Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Clothes maketh the character?

 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I am trying to decide whether we should tell the fabulous Catriona McPherson that we had cast her as a brilliant and avant-garde Lady Macbeth in the alt-Shakespeare version of the play with...who did we decide? John Cleese or David Tennant as Macbeth?



To go on about it, the absolute cheering and applause that accompanied that crazy suggestion—who suggested it, anyway?—proves only that she’s one of the most hilarious and clever and talented people on the planet. Who, indeed, could absolutely do anything. Even a funny Lady Macbeth.

But we applaud today in her role as herself, the nationally bestselling and multi-award winning author of some of our very very favorite books And to our great delight, she keeps writing more! Including the brand new A GINGERBREAD HOUSE.

But today she’s writing about something completely different than writing: Fashion.

And as it turns out, it is not that different.

 

 Clothes maketh the character?

             By Catriona McPherson

I write a series set in the 30s, where the clothes are a joy to research and describe. (I made myself laugh out loud, writing a scene where my detective is wearing such a soigné gown that she has to eat her supper standing up at the mantelpiece.)

I also write a series set in present-day California with a Fabulous Gay Best Friend, who is a. deeply immersed in fashion and b. without boundaries. (I’m unapologetic about this character, by the way: you might call him a cliché but I know he’s based on my childhood FGBF, Alex, and hardly exaggerated at all.)


But clothes are not usually a major theme in my contemporary psychological thrillers. Until now, in A Gingerbread House.

We meet Ivy Stone en route to an animal welfare meeting on a cold night in February. She’s wearing her warm coat, short boots, and sheepskin mittens. When she gets inside the venue, her concern is how to take her coat off unobtrusively, without joggling anyone. If she doesn’t try, she’s in deeper trouble. She might sweat visibly. And she might catch cold when she goes back out. I do describe Ivy’s character in terms other than clothes as well, but I’m not sure I needed to.

Martine McAllister is a free-lance grant-writer, working at home, for herself. She has made the one black suit she wears to meetings last for years, with careful storage and the expensive dry-cleaning option. Which is not to say she doesn’t care about her appearance. She’s proud of the fact that she can tuck a fitted shirt into the waistband of her pencil skirt and let the world see the body her gym membership buys her. At a genealogy club event, she silently judges the other people her age: the men who think leaving their football tops untucked hides their beer guts; the women who think the draping on the front of their cold-shoulder tops is flattering.

When Laura Wade is invited to a party, there’s a lot to think about. She’s forty and reluctantly single. She thinks costume jewelry, fun for youngsters, is humiliating at her age. She has bought herself a pair of diamond stud earrings but she worries that any diamonds she wears just make that ring finger look even emptier. And she can’t wear her twenty-first-birthday pearls to parties anymore. That’s pitiful. They’re only good for jeans and cardi days now. What she does know is that her dress will be colourful. She won’t signal to the world that she’s given up. She won’t be caught dead in anything black and little.

When a man (okay the one I married but he still counts) read the draft of this, he said “I have known you for a hundred and eighty years, Catriona. And you’re not exactly reserved. But I still can’t wrap my head round what it’s like to be a woman.” I think that was a compliment.

So I want to check with the JR extended family.

 Even though I over-react on paper for a living, this is what it’s like to be a woman, isn’t it? Whether you’re the judger or the judged, the draper or the gym-babe, this really is the world we still live in, fret over, plan for, seethe about . . .

My heroine-protagonist lives slightly outside it, though. Tash Dodd is the heir to a transportation empire built by her dad, Big Garry. BG Solutions, BG Connections and BG Europe have branded polo-shirts and sweat-shirts and Tash lives in them. Paired with stretchy jeans that are comfortable while driving a van. It was strange to write a character who had none of herself invested in how she looked or what she wore. It forced me to pay much closer attention to all her other attributes in order to find the core of who she was. (Can you tell I’m a pantser?)

Without giving anything away, the clothes in this book are not only emblems of character, however. They’re also directly responsible for the second biggest twist. I’m really proud of it and I know my female ancestors would be too. No more hints though.

