Fashion in Bioshock Infinite

So I rushed through this game to finish it before winter break was over.  Rushed means that I still did all the exploring, and random stuff I normally do in a video game, but I spent more time playing the game than I normally would. I actually wasn't planning on doing a blog post about this game, but I found that once I started looking at historical costumes in video games, I couldn't stop. So here we go. (I'm using screenshots that I took for NPCs(non-player characters), and other image for the more major characters).
The nice thing about Infinite is that it takes place in a single defined year.

Still from Outsidexbox

Best of all, it's a year when photography was around, and we even still have some clothes from it, unlike most of the era's that Assassin's Creed takes place in. Assassin's Creed games also take place over a period of time, meaning that I have to keep an eye out for fashion changes.
IMPORTANT NOTE: WHEN IN DOUBT I AM GOING TO BE LOOKING AT AMERICAN FASHION OF THE TIME, AS AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM IS A THEME OF THE GAME

Male NPCs

Enemies

Overall it's pretty similar. The single row of buttons seemed to be mainly used by British police. It actually looks much more like a military jacket of the time, with the collar, and epaulets

Yes, he is dead, there was no other way to get a screenshot.

This is (according to the wiki) another type of policeman-I thought they were soldiers. Once again it uses a military style. It most closely resemble the uniforms worn by British soldiers in WWI(a mere 2 years away). The punches secured to the belt would be used to hold extra ammunition, it was also sometimes be worn as a bandolier. They also are seen wearing Brodie helmets. The wrappings around the legs are known as puttee. The name derives from the Hindu word "patti" meaning bandages. They were worn for protection and support, and were a part of the British khaki uniform from 1902 to 1938.

Columbian Citizens

Both of these men are wearing sleeve garters. These came into fashion in the later 19th century when shirt sleeves only came in a single, extra-long, length. Sleeve garters were used to pull the excess fabric up above the elbow and secure it, keeping the cuff out of the way. Once sleeves lengths started to vary, and buttons or cuff links were used to secure the wrist, they were no longer necessary.

These two men are the same guy (and no; that's not some sort of big twist ending, it just means that they're the same character model, but reskinned-aka colour changed). Both are wearing standard men's coats over waistcoats. They, and other NPCs, wear bowler hats. The felt hats were invented in 1849 as protective wear for groundskeepers. They eventually became a part of popular fashion, becoming closely associated with businessmen in the early part of the 20th century.

Many male NPCs wear these shoes, which seem to be Oxford Wingtip Brogues. I know basically nothing more about shoes.

These men are seen at Battleship Bay. They wear the basic, iconic bathing suit of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. The man on the left here-and in the first pair of pictures-wears a boater hat. These straw hats were fashionable in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with official "straw hat days" designating the appropriate time for them to be worn.

No comment, it's accurate.
Need I say more?

Misc.

This is Albert Fink, the man responsible for Columia's anachronistic music. From what I can tell, he's in fairly standard evening wear for the period.

This guy is found in the cemetery, near where the Lutece's are encountered. It's possible to find many vintage ads for similar underwear. I thought it was an interesting touch that they put in the game.

This man seems to be wearing overalls folded down and belted around his waist. Many sources put the invention of the garment down to the need for sturdy work clothes.

A couple of workers in Finkton.

Female NPCs

There are a few female enemies in Infinite, but they mostly just wear fitted versions of the male uniforms, with masks rather than helmets.

Columbia Citizens

 These two are seen on the beach in Battleship Bay. All of the female there wear reskinned versions of the same bathing suit. Many bathing suits of the era used a naval theme (i.e. sailor collars, anchors, and ship's wheels), not seen in the game.

These other two wear beautiful Gibson Girl esque hairstyles.

This woman looks like her outfit was taken directly from two illustrations that I found. The long, narrow silhouette was made popular in 1908 by the designer Poiret, with some Edwardian corsets extending from beneath the bust to below the hips. 

 This woman's jacket is a much more modern design. I wasn't able to find any contemporary example of such a style. It's anachronistic, but not so much that it throws me out of the game. Her hat, on the other hand, is quite nice. Straw hats were popular summer attire for both sexes, with ones for women being ornamented.

