15/15/15: "a silver-edged crimson leather volume"
Show (cover): The book's crimson leather cover is embossed with a pattern of lor leaves and twining branches surrounding a simple repeating pentacle design as a trellis. Ornate silver hasps meet with the frame surrounding the book's covers and hold the large volume rigid, keeping the illustrated pages within from folding. Black lettering along its spine reads: "How to Read Faendryl Fashion, by Lylia Rashere Faendryl."
Pages: The book's cream-hued parchment pages and stark blank ink provide a neutral backdrop for the vivid illustrations within. Silvered edges add a touch of subtle illumination to the otherwise simple pages of writing, but the illustrated plates are clearly the focal point of the volume.
Some consider fashion a mere trifle, a passing fancy that is worn and discarded as soon as next season's styles arrive in clothiers' shops. Such people are as foolish in their assumptions as those who believe a language they do not speak to be gibberish. Clothing tells its own story, one rich with subtext and history. For Faendryl fashion, that story is especially complex, yet few people can read this language of linens and silks.
The term 'Faendryl fashion' is a misnomer, for there is no one defining style for a culture with the depth and diversity of ours. Rather, Faendryl style is an interplay of the wearer's heritage, wealth, and status. To understand Faendryl style as something more than robes and skins, it is necessary to know something of fashion houses.
Emporion clothiers and milliners hold an esteemed place in Faendryl society, and like any Faendryl, they are in heated competition with one another. The most brilliant among them found fashion houses, some of which are venerable dynasties and others that are brash and new. Each house has a distinctive style recognizable to any Faendryl, and each has its devoted following, many of whom belong to a particular wing of the Pentact.
While no sumptuary laws limit how we dress, it would be as surprising to see an Agrestis citrus farmer appear at a rural tribunal in a Sintanhali gown with its panniers as it would be to attend an opera clad in Aulaine Gallius' leather and metal. Some even dress to shock, which is only possible against a backdrop of tradition.
Tradition takes on a different meaning when it spans so many millennia, even for those who are long-lived. When the Faendryl first made the Southron Wastes our own, lightweight but durable clothing was essential. Open weaves were cool but permitted scouring sands to abrade the skin during the fierce windstorms that howl through the desert, so outer layers of hide offered more protection.
Over time, these simple garments became the foundation of traditional Faendryl fashion, some of which still involves lightweight fabrics and artful use of exotic leathers. Some fashion houses have reinterpreted these gauzy garments, fashioning them from the finest fabrics and wisps of lace. The origins of such clothing are rooted in custom but designed for the city.
Other clothiers took a different direction, adding layer upon layer to create ever more dramatic silhouettes, many of them shaped by Faendryl of the diaspora who incorporated designs and fabrics from afar. Bourde, a uniquely Faendryl fabric of tone-on-tone silk stripes, is a refinement of native sericulture and weaving, but the taste for rich pile fabrics such as velvet arose in cooler climates.
Emporion traders had the greatest impact on Faendryl fashion's eventual development into the art it is today as they adapted the fashions they found in their travels to their own tastes. The great proliferation of styles, from panniers to petticoats, has arisen largely from those who venture far from home.
There are dozens of great houses and even more that seek greatness, so an exhaustive guide is beyond the scope of this book. These houses are among the most notable, and this illustrated volume is therefore a primer in the language of Faendryl fashion, not an encyclopedic work. In it, you will find examples of houses' characteristic styles and, where applicable, notes on its historical roots and the appeal it holds to certain groups within Faendryl society.
To better understand Faendryl fashion, it is necessary to study it on the Faendryl themselves. If a trip to New Ta'Faendryl is impossible, look to the Faendryl of the diaspora who retain their close ties to the city itself.
Jewel tones against black, layers, and striking silhouettes are characteristic of Greyce Sintanhali Faendryl's vision. The fashion house that bears her name showcases her love of fine fabrics, contrasting textures, and artful pleating.
[The image of an unusually slim Faendryl woman with fair skin and chestnut hair takes up most of the page below the text, her full-skirted gown of obsidian brocade lustrous under the skilled artist's brush. Beneath the outer gown of stiff, heavy silk, a gathered underskirt in a claret-hued fabric with a softer drape flows to the woman's leather-clad feet. The chemise that peeks out beneath the low, square neckline of her gown is a deep merlot hue that contrasts with her pale skin. The large ruby around her neck is cut in an elongated pear shape.]
Livia Sintanhali Faendryl has deep roots among Emporion weavers and milliners. Her styles are popular among Emporion traders who demand versatility and novelty in their fashions. Emporion merchants often travel, and layered garments work well in any clime. Layers of rich fabric are a sign of prosperity, and the flowing sleeves and full pleated styles of Sintanhali robes and gowns speak eloquently of wealth. Panniers, corsets, and other means to add drama and symmetry to the silhouette also define Sintanhali style.
Silks and velvets show not only that one can afford the garments, but also the staff to care for them. Thus, this fashion house dresses certain high-ranking Clerisy and Rachis as well, and at least one of the Patriarch's wives has a special fondness for Livia's gowns.
Aulaine Gallius Faendryl's designs draw from the desert itself with rare skins and hides, linen, and cotton in natural hues. Recently, the venerable house has taken a decidedly martial turn with battle-ready styles. Leather accented with metal, rigid boning that evokes armor, and an overall minimalist aesthetic represent the house of Gallius.
