[Suggested] Guthrie Fashion

Guthrie Fashion

The title is actually a bit of a misdirection; Guthrie fashion is wide and varied. If it’s cloth and it covers, it doesn’t matter how its cut or what its made of, the Guthrie embrace all forms of clothing from scruffy furs to velvet tops, from too tight pants to wide robes.

The key to Guthrie fashion is not the cut or make of the cloth, but the colors and embellishments. And like their Names, Guthrie clothes can be broken down into two types: main and secondary. Main clothing includes: shirts, blouses, vests, leggings, skirts, pants, robes, and dresses. All other clothing/armor is considered secondary, and the rules do not apply to them. The clothing segregation is mostly due to the historical difficulty of finding boots, leathers, undergarments, and armor in a wide assortment of colors, and the expensive cost of dyes.

Colors

The more color, the better! Guthrie believe that the number of colors a person likes is equivalent to the complexity of their personality – and a Guthrie would never wear a color they didn’t like by choice in their main clothing. A Guthrie dressed in a single color in their main clothing is a very dull person, indeed. The average Guthrie wears approximately three different colors in their main clothing.

Exceptions to the color rule are white and black, due to the cultural connotations involved with these colors and their connections with the ultimate direction of a being’s essence after the False Death (often referred to as just Death, like the Name differentiation). A Guthrie dressed solidly in either of these two colors in their main clothing are considered to be touched by the spirit of Phanterra – whether for good or ill. White is regarded in positive connotations to the concepts of freedom, growth, and the continuance of the Essence Cycle (See such legends as “Power of a Name”.). Black is regarded in a negative connotation to the concepts of suppression, entropy, and a breaking of the Essence Cycle (See such legends as “The Last Caravan”.). Due to this, white and black are not an appropriate main color for a Guthrie not touched by the spirit of Phanterra.

Embellishments

Embellishments in the main clothing is a sign of wealth and prosperity – as the fabric quality isn’t actually an indication when it comes to Guthrie. A Guthrie in completely solid colors and simple looking clothes is the poorest and most miserable Guthrie around.

Whether the embellishment is a simple pattern of shading, designs picked out in thread, lace, or beads, or a stitched in feather or nick-knack here or there, the common Guthrie will have at least one to two items of main clothing embellished in some way.

White is a color much desired in the creation of embellishments despite it not being usable as a main color, due to its cultural connotations. Black, however, is highly avoided if at all possible – though considering the amount of black embellishments used by the other races in their clothing, this has become more of a gentle guideline than a fast rule.

Essential Items

As a race almost constantly on the move, there is a wise, ancient piece of advice in their culture: “If you can’t carry it, it’s not worth keeping.” As such, essential items of cultural significance are few and far between and are small enough to be worn on the person or carried in one of their many pockets and pouches.

Coming of Age Pendant – When a Guthrie Comes of Age on their 40th birthday, if not already engaged or married, the Leader of their First Family (or the Caravan Head of a nearby Caravan should they be traveling) will bestow a necklace upon them, with a large pendant being a representation of the Guthrie’s First Family Caravan Name – this could be an artistic representation of the Name, an etching/painting of the Caravan’s Symbol, etc. This necklace is then an indication to fellow Guthrie that the wearer is available for marriage – whether or not the young adult Guthrie decides to display it is their choice.

Memento of Rejoicing – Upon the Death of an acquaintance, friend, or Family member, it is common for a Guthrie to rejoice in the upcoming Rebirth of the departed one’s essence. In a visual display, they take a white cloth and tie it to their person. The placement indicates the relationship of the deceased to the Guthrie: around the neck for Family, around the right wrist for a friend, and around the left wrist for an acquaintance. This observance typically lasts one day at the minimum, though depending on the depth of the relationship of the departed to the Guthrie, the display can last up to a week.