These two seem to be wearing the same blouse, with the one on the right having lower sleeves added. All in all, it's quite similar to blouses of the time, with embroidery on the front and large, loose sleeves. The one on the right also has a very nice period hat. If you look up 1912 hats there is a slew of similar hats.

Many of the female NPCs are seen wearing this hat. It looks a bit ridiculous, but there are examples of hats completely covered with artificial flowers.

 The thing I noticed about this woman was the design on her skirt. It's clearly made from an old cloth bag. Though I was unable to find any contemporary examples of such clothing, we do know for a fact that in the 1930's women wore dresses made from feedsacks. It isn't hard to imagine that people made similar garments in earlier time periods.

I only saw this woman once in Soldier's Field. Her dress seems to be a simplified version of  many Edwardian dresses. The plunging v neckline with the bandeau part beneath it can be seen in many dresses from the era.

Random lady in a weird dress.

This dress looks remarkably similar to the one on the right designed in 1912 by Lucille, Lady Duff Gordon. I'm not sure how Lady Comstock had it, as she was dead by 1895, but *hand wave*

I'm going to be discussing the main characters in my next post about Bioshock, along with some of the fashion in Burial at Sea.

If anyone out there who reads this has an idea for a gae they want me to take a look at suggest it in the comments. Thanks for reading!

Fashion in Assassin's Creed Bits and Pieces #2

Assassin's Creed Unity

I've been watching a playthrough, and wanted to look at the outfits a bit more.
Note: Most of the pictures are from this video on Youtube.
There's a lot of regency/late 1790's style clothing. So some of my assessment will look at them in comparison to Napoleonic era clothing

Arno Dorian

First off: A 5 o'clock shadow, Arno? Really?

The tails of his cravat should be tucked(it is in promo art). The outer coat sort of works. The large epaulets with the elongated looping around the buttons is reminiscent of military uniforms of the day. The waistcoat is odd. It looks like it's only done up with one button, and otherwise is hanging open. Does it not fit? He also seems to have a vest under this that looks like it's made of suede. Then a-I'm assuming standard regency-shirt underneath. Let me tell you, those shirts are a literal pain in the neck to wear. I'm not completely sure about the seams on his breeches, and they seem to be unfastened. I must say, though, I do like the fact that he's wearing them rather than full pants. You can tell he's wearing shoe covers, and the shoes are semi-decent.

His ball outfit, however has fewer redeeming aspects. (I already discussed Elise's outfit here.)

There is a point in the game where he's just running around in this getup which
basically means he was running around half dressed.

You get to see that under it he's wearing a generic shirt, along with breeches(fastened this time huzzah!), stockings, and shoes. On top of that, though, he's basically wearing a badly done regency/napoleonic tailcoat. If we look at it with that standard in mind; the gap at the collar is just plain weird, it should have a second row of buttons on his left. The turned back cuffs do have historical precedent, but their shape is a little wonky. The opening at the front is too narrow, as tailcoats would be open to the sides of the body. On the whole it looks most like a modern tailcoat.

I would also like to draw your attention to the back.

It's not easy to see, but there is a insert at the top that curves up over the shoulder blades. As far as I know this was not a construction method used until the modern times. Actual coats had long panels whose seams started at the mid shoulder blade, and curved toward the spine.

Marie Levesque

She's only there for a few moments, but I had to mention her dress.

Other than the hair, which is much too simple, I give it a pass. The colours are a bit drab, but I can overlook that. It looks like she's wearing a redingote, and fashion plates from the time show women wearing white shawls around their shoulders.

Marie Antoinette only turns up in a co-op mission (so no one saw it until it was patched)
Maybe it's just me, but the dress reminds me of this portrait of Madame du Pompadour (one thing I'm confused about is if the dress in the first portrait is the same as the one in these two.) But back to the game.

