Clothing in Tilenno



Clothing in Tilenno traditionally mostly consisted of a kaeles, a paera and mistei often accompagnied with qliká, often the kaeles and paera were combined into a krises. Most of these garments had different forms depending on region and status. Notably there was no difference in garments for men and for women safe from some undergarments.

Due to the stable and warm weather in Tilenno, clothing mostly came in no more than one layer, excluding undergarments, and rarely covered the full body. Typically the abdomen area and the lower legs remained bare, although some garments existed that covered these parts of the body. Most paerá feature the typical Tilennan neckline, where a diamond is cut out around the centre of the chest, showing parts of the the pectoral muscles of men and parts of the breasts for women.

While certain trends existed during different periods of history, mostly changing colours and silhouette, the core of garments has remained relatively unchanged for centuries. Not a lot of original clothing remains from early time periods, for which fashion historians mainly have to go off descriptions and artistic interpretations.

Modern Tilennan clothing and fashion only really exploded in the 1980s following the Osorra-Tilenno War and the subsequent influences from outside cultures. Current fashion is based on variations on traditional garments combined with influences and clothes from Artemia like shoes, pants, suits and shirts.

Early History
Not a lot is known about the clothes that were worn during the Terukian age. It is generally assumed that early forms of the supaera and the kaesores were worn based on descriptions in text and some preserved wall paintings. The most famous source of information came from the Terukian ruins in the form of the 'Painting of the Praying man, depicted in garments similar to the supaera and kaesores.

The sailing age saw the introduction of the typical Krises Laudo, which is depicted in many statues from that age. It is called the Krises Laudo because the first text mentioning this particular garments was found in a Laudian inventory list for a tailor carved in stone, mentioning it along with several other fabrics and textiles.

It was during the 3 dynasties that the most recognizable Tilennan outfit was first designed, namely the Risaura, consisting of the iconic limaucha or barred top and the xaelera or barred skirt. These two garments were meant to show one's wealth by openly displaying the expensive materials included in the clothes. however this made the garments horribly rigid and impractical for any activity other than look good. Nowadays the garment is still reserved for the upper class and can be seen worn by the Pures during official business.

The last major pieces in Tilennan culture are the murades and taeneda introduced during at the end of the First Purity. It covers the entirety of the arms and legs in contrast to pieces before it, which almost always left the lower parts of the limbs bare. Even so the chest and abdomen area were still uncovered. This new style is speculated to have been brought over by East-Keshi traders during the 7th century BCE, where it was common to cover more of your body in formal situations, as seen with the kimono and hakama for example.

The poorer classes typically wore a krises setra combined with a simple form of paera. For some even basic clothes like these were inaccessible and in many cases the peasantry just draped a cloth around their hips and called it a day.

In Tilenno clothes were typically made from 4 different types of fabrics and some blends between those. The most common type of fabric and cheapest to produce was linen of which most commoners' clothes were made. A step above linen there was cotton, more specifically Tilennan Semi-Aquatic Cotton, cultivated in paddy fields. This textile was pretty water intensive to produce and therefore the prices were quite high. A great aspect of Tilennan cotton is that it is more water and stain resistant than regular cotton, which still justifies the cost intensive production to this day. Alpaca wool was typically used for supaerá. Alpaca wool was a very thick material and only really worn at night, or in the northern an mountains areas. Even so alpaca wool was a pretty sought after fabric. The most expensive fabric in Tilenno was Tilennan silk, created from the silk produced by the Tilennan flower bug. It takes a lot of work to make this fabric and prices are very high. The natural colour of the silk is slightly pink, which is often treated in a bleaching process to become perfect white or just dyed into a darker colour. Because of this white silk is the most prestigious of all.



Royal Confederacy
When Vallisian explorers arrived in Tilenno during the 16th century they were very intrigued by the different garments and way of dress found here and made a lot of drawings and descriptions of these garments as well as brought them back to the homeland, where they are still displayed in museums. Because of this, most information of fashion during this age comes from the Vallisian explorers' documentation. The most important of these documents is arguably  L'Homme Tilennois, one of the first descriptions that made it back to Vallis and with muliple detailed illustrations of aspects of Tilennan culture including clothing. During this age the Krises Laudo was very popular and therefore shows up in a lot of these drawings, but the other garments do show up regularly as well.

In these texts it is often explained how Tilennan people don't really know shame and prudishness, as it is not uncommon to see the genitalia or other explicit parts of the body when Tilennan clothes move around.. Most people, especially commoners, didn't really bother with putting on undergarments, as they were pretty expensive and often impractical and hot. This also coincides wih the notion in Tilenno that the more clothes you wear, the higher your status ought to be. This is not always translated directly in layers or clothing, but could also be expressed in the quality and rarity of the material, like having clothes made from Tilennan silk. However what was seen as sign of even higher status was the ability to not wear clothes. This is explained by having such a high reputation that you have nothing to prove by wearing clothes. Even so it is expected for people of higher standing to at least wear clothes on formal occasions and to have a well maintained physique. It is known that the Pures mostly walked, and still to does to this day, around the palace naked and sometimes even shows up naked for royal, less formal, banquets.

