History Main / BulletProofFashionPlate

* Explored in the ''Literature/ColdfireTrilogy.'' SmugSnake Gerald Tarrant is always impeccably neat in beautiful clothes, no matter how much mud or char or fire they have to slog through. It soon becomes obvious that he is using magic to maintain his appearance, as he's incredibly vain. There's even one instance in the second book where he's half-dead from overextending his powers, but he still pauses in the middle of enemy territory to use his almost-drained powers to clean himself up.

* Seems to be a trait of Kingsman agents in ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'', the only one to look even slightly dishevelled [[spoiler:is Harry when a HatePlague causes him to get into a brawl with upwards of 70 people. Even then, the result is his hair being a little mussed up]]. Justified in that a Kingsman suit is ''literally'' bulletproof.

* Seems to be a trait of Kingsman agents in ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'', the only one to look even slightly dishevelled [[spoiler:is Harry when a HatePlague causes him to get into a brawl with upwards of 70 people. Even then, the result is his hair being a little mussed up]]. Being undamaged is justified in that a Kingsman suit is ''literally'' bulletproof.

* Played with and lampshaded in ''Film/LastActionHero'', in a scene where Jack Slater falls into a tar pit and emerges completely covered. The camera cuts away briefly as he begins wiping himself off, and when it cuts back a few seconds later he is completely clean. His sidekick remarks that tar sticks to some people.

* Taken UpToEleven by Creator/TonyCurtis' The Great Leslie in ''Film/TheGreatRace'', who survives the biggest pie fight ever filmed without even a single dollop of cream to mess up his perfect white suit. [[spoiler:Until the very end.]]

* In ''Film/ResidentEvil'', Spence spends most of the film wearing a tight t-shirt that doesn't get torn despite fighting against hordes of zombies, nor do his exposed arms ever get scratched. For comparison, Matt and Kaplan get plenty messed up.

Closely related to DirtForcefield as well as BeautyIsNeverTarnished, which is more about the person being damaged than the fashion. Compare ImprobableHairstyle and MagicPants. Such people are often a BadassInANiceSuit. When it is depicted as an explicit [[StockSuperPower superpower]], it becomes MySuitIsAlsoSuper.

* This is actually one of Franchise/{{Superman}}'s many powers; any clothing that touches his skin is as impervious as he is (and in an episode of ''Series/LoisAndClark'', shrinks with him). Only the part that actually ''touches'', though, which is why his cape always gets shredded. In the comics, this is a result of a nearly skin-tight forcefield. During UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} it was because ''everything'' from Krypton was as invulnerable as Superman. One diagram of his Fortress of Solitude had a ceiling mounted, high-powered plasma torch he basically uses as a shower to quickly burn off any grime that gets on his suit.

* Taken UpToEleven by Tony Curtis in ''Film/TheGreatRace'', who survives the biggest pie-fight ever filmed without even a single dollop of cream to mess up his perfect white suit. [[spoiler:Until the very end.]]
* Creator/StevenSeagal used this rather often--it's most noticeable in ''Film/UnderSiege 2'', where he kills dozens of armed terrorists and escapes an exploding train without ever getting a stain on his suit. Despite the fact that at one point he actually gets shot by a sniper rifle.

* The cape of a warden cannot be stained with blood in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', and ClothingDamage is far rarer than direct injury (particularly in the case of Harry's magically armored [[BadassLongcoat leather duster]]). Muck, bruises, cuts, and any gunge on the skin itself, on the other hand, tends to avert this with a vengeance for anyone who's not a high-level [[TheFairFolk magical being]] (especially Harry). For said high-level magical beings, the rule that "if his/her hair is mussed, we're all boned" still holds, and thus plays the entire trope straight for them. One of the less-well-known properties of putting spell defense on clothes is that if they get muddy or gunked up, you can ''throw them in the fire and then scrape off the dried gunk''.

** One of the examples for what the Shtick Perk can do.
** In higher tech worlds a character can also buy special fabrics that shed dirt and sweat instantly.

* This is actually one of Franchise/{{Superman}}'s many powers; any clothing that touches his skin is as impervious as he is (and in an episode of ''Series/LoisAndClark'', shrinks with him). Only the part that actually ''touches'', though, which is why his cape always gets shredded. In the comics, this is a result of a nearly skin-tight forcefield. During UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} it was because ''everything'' from Krypton was as invulnerable as Superman.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' brings us the Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Style, a fighting style that allows you to look refined and dignified at all times, even in the midst of combat. There's also an artifact that makes it so dirt never clings to you and you stay perfectly groomed. It gives a bonus both to social rolls and to rolls to resist disease and the like.

