Lorath Fashion

Lorath fashion is a diverse subject, largely able to be defined by caste and by social position. Gender meanwhile does play a role, but one which is largely locked into the customs and religious ideals of the Lorath as species.

Generally, in all castes aside from the Occhestian, the female stands as a dominant force within both domestic and professional settings. Fyunnen glamorize the female form while paying little credit to the male form. Lmanel are known to give a mutual recognition to the traits of both men and women, however, style often tends to favor the female in regard to craftsmanship, elaboration, and quality. Within the Occhestian culture however, a modesty is established amongst both men and women, however, men within the caste often are seen with more decoration to their traditional garb. Universally, it should be noted, that an incorporation of some form of 'neck covering', such as a scarf, collar, or choker is worn, since the neck is considered to be an area of intimacy.

Within the Fyunnen caste, the traditional style largely leans in the direction of utility, while accentuating the concepts of maternity amongst females. Skirts and slacks are designed with a cut which accentuates the features of the hips and thighs, in a display kin to the accentuation of the shoulders as seen in cultures with a patriarchal structure. While the cuts of these garments are designed to accentuate, and fit well to the form, function also remains essential; pockets for example must remain large enough for practical use, while skirts must be designed to incorporate a pocket, and also must be cut to prevent restriction of movement. Skirts which are snug to the point of preventing ease of movement, or which ride up with ease, are considered garments suited for women which are attempting to 'bait' a mate, or, are suitable for women which are seen as distinctively dominant. This can easily be compared to occasions in which males of other cultures wear pants which accentuate features beneath the belt, or shirts which fit snug.

Cuts of jackets, shirts, and blouses are designed to accentuate the features of the female as well, even amongst the more muscularly robust Fyunnen females, an emphasis is placed upon a presentation of feminine contour, such as drawing more attention to the contour of the neck and shoulder, as opposed to drawing attention to the sheer width of the shoulder. Often, shirts, blouses, jackets, and other attire designed to cover the upper body are designed to provide support to the bust, while not producing 'lift'. Most garments produce a 'sports bra' like effect in regard to support. Civilian Fyunnen females are often known to avoid any 'compression' of their bust through garments, desiring to display the genuine size of their bust. Fyunnen in military service however do wear garments which compress, for the sake of reducing movement and decreasing their target profile.

A key feature of all Fyunnen female attire is that they are crafted to remain 'rugged'. Delicate attire is rarely worn, if ever. Pants, even if cut to fit close to the skin, are comprised of durable materials such as thick leather, hard canvas, and durable polymers. Leggings, stockings, mesh garments, and other such damage prone attire are distinctively out of fashion amongst Fyunnen females.

Fyunnen male fashion focuses upon modesty. Pants are cut to remain loose, with wide legs, and baggy hips. Shirts are designed to minimize the accentuation of masculine features, drawing attention away from the arms, pectoral muscles, and abdominal muscles, with cuts that produce an almost 'flowing' or 'puffy' appearance. A cultural root of these features can largely be traced to the impracticality of such garments in regard to day-to-day out of the house functions, with such garments having a tendency to catch or snag upon objects and obstacles, while also providing little to no protection from the elements. Notably, most traditional male attire within Fyunnen culture lacks pockets.

A modern fashion trend within the Fyunnen culture has aimed at a degree of restrictive clothing, which emphasizes the male domestic role. Pants and shorts have been introduced which have been cut in a manner which is restrictive within the inseam of the garment, producing a distinctive discomfort during long striding motions of the legs, and other distinctive exerting movements. This cut also serves to accentuate the features beneath the garment. Due to the tightness of the recent fashion, a kilt-like exterior garment has also come into fashion, for modesty purposes.

A notable misinterpretation which has been common is that 'girlish' features are encouraged amongst submissive Fyunnen males, this however goes against the glamorization of the female form as a sign of power. In truth, males which strive to appear feminine, are seen as attempting to emulate an appearance of dominance within society. This can largely be compared to when Nepleslian females dress in male attire in an attempt to seem more competent or equal to their male peers.

If traditional Lmanel fashion can be described in two words, the words would often be 'Rugged' and 'Rustic'. Amongst both males and females, attire is designed for practical function in most cases, both domestic and professional. Long skirts that are comprised of leather or strong polymer material are common, pleated skirts of wool or synthetic polymer knee-length or greater are also common. However, trousers are more commonly worn than skirts amongst men and women, and are usually comprised of thick canvas, leather, or durable polymers. Shirts, jackets, and blouses are usually comprised of cottons, wool, leather, and synthetic polymers, layered for the purpose of increased durability, while carefully measured and cut to ensure full range of motion.

Traditionalists within the Lmanel caste, often are known to wear leather attire, and the pelts and hides of various animals, as either a display of physical prowess, or a display of communing with the naturalist aspects of the caste, due to this representation, it is considered a fashion faux pas to wear a hide or pelt that was not personally acquired from the animal which it came from. As an extension of tradition, during ceremonial procedures, attire is often minimized. Loincloths are actually a common-place feature of attire within a religious ceremonial setting of the Lmanel, often worn along with a mantle comprised of animal hide, while outside of ceremony, woven dresses of thick loose fitting material are often worn amongst the traditionalists.

