Fashion in Vavard
Fashion is extremely important in Vavard's appearance-focused culture with much attention paid to clothing and its constantly changing styles. There is a strong societal pressure to keep up with trends and appear fashionable, donning often elaborate and expensive clothing. Compared with other cultures, the Vavardi have much less in the way of typical garments, preferring instead variety and novelty. Nevertheless, some constants do show their way through, in general ideals if not specifics.
The Vavardi ideal prefers a generous figure and soft, curved lines. Garments are designed to accentuate this, built out through layers of cloth rather than rigid structural pieces. Layers are also used heavily as stylistic accents, made visible through differing lengths or splits in the cloth. Various robes are popular with both genders, often as an outer layer, as are sashes, scarves and decorative accents. Full skirts are expected in women's garments, while hose alone are not considered sufficient leg covering for a man. Decorative patterns are realized through extensive embroidery, brocades and painting done directly on silk. Vavard is also especially well-known for its fine, lightweight silks, and these are used as a preferred material wherever possible. Though jewelry is popular, it is expected to accentuate garments, rather than overshadow them, and, as such, pieces tend to be more delicate and detail-oriented than elsewhere.
Fashion changes with the seasons, dictated more by style than the weather, given the mild climate of Vavard, and these stylistic trends present themselves in multitude different ways. Sleeves vary widely in length and shape, as do necklines and waistlines. Varied design motifs and color palettes cycle through popularity. The use of ribbons, feathers, bows, lace and other embellishments are mixed and matched. Outside of the loose, expected guidelines, fashion is considered open for experimentation.
Vavardi fashion is also not constrained by Lithmorran propriety. Though Lithmorran wisdom accuses that the Vavardi take delight in being lewd in their design choices, it would be more accurate to say that exposed arms or deep necklines are simply not considered indecent and are used where the designer feels appropriate. Though hats are sometimes used, it is not considered important to cover the hair, especially with the popularity of extravagant hairstyles and dangling curls. Vavardi house silks are any sort of lightweight silken garment designed for wear in the privacy of the home and geared for comfort. Though they can be revealing and have a reputation for such in Lithmore, the intimacy of such garments is considered to be in their simplicity, designed for the wearer alone rather than appearances presented to the outside world.
As is typical in the Vavardi culture, Vavardi fashion is defined by the wealthy, and the lower classes are left to try and keep up. Among those with some money, trade in second-hand clothing is common, selling the previous season's garments in order to purchase the newest styles. The less money one has, the further behind the popular trends they tend to fall. Many among the lower class also use versatile garments. Women wear multiple skirts of different colors, often all of them that they own, varying in which is worn on top, and then draw the edges of differing layers up under their belt, exposing underlayers or creating a larger poof at the hips. Scarves and sashes which can be worn in many different ways are considered indispensable. Men often have a single fine vest that they can layer over simpler garments like a loose pants and shirt. Cloaks are often designed to be reversible, offering more variety with a single garment.
