Us girl gamers often notice when we're wearing something that resembles a videogame character. This is why not long ago we had an article on (Under)statement Pieces. Taking it a step further, we've put together whole outfits in our own different styles. Also included are the digitalFLARE member's details and Season Colours for reference.
Jennifer
Hair Colour: Medium to Chocolate Brown balayageEye Colour: Light Brown
Skin Tone: Fair
Season: Gentle Autumn
While making these sets I like to incorporate deep colours and rich textures. If a character's design suggests something ornate, such as baroque or renaissance opera, I give it a modern twist. I also like to keep certain design elements intact but place them elsewhere, such as Alice Elliot's ruffles.
I included accessories reflective of what the characters used in the games. An example is the rose bouquet that Celes tossed and Beatrix' association with roses. For Tifa we have the locked hearts and dolphins, but I went easy on the accessories as it's just not her style to overdo it.
Although some characters like Karin, Tifa (Wallmarket) and Ayla had risqué outfits, I toned them down to be more wearable. I also kept the proportions intact, so where a character had some bulk in clothing, such as Karin's wrist cuffs and Ayla's tail, they also have it in their outfit.
Sheila
Hair Colour: Dark Brown balayage with Gold highlightsEye Colour: Dark Brown
Skin Tone: Olive - Tan
Season: Striking Autumn
While making these sets I try to think of the character's general colour scheme and what's most memorable from their design. From there I pick up details, like shapes or materials that I can see them wearing in their respective settings. An example would be the Fleur and Nérée rings for Stella Nox, which have a dark, old money feel to them.
I tend to gravitate towards subtly luxe embellishments. Little things like Edea's fan earrings, Sherazard's "Gerbera" ring, and Rinoa's Wing pendant wouldn't be noticed at a glance. Meanwhile, bouffant hair accessories like Rinoa's cascade of white feathers and FFXIII Shiva's snowflake crystal headband are unmistakable.
I did take some liberties with the FFX Shiva and Rinoa (Ballroom). For Shiva I did a more oceanic take, using the paua shells which I love to wear. Since her Vera Wang dress is quite grand, there is minimal accessorizing. For Rinoa, I kept the ballroom theme with an aptly named Vienesse Waltz dress and gave her "outside" and "dancing" shoe options. Being winter, there were also some signature arm warming options.
Jessica
Hair Colour: Red - AuburnEye Colour: Green
Skin Tone: Fair
Season: Glorious Spring
My personal style is "cute" but city-going. I live in London so I look at being able to walk a lot as being a major issue with fashion. Coping with elemental hazards is an every day affair. Having something that you can go to work in but also easily adjust to go for a night out is also a must. At the moment, I like to use lots of vivid colour.
Sia
Hair Colour: Dark BrownEye Colour: Brown
Skin Tone: Medium
Season: Absolute Winter
I gravitate to rich colors like red and deep blues, both of which are are present in most of my sets. While creating looks inspired by some of my favorite video game characters, I tried to stick to the overall color scheme, but also tried to incorporated the characters' background and overall personality as well.
Accessories are nods to items and images actually in-game, or something closely associated with the character or their environment. For example, the feathers in Altair's look are an obvious nod to his eagle-like appearance and design, but also a reference to his status as a revered master and teacher. The jewellery too is an aged gold, as opposed to Ezio's more flamboyant shine and sparkle.
Ashley
Hair Colour: Golden BlondeEye Colour: Blue
Skin Tone: Tan
Season: Sunshine Summer
When designing Rydia, I kept in mind the aesthetics that most appealed to me about her: the rich, vibrant color and the magical, whimsical nature of the details. Green and gold are both incredibly festive colors for the Christmas season, making them easy to combine. The standount features of any Rydia costume are her heeled boots, which I paired with dainty floral tights and an airy dress, which give an earthy and dreamlike feeling to her appearance.
It wouldn't be a holiday party without shine, achieved with a charming clusters of dangling gold stars and a scarf that can be worn as a shawl, like Rydia's classic layers. A quilted clutch and a classic coat with girlish details, like a rounded collar and ribbon, bring this ensemble cutely into the 21st century.
Katherine
Hair Colour: Bright BlackEye Colour: Dark Brown
Skin Tone: Olive
Season: Crisp Autumn
I tend to gravitate towards items that I feel best suit each of the characters' unique personalities. I constructed sets that reflect what I imagine are clothes they would choose for themselves. Some factors I considered are the cut of the dress, the colour, the texture, and the material.
Quistis, for one, is driven by cool efficiency, so I imagine she'd prefer things that blend practicality with style. This translates into timeless pieces that she can get much wear out of, and she'd probably wear a watch to a social function.
Sophéak
Hair Colour: BlackEye Colour: Brown
Skin Tone: Medium
Season: Absolute Winter
As you already know, I'm a big fan of retro fashion and classic actresses, particularly from the 50s and 60s -- so most of the pieces that I chose have simple-yet-feminine cuts, and are paired with color coordinated jewellry and accessories. I tried to match the characters to actresses that had similar styles and/or personalities. Tifa, for instance, has an understated elegance and style, so I matched her with Grace Kelly. Ada Wong is the most glamorous and va-va-voom of all the characters I made outfits for, so I chose dresses and jewellry that were in the style of Elizabeth Taylor.
I modelled Zelda's outfit after Audrey Hepburn. Hepburn liked to wear simple, solid-colored tops and bottoms, but would add little accessories to accent the outfit, which turn the outfit from plain into something "stylish." I kept Zelda's color scheme of white, lavender, and purple, but modernized it and "fancied" it up a tad by adding the turquoise jewellry and purple rimmed Holly Golightly sunglasses.
Brooke
Hair Colour: Dyed Brown-BlackEye Colour: Dark Brown
Skin Tone: Medium
Season: Striking Autumn
My style has always been very simple. I prefer having a few things I really like than a massive wardrobe. I tend to wear a lot of black and bright colours. My glasses are a very bright green with black accents. Colours I like to wear are blue, red and sometimes white. Shoes I always have to be careful with and I tend to stay with lower heels or support throughout the bottom of the foot. For my characters I tried to pick ones from games that you might not expect to make a wonderful holiday outfit based off of. I also tried to bring out my more simple style, with very specific colours and themes.
My Cortana piece recreated her computer generated look with a tiny skull for personality, which is reference to the skulls collected in the game. Trip from Enslaved is a favourite of mine and her outfit is much more casual to bring out the outdoors and tribal look of the original character. Aerith's outfit is meant to be a reflection of her outgoing personality and strays away from my own style significantly. While I hardly ever wear pink, I am happy with how it turned out.
Staff Retrospect:
Jennifer found it interesting to read how Sophéak matched each character to old glam icons. Sheila likes how everyone's personality and style really showed in the choices. Sia noticed that we ended up with quite a lot of FFVIII sets, probably because of the realistic palettes.