A noteworthy feature of Lmanel traditional attire is an accentuation of natural features of both male and female wearers, providing focus on the strength of the arms, legs, and torso. Ample busts are accented, as are strong hips. Accented features are often also linked to the animal in which an individual looks to for spiritual guidance, most especially amongst those which have attained the capability to alter their physical form. Due to the diversity of the animals in which a Lorath can look to for guidance, the presentation of such attire is immensely diverse.

An oddity within Lorath culture, the Occhestian caste of the Lorath places a value upon the masculine. Within Lorath culture, the masculine aspect is often concealed behind loose garb, thus, such garments have become standard amongst both the men and women of the caste, showing an equality in presentation, while embellishments upon the attire worn by males is intended to establish an air of authority or entitlement. Often, such features are seen by females outside of the caste as 'Gaudy' or 'Flamboyant', and are considered examples of the excess and waste which male Lorath are prone to indulge in.

Traditional male garb amongst the Occhestian has a focus upon flowing robes, often designed to build up the appearance of the chest and shoulders in regard to girth, with the intent of making the male form look stronger than it is. Pants are often of a loose fitting cut, or robes are worn over loose fitting leggings. Often, these features of clothing are embellished with elaborate embroidery, small stones, and even painted patterns in some cases. Despite these features which 'trump up' the male appearance, the Lorath culture as a whole views these features as a sign of impulsiveness and whimsy, and often, the Occhestians view these features as a sign of humility in comparison to the practical appearance of their female peers in other castes. Often, religious scholars amongst the Lorath are seen wearing very elaborate attire, embellished in golden threads, gems, and intricate embroidery, with very delicate features.

Outside of the traditional fashion, and most often seen amongst the Occhestians in proper, especially among the very successful males, is a design focused on the practical. Slacks, cotton shirts with collars and conformal sleeves are very common. Pockets are placed upon both the left and right of the chest on most formal shirts worn amongst the successful of the caste, and as a sign of utmost practicality, metallic clasps and buckles are often reserved for attire which is worn by the most nontraditional and the most radical of Occhestians.

Amongst the females of the caste, dress is distinctively similar, even in regard to the radical attire of the non-traditional. What stands as distinctively different is the absence of embellishments in regard to the traditional dress of robes, while the non-traditional utilitarian attire worn amongst the most successful and radical of the caste are often seen with boyish cuts, drawing away from the feminine features of the individual, as a sign of the female having a less dominant role within the Occhestian caste.

With the advancement into space, Lorath attire has taken a shift away from a degree of tradition. Lorath Self Defense Force uniforms stand as a universal symbol; with features that are designed to accent both the aspects of the male and the female. Outfits worn by modernists tend to over sexualize the female form due to a desire to 'fit in' amongst outsiders, while males are seen to be wearing slightly more practical attire due to a need for productivity. Despite these changes, what remains constant largely can be seen in the subtle details; a garishly fancy watch on a male, a practical pair of shoes on a female wearing a form-hugging dress which may leave little to the imagination. These little features remain as a distinctive acknowledgement to tradition, tradition which remains strongly present when a Lorath is not attempting to 'dress up' to fit into the interstellar fashion scene.

Originally conceived by Lady Ill'ia 'Tigress' Re'lian Lmanel, the current trend in Lorath head-wear can best be defined as a conical ornament which may be adorned with tassel, ribbon, tail, or length of hair. In the case of Lady Ill'ia, the original conical head ornament measured six inches in height, was comprised of hammered silver, bound around two lengths of her waist-length hair. It was originally devised as a practical measure to distribute the stress caused upon her scalp by the considerable weight of her unusually thick hair which had been a cause of frequent headaches. Other nobility within the Lorath Matriarchy rapidly adopted the ornament, wishing to claim their take on the ornament was superior by wearing more, or larger ornaments. Eventually, the head-wear became elongated and numerous to the point in which even the caste leaders lacked sufficient hair length to effectively have their hair form a natural tassel to the ornament, at which point artificial adornments were added. With artificial additions to the head-wear, they became increasingly ornate, elaborate, and impractical; a true status symbol for autocratic theocracy.

With the fashion reaching a saturation point, increasing numbers of variations of the fashionable ornament reached the mainstream. Excessive to minimalist, even coming down to mass produced stiff cloth variations of the ornament. Some nobility have opted to wear simplified examples of the ornamental head-wear, as to indicate their humility, or practicality, while also being a part of the fashion trend and appearing in-touch with both the public and the nobility of the Matriarchy.

• Pictured above a political commentary cartoon in response to the trend featured in several local newspapers on Lor.

This page was originally created on 2013/05/08 15:21 by doctomoe.