Using Clothing Details to Reveal Emotion
Dear Vi,
My friend Jean wrote to me the other day with the link to Tom and Lorenzo’s Movie Advent Calendar, about Christmas dresses worn by characters in Hollywood classics, and how they were designed to do a specific job. She sent it to me because of our mutual love of dresses, but there’s a lesson here for writers, too.
What struck me as I scrolled through was the subtle impact and support a piece of clothing can give to a scene. Because these dresses don’t simply hang in the closet looking pretty; they’ve got pockets full of history, emotion and mood.
What does this have to do with writing? Writers should care about this because clothing is an often overlooked tool we can use to subtly layer depth and meaning into our scenes. The blouse or t-shirt our character reaches for, avoids, fusses with, or feels most completely themselves in can give a glimpse into their inner life, or a clue to their current emotional weather.
…or to the actual weather. It goes without saying that having your protagonist reach for a warm sweater before going out the door will reinforce the fact that it’s a cool fall day, grounding the reader in season so the story feels more real. But what if she’s also struggling with a difficult decision, and unconsciously reaches for the old woolen pea coat her dad used to wear instead of that sweater?
When it comes to balancing showing vs telling, clothing can be a great vehicle to show your character expressing something you don’t want to actually name.
Think about what you wore to the last event you attended. Why did you choose that outfit? What did it say about you? Did it meet an unspoken need you had to feel more confident, flirty, somber, or serious? Do you have a lucky pair of socks, or a special pair of pants you put on when you need a bit of extra courage? A pair of sunglasses that reminds you that you can do hard things?
Next time you’re revising a scene, keep an eye out for “clothing moments” that you can conscript into doing double duty. They’re usually hiding in plain sight. 😉
