Guest Post: Author Anita Howard

 Fashion Inspirations -- Splintered style

Anyone who's read SPLINTERED knows fashion plays a very big role in my Alice in Wonderland spinoff. That's not an accident. In fact, it's carefully planned. I'm a visual writer, so when I'm building my characters, the process includes what their fashion slant would be.

Also, when I was young, I used to dream of being a fashion designer. I spent hour after hour designing outfits on my Fashion Plates boards...

Ended up, I didn't pursue that dream. Instead I followed my passion for storytelling, and transferred my flare for fashion to my stories.This means that whatever book or series I ever write, you can expect me to take great pains with the detail of the characters' styles.

For me, the style of a character not only has to fit them as an individual, but also compliment the atmosphere of the book. 

In the case of SPLINTERED, the mood is funky, goth, and victorian -- much like the original Lewis Carroll tales -- so this influenced Alyssa's (my MC's) wardrobe, which in turn, affected who she ended up being internally.

Alyssa's style was inspired by the Gothic/Victorian Lolita fashion subculture, which fit her perfectly: underneath her quiet sweetness (represented by the jacket, lacy dress, and choker) is a melancholy and at times chaotic soul she has yet to tap into (fishnet gloves, chunky shoes, crazy tights).

 



And, when Alyssa's in Wonderland, Morpheus would be sure to have a hand in her wardrobe. He'd no doubt like to see her in something like this:

Which proves Alyssa isn't the only one in the book with a set fashion sense. Even the guys have styles to fit their personalities.

But today it's about the girls.

Jenara, Alyssa's best friend, is a mix between goth girl and fashionista, and she's pursuing my own dream of being a fashion designer one day. Her style is more ecclectic. Here's an outfit you might see her in for work at the thrift store:

Then there's Taelor, the stylish and rich mean girl. Her fashion sense is chic and perfect, with everything matching:

One of the best resources I've found when researching character styles are the collages on Polyvore. It's easy to do specific searches, and it always helps me envision my character's costuming for scenes.

In UNHINGED, book 2 of the SPLINTERED series, you'll get a glimpse of even more fashions, including prom clothes. But since Wonderland is involved, you can bet they'll be different than you might expect.

Thanks for hanging out with me, and I look forward to sharing more books, characters, and styles with you soon!

**Thank you so much Anita for stopping by, and to all you readers out there, Anita has offered up a giveaway to go along with her fabulous post!  Fill out the rafflecopter below for your chance to win this beautiful chocker pictured below that just screams Alyssa and all things Splintered!

 



a Rafflecopter giveaway