History MagicPants / Literature

* Averted in the ''Literature/{{Tempest}}'' trilogy. Merpeople have to carry a pair of bikini bottoms or shorts around in case they want to turn into their human forms.

* Averted in the ''Literature/{{Changeling}}'' series by Steve Feasey. Whenever Trey transforms into a werewolf, his clothing is destroyed. However, this trope is played straight on the covers, usually showing Trey wearing a pair of rather ripped trousers.

* ''Literature/TheVazulaChronicles'': [[spoiler:When a merperson leaves the water and turns into a human, some of their scales stay wrapped around their upper legs, taking the form of a skirt for mermaids and shorts for mermen.]]

* The shapeshifters in the ''[[Literature/TheTwilightSaga Twilight]]'' series destroy their clothes when they transform. To solve this problem, once they get the transformation under control, they undress somewhere where no one will see them and tie them to a leg before transforming -- apparently, [[FridgeLogic this somehow saves the clothes]]. Characters often complain about this when they first begin shifting, Jacob even once getting angry that he accidentally shredded his last pair of underwear.
** The movie doesn't really address this, but you can see scraps of destroyed clothing fly away whenever someone transforms into a werewolf.

* The shapeshifters in the ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' series destroy their clothes when they transform. To solve this problem, once they get the transformation under control, they undress somewhere where no one will see them and tie them to a leg before transforming -- apparently, [[FridgeLogic this somehow saves the clothes]]. Characters often complain about this when they first begin shifting, Jacob even once getting angry that he accidentally shredded his last pair of underwear.

* Lampshaded in ''Literature/TheSisterhoodOfTheTravelingPants''.

* Averted in the ''Changeling'' series by Steve Feasey. Whenever Trey transforms into a werewolf, his clothing is destroyed. However, this trope is played straight on the covers, usually showing Trey wearing a pair of rather ripped trousers.

* Similarly, in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series of books, the werewolf Angua von Uberwald has to keep clothes stashed around the city of Ankh-Morpork. In ''Literature/{{Thud}}'', when she and the vampire Sally both end up completely naked after transforming into a wolf and a flock of bats respectively, they end up having to borrow clothes from a nearby strip club. It is explicitly stated that male vampires can reincorporate their clothes after shapeshifting, but female vampires cannot. This is probably a direct reference to FanService.

* ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'': In ''Monster Blood III'', after Evan accidentally eats Monster Blood and starts growing huge, this trope is HandWaved by Andy remarking that his clothes are growing because the Monster Blood splashed on them--even though it splashed on everything else in the basement as well, and nothing else is growing.

* In ''Literature/{{Masques}}'', shapeshifter Aralorn can not only keep her clothes when transforming into, for example, a mouse, but also can take her ''sword'' with her. Interestingly, clothes ''don't'', change size, though - she spends some time running around in ill-fitting clothes after stealing the clothes of a young man, shapeshifting into a person that fits into them, and then going back to her normal form.

* Generally played straight in Creator/AnneMcCaffrey's ''Literature/PlanetPirates'' series. Wefts, the shapeshifting alien of the setting, are implied to shapeshift the appropriate clothing. Fanservice is generally avoided, however - they're naturally a species of crustacean with six sexes, and fall into the UncannyValley when assuming human form.

* In ''Literature/{{Wolven}}'' vampires' clothes are unaffected by their shapeshifting, though that's not the case for [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolves]] or [[TotallyNotAWerewolf Wolven]]. [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire Maccabee]] explains that vampires' transformation is more magic and illusion than a natural process.

* Averted in the ''Literature/AnitaBlake'' novels, lycanthropes transform by shedding their outer layer like, well, wet tissue paper. (If this sounds familiar, well, get used to it, it's Anita Blake.) This includes their clothes. Luckily for them, contracting lycanthropy apparently flips the brain's Body Modesty switch to "off".
* Subverted in Patrick Graham's ''Literature/TheApocalypseAccordingToMarie''. Three characters are subjected to a supernatural attack that only leaves EmptyPilesOfClothing behind, but they seemingly only leave their coats behind: any other article of clothing disappear with them without a clear reason.

* Averted in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', in which the [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent pack of heroic werewolves]] must simply deal with the fact that they need to remove their clothing before [[{{Animorphism}} transforming]] and will be unclothed when they return. They're used to it by the time Dresden meets them and it's no big deal. The fact that their leader [[InnocentFanserviceGirl doesn't see why it was ever a big deal to anyone]] is the first sign that she's not what she seems.
** Played straight later on with Injun Joe aka Senior Council Member Listens-To-Wind, when he [[spoiler:fights the skinwalker and 'kicks its ass up between its ears']]. Either that, or he wasn't wearing any clothes at all, and created an illusion for decency's sake...

* Completely averted in The Immortals series by Creator/TamoraPierce, in which all transformations into animals result in loss of clothes, and all transformations back result in nakedness. Since there are a lot of transformations in the series, the pattern is noticeable.

* Averted in ''Literature/IslandOfTheAunts''. For reasons of decency, the selkie man wears pants before his transformation, but they are still lying on the floor when he swims away as seal.

* Averted in the ''Literature/MercyThompson'' series. Clothing is not kept during shifting -- and for werewolves, who become larger when they shift, it is torn. Werewolves and other shapeshifters will therefore discard their clothing prior to shifting if there is time to do so. As a side effect, shapeshifters (and those who live with them) tend to be comfortable with casual nudity. The exception is Charles, who can make clothes magically appear on his body due to his [[MagicalNativeAmerican background]].

