Ancient Elvhen aesthetics of power.
So i’ve been really into the fashion of Thedas lately and i’ve been thinking about the aesthetics of wealth and power.
In ancient Greece purple murex dye was so costly and difficult to make that only kings were afforded the privilege of wearing it.
In Ancient Rome patrician woman’s hair was elaborately coiffed and sculpted by slaves.
In late medieval Europe, wealthy woman wore dress’s that were made of silk and enormous amounts of fabric, so much that they had to pick up their skirts in order to walk.
All of these were indicators of the wealth, power and status of the wearer. They had the gold the buy these items and a life that allowed them to spend enormous amounts of time getting ready or not worry about dirtying their silks
What aesthetics of wealth would be common among the upper class of the ancient elvhen?
Well aesthetics of wealth rely heavily on showing you have three things, power, wealth and time.
I envision that the aristocrats and especially the Evanuris of Arlathan had incredibly long hair.
Long hair would indicate that elvhen aristocrats had slaves to maintain and style their hair and the time to invest in the upkeep and care of their hair. Hair could also be a indication of age, the longer the hair, the older the elf. Long hair also symbolizes that you don’t worry about your hair being grabbed in battle, either you don’t have to fight, or you are so confident in your abilities that it’s not even a concern.
I imagine that the hair could either be elaborately styled or worn loose with some ornamentation.
I recently saw some beautiful art by Clarisse Magand @luciasatalina that I thought really embodied this aesthetic
The combination of elaborate hair pieces and long flowing hair really creates an aura of agelessness, power and elegance.
