Costume Tropes

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"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society."

— Mark Twain

Yes, things you wear can be tropes. Time, place, setting, characterization, situation, symbolism, and what the costumer/artist feels like, can all dictate what characters wear.

These tropes can be included in works for several reasons, such as:

Garnishing the Story: The writers just thought including these would help make the story more appealing.
Meaningful Appearance: A piece of clothing can be worth a thousand words of Exposition
Spectacle: The costume department just wanted to show off.

General Costume Tropes (see sub-indexes for more)

Action Fashionista: An asskicking character who is also very fashionable.
Adaptational Modesty: A Stripperific character wears more modest clothing in an adaption.
Adaptational Skimpiness: A character wears clothing that shows more skin in an adaption.
Adventurer Outfit: An outfit normally worn by someone going to an exotic place.
Age-Inappropriate Dress: Someone wears clothes that they're typically considered too young or too old to be wearing.
Ammunition Backpack: Backpack full of nothing but bullets, bullets, and even more bullets.
And Your Reward Is Clothes: Beating a challenge results in a new piece of clothing for your character.
Anti-Gravity Clothing: A part of an outfit that floats independently from the rest of the clothing.
Appropriate Animal Attire: Animals wearing accessories and pieces of clothing, but are not considered naked.
Arsenal Attire: Weapons are incorporated into clothing rather than simply hidden within them.
Awesome Anachronistic Apparel: A character wears an Outdated Outfit just to stand out and look cool.
Awesome Backpack: A backpack that comes with a bunch of cool gadgets.
Badass Bandolier: A utilitarian accessory worn so a badass can keep their tools of the trade handy.
Bandage Mummy: A character who is badly injured is shown completely encased in plaster casts and/or bandages.
Beta Outfit: A superhero's first outfit before they decide on their final costume.
Blind People Wear Sunglasses: Sunglasses used as a visual shorthand for blindness.
Blindfolded Vision: A character wears a blindfold to impair their vision.
Braids, Beads and Buckskins: The costume for Native Americans portrayed in fiction.
Bubble Pipe: A prop that is shaped like a tobacco pipe that blows bubbles.
Bulletproof Fashion Plate: A character with a costume that does not suffer Clothing Damage.
Can't Tie His Tie: A man allows a woman (who he may or may not be romantic with yet) to tie his tie, showing their closeness.
Casual Sports Jersey: A character (often a Jerk Jock who wants their identity to be known) that wears a sports team uniform outside of a sports environment.
Chained by Fashion: Wearing chains intentionally as a fashion statement.
Changed My Jumper: Time-travelers somehow don't attract attention in the past with their modern clothes.
Changing Clothes Is a Free Action: A character instantly changes costumes in the midst of battle.
Charm Point: An accessory that makes a character think they have a special ability.
Cheap Costume: A character makes a costume with whatever they can find.
Chest Insignia: A symbol that a superhero wears on their chest.
Clark Kent Outfit: An outfit worn by a superhero to hide their Heroic Build.
Classy Cravat: Old fashioned clothing items that show one has old fashioned values and graces.
Clingy Costume: A costume that a character can't remove.
Clothes-Eating Wager: A character eats a piece of their clothing, sometimes as a result of losing a bet.
Clothes Make the Legend: A character's outfit stays the same because it's so iconic.
Clothes Make the Superman: A costume that gives a character superpowers.
Clothing Appendage: A character's "clothes" are actually part of their body.
Clothing Combat: Clothing that is used as an Improvised Weapon.
Clothing-Concealed Injury: A character uses a piece of clothing to keep their wounds or scars a secret from others.
Clothing Damage: Clothes get damaged, giving a glimpse of the character's flesh/underwear.
Clothing Switch: Two characters put on each other clothes.
Collared by Fashion: A collar that is so large that the person's neck can't be seen.
Containment Clothing: A character wears a suit that prevents their powers from hurting others.
Consistent Clothing Style: A character's fashion sense consists of variations on a theme.
Convenient Color Change: Sides are depicted depending on what color their outfit changes into.
Cosplay: Dressing up as a fictional character.
Costume Drama: A Period Piece with elaborate costumes.
Costume Evolution: A character's main outfit changes over the course of a series.
Costume Exaggeration: A character wears an outlandish version of a more well known outfit.
Costume Inertia: A character wears an outfit that they logically no longer need to wear.
Costume-Test Montage: A character tries on dozens of outfits until they find the right one.
Costumer: An alternative reality episode that's an excuse to put the characters in period costume.
Crafted From Animals: Clothing that's made from animal parts.
Crossdresser: Dressing in clothing that's for the opposite sex.
Culture Equals Costume: Fashion makes a quick geography lesson.
Deliberately Painful Clothing: Wearing unfashionable clothing that hurts.