During the Royal Confederacy the introduction of Artemian clothes also happened, although adaptation of these styles was slow as they were stuill in a constant stalemate with the Vallsiians. The most important piece of clothing that entered the Tilennan wardrobe was button up shirts and just the concept of buttons in general.

Pre-modern Era
After the reunification, tensions with Artemia lessened ans slowly more garments made their way to the Tilennan streets. It was during this time suits were first started to be seen, coming first into use in the military ranks as they were trying to modernize in the example of the great Artemian armies of that time. Even so the highest ranks kept using the traditional military outfits. Through the army commoners started to adapt the suit into a practical everyday attire, mainly made from breathable linen. The Tilennan style suit however puts a lot of focus on the shoulder, including a enormous amount of padding and support, while shirst are often cropped above the belly button.

In the early 20th century a trend started where glasses were not longer seen as a purely medical instrument, but now entered the world of fashion and Jewellery. This was seen in the explosion of new frame styles, many of which were based on styles common in other parts of the world. This trend became so strong that even people who didn't need glasses bought them to accessorize.



Contemporary Fashion
Contemporary fashion really started in the 1980s after the end of the Osorra-Tilenno War. The first major trend that gripped the federation was Westwave, which took heavy influences from Artemian fashion, introducing hats, shirts, pants and dress shoes among other typical Western attire. This fashion trend was part of the broader Westwave movement which aimed for a more open and internationally oriented Tilenno, instead of returning to its more isolationist roots. The new and non-conforming styles that were brought along, really functioned as a catalyst for the diversification of Tilennan fashion into many trends and subcultures that still continue to this day.

Because of this enormous diversification, influences from other regions and the interesting blend between tradiytional and modern garments, the Tilennan fashion world is one of the most interesting and fashion forward in Anterra. Many Tilennan designers and brands really push the concept of what's wearable and stylish to its extremes, often getting ridiculed by other nations for being too over the top. Many international brands take heavy inspiration from these Tilennan designers especially with the popularisation of the androgynous them that has dominated Tilennan fashion for decades. The most popular Tilennan fashion designer is Fales Sedaeka who own the epynomous brand Sedaeka. She is especially well known for her bold colour choices and sleek but complicated silhouettes.

Interestingly Tilenno is the only nation in which it is uncommon practise to have separate stores or sections for the different sexes, most clothes are made with both men and women in mind and only differ in terms of fit and size. You will not be able to find any stores specifically catering to one sex, with the only exception being undergarments that only women could wear.

Traditional Garments
Traditional Tilennan garments were made from a select number of fabric types, flax or linen, cotton, alpaca wool and flower bug silk. While many different types of clothing sprung up, a cohesive theme runs through all of them.

Particularly all garments put a heavy emphasis on the shoulder area, often including a lot of support and padding to give the impression of a stronger frame. Most clothing pieces also tend to leave quite a bit of skin exposed, with most tops not covering the abdomen area. It is believed this area is kept bare as a sort of social control on one's shape. Generally fat people were shunned in Tilenno, so this prevented people from covering up their stomachs. This also explains why the commoner's dress does cover the abdomens as they were not likely to be over-consuming.

Typically the lower legs and arms were covered neither, but this is attributed to a climatic adaptation rather than a social one. Most garments feature a gold or other colour of trim around the edges, presumably to give the garment more longevity as well as show craftsmanship. The last thing that is seen in most clothing is the typical Tilennan neck line, where a diamond is cut out around the chest or breast area. This was done for breathability as well as a way to show your physical form.

Xumaera Teruko
The Xumaera Teruko or Terukian dress is the oldest known type of clothing found in Tilenno, showing up on wall paintings in the ancient ruins of Teruko. It consists of a supaera as paera, sometimes called a Tilennan poncho, and a kaesores as kaeles, or spiral skirt. The supaera is simply made by sewing two somewhat triangular shaped pieces of fabric together and draping it over the shoulders. Most of the time extra padding is inserted around the shoulder area, but this is not required. The Kaesores is a long piece of fabric in the shape of a right-angle triangle and is worn by wrapping it around the waist starting at the sharpest corner. This causes the garment to wrap around the wearer in a spiral fashion, hence the nickname. Both garments are typically made from alpaca wool, but show up in other textiles and blends as well.

This style of dress used to be seen all around Tilenno, but in the last centuries has mainly be restricted to the northern and mountain areas of the nation. A variant of the supaera, which is longer and more cold resistant is also seen and often used as a coat during the cold nights. In the south this style has mainly been replaced by the sumonae.