Then there was the wardrobe moment I threw in just for fun, because it happened in real life and it still makes me laugh. At a book festival in Kirkcudbright one time, the bookseller told me to go over to the tent and ask her husband where my signing stock was. “I’ve never met your husband,” I said. “He’s an off-duty copper,” she said back. I went to the tent and there he was, hilariously enough. “Officer Chadband?” I asked him. He rolled his eyes and said, “God’s sake! I’ve told her to stop doing that.” Tee-hee.

So, in A Gingerbread House, I have Tash think “I need to speak to a polis” and look over her shoulder from where she’s sitting at a bar, only to spot a burly man in a Kangol golf jersey and well-pressed jeans, right there for her to go and talk to.


So that’s my Edith Head impersonation, as it pertains to A Gingerbread House. I’ve learned that clothes don’t have to be fabulous to be a ton of fun to write.

That said, some of my top booksy clothes (or clothesy books) are fabulous with a capital “Dahhhhling”. (Nancy Mitford is probably my go-to clothes writer.) Who are yours, Jungle Reds? I’d love to find out if we share favourites.

And of course, if you clue me into something brand-new . . . there’s always room on the TBR shelf for more.


HANK: Cold shoulder tops. GOT to be the worst fashion thing ever. But that’s just me. Fashion in books—well, The Devil Wears Prada, certainly! And Gatsby, with his beautiful shirts. What about you, Reds and readers? Has an outfit ever telegraphed exactly who a character is?




National-bestselling and multi-award-winning author, Catriona McPherson, was born in Scotland and lived there until immigrating in 2010. She writes historical detective stories set in the old country in the 1930s, featuring gently-born lady sleuth Dandy Gilver. After eight years in the new country, she kicked off the comic Last Ditch Motel series, which takes a wry but affectionate look at California life. She also writes a strand of contemporary psychological thrillers. A GINGERBREAD HOUSE is the latest of these. Kirkus said, “a disturbing tale of madness and fortitude that grabs the attention form page 1”.


Catriona is a member of MWA, CWA, Society of Authors, and a proud lifetime member and former national president of Sisters in Crime. www.catrionamcpherson.com

94 comments:

  1. Okay, Catriona, I have to admit I laughed out loud when I read the detective was wearing a gown that forced her to eat her supper standing up at the mantelpiece . . . . I can’t wait to read the rest of the story . . . .

    I’m not a fan of cold-shoulder tops, either, Hank . . . I have no idea who thought that could possibly be something we’d actually want to wear.
    I’m a fan of comfy clothes and, although there are some things I wish I could wear, I’m content with being comfortable.
    I do enjoy reading stories where fashions are part of the telling of the tale . . . .

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    1. The pandemic has revealed THE practical feature of cold shoulder tops: ease of getting that vaccine shot in the arm. Other than that this style has no useful purpose.

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    2. I figured cold shoulder tops were just some weird modern twist on all the dagging and slits and other nonsense designers have lumbered us with since at least the Renaissance. Fit companions for pre-distressed jeans with all the unearned holes in the knees.

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    3. I always feel like such a fogey for complaining about these things, but they're just--unflattering, so WHY??

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    4. I sort of get the cold-shoulder top: however you feel about other bits of your body, the top of your shoulder is usually much the same as it always was. But like bat-wings, cowl-necks and mullet-hems, they must become a real hassle when you try to put a coat on on top of them. I do think Elizabeth has cracked their current true purpose, though!

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    5. When I got my first covid shot I said something to the nurse about 'if only I had a cold-shoulder top.' Otherwise, a totally ridiculous 'fashion' trend unless you are a young teen-ager and I'm not even convinced it works then. But an overweight 40 something woman who works as a reception in an office and meets people all day long? No.

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  2. Oh, hooray! Two votes for no cold shoulders. I am trying to think of more stories where fashion is important… How about… Vera? You can’t picture her any other way but in that outfit, right?

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  3. Being a guy, I don't tend to pay attention to clothes, in real life or on a character. However, I have noticed that it is the kind of detail Sue Grafton used to expertly. She'd create a character in just a few sentences, including clothes, and you'd know exactly who they were.

