I am neck deep in writing Reign of Magic right now, but I thought I’d take a little time off to discuss inspiration–specifically inspiration for character appearances and clothing.
Most of the time in the Timeless Fairy Tale universe, I have a more specific style of clothing I’m following because of the country of origin. (ie: the Erlauf soldiers have their swallow tail jackets, Snow White and Queen Faina follow the Mullberg style of puffed sleeves, female characters in Verglas wear bunads, Lucien wears puffed petticoat breeches inspired by French fashion, etc.)
The majority of my research time is spent looking into historical fashion, but I do try to put unique twists on the clothes whether it’s through color, fabric, or embroidery. I want these clothes to look beautiful in your mind when you’re reading my descriptions, so to do that I also look up various dress and armor designers to help me write with a more theatrical flair.
Fell and Fair These guys are my go-to for armor, ranger gear, etc. They have an amazing Instagram page that you NEED to check out, but they also have a super could Youtube page. That contains both short films and clips that discuss making armor.
Firefly Path Firefly Path makes gorgeous custom dresses and wedding gowns. She particularly enjoys designing fairy and elf gowns, and she’s a bit famous because she’s designed several fantasy patterns that are available at craft stores, including a pattern for a Princess Zelda gown from Legend of Zelda.
Designer Daddy I’ve discussed Designer Daddy before–he’s famous for his gorgeous re-creations of Disney princess gowns. I like scouting out his work, however, because he makes the dresses a lot more intricate and uses amazing fabrics. (Also, I love his instagram page just because I am a huge Disney nerd, lol.)
What designers/artists do you love to follow, Champions? Share your recommendations in the comments below, and thanks for reading!