#Lore24 – Entry #83 – Fantasy Month #23 – Restrictive Fashions within the Empire
From the journal of Angeliqua “Goldeneyes” Cartacustos:
I am hardly the best person to ask when it comes to what fashions are popular in the upper echelons of Imperial society, but can offer some commentary on the subject, at least from an outside, more historical perspective. I do hope that Mother’s not planning on an overly elaborate naming day gift…
As I have spent the vast majority of my life within and adjacent to the Great Library, I have personally encountered little in the way of Imperial high fashion, though there are plenty of historical accounts of such shifting trends throughout history. Though it is the kerryn slave who usually must wear the most revealing, degrading, and impractical clothing, there are periods in which the nobility, perhaps for lack of anything better to do, or simply because they are easily convinced to go along with the ridiculous notions of a silver-tongued bard, get it into their heads to emulate slave outfits and accessories into their clothing styles.
Current trends, as I was told by two merchants who regularly travel into the capital and by General Kormides during his visit to the Library, are for extremely tight-fitting clothing, restricted ability to walk or even breathe, and extremely gaudy and expensive jewelry. Corsets are commonplace currently, the tighter they fit and the smaller the waist the better. Those at the extreme, bleeding edge of this fashion trend likewise make use of neck corsets, essentially ridiculously restrictive versions of posture collars. Perhaps the nobility are truly created differently, for surely they must have another method of breathing than regular humans such as myself. I cannot imagine why they would willingly wear such things.
Further, the hobble dress is in style currently, coinciding with the attempts to suffocate themselves. While most are composed of the finest silks fashioned in the tightest possible way, requiring the wearer to wiggle into them an inch at a time, I am told that heavier, more restrictive leather versions of these dresses are growing more popular, as they can be made even more restrictive through the use of reinforcing straps and tight, stout lacing, not unlike a corset for the legs. As if that wasn’t enough, extremely tall and impractical high-heeled shoes and boots are coming into the scene as well, reducing the steps of the wearer to as small and dainty as possible while they struggle to breathe and stand upright at all. One of the merchants laughed quite heartily as he recounted the tale of one noblewoman who required two kerryn slaves to assist her in walking through her own great hall during a party she had hosted, a feat that took some fifteen minutes in his estimation.
The accessories to these ridiculous outfits are just as silly, emulating the shackles and collars of the common kerryn slave, but made of gold and silver and set with jewels and locking into place. Some wear chains with these collars and cuffs as well, fine gold or silver chains, of course, nothing too common. The merchant who recounted the tale of the inchworm noblewoman also recounted seeing a particular collar that resembled a steel gorget, but was fashioned out of jeweled gold; said nobleman was also required to have assistance from a pair of slaves to move about because of the weight.
Historically speaking, such strange fashion trends have come and gone with time, some coming back around, others mixing and matching features from one trend or another. I cannot say with certainty what causes these to occur beyond what I have speculated earlier, though perhaps the ease at which these trends get started may indicate when those who hold power within the Empire are particularly susceptible to suggestion and more likely to support more drastic measures? It is a correlation that perhaps I will need to research more to see what major decrees or events occurred around these times. Maybe there are even divine influences at work here; I would imagine a goddess such as Yurisaya would very much enjoy seeing such fashions at play, given what her most devoted clergy often wear, and some accounts of those picked by her (usually in answer to a poorly worded prayer) to be “blessed”.
Regardless, I shall not be making any attempts to ingratiate myself into noble society anytime soon if this kind of silliness is what goes on regularly. I’d not be caught dead in such attire, though sadly I can all too easily imagine that cursed staff of Lady Houslin’s conjuring some restraint that mimicked these fashions.