Elothninian Fashions

The styles of dress in Elothnin vary widely and perhaps deserve a bit of explication. As with most societies, the cut and quality of clothing convey much about an individual to those around them, and convey much about a culture or people to foreigners.

The lower classes of Elothnin, unsurprisingly enough, wear highly practical garments made of terribly mundane materials. The leggings and tunics the menfolk sport are typically woven out of cotton or linen in the warmer months and knitted from the wool of the fabled Fethil sheep during winter. Female peasants (see right) wear similarly pragmatic outfits - often a loose shirt, full skirt, bloomers, and a wide belt that also serves as a sort of makeshift waist-cincher. As women are often responsible for weaving or knitting the materials for such items, their clothing does tend to be brighter, and often sports decorative stitching as well.

Merchants and urban citizens of the empire, on the other hand, wear more body-conscious items made of finer materials. Men wear long jackets in a variety of colors, typically made of leather or dense wool, over dark trousers and plain shirts (see left). Often, men have only one or two such jackets, but own several interchangeable sets of shirts and pants, often giving the impression that they own only a single outfit! Women of this class (see right), on the other hand, typically have only a few chemises and leggings which they wear continuously under several colorful overdresses.

The fashions at court are extremely elaborate and ornate - sometimes artistic but just as often ridiculous. Unlike the fashions of the less wealthy, many styles appear for both genders with little uniformity. The general trends that do emerge, however, are bright colors for both sexes and exquisite fabrics. The clothes are typically made of fine leathers, silks, and furs regardless of time of year: royals often view it as a sign of strength to sweat the the summers and shiver through the winters in the interest of frippery. There is very little gender difference regarding the hues one wears, with men just as likely to sport traditionally feminine colors, such as pinks and pastels, as ladies.