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Caspian:

"..they also highly value things which are stable and consistent. As a result, the To'resk are known to impose their own sense of consistency on the world."

"Finally, due to growing up in the muck and mud of the wetlands, combined with their harsh appearance, the To'resk value cleanliness, ornamentation, and fine things over physical appearances. They also have a strong obsession with gold, as it's not only one of the most flexible metals, but it also never rusts"

"...the familial bond is held sacred in To'resk society.."

The three most important quotes that to me indicate what their fashion would look like, so to draw information from the real world there are 2 places which I think is by far the best to do so:

1. China and the importance family played/plays in their society.

2. 18th century Europe, and more importantly the silhouette and thought there were at that time.

So starting with the 18th century Europe one might think of the "forms" as exaggerating a woman's hips to show they're good at giving children, this is untrue (old women wore these as well as children) But it was on the other hand because of the thoughts that were popular at this time, "18th century was defined by man's supposed triumph over nature and embrace of artifice", everything that was man-made, altered by man or approved by man was to be revered. (this could also be seen in the way gardens and landscapes were being formed into something artificial, like the beautiful mazes etc. you hopefully get the idea) And this was of course applied to clothing as well (especially how wide the silhouettes could become)

So taking into account that the 18th century didn't revere the "natural" but on the other hand the man-made, and more importantly the artificial, really fits well into To'resk way of thought, valuing artificial things over their appearance.

With this in mind let's head into the picture, at the top left we see an elliptical crinoline (i could also have gone with bell) with a corset, on the right side we see pocket hoops which is very 18th century. Now what purpose does these things serve for the To'resk?

Corset:

It's important to note that the corset does not slim down the waist or shows off the natural curves, (as can be seen just under the pink-tinted line) it's in contrast to the Neran's corset that shows off the form and slims, the To'resk corset serves the important function of a strong base where the crinoline/pocket hoop can be fastened, so the weight of the fabrics are distributed over the torso, making it less heavy to wear lots of fabrics.

Crinoline/Pocket hoops:

• Where the corset creates an base (anchor) for the weight, the crinoline/pocket hoops distributes the weight. I would compare it the amount of weight an ice surface experiences when you walk (straightened up) or crawl across.

• The other important function the pocket hoop/crinoline serves is "impose their own sense of consistency on the world." staying the same silhouette, not changing due to weight gain or loss is a sense of consistency, not only that but it's easier to pass on your garments to your family members once you die, as the garments are fitted to fit the forms, and not your physical silhouette. (making most of the clothing unisex) but also reusable, especially for the poorer To'resk, being able to use finely gold embroidered petticoat for meetings, showing off your family's wealth saves time it would take to destroy the fine craftsmanship to remove the golden thread to then sew it into a new piece of clothing. It's important to show off your family's wealth, and children of both sexes should be able to use the fine clothing and jewelry left in their possession, to pass on the family's treasures.

Rant about other thoughts that sprang to mind when designing:

• Sumatra Indonesia wedding headdress would fit well into the To'resk society headwear, I also took a lot of inspiration from the Chinese headwear as it've always been very grand. (and ornamented), though the renaissance could definitely also be worth looking at for the intriguingly made hairstyles, or the Egyptian's headwear. Important to note that the To'resk should probably use wigs and extensions. (the Egyptians used wigs and it was common to use extensions throughout the middle ages as well, though mostly reserved for the people who could afford it.)

• I used masks or things that obstruct other people's ability to view their faces, using both normal masks as well as jewelry and cloth. To'resk don't value physical appearance, so it would only be natural for them to try to hide their own. I did however find that it would work well with the idea that To'resk are good at reading people because they try through clothing and masks to mask their own intentions, so you would only become really good at reading people who go to the lengths they do, where other tribes wear their emotions more on their sleeves, and so they don't need to build up the "talent" for reading peoples intentions, cause it've always been so clear.

• The armour sets were very Chinese / just generally pompous inspired, I wanted it to be somewhat usable, but at the same time they would most likely hire mercenaries as they're by no means the strongest tribe, so using others to fight their fights leaves their armours to be of more prestigious character, which is why they might also integrate the fine ornamented armour into their every day clothing.

• Embroidery. One of the probably most important things to the To'resk (that and gold) though I imagine the embroidery would most likely depict something from the Qindred religion, looking more as paintings displayed on their garments.

• Fabrics and silhouettes. So the To'resk are very materialistic, and I could very well imagine not only the quality of the fabric, embroidery etc. would play a large role, but also the techniques of how to fold fabric, sew it together etc. ruffles/etc. You want to show off your wealth by getting as much attention, and one of the better ways of doing that is silhouette.

• Size, so the To'resk aren't very tall which is why they should definitely be wearing heels, why heels instead of platform shoes you might ask? The sound heels make when you walk. The To'resk want to be noticed, so they would want to make it apparent that they're coming, which the clicking sound heels make is perfect for this. Platform shoes doesn't make that high sounds, though I imagine if they're made right they could definitely also be wearing platform shoes. Another thing is the size of their clothing, they want to take up space as to draw attention to themselves, the best way of doing that is being grand, and wide enough.

• why are the men not wearing pants So the reason men and not women wear pants in our society is because men were disposable, and therefore they participated in wars etc. trousers were first invented when horse-riding became a thing, it then evolved gradually, men picked it up in high fashion because it was "in" to wear uniforms, also one of the reason the religious men didn't wear pants, because they were above war, not fighters but man of faith. This applies to To'resk's society as well, there's no real reason why the To'resk should've invented pants as they've never really needed them. I did make one person with pants though, but it doesn't make much sense in terms from a cultural and fashion perspective as nothing they've done have "required" pants.

Hope you like my long rant, thank you for reading this far. :) and which outfit did you like the best? if any?