It's pretty decent. It looks like a simple robe a la francais, with the tight sleeves and smaller panniers. The only thing that really bugs me is the bodice. It looks like the natural form bodices seen in the late 1870's-early 1880's. In the rococo period bodices usually had more of a flat shape in the front. I would like the neckline to be lower and wider, and the bows on the stomacher look a bit cheap, but overall, I think it's one of the better costumes in this game.
The hair is also pretty god. It looks like a toned down version of her actual hairstyles in the late 1780's. It has the frizzier upper part with the curls coming down around the neck.

Always fun to see the Marquis de Sade. Not as much fun seeing his outfit (the shoes aren't too bad).

Random (Historical) Comments
What if I don't want to help the Assassins? I side with the Templars. Bishop asks if you want to join the brotherhood. My answer: NO.
Outsidexbox actually discussed some of the errors here.
It's really clear that a lot of the cast is Canadian, and trying to do English accents.
All the destruction/floating platforms did not fit with an AC game. This isn't Uncharted.
Why do some of the guards have northern English accents?
At least they finally acknowledged the methods of the hashashin,
I wish there were more historical figures/events.
It was interesting to see the belle epoch and WWII, but the era jumping did not fit with the game.

I saw this on AC confessions.

I had the(admittedly mean, and not very articulate) reaction of "well duh." I feel bad about it in retrospect. But for 3 of the 5, it is historically accurate. I can't really speak to Connor's hairstyle (more on why when I get to the post on AC3), Ezio's is wrong, men in the Renaissance did wear their hair down to the shoulders at times, but it was seldom tied back. For Arno, Haytham and Shay, all 3 of them lived(?) in the 18th century, when it was appropriate for men to tie their hair back in a queue.

Christina Vespucci, who I'm pretty sure is supposed to be Simonetta Vespucci, a famous Florentine beauty, and the inspiration for Botticelli's Venus.

She dresses deccently. Because she seems to be based on a real person who was painted multiple times as having reddish blonde hair, I will complain about her having dark brown hair. Despite this, her costume is quite good. I don't like the random belt under the empire  waistline. I also wish that the sides of the dress met in the center, rather than having a weird open section (more like the concept art). Overall, the silhouette is correct, but I would like to see more volume in the skirt.

Fashion in Assassin's Creed Bits and Pieces

Assassin's Creed I

The Templars wear your standard crusader garb. The chain mail under the surcoat and cloak with the red cross. His concept art had him wearing black, which was worn by sergeants (one step above knights, who wore white), and was also worn by some characters in the game,  but I am unsure of which would be more historically accurate. To be fair, though, the white robes are more recognizable.

Interestingly enough, I was unable to find any contemporary portraits of Robert de Sable, though I'm pretty sure the actual man wasn't bad-guy bald.

I wasn't able to find any quality or contemporary images/descriptions of 12th century Syrian/Persian clothing, but from what I did see (mainly from the 1300's), it seems like Altair's clothing is completely wrong.
Also, because I'm a jerk like that, I have to comment on the Assassin Bureau Chief's/Malik's coat.

It's basically a super simple modern coat, which has no place in the 12th century.

Assassin's Creed Liberation

Aveline De Grandpre

Guys, Aveline just really wants to be in the Edwardian period. She's dressing for the era she wants.

This dress doesn't fit well into any time period, but that hat is certainly Edwardian. The V shape at the bottom of the bodice is slightly reminiscent of 16th century English wear, The skirt silhouette looks a bit like the something from the 1790s (after the game ends), sort of reminiscent of the bumroll. Those sleeves look like a failed attempt at period sleeves.

And her step mother, Madeliene de L'Isle,

Kill it with fire.

I don't even know where to start. Bias cut things again, natural bust curvature, which is wrong. The sleeves are just weird and don't fit into any time period that I know of. The hair is kind of alright, but it's just not close enough, and the flower thing looks like a rosette from the French revoluation. Also, what is with this game and low necklines/low boob placement? Honestly, both of these female characters have the bust silhouette that happens without a bra. I'm not a fool, they wouldn't be wearing modern brassieres, but both of them would be wearing stays, which lift the bust, and actually create a straight silhouette from the bust point to the waist.