    I just finished one of Diane Vallere's fabulous Madison Night mysteries, and her clothes definitely make her as well. I can't imagine Madison in anything other than vintage 60's apparel.

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  4. Of course I love this entire post, Catriona, and I'm excited I get to pick up my copy of A Gingerbread House today.

    That said, I have questions: Are booksy clothes the ones you wear to author events? (If so, yes the clothes you wear to conferences are fabulous.) Also, there are CLOTHES WRITERS? Is that like being a food writer?

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    1. She does wear fabulous clothes! SO many dresses!

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    2. Aw, thank you, you two. I'll always regret not buying multiples of my book-print dress in various sizes to dish out at Malice. (Can you see me under the escalator, selling them for cash out of a suitcase, one eye open for board members coming to move me on?)

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  5. First of all, I claim casting Catriona as Lady MacBeth, along with John Cleese. I'm not sure she was all that pleased with her co-star, but at least he's taller than she.

    Last night I picked up Stephen King's newest, BILLY SUMMERS. He spends a lot of time costuming his characters, which is an integral part of their personality. I don't recall this in his previous books so much. In the present one, it stands out.

    This is important to me I think. In A GINGERBREAD HOUSE, the careful dressing of the characters painted a picture of their humanness. But you must read it and see.

    Fangirl that I am, I've read everything Catriona has managed TO write in the past 20+ years. Of course I have favorites -- THE DAY SHE DIED, THE CHILD GARDEN, THE (ahem) MIRROR DANCE, and that completely hysterical and mind-blowing REEK OF RED HERRINGS.

    For a different sort of treat, try Catriona McCloud -- GROWING UP & STRAIGHT UP. I think these are written by her very talented red headed cousin. They are joyful and were a bit ahead of the times when written.



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    1. Oops, I forgot to say welcome to Jungle Red. It's been a while. Have a seat, a cup of whatever, and enjoy. xo














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    2. This is Ann That darn Finta came out of the woodwork again. Maybe I forgot to take my morning tablets.

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    3. Ann, it must be exhausting to have such an impish alter!

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    4. You never know what Finta is going to do.

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    5. I thought it was you, Ann. I think I can still remember some of her lines from high school - a few of them were toe-curling to say out loud in a roomful of teenage boys. Shudder.

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  6. Welcome Catriona! Great post! I do notice what characters wear and have observed that even Harry Bosch and Jack Reacher get dressed on the page. However, I love it when there is some ritual involved so give us the aristocracy and a dresser once in a while. The funniest clothes scenes are written by JRW's own Rhys in Her Royal Spyness books, if you want to laugh (or cry) with Georgie. Not only is her maid criminally inept, but when Georgie tries to model one of Belinda's designer creations and gets tangled in the dress, well...enough said.

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    1. Of course! There's nothing like an inept (Georgie) or bossy (Dandy) maid for getting some extra oomph into clothes scenes.

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  7. Welcome, Catriona! I ordered my copy of A GINGERBREAD HOUSE last night.

    I think the clothes a character wears - or how they think about clothes - definitely says a lot about them. Neat? Tailored? Designer? Sloppy? It all says something.

    Hank, make that three votes against cold-shoulder tops.

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    1. Thank you, Liz! I hope you enjoy it. I'm even interested in how a character stores their (okay her) clothes. I'm fascinated by people who do the whole, season-changing, dry-clean and vacuum-pack thing. (Like Laura, in A Gingerbread House.)

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  8. Great to meet you Catriona, I am a great fan of fashion though not built to wear it. No standing at the mantelpiece for me thanks. The writer who sprang immediately to mind is Dorothy Sayers. She has Harriet Vane in Gaudy Night describe her fellow alums dress disasters as well as her own careful choice to wear under her academic robe. Her friends make comments on the degree colors of the Oxford robes too. Then in Busmans Honeymoon there is the cloth of gold wedding dress. How could her marriage to Peter not work? Even Bunter approves her dress sense.

