Thread by @sarasheridan

Today: a thread about how clothes inspire characters... cos you know I find fashion inspirational right? When I was developing characters for Fair Botanists I chose palettes for each woman. It annoys me that Regency women are always portrayed in muslin - it was a colourful era/1

This dress for example, was worn by one of the women (Elizabeth) to an evening party (her palette was pale pinks and blues) IRL this one is in the MET. Knowing what a character is wearing makes them easier to envisage as they move thru the story. I love the gauze effect... /2

Not all the clothes I chose were worn by characters tho - this beautiful jacket from an earlier era was in my mind when I wrote a scene outside the debtors' prison sited at Holyrood. One of the debtors is trying to sell it - and it's older & worn, which tells its own story. /3

Not all characters wear clothes that are in fashion. In the book there is an eccentric older lady whose clothes are out of date - just as in this ditty. She wears dresses like this one in @NtlMuseumsScot. We all know people who don't move on after a fashion is done, right? /4

There are loads of twitter historians who post fashion if this is your bag. I recommend @kateStrasdin @wikivictorian & @18thCent_Kitty Also - we mustn't forget shoes! There's a reason actors often start developing character thru their shoes. These belong to one of mine ... /5

This dress (also in the MET) is so elegant it's easy to forget that outfits were handmade. The embroidery wd have made it v valuable. If you're on insta I've started a Fair Botanists account & will be posting flowers, fashion & other inspiration. Follow: instagram.com/thefairbotanis…

And of course (ahem) preorders are tremendously welcome and help to reassure my publisher that they haven't made a terrible mistake backing an eccentric middle aged writer who has written a kind of romp set in Edinburgh in 1822.... Please & thank you here: uk.bookshop.org/lists/sara-s-b…

Tx for reading to the end of my thread about historical outfits. I'll post another one about tartan cos 1822 is a big year for tartan, let's face it. Meantime here are some lovely things that other writers have said about the novel. I'm so grateful. Writers need writers. Always.