Doomed New Clothes: A character buys expensive new clothes that ends up getting ruined not long afterwards.
Dork in a Sweater: A character who may or may not be an asskicker wears a dorky sweater.
Dragged into Drag: A male character is forced into wearing female clothing.
Dress Code: A school, workplace, or office that enforces rules on what to wear.
Dress-Coded for Your Convenience: Each side dresses in distinctive ways (whether it's due to uniforms or other reasons).
Dress-Up Episode: The modern protagonists of the work in question suddenly and inexplicably need to dress as if it's the Victorian Era.
Dressed All in Rubber: A character whose attire is mostly rubber, latex or PVC.
Dressed in Layers: A character wears their costume underneath their regular clothing.
Dresses the Same: A woman buys an outfit for an event, and is humiliated when she sees another woman wearing the exact same outfit.
Dressing to Die: A person wants to look their best when they die, so they dress before facing their end.
11th-Hour Costume Change: A character changes their outfit before confronting the big bad or at the end of the story.
Earned Stripes: A change in costume indicates that a character got promoted.
Embarrassing Animal Suit: A character is forced to wear an animal costume.
Embarrassing but Empowering Outfit: An outfit that grants its wearer immense power, but is also embarrassing.
Embarrassing Pyjamas: Pyjamas that embarrass a character.
Environment-Specific Action Figure: A show's toyline has character costumes that do not appear in the actual show.
Enclosed Extraterrestrials: An alien whose entire race is covered from head to toe by clothing, attire, or armor.
Equipment-Hiding Fashion: Clothes that hide armour to allow players to better customize their character's appearance.
Exposed to the Elements: A character is underdressed for the cold.
Expressive Accessory: An item that changes based on the expression or emotional state of its master.
Expressive Shirt: A piece of clothing with a phrase or logo on it that changes based on the wearer's mood or emotional state.
Eyepatch After Time Skip: A character's future self wears an eyepatch.
Eyepatch of Power: A badass character who wears an eyepatch.
Fanservice with a Smile: A waitress who wears revealing clothing.
Fashion Designer: A character who designs clothes for a living.
- Eccentric Fashion Designer: The same as above, but with an incredibly quirky personality and fashion sense.
Fashion Dissonance: Clothes that don't just tell you what year the show was made, they scream it loudly enough to deafen your eyes.
Fashion Hurts: Wearing clothing that looks good, but is also uncomfortable to wear.
Fashion Model: A character who wears clothing to help market them.
Fashionable Asymmetry: A character whose clothing is not even, but still looks cool.
The Fashionista: A character whose main focus is fashion.
Fashions Never Change: Anything set before the 20th century has the characters wear generic clothes for their time period as opposed to nuanced fashions existing.
Fashion-Victim Villain: A villainous character in a really bad outfit.
Fake Fabric Fashion Faux Pas: A character commits the unforgivable sin of wearing something made out artificial fibers.
Feather Boa Constrictor: Wearing a snake (real or fake) as though it's a fashion accessory.
Flung Clothing: A character tosses their costume away in one flick motion.
Forced into Their Sunday Best: A character is forced to dress up nicely, but not without complaint.
Frozen Fashion Sense: Immortals (and especially vampires) often remain dressed in the fashions that were in style when they were mortal.
Full-Frontal Assault: A character runs into battle nude.
Fully Dressed Cartoon Animal: An animal character wears a full-set of clothes, including pants and shoes.
Fun T-Shirt: A T-shirt with a funny message on it.
Future Spandex: A character from the future wearing a skin-tight outfit made of stretchable synthetic fibers
Gadget Watches: A watch with lots of tools built into it.
Gendered Outfit: A costume is altered depending on the gender of the wearer.
Giant Poofy Sleeves: A costume with sleeves that have puffs on or just below the shoulders.
Giant Waist Ribbon: A costume with a ribbon or sash that is worn on the waist, tied like a bow, and large enough to see from any angle.
The Girl Who Fits This Slipper: A piece of clothing that can only be worn by certain people.
Goofy Suit: A funny or ridiculous costume people have to wear at work.
Gorgeous Garment Generation: A character is given extravagant clothing that appears out of nowhere.
Gorgeous Period Dress: A character wears a large extravagant dress from the 1930s.
Gratuitous Use of the Tallit: The Jewish tallit garment is worn during a time where it realistically shouldn't be.
Gravity Is a Harsh Seamstress: A falling character hits a clothesline and ends up wearing something from the line.
Halloween Costume Characterization: On Halloween or other costume events, the choice of costume reflects the wearer's personality.