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    1. Perfect example. I dressed as Harriet Vane at a Crimebake costume party. Tweed suit with midi skirt, cloche hat, pearls, sensible but elegant shows, and a fur coat over my shoulders. It was SO much fun to wear.

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    2. Oh yes! I particularly loved when Harriet had a great interest in clothes but no money to indulge it - pretty sure that DLS herself talking. And that reunion is heart-breaking, isn't it? All those women trying and hardly any of them hitting it?

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  9. Celia, I'm with you on Harriet Vane's "cloth of gold" wedding dress. Did she carry mums?

    I find the social media posts on the royal family hilarious, particularly when the Queen wears a raincoat with a silk scarf on her head to visit her horses, and it's written in the same manner as "Kate wore a name designer coat and styled her hair in bouncy waves."

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    1. Yes, aren't they all Hermes scarves?

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    2. Ha! Yes "Her Majesty finished off the look with Hunter wellingtons in gunk-green."

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  10. Cold shoulder tops! Yikes. So not a fan.

    Catriona, I love your description of the standing detective. Hilarious. I don't think too much about my own clothes - casual and appropriate to the season are about as far as I go these days. My critique partners often remind me to dress my characters - since they live in Florida, clothing is minimal in some seasons. It's a work in progress and I often don't fill in those blanks until the second draft.

    Does anyone else remember Katherine Woodiwiss? She wrote amazing period romances in the 70s and 80s, and maybe later. Her day job before she started writing was wardrobe mistress for movies, I think. Her attention to clothing details was magnificent, and always subtle.

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    1. Oh, I do remember the name--though not sure I read any. yes, wardrobe mistress would be a wonderful background...

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    2. That's a new on for me, but I just opened another window to look at some of her covers. That lush white satin on THE WOLF AND THE DOVE is gorgeous! I was always fascinated by the wardrobe choices on Sex and the City. Some of them were . . . well, I don't think I got it.

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  11. Hi, Catriona: I laughed our loud and nodded my head while reading this. It all makes sense to me! We can use clothes as another way to describe character - my mother-in-law wore high heels until her 90's and had her hair done every week until she could no longer get herself to the salon! (not fiction) - and besides, it's fun. Right now, I am writing a character who has earned her education and career through hard work and ability, and disguises her inner imposter by -you guessed it - careful attention to clothes. Her costumes.Her armor. Ring a bell with anyone else? I didn't plan it; it just seemed a natural reaction.

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    1. Yes, her armor. Charlie McNally actually realized that in one book--and dumped her blazer and shirt for a cashmere dress. A big moment. xoxo

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    2. It's fascinating to me that the once-a-week-at-the-hairdresser habit seems to have come back into fashion. I do wonder, though, how come the blow-outs don't get wrecked when people lie down on them to sleep, even with a sleep bonnet. Not a problem for your mother-in-law and the rest of her generation: I was a Saturday shampoo girl in the 80s when some of those wonderful dames were still getting their weekly set, and I'd have backed the hair-do over the pillow any day. It wasn't even a contest.

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    3. No problem for senior Mrs. Stein. Her pale (bottle) blond hair was sprayed to resemble wire. And she never gave up on convincing both me and her own daughter that our naturally-graying hair needed to be colored.

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  12. I confess that I tend to skim over descriptions of what characters are wearing. The exception is historical novels, when I feel that it’s a learning experience to read what people wore in another era. As for myself, I would rather be comfortable than fashionable.

    DebRo

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    1. Oh, that is SO interesting! I am kid of carful to indicate what the person is wearing--not SAYING so,"she wore this and this and this," but tucking it in. "She picked a bit of lint from her black sweater."

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    2. Exactly, Hank. I try not to serve paragraphs of straight description about clothes. There is an author - successful, known to us all, unlikely to stop by JR today, though - who always describes what every male character is wearing. Even though every male character is always wearing a blue button-down shirt and khakis. It cracks me up.

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    3. Catriona - I think I've read that author! And men do just as much presentation and social signaling with their clothes as women do - I just don't think they're, as a whole, as aware of it as women.

