#Greek inspired Braavos my beloved

[15-lizards]

Hi!! First i one to say that i absolutely adore your HC's for westeros and essos fashion. They are incredibly spot on *Chef's kiss*. I was wondering if you had any ideas for the free cities like Pentos, Braavos, Tyrosh, Lys, Myr, etc. Certainly i am more interested in Braavos and its courtesans, since in the book is implied that the nobles use more dark colors and the commoners more colorful clothes (unlike westeros, that is the contrary).

Let’s go 🫡🫡 (I think I’ll focus on Braavos here but if you want more of the others just let me know!)

I think besides the classic dark dyes of Braavos, another tell on whether a person is Braavosi is the amount of detailing on their clothing. Ruffles, gilding, lace, patterns etc on a persons clothing are all a staple of a fashionable Braavosi who can afford to buy things from foreign ships at the ports. The shape of the clothing itself can be described as flowing and practical. Skirts usually stop at the ankle due to the water, and can be layered during the cold months. Jackets have detachable sleeves for optimal water dancing movement. Loose veils are worn to either keep out sun or a winter chills.

The rich obviously have more embellished, expensive clothing, but also have noticeably longer clothing. Your skirt can’t trail in the canals and your veil can’t get caught on something in the market if you’re riding through the streets on a covered palanquin. They have the luxury of clothing that is harder to move in, because they don’t really need to move around much. Also they may buy bright foreign dyes as a status symbol, but there’s some controversy over whether or not it makes a Braavosi noblewoman look like a whore

As for the courtesans themselves, they can usually be spotted by wearing bright foreign dyes as an attempt to be eye catching or “exotic” or by wearing the classic dark Braavosi colors in an effort to seem more upper class. However, courtesans can almost always be spotted due to the tighter silhouette they prefer to wear over the flat, rather shapeless lines of the upper classes. They tightly belt their waists and wear slashed sleeves and skirts to give the illusion of a longer, more willowy figure

The bravos and swords of the city definitely dress…eccentrically. High leather boots, puffed pants that stop at the knee, loose shirts and jackets that are easy to move in and can be thrown off at a moments notice. All perfect for an impromptu sword fight on the narrow streets and long canals. Men’s clothing is just as elaborately decorated, if not sometimes more so, than the women’s. For anyone living in the wealthiest of the free cities, status symbols are as important to them as breathing