Assassin's Creed Unity

First things first. The character model for Napoleon was amazing.

A portrait painted in 1792, and a screenshot from the game.
The uniform is wrong, but the face is perfect.

But enough of the niceties, let's move on to Elisa de Laserre.
I'm not even going to discuss her main outfit, because it's just as random and unrealistic as Aveline's assassin's outfit.
But her ball gown is something I will harp on.

Here it is in all it's gory (pun intended).

This is the point where I start making dismayed noises, fanning myself, and over dramatically falling out of my chair. First off, it's plain ugly, and from a historical perspective it's wrong from head to toe. It looks like they took most of their inspiration from the rococo period rather than the early 1790's. She's supposed to be a French noblewoman in the early 1790's her hair should be up. The style had the majority of the hair situated above the neck, with a relatively small amount of it draped over the shoulders.

The necklace is awful. I don't know what the artists were thinking with the top. I would expect to see the off the shoulder neckline, and small puffed sleeves on a gown from the 1850's/60's. The bottom part of the sleeves looks like leather, which is just wrong. Moving on to the bodice itself, there is some very modern color blocking there. I haven't seen a bodice like that EVER, in any era of history. The stomacher-ish thing is a really weird shape. Stomachers were always triangle shaped. Also, if we look at a side view (below) it's obvious that the gold part is actually layered on top of the black. Stomachers would always be layered below the two sides of the bodice.

At least they got rid of that hideous floating ruff/whisk.

The triangle portion below the bodice also makes no sense. True, stomachers could be quite long, but it is obvious that in this costume, the lower part is not a part of the bodice, and the little charms have no historical precedent that I've seen. The two gold portions on either side of it wouldn't bother me if they reached all the way to the bottom of the skirt, as many dresses did have panels or sections of embroidery in that position, but in their cropped state they bother me. I'm not certain about the flaps at the hips. They mostly look like Cinderella's  dress, which was discussed by Kendra at Frock Flicks here. The ribbons look like some sort of reference to the ribbon detailing on french gowns in the mid 18th century, though these did not have free hanging ribbons, rather they were sewn onto the skirt.

If we look at the bottom of the dress we see gathering similar to the robe a la polonaise, popular in the 1780's. I found a couple of examples of layered gathering, I just wish that the over-skirt was gathered higher, closer to the waist, with longer hanging sections, like this. Oh, and one last thing that I know would horrify the ladies at Frock Flicks:

AHH! BACKLACING!

(Did anyone else notice that it took 4 images for me to explain how bad this outfit was?)

Shao Jun

This Chinese Assassin turned up in the animated short Embers, and is the playable character in AC: Chronicles China. But onto her outfit.
Bah ha ha ha ha, ah ha ha ha ha. Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah. Ok, ok, calm down, deep breaths... (snort) Bwah ha ha ha ha, oh my god, ha ha ha ha ha.

GET THE F*** OUT!!!!!

There's so much that is wrong, I'm just going to show you what's right.

Standard women's dress in the Ming dynasty was actually comparable to the Korean Hanbok, with pleated, less voluminous skirts, and longer bodices.

Honestly, the last  two outfits would be quite easy to move around in. and it would be relatively to hide weapons in the sleeves.

I think they would have done better to create a simplified version of Ming dynasty armour. Perhaps by removing many of the ceremonial symbols, and slimming down the arm wear. From what I can tell, armour from the Ming, Song, and Qing dynasties was quite similar.

WARNING: OFF TOPIC RAMBLINGS CONTINUE FROM HERE TO THE END OF THIS POST, IT IS ABOUT AC, BUT IS NOT ABOUT A CURRENT GAME.

I would love to see an Assassin's creed game with a female protagonist set in the early part of the Qing Dynasty (images are from The Legend of Zhen Huan, because I love that series. If there's one thing that Chinese costume dramas do right, it's the costumes.).
Qipao in the Qing dynasty covered the body in a loose A line shape with wide sleeves and a side slit that began at the hips. Under this was worn a blouse, the sleeves of which were visible inside the larger sleeves, along with a pair of trousers-the result of the Manchu culture valuing horsemanship.