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    4. Clearly I am not "kind of careful" about proofreading....

      And now you have me REALLY thinking about that author...

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  13. No fashion plate here, but I do have some background in costuming, and I have definitely dressed to make a specific impression on specific occasions. Usually when I need to rake somebody over the coals, or avoid being so raked myself. The right clothes and the right attitude can save me worlds of annoyance.

    Ah, but along with the pandemic came "soft" clothes. I now have more pairs of yoga pants than I do dress pants for work. I hope I never have to go back to office wear. Although, I have to admit, I do enjoy looking at handsome men in well-tailored suits . . .

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    1. Soft clothes! We'll have to talk about that. Typing now..watch this space on Saturday.

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    2. Yes, Gigi! When I sold insurance, decades ago, I wore heels to bring my eyes up higher to the level of the men I most often dealt with. And suits because that's what men wore then.

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    3. Am I the only one who has kept wearing exactly the same clothes throughout the time at home? Dresses, in my case. I did do a Zoom when I had a hoodie on and Lori Rader-Day almost took the vapours, till I stood up and showed her I was wearing a skirt with it.

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    4. *Julia waves hand* I have. But that's because I've been working from home for 20 years now, and for most of that time I had kids in school. I learned quickly to dress like a real grownup the first time I got a call from the school nurse to pick up my child and had to dash around the bedroom, pulling on clothing. Since then, it's been my usual uniforms for winter and summer, right though the pandemic - I've even put on earrings every day!

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    5. No yoga pants for me, either. Same jeans and shirts I've always worn, or turtleneck sweaters in cold weather.

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  14. Hiya, Catriona! It's always a good day when you have a new book, and especially when you visit JRW!

    Two very good friends must have owned several cold-shoulder tops/dresses each. I often compliment others on clothing, but not those.

    Dorothy Sayers joined the PG Wodehouse tradition of describing male clothing. I was fascinated by Bunter's sartorial editorial comments. They, along with those from Bertie and Jeeves, sketch very different characters. A couple years ago I found a pair of authentic canvas spats in the attic. If you ever need to describe spats I can take photos for you!

    Our book club recently read Carson McCullers' The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. You can see the arcs of various characters through descriptions of their clothing. The young girl who goes from a knee-scraped tomboy in shorts to coltish young womanhood in dresses. The downward spiral of the neatly dressed Black doctor to disarray, and his primly decked out daughter who becomes almost slatternly. Masterful descriptions.

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    1. Spats! We can laugh but you never know, they might come back. And I agree about Bunter - the invisible stripe is one of his, isn't it? (And now, to open another window and check out Carson McCuller . . .)

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  15. Thank you, Jungle Reds, for having me back to visit again. Yes, I did hear - from, Ann/Finta, I think - that I had been cast as Lady M and I am *in*. At least, like everyone else, I've got the obsessive hand-washing down pat after this last while. Cx

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    1. Oh and I just remembered. When I heard I had been cast, I shouted the news through to my husband (still working at home). His reply was a pause and then "No comment". Ha ha!

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  16. Oh, such fun! And I too love the dresses Catriona wears to the mystery conventions -- I think you told me once you had 71 dresses, though that number is probably way behind the times. And I had maybe 7 and was proud of myself.

    Elizabeth George's Helen was a character some readers loved and others loved to hate, but there's no debating the descriptions of her clothing, always subtly perfect, just made her. She had a bit of a shoe fetish, though, shared with her maid, and that quirk was fun. I remember reading a financial thriller by a man a few years ago and wondered what beta reader he was responding to when the male narrator described what every character was wearing. Really, Mr. Thriller? Have you ever met a man? And why describe what you yourself are wearing, when it was always jeans and a black cashmere turtleneck?

    Congrats on the new book, Catriona! Although I do wonder about that woman wearing sheepskin anything into an animal rights meeting . . .

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    1. Hey, Julia -- I had a booth at the local Festival of the Arts this weekend, and a reader raved to me about your books! She adores Clare. Got real boggle-eyed when I told her I knew you. :)

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    2. Cats Protection League. It never crossed my mind, but I wonder if it *would* be a problem.Hmmmmm.