* Averted in the Creator/PiersAnthony Literature/{{Xanth}} books. When Nada, a shape-changing naga woman, becomes a snake, she slips out of her clothes and must then take the trouble of bringing them along and changing back into them when she becomes human.
** Alternatively, there are other shape-changing characters in the same series who keep their clothes. In those cases, the clothing magically disappears when the character shifts, then re-appears when the character returns to their previous form. This has caused characters to remark on the difference in the story. A notable moment was one time when a clothing-losing shape-changer witnessed a clothing-keeping shape-changer, and wondered about the difference in their abilities (which was explained as one being a natural racial ability, and the other being a magical talent).

* Averted in ''Literature/{{Seraphina}}''. When Orma and Basind are ordered to shrink back into their saarantrai in the freezing snow, Seraphina reminds Lucian that the dragons have no clothes to protect themselves from the cold.

* In ''Literature/{{Wolven}}'' vampires' clothes are unaffected by their shapeshifting, though that's not the case for [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolves]] or [[TotallyNotAWerewolf Wolven]]. [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire Maccabee]] explains that vampires' transformation is more magic and illusion than a natural process.
* ''Literature/YoungWizards'': Averted in "Deep Wizardry" when Sree, a whale, tells Nita and Kit that they must remove their bathing suits before changing into whales.

* The ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' series has Percy turned into a guinea pig briefly, and he shrinks out of his clothes during the transformation. When he's restored to human form, his clothes are miraculously on him (it's even lampshaded in the narration).

* Literature/YoungWizards: Averted in "Deep Wizardry" when Sree, a whale, tells Nita and Kit that they must remove their bathing suits before changing into whales.
* In Patrick Graham's ''Literature/TheApocalypseAccordingToMarie'', three characters are subjected to a supernatural attack that only leaves EmptyPilesOfClothing behind. However, they seemingly only left their coats behind: any other article of clothing disappear with them.

* Literature/YoungWizards: Averted in "Deep Wizardry" when Sree, a whale, tells Nita and Kit that they must remove their bathing suits before changing into whales.

* Similarly, in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series of books, the werewolf Angua von Uberwald has to keep clothes stashed around the city of Ankh-Morpork. In ''Discworld/{{Thud}}'', when she and the vampire Sally both end up completely naked after transforming into a wolf and a flock of bats respectively, they end up having to borrow clothes from a nearby strip club. It is explicitly stated that male vampires can reincorporate their clothes after shapeshifting, but female vampires cannot. This is probably a direct reference to FanService.
** In ''Discworld/EqualRites'', Esk's brother loses his clothes when she turns him into a pig, and remains naked when she turns him back again, leading Granny Weatherwax to testily demand "For pity's sake put some clothes on that child".

* Literature/YoungWizards: Averted in "Deep Wizardry" when Sree, a whale, tells Nita and Kit that they must remove their bathing suits before changing into whales.
* In ''Literature/TigersCurse,'' whenever the brothers change from tiger to human, they'll be wearing the clothes that they had on when they were cursed.

* The ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' series has Percy turned into a guinea pig briefly, and he shrinks out of his clothes during the transformation. When he's restored to human form, his clothes are miraculously on him.

* In Creator/DavidEddings' Literature/TheBelgariad tetradecalogy, a sorcerer's clothes and equipment go "somewhere" when they turn into animals, and reappear when they change back.
** Actually, they are still "there" for a given value of where, since Belgarion can still feel the Orb.
** "Clothing space" is first mentioned by Eriond when explaining that his unnaturally fast horse (the horse that was revived by Belgarion after its stillbirth) actually takes shortcuts through there.

* Similarly, in the Literature/{{Discworld}} series of books, the werewolf Angua von Uberwald has to keep clothes stashed around the city of Ankh-Morpork. In ''Discworld/{{Thud}}'', when she and the vampire Sally both end up completely naked after transforming into a wolf and a flock of bats respectively, they end up having to borrow clothes from a nearby strip club. It is explicitly stated that male vampires can reincorporate their clothes after shapeshifting, but female vampires cannot. This is probably a direct reference to FanService.

* Literature/YoungWizards: Averted in "Deep Wizardry" when Sree, a whale, tells Nita and Kit that they must remove their bathing suits before changing into whales.

** "clothing space" is first mentioned by Eriond when explaining that his unnaturally fast horse (the horse that was revived by Belgarion after its stillbirth) actually takes shortcuts through there.

* OlderThanRadio: ''Literature/AliceInWonderland''. It's worth noting that the actual text of the story doesn't specify what happens to Alice's clothes when she changes sizes, but you'd think it would warrant a mention if she were either running around naked or constantly creating makeshift clothes for herself. Also, the text does refer to Alice carrying things in her pocket and these things stay with her whenever her size changes. John Tenniel's illustrations from the book's original publication make it explicit that this trope is in effect and depict Alice wearing the same [[IconicOutfit now famous]] outfit throughout the story. Pretty much every film version has followed suit, except for [[Film/AliceInWonderland2010 the Tim Burton one]].

* In the novel ''LonelyWerewolfGirl'', clothes just disappear when a werewolf transforms, and come back when they shift back. When a human who witnesses the process asks Kalyx what happens to the clothes, she says no one really knows.

* YoungWizards: Averted in "Deep Wizardry" when Sree, a whale, tells Nita and Kit that they must remove their bathing suits before changing into whales.