Hawaiian-Shirted Tourist: A character on vacation wears a Hawaiian shirt.
Hazmat Suit: A character wears a hazmat suit to protect themselves from germs or hazardous material.
Hell-Bent for Leather: A badass character who wears leather.
Hollywood Cop Uniform: Fictional police officers wear unrealistic uniforms.
Hollywood Costuming: A character wears clothing that does not fit the time period the work is set in.
Hollywood Dress Code: The clothes that characters wear are first defined by their personalities.
Hollywood Military Uniform: Fictional military personnel wear unrealistic uniforms.
Homemade Sweater from Hell: A large knitted sweater that is often uncomfortable for a character to wear.
Hypno Trinket: A character wears an item that has the power to hypnotize.
I Want My Beloved to Be Fashionable: A character tries to make their love-interest dress more to their liking.
I Was Quite a Fashion Victim: An older character cringes at the clothes they used to wear.
An Ice Suit: A costume made for people with ice powers.
Iconic Item: An item or piece of clothing worn by a character that often defines who they are.
Iconic Outfit: An outfit that's associated with a character.
- Iconic Sequel Outfit: A character's new costume becomes better known than the original.
Impossibly Cool Clothes: Clothing which does things which are not physically possible and looks too cool to be real.
Impossibly Tacky Clothes: Clothing that is considered ridiculous and tacky.
Incongruously Dressed Zombie: A zombie wears clothes that makes them stand out more than the other undead corpses seen.
Instant Cosplay Surprise: A character doesn't react to a costume they're made to wear until it's all the way on.
Instant Costume Change: A character instantly changes from their regular clothes into a costume.
Institutional Apparel: Uniforms worn by prison inmates.
It's a Costume Party, I Swear!: A character is tricked into wearing a costume to a formal/casual dress party.
Jacob Marley Apparel: A ghost shows up wearing the outfit they wore when they died.
Jeweler's Eye Loupe: A small magnifying device worn over the eye to see tiny details closely.
Killer Outfit: An outfit that kills whoever's wearing it.
Kimono Is Traditional: Wearing this outfit shows the character's old fashioned values.
"Kiss the Cook" Apron: An apron with a message to "Kiss the Cook", or some variation of it.
Labcoat of Science and Medicine: A scientist or medical doctor who wears a labcoat.
Lady in a Power Suit: A female character who is smart and tough, as well as dresses smart and tough.
Latex Space Suit: A space suit that is exceptionally tight, form fitting, and flatteringly cut.
Limited Wardrobe: A character who wears the same outfit every day.
Living Clothes: Clothing that is brought to life.
Loafing in Full Costume: A character who does mundane things while dressed in a costume.
Loincloth: Lower body underwear made of cloth or hides.
Magical Accessory: An enchanted, magical accessory.
Magically Regenerating Clothing: Clothing that gets damaged is somehow repaired in the next scene.
Meido: Moe-ified female domestic servant.
Menswear Ghetto: Video games that don't come with a variety of male clothing.
Mob-Boss Suit Fitting: An important, usually villainous, person continues conducting his business while being fitted for a suit.
Mystical High Collar: A high, flared collar worn by characters with mystical powers.
Necktie Leash: A guy has his necktie yanked by his Love Interest.
Nerd in Evil's Helmet: A villain who seems imposing, but is actually nerdy.
No Dress Code: Characters in High School get away with ridiculously revealing or inappropriate clothing.
No New Fashions in the Future: A series set in the future where the characters wear outfits resembling contemporary fashion.
Noose Necktie: A character wears a length of rope around their neck that's been tied to resemble a hangman's knot.
Official Cosplay Gear: Costumes or accessories sold by a company based on their work.
One Size Fits All: Clothing or armor that can be worn by anyone of any size.
Outdated Outfit: A character wears an outfit that is years out of style.
Overalls and Gingham: An outfit that characters who live on a farm usually wear.
Pajama-Clad Hero: A hero who is in their pajamas for most of the plot.
Pantsless Males, Fully-Dressed Females: A female character who is usually more dressed than a male character.
Parental Fashion Veto: A parent forbids their child to wear clothes which are deemed "unsuitable".
Pauper Patches: A character living in poverty is wearing clothes that are patched up.
People in Rubber Suits: Monsters played by humans in costumes, sometimes quite obviously.
Person with the Clothing: A character who is referred to by a signature piece of clothing that they wear.
Phone Booth Changing Room: A superhero changes from their street clothes into their suit in a changing room.
Plot Pants: A character has a different set of clothing for when they aren't doing anything plot related.
Popping Buttons: When clothing doesn't fit, the buttons come off or won't button.