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  17. Clothes absolutely maketh the man, and the woman, too. If you let other characters notice what someone is wearing, you give the readers insight into both. One of my personal favorites was when the Rev. Clare Fergusson met with a "casually dressed" lawyer, and thought, "her shoes cost as much as Clare's first car, and her sweater looked like it was hand knit by Swiss nuns."

    I don't do a lot of clothing description in my books, but I have fun with the info I include.

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    1. I remember that comment, Julia, especially the knitting nuns part!

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    2. I agree absolutely - everything is better filtered through characters' thoughts.

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  18. Y'all really, really need to look into Moira Redmond's blog Clothes in Books. This is exactly the kind of thing she loves to dissect.

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    1. I've been lucky enough to be featured on Moira's blog - the illustrations she finds are always sumptuous!

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  19. How I have enjoyed reading all of these comments, Catriona and I look forward to reading the books. Some thing I have noticed about certain authors, not naming names, but they tend to clothe their characters a certain way. I can almost guarantee that certain, well-loved author will mention suede shoes at least once in a book. That always stops me and I have to remember a pair of shoes I loved years ago.

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    1. I've got two pairs of winkle-picker-toed, kitten-heeled suede shoes (one red, one black) that Ive been wheeling out at formal events for over a decade now. I remember gulping at the cost when I bought them (LK Bennett)but in price per wear, I think they're paying me by now.

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  20. Hi Catriona! You are such a tease. Now I absolutely have to find out what happens to these characters in The Gingerbread House. Oh, and I think you should challenge us to pronounce Kirkcudbright:-)

    I'm always bemused when in British novels, one character (usually male) can instantly describe another character's suit as "bespoke." And shoes as "handmade." On closer examination, maybe, but instantly?

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    1. Debs,

      If I was translating this into Sign Language, I probably would sign "church" fingrspell C-U-D then sign "bright". I think "kirk" is a Scottish word for "church"?

      Diana

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    2. Ha! One of my favourite lines from the sublime Dinnerladies is Bren (Victoria Wood) saying she'd never move to Scotland because everywhere is spelled Ecclefechan and pronounced Kirkcudbright. And she got the pronunciation bang-on: Kir-COO-bry.

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    3. YOu know, that's true, Debs. You can see "expensive" and well-fitting, but bespoke? MHmm. very interesting!

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  21. It's always fun when Catriona is here, or anywhere for that matter. She could totally do Lady Macbeth, especially a funny one. In fact, I am imagining a one-woman show with Catriona doing her take on different literary characters. Of course, that would take away from her writing, and that can't happen.

    Catriona, congratulations on A Gingerbread House. You already know how much I loved it from my review, but here's the thing. I keep thinking of more that I should have said or expounded upon. I deliberately didn't discuss the individual characters much because I wanted readers to experience this amazing book without any preconceived notions of mine. However, the women in the book deserve much attention and discussion, including their clothes. Maybe that's a dish best served cold, a discussion after the heat of the initial reading. (Hahaha! I really couldn't help myself there, so just pretend it was clever and move on.) But, now that you've opened up the discussion to the clothes that Ivy, Martine, and Laura wear in the book, I see how it adds to the intrigue for those who haven't read the book yet. And, although Tash doesn't care much about her clothes, she does have to think about clothes when she takes on some other personas later. And, oh how readers will be thrilled by the part the clothes and the twist play together. You are so brilliant!

    Hank, you mentioning Gatsby's shirts takes me back to the theater where I saw the movie when it came out with two of my guy friends (oh, that was ages ago). We all three made fun of the scene where Gatsby is tossing his shirts around in front of Daisy.

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    1. And this takes me back to the theatre too. (See how I'm glossing right over your fulsome praise? I just can't even.)It was a production of Look Back in Anger. One of the characters was ironing during an argument. At one point she abandons her ironing board to set about the other character. But she leaves the iron face-down on a shirt. Much consternation from at least half of the audience. It was so distracting.