[The image in this plate is of a dark-skinned Faendryl man, gaunt and sharp as a blade, dressed in dun-colored linen beneath a close-cropped black jacket. His black leather trousers have a subtle pebbled texture. The fabric of his linen undershirt rises high at his neck in a folded cowl that looks as though it could be pulled over his face if he chose. The inner surface of the cowl is lined in a deep lapis lazuli silk.]
Once in training as a Palestra Blade herself, Aulaine Gallius saw a need for practical fashion that other houses did not meet. Timeless and durable, Gallius' styles coordinate seamlessly with armor and indeed sometimes serve as light armor themselves in oiled leather and metal accents. Embossing, cutwork, and other details are hallmarks of the house's mastery of leather, and exotic skins as accents pay homage to traditional Faendryl styles, fitting for a house that is approaching its third millennium.
Gallius designs are popular among the Armata and Rachis, of course, but they also have a devoted clientele among the Agrestis who admire their classic lines and durability. Members of the Extrachthonic Cartographers Guild have embraced this house as well.
While other houses focus on luxurious fabrics or practical elegance, Sauvere delights in highlighting the wearer's form with wispy, revealing designs. Fine lace and mesh are a playful take on illusion and coverage, a departure from the gauzy but more substantial designs of centuries past. Sauvere aficionados sometimes combine the delicate styles with other designers to adapt them to a cooler climate.
[The illustrated plate depicts a slim, dusky-skinned Faendryl woman against a dark background that shows the filmy layers of her gown's moonlight-pale chiffon to their best advantage. Lace gathers like seafoam at the gown's bodice and trails down its front, leaving the sides mostly bare of ornamentation. Her alabaster sandals are lace to her knees, and her silver hair is unbound.]
As an air mage, Cinerin Sauvere Faendryl hoped to capture something of the ethereal nature of her elemental affinity in her designs. Her chosen palette of paler hues complements both dark-skinned and very fair Faendryl, and most of the house's modern designs are distinctly feminine, although vintage Sauvere robes in linen are still greatly prized by their male owners. Unconstructed garments that get their shape from a few judicious darts or belts and hip-chains are house hallmarks as well.
Unlike many houses that still follow the guiding hand of their original designers, Sauvere no longer has Cinerin at its head as the artist died tragically young, just short of her five hundredth birthday. Fiselle Sauvere Faendryl now leads this house.
Enshrouded in minimalist linens, velvets, and silks, Vielte embodies what many perceive as Faendryl fashion. Whether in sweeping robes or slim column gowns, black is the staple hue of any Vielte collection, often accented with despanal or emerald tones. The house tends to alternate from decade to decade between heavy embellishment and a more minimalist style.
[The model's alabaster skin and silvery hair seem to glow with an inner light against the penumbra of black tulle and bourde surrounding her in this illustrated plate. The only color in the image are in the model's matte red lips and the scattering of teardrop garnets on her necklace. Her low-cut gown is obscured beneath a tightly laced bodice in ebon satin, and her voided velvet wrap bears a subtle ivy pattern.]
Anselis Vielte Faendryl draws his inspiration from the sorcery and necromancy he studies, incorporating these themes into his designs with an eye to pleasing his Clerisy and Emporion clientele. The natural world is another favorite theme, particularly when it involves poisonous plants or venomous creatures. Those who enjoy Vielte fashions often cite the designer's dry sense of humor as part of the house's charm, finding whimsy in wearing images of what they summon or animate.
Vielte fashions are especially popular among Diaspora Faendryl, many of whom find the bright themes and primary colors of local fashions distressingly simple. A Vielte wrap in spidersilk-embroidered velvet lends a certain gravity to a plain wool gown and homespun linen chemise.
While fashion houses are the norm in New Ta'Faendryl, those in the diaspora must sometimes make do with approximations. Merchants who tailor clothing can borrow something of the look of a Sintanhali gown or a Vielte shroud even if the original is not available. Faendryl designers in great and small houses serve as guides.
Local designers and their unique styles or fabrics, such as plumille or flyrsilk, can also blend beautifully with traditional Faendryl fashion. Choosing one piece as the focal point of an outfit and building on it with accessories that fit the local culture is a high art among Emporion traders. Similarly, using traditional fabrics in styles such as an atanika or bliaut is an elegant way to proclaim one's Faendryl roots.
Of course, there are also those who believe they choose clothing over fashion, eschewing any house's signature look. This too is influenced by the very designers who define style, however. Fashion makes a statement even for those who push against it, and a conscious choice to be less concerned with appearances is still a choice. Every color, every fabric, every silhouette represents a designer's imperative, translated by clothiers and local tailors.
Fashion is more than mere vanity. It speaks to one's position in life, her role, and her view of herself. By understanding more of Faendryl fashion and the houses that define it, it is possible to understand more about those who wear it.
My sincerest thanks to Eiliriel Leilatha Faendryl, without whom this work could never have been written and whose personal style is always impeccable.
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OOC notes about real world inspirations:
Sintanhali = Madame Grès, Alexander McQueen
Naerdrim = no particular designer, but Thierry Mugler might fit here
Vielte = dark Victorian and goth aesthetic
Sauvere = Bob Mackie, some Versace, dazzling and revealing
Vellarith = something light and airy but not necessarily showing lots of skin
Cominius = flashy Versace!
Gallius = the high-fashion nod to the traditional robes and similar wear as described in prior lore/culture releases