A Fashion Analysis Behind Cartoon Characters:
How I would style these characters based on trends of today
I grew up watching cartoons and video game characters, paying close attention to the detail and stylistic elements of their character design. I created a collage of outfit choices that are meant to be historical/character-accurate, incorporating certain color palettes, cultural style elements, and silhouettes.
Sokka - Avatar the Last Airbender
Kairi - Kingdom Hearts
Flora - Winx Club
As we can infer by her name, Flora’s role in the show is being the fairy of nature. Flora’s task at hand is to heal and create remedies and potions, illustrating her gentle, calm, and sweet nature. The pink accent adds to her love and kindness toward her connection to nature. Butterflies are the essence of nature that add warmth and beauty to the environment in addition to the meaning of transformation. Throughout the series, the fairies in the show begin to evolve their powers through transformations that extend their magical abilities.
With her primary colors being green and pink, I expanded on that adding more vibrancy to her youthful and uplifting nature. The cartoon first premiered in 2004, so these looks are inspired by the Y2K aesthetic. These outfits are meant to flow with ease, like that of a fairy.
Kairi has the most feminine like style in the franchise. In the plot, Kairi is considered a princess among the other Disney princesses. Therefore, she has that traditional pink color palette to further depict not just her damsel role, but also her kind, innocent, and loving personality. I incorporated fine gold jewelry with the addition of pearls to add to her elegance and royalty status with the addition of frills. The combination of pink and red still adds to the affection she has towards her friends and the people she meets along the way. We see her boldness and recklessness to put herself in the face of danger in order to protect her friends. Taking on the role of a princess, there is a level of spunkiness that comes with fighting for the greater good.
That being said, as we move further into the story, we learn that she is training to become a fighter like the rest of her peers. As a fighter, Kairi needs to be able to find footwear to aid her which is why she is seen wearing boots. I strongly believe that as long as she has shorts underneath to protect her, then wearing a skirt and a dress is perfectly okay as it still allows her to become more fluid in her movements.
When styling Sokka, I knew I immediately wanted to focus on his Inuit culture. It was apparent in the series that his family/ancestry is a part of the Southern Water Tribe, indigenous to the Arctic and subarctic region, where we see glimpses of their culture at bay throughout the seasons. I achieved this by focusing mainly on handmade jewelry and accessories.
I kept the white and blue color palette present while adding a few neutrals. Though Sokka does not have the ability to bend water, his character focuses on combat as means of fighting, so I included loose jeans and button-downs in his casual wear. I believe sneakers and boots aid in hunting, adding mobility.
Toph Beifong - Avatar The Last Airbender
Toph Beifong is introduced in the series as an Earth bender, which explains why her color palette is centered around the color green. I chose to compliment the green color with gold, brown, and white, followed by the complementary red. While red is placed opposite of green in the color wheel, I believe red best symbolizes Toph’s desire to remain outspoken, direct, and belligerent. The introduction of Toph began as we see her conforming to the docile narrative created by her parents, who controlled Toph due to her being blind. The reality is Toph is fearless and independent, noting how blindness is not a hindrance, as we see her secretly compete in combat tournaments under the name the “blind bandit.”
As we learn that the four nations were inspired by real-life countries and cultures, the Earth Kingdom is modeled by China. I incorporated the Tangzhuang-inspired jacket to express her cultural identity. Traditionally, the Tangzhuang is seen being worn mainly by men. I do believe Toph would lean towards a gender-neutral type of fashion.