The clothes were fairly easy to move around in. Noble women wore flower pot shoes which had a tall platform located at the center of the sole, and were richly embroidered. The Manchu did not practice foot-binding, and made several attempts to ban the practice, beginning in 1634. These made women look taller and more elegant, as the proper walk required slow, small steps.

As much as I love them, I will admit that these shoes restricted movement, so a main character would either have to not wear them or kick them off.
But I think the most interesting gameplay would come from the accessories/ornaments.

Before the iconic mandarin collar came into fashion women wore embroidered scarves called longhua. Literally a million uses.
The other part that made me thing was the hairstyles.
The long, flat ornament at the top of the hair, called a bianfang, could easily be a blade.

Also, the majority of the ornaments were hairpins. With the amount used in some of the more elaborate hairstyles, it would be easy to stab someone to death.
Last but not least: the Nail Guards.

These elaborate metal coverings were worn on the ring and pinky fingers, and served as a status symbol. It would (obviously) be almost impossible to work in such ornaments, and they served to show that a woman didn't have to. With the right upgrades, these could basically function as hidden blades.

RAMBLING OVER

Thanks for reading. I'll probably continue with other bit's and pieces posts as I keep looking at the rest of Assassin's creed.

Fashion in Assassin's Creed II

So I've started watching the Showtime's Borgias show. I do find myself laughing my way through half the episodes, partly because I know my renaissance papal history, and partly because of other nerd things, but the costumes are fantastic and accurate. As someone I talked to put it: "It's a good show, but not a good history."
I recently also played AC2 with one of my friends, and was talking about the  history, and now I'm going to talk (aka whine) about the costumes.

Starting with the Ezio Trilogy

DISCLAIMER: Due to my inexpert knowledge, and the fact that the games have merits other than the costumes, as long as it falls into the "High Italian Renaissance" style I will consider it accurate.

Young Ezio

The one on the left is flipped

The embroidery on the doublet is decent, fitting for a nobleman, and the slashing is alright-though it would be more fitting on a Tudor era doublet, at least they got it somewhere in the renaissance. I really wish it had sleeves on it. The shirt appears to have the right construction, but I'm not quite sure about the bracer-ish thing. Of course it would all be better if he would  DO UP YOUR SHIRT YOU FOOL! YOU'RE NOT A PEASANT! In full body renders you can see that he is wearing boots, which is actually alright, since he spends most of his time running around outside.

Interestingly enough his brother dresses better than him-though he too has the shirt issue (but at least it has nice sleeves).

Assassin Outfit

*Falls out of chair laughing*

Ok, I will admit it is renaissance-esque (though the belt strikes me as more rococo). Once again a semi-decent doublet and shirt, but he still needs to close them. The boots are still appropriate, if a bit elaborate. The rest is laughable. I don't know what they were going for with the bias cut tails in the front and back, but there is certainly no historical precedent for them that I can find.

All of his remaining Assassin's robes follow a similar pattern so I'm leaving them off.

Sorry Ezio, for all your charms, your sense of fashion is terrible!

Claudia Auditore

I refuse to talk about her assassin outfit

Actually dresses quite well. I would like the neckline to be a bit lower, her hair to be down, or in a less opaque snood (she's not married), and to get rid of the giant ribbon thing at her waist, but otherwise, I give her a pass.

Same with their mother, Maria Auditore. I don't like the jewelry, but otherwise, there's a lot here that I like. 

They've got the neckline coming down lower, with the partlet covering the chest. True, partlets were often transparent or fancier, but this opaque one works, and it gives you the impression that she prefers more modest clothing. I like the ribbon detail, it seems like a nod to the fact that sleeves would sometimes be tied onto the bodice. Also her hair is done up in a style appropriate for a married woman of her status. All in all pretty well done.

Paola
We're not even going to address her courtesans (except for the fact that their hair is semi decent).

Ask someone else about the stripes

I like the neckline...and that's about it. I have no idea what's going on her head wear. Honestly, she should be dressed the most elaborately, because it's her job to draw attention to herself, and her clothes are pretty bland. If you want to see what an actual renaissance courtesan gown would look like check out this post.

