Forums » Art & Creativity » Let's talk Character Outfits

So in my line of work I run across a lot of different outfits and clothing designs to fit a lot of different characters. Sometimes sexy, sometimes "tough" sometimes it's just a special suit of armor. So here are my questions to you guys.

1) What are your favorite outfits you've had for your characters?

2) Why did you like them?

3) What are your opinions on "Costume changes?"

That last question comes from seeing many RP characters fall into two camps, one being never having them change clothes so they appear wearing the same thing in every picture, RP, and description. Making their "costume" an iconic piece of the character unless presented with a special occasion. And camp number two, generally having characters with a style but no specific outfit, meaning art, descriptions, and RP of them will change day by day, scene by scene, and image by image.

4) In terms of character design, what do you personally glean from the way a character dresses? This can be in terms of video game characters, moves, descriptions in books, or even from your adventures in RP.

Feel free to skip any questions you don't want to answer I'm just looking for thoughts and feelings.

hello this is my thread lmao...i am notorious for being like 'here's their default outfit' and then never drawing that again because i got a million ideas. my personal favorite example is probably the character i have given the most outfits to this date...which is a lot if you know me kjdhjkhdf



that's just their refs hnngh. actual outfits?



and then the outfits i've drawn in art??????? im not gonna post them- you get the point hahaha. that's just one character! i think in almost every piece for most of my ocs, they've been given a different outfit, and the only one exempt is actually my latest dnd character but...meh. we don't need to worry about that

for your actual questions, though...

1. WHELP looks like i gotta link more pics. my bad.

i'd easily say uhhhhhhh







2. All of them are very recent, or just a well needed redesign. For the first one, it's a redesign, as his original was nice, but didn't quite fit him the further I made and developed him. instead of a business chic, sleek but simple fit, i wanted to give the idea of someone who clearly wants to blend in and definitely looks like he'd shoot an arrow at you from the treetops...or just sock you with brass (crystal) knuckles.

the second one is something i do whenever i get a new outfit for my buildabear, who shares the same name as them! cinnan! its just a fun little challenge i love. which reminds me- they got a new fit

and for the third one, i just pulled it out of nowhere while goofing off with friends, but it's different from the typical sweet, soft pastel that sangris usually wears. and i think his face is amazing in it

3. love them. all the time. if i can get away with it then i will describe their outfit every day, because i mean...that's how it is. i dont have characters that wear t shirts and shorts unless its for a specific reason, but especially in an rp where descriptions are going to be heavy (fantasy setting, royalty, big event, etc), what's the harm in going all in?

4. personality! i love seeing little bits of their own personal touches, whether it be patches or mismatched buttons, their own embroidery, beads, everything! after that, it's detail. what's in there symbolically that you may not pick out? their emblem embroidered into their hem? the colors of their parents? a sigil neatly embossed? stuff like that just makes me giddy because i adore seeing clothing details like that- to me, it shows the creator is super passionate about it!

I'm personally in the camp of a character having a style/aesthetic/color scheme but no set wardrobe. I understand why a lot of animated shows do this. It makes it easier to draw and identify the character quickly but in my head my characters are real people with real wardrobes. They change their clothes in the same way normal people would. They have preferences and body types to take into account but they don't just wear the same thing day in and day out. My characters get hair cut and dress appropriately for the seasons. I have purchased at least one outfit for a character and would love to do more in the future because I love to give my partners an idea of what their style is. Since my characters don't have a set wardrobe I also love searching up images online and posting them into an rp saying 'this is what my character is wearing on their outing today!' Gives my partner an idea of their style/aesthetic and something to visualize since their look isn't static.