On character

My friend--yes, the adverb hating one--has a strong reaction when writers describe a character's clothes. She hates it and will judge you accordingly (she can be a little scary). While my rules aren't so hard and fast (and I admit to being a bit of a fashion junkie), I see what she means. It's a bit of a cheat. Readers want to know your character, to understand her. Not to understand what she's wearing.

I've occasionally argued with this friend that what a character is wearing can be a piece of the puzzle--there is, after all, a difference between a woman who wears a leopard jacket and one who wears a track suit. But I can only carry this argument so far. Clothes might help me see your character, but do they help me know her? Should it be the primary way in which I do? 

In his recent article (from the great NY Times blog "Draft"), Silas House offers some advice about creating memorable characters. With perhaps some Miss Havisham-like exceptions (or am I the only one haunted by that disintegrating wedding dress?), shaping characters with depth and complexity has little to do with their clothes: http://nyti.ms/1chxZeY