** Bizarrely averted across the Pacific, where ''Franchise/SuperSenti'' costumes are just as damage immune as the Power Rangers but fights that result in a forced Demorph back to civvies attire, there's more visible damage, though even then it tends to be nasty cuts and bruises rather than clothing damage. These injuries tend to last for the remainder of the storyline... especially if it's a cliffhanger.

Closely related to DirtForcefield as well as BeautyIsNeverTarnished, which is more about the person being damaged than the fashion. Compare ImprobableHairstyle and MagicPants. Such people are often a BadassInANiceSuit.

* Most old westerns did this. Franchise/TheLoneRanger never got mussed, despite the fact that his shirt was light blue and his pants were tan. Neither did Gene Autrey or Creator/RoyRogers. Creator/JohnWayne never got mussed, either. In fact, it was so pervasive in westerns that it was parodied in ''Film/TheVillain'' -- Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger is dressed all in white and he still never gets dirty.

* This is actually one of Franchise/{{Superman}}'s many powers; any clothing that touches his skin is as impervious as he is (and in an episode of ''Series/LoisAndClark'', shrinks with him). Only the part that actually ''touches'', though, which is why his cape always gets shredded. In the comics this is a result of a nearly skin-tight forcefield. During UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} it was because ''everything'' from Krypton was as invulnerable as Superman.

* In the MouseWorld ''Comicbook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' pastiche ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11463846/1/The-League-of-Extraordinary-Gentlebeasts The League of Extraordinary Gentlebeasts]]'', Mr [[WesternAnimation/DangerMouse D'angermouse]] travels the London sewers in a white suit. At one point, he notices a single speck of dirt has fallen on it, and brushes it away.

* JustifiedTrope in ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles''. Edna Mode, the ''fabulous'' fashion designer for supers, made the costumes for each superhero bulletproof, rocketproof, fireproof, and adapt to each user's superpower (for example, Violet's costume became invisible when she did). Plus, they're machine-washable and breathe like Egyptian cotton.

* Occurs at the end of ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}''. After the explosion of the marshmallow man, three of the Ghostbusters struggle back to consciousness absolutely COVERED head to toe in marshmallow. Enter Venkman, stage left, almost pristine with a couple small marshmallow spots.

** Bizzarely Averted across the Pacific, where ''Franchise/SuperSenti'' costumes are just as damage immune as the Power Rangers but fights that result in a forced Demorph back to civvies attire, there's more visible damage, though even then it tends to be nasty cuts and bruises rather than clothing damage. These injuries tend to last for the remainder of the storyline... especially if it's a cliffhanger.

* In the original ''Series/RandallAndHopkirkDeceased'', Hopkirk (Deceased) had the standard in-universe ghost's outfit, a pristine white suit. Since it had to be kept clean to indicate his ghostly nature, the actor--Kenneth Cope--was forever having to change suits when he got marks on them; at the end of the series, he apparently amused himself by jumping, in-costume, into a pool of dirty water, changing, and then doing it again, and again, and again, until he'd messed up every last one. TrashTheSet is an established trope; but is this the only case of Trash The Costume?
* In ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'' Catherine Weaver always looks composed, even when a warehouse has just exploded on her. This is mostly because her hair and clothing are made of shapeshifting liquid metal.
* The host of The Quiz Broadcast (remain indoors) in Series 4 of ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' is sharply-suited and impeccably groomed despite the show's post-apocalyptic setting in a world destroyed by "the Event". By the sixth and last sketch his hair is ruined and his suit is more or less rags, showing how desperate his situation has become.

* One minor benefit of the Creature of Fable arc from ''TabletopGame/ChuubosMarvelousWishGrantingEngine'' is that [[RealityWarper the world will tend to bend]] so that your preferred look is dominant at all times. This means that someone whose signature style is "completely immaculate" will not only tend to emerge from crises and disasters with their suit perfect, but if someone deliberately messes it up it'll tend to repair itself, and even if they are stripped naked and thrown into the middle of the Walking Fields it'll probably be only a matter of time before they find a conveniently abandoned suitcase containing a suit in their size.

* {{Justified|Trope}} in ''Literature/TheRavenTower'': Perks of being appointed Raven's Lease by the eponymous PhysicalGod include rule over the nation, PurposeDrivenImmortality, and robes of office that always stay fresh and spotless white.

Closely related to BeautyIsNeverTarnished, which is more about the person being damaged than the fashion. Compare ImprobableHairstyle and MagicPants. Such people are often a BadassInANiceSuit.