Quirky Girl, Quirky Tux: an eccentric female character wears a slightly jaunty tuxedo or dinner jacket
Rainbow Pimp Gear: The game developers put different desirable bonuses on many varied clothing items.
Recursive Crossdressing: A character or actor disguises their gender.
Red Sock Ruins the Laundry: A single deep-colored fabric stains the whole wash with its tint.
Ring Around the Collar: A character wears a necktie, necklace, or shirt collar that obscures part of their neck.
Rip Tailoring: Ripping a piece of clothing to make it better.
Rummage Sale Reject: Clothing that looks like it was randomly put together.
Russian Fashion: Traditional clothing used to identify a Russian character, such as a ushanka (tall fur hat) for men or a babushka (headscarf) for women.
Same Clothes, Different Year: Clothing, usually an Iconic Outfit, that the characters have worn since their younger years.
Shell Backpack: An anthropomorphic turtle or armadillo wears clothing that covers only the front of their shell.
Shock Collar: A Slave Collar that shocks whoever wears it when they do something undesirable.
Shrunk in the Wash: A piece of clothing gets smaller when splashed with water.
Significant Wardrobe Shift: A characters' clothing choices change due to age, experience or current fashions.
Skeletons in the Coat Closet: Bones used as clothing or armor.
Slave Collar: A character wears a collar to show they're a slave.
Space Clothes: Characters wearing wacky clothes in space.
Splitting Pants: A character splits the back of their pants.
Star-Spangled Spandex: A character wears clothing that appears to be made of stars from the night sky.
Suit-Up of Destiny: The Hero puts on an important suit/costume for the first time.
Superhero Team Uniform: The members of a superhero team all dress alike.
Suppressed Mammaries: Tying down breasts to appear younger or male.
Suspender Snag: Suspenders easily get caught on objects or by other people.
Symbol Motif Clothing: A character wears a costume spamming a bunch of symbols, representing who they are.
Tacky Tuxedo: A character wears an old fashioned tuxedo to the prom or school dance.
Tan Lines: Where some parts of the skin are tanned while other parts (usually where clothes were worn) are not.
Technically Naked Shapeshifter: A shapeshifter whose clothes are part of their body.
Textile Work Is Feminine: All those costumes come from somewhere, you know.
Themed Party: Matching clothes or costumes with a particular theme are a staple of these parties.
Throwback Threads: When a character dons a uniform or costume from a previous era or arc.
Too Many Belts: A character wears an outfit that is covered in belts.
Underdressed for the Occasion: A character shows up to a formal occasion in casual clothing.
Unlikely Spare: A character has an immediate replacement for a damaged article of clothing.
Unlimited Wardrobe: A character who never wears the same outfit twice.
Useless Accessory: Accessories with no functional purpose are consistently worn by a character.
Utility Belt: A belt that a character uses to hold all of their gadgets.
Virtual Paper Doll: A video game where you can change what a character's wearing.
Waistcoat of Style: A character in a waistcoat is presented as particularly suave or stylish.
Wardrobe Flaw of Characterization: A character tries to dress well, but can't quite pull it off.
Wardrobe Wound: Characters act like they have been wounded when their clothes get dirty or damaged.
We Will Not Have Pockets in the Future: Futuristic outfits that don't have pockets.
Wearing a Flag on Your Head: Flag designs on clothing, vehicles, and so forth.
Wearing It All Wrong: Someone puts a garment on a body part it was not meant to go on.
Wet Sari Scene: Bollywood-specific trope of wet sari played for fanservice.
Wet T-Shirt Contest: Contest to determine which (usually female) character looks best in a Sexy Soaked Shirt.
White Shirt of Death: White clothing makes bloodstains look all the more dramatic.
Who Wears Short Shorts?: Very short, form-fitting shorts imply both sexiness and action.
Whole Costume Reference: A character wears an outfit reminiscent of a similar outfit worn by another character or Real Life person, without explicitly dressing as that character or person.
Widow's Weeds: A person in mourning dresses entirely in black.
WTH, Costuming Department?: A behind-the-scenes costuming choice unintentionally makes a character look outlandish or ridiculous.
Zip Me Up: One character helps another fasten the back of their outfit, usually done as mildly intimate act.
Zipperiffic: Numerous impractical zippers used to decorate an outfit.

General Costume Tropes (see sub-indexes for more)

Alternative Title(s): Clothing Tropes, Costume Trope

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Costume Tropes

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General Costume Tropes (see sub-indexes for more)

Alternative Title(s): Clothing Tropes, Costume Trope

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