Clothes and Character

I’m not an author who spends a lot of time on clothes in books unless they’re a reflection of character. If a character is a clothes horse (or a shoe fanatic) I’ll mention them, but the whole “She was wearing a cerise Armani and gold Jimmy Choos” bit always seems intrusive to me. But the thing is, clothes really do make the man character. This photo essay of classic statues in modern clothing is a great visual example: those white statues that seem so alien and inhuman now dressed in everyday clothing look like the guy next door. I still think that extensive description of clothing is disruptive, but I’m thinking more about how I use what characters wear now.