Variation: This guy's tidiness may become a barometer of how completely to hell the situation has gotten. If he looks good, we'll be okay. His hair is messed up? We're all BONED.

Has nothing to do with indestructible illustrated ancestors of {{Fashion Magazine}}s.

* JustifiedTrope in ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles''. Edna Mode, the ''fabulous'' fashion designer for supers, made the costumes for each superhero bulletproof, rocketproof, fireproof, and adapt to each user's superpower (for example, Violet's costume became invisible when she did). Plus, they're machine-washable.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* This is actually one of Franchise/{{Superman}}'s many powers; any clothing that touches his skin is as impervious as he is (and in an episode of ''Series/LoisAndClark'', shrinks with him). Only the part that actually ''touches'', though, which is why his cape always gets shredded. In the comics this is a result of a nearly skin tight forcefield. During UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} it was because ''everything'' from Krypton was as invulnerable as Superman.
* [[TheComicallySerious Samuel Steele]] from ''[[Comicbook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck Hearts of the Yukon]]'' by Creator/DonRosa. [[TheAce A superintendent of the North-Western Mounted Police]] does not get... [[DirtForcefield 'Muddy']]. Nor, for that matter, 'blown-up'. Sam Steele was a real person, incidentally, and would probably have given his right arm for this ability.

[[folder: Fan Fic ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* Most old westerns did this. Franchise/TheLoneRanger never got mussed, despite the fact that his shirt was light blue and his pants were tan. Neither did Gene Autrey or Creator/RoyRogers. Creator/JohnWayne never got mussed, either. In fact, it was so pervasive in westerns that it was parodied in ''Film/TheVillain''--Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger is dressed all in white and he still never gets dirty.

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

-->'''Adam''': ''(watching Jamie paint)'' Look at ''that''. White shirt, black paint.\\
'''Jamie''': [[NervesOfSteel That's what being fearless is all about]]!

* In the ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' episode [[Recap/SupernaturalS02E21AllHellBreaksLoosePartOne "All Hell Breaks Loose, Part One" (S02, E21)]], Ava has been in a ghost town, presumably without a change of clothes or running water, for 5 months, but her clothes appear clean and undamaged.

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* ''VisualNovel/YoJinBo'' has you and your team of bodyguards running through a forest and fighting ninja. Both [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished Sayori/Hatsuhime]] and the guys remain equally clean, with untattered clothes, despite the amount of bloodshed the guys cause. Even when they're said to be injured in text, it never shows up in the art.

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* In ''Webcomic/TheZombieHunters,'' Charlie rocks a BadassLongcoat, the impressive DirtForcefield of which is {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in this [[http://www.thezombiehunters.com/index.php?strip_id=92 gag strip.]] However, in a particularly tense moment, he was forced to befoul his coat when he had to [[spoiler:''punch a [[TheUndead zombie]]'s head in'']].

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* Apparently [[http://celebs.icanhascheezburger.com/2011/07/03/funny-celebrity-pictures-ancient-vulcan-secret/ Vulcans]] know the secret too.

* JustifiedTrope in ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles''. Edna, the FABULOUS fashion designer for supers, made the costumes for each superhero bulletproof, rocketproof, fireproof, and adapt to each user's superpower (for example, Violet's costume became invisible when she did). Plus, they're machine-washable.

* Space Marines in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' almost always have immaculately clean armor. Justified, as they regularly have legions of chapter serfs polish it so that their heraldry is easily visible.

* Seems to be a trait of Kingsman agents in ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'', the only one to look even slightly dishevelled [[spoiler:is Harry when a HatePlague causes him to get into a brawl with upwards of 70 people. Even then, the result is his hair being a little mussed up]].

Has nothing to do with indestructible illustrated ancestors of {{FashionMagazine}}s.

* In ''Webcomic/TheZombieHunters,'' Charlie rocks a BadassLongcoat, the impressive DirtForcefield of which is {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in this [[http://www.thezombiehunters.com/index.php?strip_id=92 gag strip]]. However, in a particularly tense moment, he was forced to befoul his coat when he had to [[spoiler:''punch a [[TheUndead zombie]]'s head in'']].

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[[AC:Western Animation]]

* Occurs at the end of ''Film/{{Ghostbusters}}''. After the explosion of the marshmallow man, three of the Ghostbusters struggle back to consciousness absolutely COVERED head to toe in marshmallow. Enter Venkman, stage left, almost pristine with a couple small marshmallow spots.