Amanda K. Campbell (

amandakcampbell) wrote in

avatar_fans,
2010-08-31 22:12:00

Mood: creative

Avatar-Inspired Fashion - Water Tribe

The other day

last_archangel was asking what we thought the predominant clothing color was for the Airbenders. This got me thinking about the colors associated with all the nations - of course, we know the major colors, but there are subtle variations from city to city, nation to nation. I'm also very passionate when it comes to fashion, and I happen to know a lot about the folk history of semi-precious stones, and a little bit about that trend of the 1980s: seasonal color analysis!

So I'm combining these loves to bring you a (hopefully) fun guide to the national colors of Avatar, suitable for use in bringing your favorite nation's look to life in your day-to-day wardrobe! I, for one, love wearing my "fire nation clothes" even though no one knows that's what they are but me! We can't all wear armor, robes, and parkas in our daily lives, after all, but we can use color combinations to our advantage.

If people like the idea, I'm hoping to get to each nation over the next couple of weeks or so. I can't wait to tackle the idea of making Kyoshi Warrior Makeup into an everyday look, if such a thing is possible.

But for now let's begin by taking a look at those polar fashionstas...

The Water Tribes!

Images from Piandao.org

The Southern and Northern Water Tribes each had their own unique palettes. The Northern Water Tribe was much more metropolitan; their colors are lighter and brighter, especially those worn by Princess Yue. Yue's costume often appears to be in more lavender tones, and her hair ornaments are a bright, light blue. Likewise, Sifu Pakku's clothing is of a much brighter blue than that worn by the men in the Southern Water Tribe.

The Southern Tribe more rural and isolated, and their blue is much more navy-based. The warrior makeup in the grey and black tones rounds out the darker palette of the Southern Water Tribe. It should be noted that the Southern Water Tribe shares the purple and lavender tones of the North, but uses them much more sparingly.

Both tribes have deep ties to both the moon and the ocean, which can be reflected in jewelry and art. Jewelry would definitely be in silver tone. Semi-precious and precious stones would include: moonstone, lapis lazuli, sapphire, diamond, labradorite, turquoise, aquamarine, mother of pearl, amethyst, pearl, blue topaz, opal, smokey quartz, and clear quartz. Accessories featuring water flora and fauna would not be amiss! Fabrics would probably include wool, wool blends, and faux fur. And don't forget sea glass!

Labradorite

Lapis Lazuli

Pearl, smokey quartz, and aquamarine.

Sea glass and pearl

So let's talk about some of those stones!

Of course, pearls are associated with the sea and with beauty. Moonstones and opals are associated with the moon...and beauty. (Sensing a theme?) Diamonds are associated with fidelity, turquoise with safe travels, and then there is sea glass...bits of glass that has been thoughtlessly thrown into the ocean in the form of bottles and is work smooth by water and sand until it takes on a gem-like quality. I think that sea glass speaks to humans' relationship with nature. (Spoiler Alert!: Nature wins!)

In as far as symbols, Water Tribe clothing is sometimes seen ornamented with images of the moon or waves. In the collage above, Hakoda actually has a triple moon symbol on his chest. This symbol is extremely common in modern-day Paganism/Wicca, so it would be very easy to find jewelry or other accouterments featuring this symbol.

But back to clothing and the palettes...

I like using seasonal color analysis to determine what colors look good on me; this basic system just takes into account your skin tone, eye color, and hair color, and then sorts you into one of the four seasons. The Water Tribes palette falls into the colors most often worn by people who are "Winters" in their coloring, ironically enough. "Winters" are people who look better in silver jewelry than gold. They have "cool", "pinkish," or "blueish" undertones to their skin; the veins in their wrists look very blue. They have a high level of contrast between their eye color and hair/skin color. Hair is usually dark brown to black, and eyes are usually gray or blue, but possibly violet, hazel, or green.

"Winters" can wear stark black and white and look fantastic! They also look great in jewel tones that are blue-based (sapphire, amethyst, turquoise, etc.) as well as "icy" pastels (Think Yue!). Not to get too complicated, but there is even variation amongst Winters: Cool, Clear, and Deep, depending on the exact eye/skin/hair combination. Most members of the Water Tribe are definitely Clear Winters: they have bright blue eyes, dark hair, and deep brown skin.

This is the color palette associated with Clear Winters:

Take a look at those blues, grays, and purples....look familiar? :D

So, just to conclude this little exercise, I created a few looks using the palettes of the Northern and Southern Water Tribes for some inspiration. They might not be your style, but hopefully they'll inspire some ideas! (Sorry fellas - I'm better at putting together girl outfits! But just use the palettes and you'll be water tribe representin' like whoa.)

Northern Water Tribe.....light blues and purples...silver and pearls....moon imagery...lighter fabrics....

Southern Water Tribe....darker blues....boots, leather, and fur....less ritzy, more no-nonesense...and yes, I used that necklace twice -- I love it!

(P.S. You can read all about the Winter palette, and take a quiz to find out what season you might be, at The Chic Fashionista.)

Tags: cosplay, other

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64 comments

yamiloo

September 1 2010, 12:06:59 UTC 1 year ago

Hey, cool! Are you planning on doing this for all the nations? Because I'd like to try my hand at this.

yamiloo

September 1 2010, 12:15:19 UTC 1 year ago

Oops, you said it right up there, lol. I'm thinking about maybe doing a Dangerous Ladies fashion inspired special. I don't have any formal traning when it comes to fashion, but I am hoping to take some fashion design classes alongside my Master's degree this September, so this seems like a good exercise to get into the swing of it. XD

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Avatar-Inspired Fashion - Water Tribe

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