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    2. Catriona, you may gloss over praise, but it will be out there for others to read for eternity. Bwahahaha! I'm betting the director of that movie was a man. I can't imagine a woman allowing an iron to be left in that worrisome position.

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    3. Oh, the iron! Yikes. I would have thought it was about to be a plot point...

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  22. CATRIONA,

    Welcome to Jungle Reds! I look forward to reading A GINGERBREAD HOUSE. My grandmother was the epitome of fashion. And I inherited her beautiful custom made dress that fits me like a glove, though black is not my color. She had olive skin and my skin color is more Celtic pink.

    Off the top of my head, I think of Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear. I love the sartorial descriptions of the clothes in her novels.

    Since I am writing my first novel in progress, I find myself taking a gander at fashion books and pinterest photos of clothes from 1920s Scotland and England. And I think about what my characters would wear. My protagonist would know how to alter clothes to fit her since she has a skilled hand at sewing.

    Diana

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    1. Clothes that fit you perfectly are such a treat. I envy men who can justify the bespoke (see above!) suit. I can hem, patch, sew on a button, and darn - but that's about it. And I can't remember the last time I darned anything.

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    2. Diana, you can make the black dress work for you with a scarf that suits your coloring, I hope!

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    3. I agree, Karen, the black dress can work. Just flaunt it!
      And my whole life was changed by alterations. Yes, if it fits perfectly, it is so different!

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    4. Catriona, that's wonderful about your talents. I remember that many Royal ladies over history knew how to needlepoint and sew. My character will be similar to these Royal ladies but in the early 20th century.

      Karen, yes! At the banquet at the mystery conference, I wore a green scarf that is a good color on me and it worked!

      Hank, I agree with Karen too. I have had to have my clothes altered too. Because my grandmother and I had similar measurements (only difference is that she was 5 feet 9 inches while I'm barely 5 feet 6 inches due to childhood meningitis), her custom made dress fit me like a glove. She had the funds to pay for a designer who designed her clothes. Lucky me. That dress was made before I was born! And it still is in excellent condition.

      Diana

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  23. One of the things I really disliked about Parker's Spenser books was the amount of time he spent describing his and Hawk's clothes. I wouldn't mind so much but he was such a label-ho. I think Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick does a wonderful job with describing her Burning Cove series high end thirties look. I truly love clothes (got it from my mom who actually wore a suit on an alligator boat tour), but at least I have no problem with the bag lady look when I'm home. The pandemic, my age, and barely working has curtailed my wearing of interesting clothes and bummed me out.

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    1. Oh, a suit on an alligator boat tour--Catriona's exact point! Perfect.

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    2. I do wonder how "brand as adjective" descriptions will last. I remember reading about a Schiaparelli jacket in LOVE IN A COLD CLIMATE and being mystified.

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  24. I've been writing mysteries set in the 1920s lately, and sometimes I get so immersed in the fashion research that I end up wasting two hours and forget what I'm actually supposed to be doing. Was there a more beautiful fashion trend than the Deco styles of the 20s and 30s? I love describing the underwear, too. Bring on the camiknickers!

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    1. SO gorgeous, sodrapey and slinky. But I wonder. Were those dresses fun to wear?

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    2. If you had the figure for them - flat-chested and who care's about a waist - it must have been lovely to find yourself suiting the new fashion all of a sudden. While it lasted1

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  25. Short descriptions help to differentiate characters in books, as in real life. ;-)
    Hank's mention of cold shoulder tops (what a concept) reminded me of a friend's story of her big, bearded husband shopping for one on his way home because his daughter wanted one -- what a great dad! <3

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  26. That story has converted me to being a fan of the cold-shoulder top.

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    1. You are a braver woman than I am! I'll just be a fan of the dad.
      Thank you dear Catriona!! You are such a treasured pal! xxxx

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  27. Deeeeelightful post, Catriona! A pleasure to have you here as always!

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    1. Well, I had Gandalf's number as soon as I read the description of his hat and robes. And when the film version of the Tolkien books came out, I spent a lot of time imagining Aragorn and Legolas without any clothes at all. Does that count?

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