix of shades and colors her ethnicity.

Adornment and decoration her availability, and'or her relationships.

"A solid blue a-line dress shading into green sleeves indicates a young woman adhering to the Ki faith of conservative values. The fact it is of simple construction, with no adornments means she is a virgin, with no beau, and likely living under the care of her parents. It also means that they, while well off for their status, are of low class, and she likely assists them in a shop or market stall. Were she the daughter of a servant she would likely have some adornment indicating their employment, and her dress would be of finer make and fitting."

I'm going to have to use your idea in Mythus socieites. :)

[marycatelli]

Have fun!

[headnoises.livejournal.com]

What level of magic or technology goes into making colors? Do different places have different abilities?

[marycatelli]

Well, spangling a robe with stars is done by magic -- that's why it's a wizard's robe. What other skills are involved, we may or may not see. True there's trade enough to imply some differences, but the character is not going to be looking for it. Indeed, for various reasons, she probably would look away from a chance to find out.

[headnoises.livejournal.com]

Thinking more along the lines of how much research you'll end up doing to find out how dyes are made.

I'd suggest that the magic involved in making, say, Royal Purple in quantities big enough to fill a swimming pool would be a large enough ROI that you not limit it to historical dye options.
Partly because it's a lot prettier. ^>^

[marycatelli]

Given the number of colors the heroine has in her clothing, there are a fair number of cheap dyes. Probably magic involved. (She also has several changes, which would mean that the weaving and spinning are no doubt also magically automated.)