Giovanni and Mario Auditore

The two of them dress pretty similarly. They both are wearing long vest like garments that I'm pretty sure are supposed to be based on the schaube or chamarre, but I am not certain. Giovanni is most definitely wearing a style called virago sleeves. These were long paned sleeves tied at the elbow. They were also popular in the 1660s...160 years after the game is supposed to take place. He should also be wearing shoes rather than boots, because every time we see him he is inside. Mario's slashed jerkin (it's a jerkin because it looks like it's layer over a doublet and does not have sleeves) look more like something I would expect to see on Henry VIII, but at least it's in the renaissance. I'm not really sure about the leather armour, but it's stylistically close enough that I will let it slide, however, ruffs did not come into fashion until later in the century.

Leonardo Da Vinci

oh boy

As an AC fan I like this outfit, but as a historical costume fan I don't. Virago sleeves again, take the boots off, and I'm not really sure about the slashing on the upper chest. The hat is alright.

Rodrigo Borgia

BAHAHAHAHA

It's vaguely papal. Ish. Papal robes are actually one of the few things in the world that have not changed since the renaissance. These would be alright if it weren't for the weird sash, the shoulder thing, and the gloves...Actually if they just turned the whole thing white it would be an improvement.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Put down the sword, you're a politician, not a fighter.

One of his outfits is quite good, and obviously based on his statue at the Uffizi.

Looking fierce does not make up for a lack of accuracy

From a purely fashion standpoint I like it, from a historical one I hate it. The outer thing looks like it's trying (and failing) to be a tailcoat, and I don't think anything really had such an asymmetrical opening. The collar of his doublet is really weird, but it would be acceptable without it. The boots are way too high, and it looks a bit like he's wearing some kind of panned breeches.

Caterina Sforza

This one baffles me, because they were going in such a good direction with the concept art, which is clearly based on a portrait of the original woman. The neckline was in the right place, the sleeves could have used a bit of improvement but were mostly good, the skirt had good volume, and the top had lacing that was characteristic of slightly later renaissance gowns. What went wrong?
Update: I've found out that in a "missing sequence" they have her wearing a dress identical to the concept art. Which only makes the first one more confusing.

Cesare Borgia

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

Maybe? Embellished breastplates were a thing, but take that cape off, you're not Thor. I'm not so sure about the belt, and the hanging tails of what I'm guessing is supposed to be the doublet. I would prefer him to be wearing actual sleeves, because I don't think bracers were really a part of standard dress.

I want to take a second out to talk about portrayals. Assassin's Creed really got Cesare's personality right. By all historical accounts the guy was an a******, and I've seen him called a sociopath multiple times. But if you look at the Borgias TV show, he's a nice guy. He's loyal to his family, with a sense of honor. He's basically a hero character, but he's definitely not Cesare Borgia. All I can say is holy flattering portrayal, Batman. 

Now, Lucrezia Borgia, there's a girl who knows how to d-

Oh honey, no.

That whisk is Elizabethan at best. I don't know what's up with that choker, and the cross necklace is much to gaudy. The slashed sleeves are a nice touch, but at that length it looks more like the top of a virago sleeve(I shouldn't have to keep saying that) it would be alright if they had a bunch of volume. The bodice shape wouldn't be popular till the 1880's! Her skirt looks like something from the 1790's rather than 1500. Let's not even talk about the hair. For a good picture of a Lucrezia in a red dress check out this screencap from Borgias.

In conclusion, if you want to learn about renaissance Italian clothing, Assassin's Creed is the wrong place to do it.

I hope you've enjoyed this post. I will eventually be covering the rest of the games.

I Author Gripes ABout History Bonus Round:
Why are there a bunch of Franciscans in the Vatican at the beginning of AC: Brotherhood?
I don't know about you, but I would not sleep with Caterina Sforza.
-Did the I have the means to make more [sons] thing actually happen/was there an original rumor? Because I've seen it in 2 places now.