History Main / WardrobeFlawOfCharacterization

* It's subtle, but in ''Film/PlanesTrainsAndAutomobiles'' the viewer can tell that John Candy's traveling salesman character's suit is [[FakeFabricFashionFauxPas off-the-rack and made of synthetic material]], especially by contrast with Steve Martin's successful, relatively wealthy character, who wears one made of fine wool that looks custom-tailored.

** Sycophantic Tom Wambsgans, likewise NouveauRiche, also tries too hard — his pocket squares match his ties and his shoes are too shiny, which are details that a person born into wealth wouldn't bother with.

Television and movies are full of [[HollywoodBeautyStandards beautiful, well-dressed people]]. Even "ugly" people will be merely HollywoodHomely, and even "lame" people will be {{Cool Loser}}s. There are entire makeup and wardrobe departments dedicated to helping ensure that this is so. Even a blue-collar wardrobe straight from UsefulNotes/{{Walmart}} will fit perfectly and be well-cared-for.

* In ''Film/DeathOnTheNile2022''
** Poirot observes that Mrs. Bower's clothing, accessories, and luggage are all very expensive but also ten years out of fashion and show signs of repeated mending and deduces that she's someone who loves being glamorous but can't afford to be trendy. This leads her to reveal that she used to be fabulously wealthy but that the stock market crash wiped out her fortune and hasn't been able to enjoy the finer things in a long time.
** Salome wears a hat that is long out of style, which Poirot deduces is because it has enough room inside to allow her to conceal a holdout gun.

* In ''Film/DeathOnTheNile2022'' Salome wears a hat that is long out of style, which Poirot deduces is because it has enough room inside to allow her to conceal a holdout gun.

* In ''Film/DeathontheNile'' (2022 film) Salome wears a hat that is long out of style, which Poirot deduces is because it has enough room inside to allow her to conceal a holdout gun.

* In ''Film/DeathontheNile(2022film)'' Salome wears a hat that is long out of style, which Poirot deduces is because it has enough room inside to allow her to conceal a holdout gun.

* In ''Film/DeathontheNile'' (2022 film) Salome wears a hat that is long out of style, which Poirot deduces is because it has enough room inside to allow her to conceal a holdout gun.

** When he's not stuck in one type of uniform or another, or a suit, Tim Drake (ComicBook/{{Robin|Series}} III[=/=]ComicBook/RedRobin III) usually dresses in band T-shirts and old worn jeans as a sign of mild rebellion against his father's expectations of him and because he just cares more about being comfortable than looking put together. He does this less after getting stuck as taking over a large portion of Wayne Industries but he still throws on pretty casual clothes to go hang out with friends.

** [[Characters/DoctorWhoMasters The Master]], when given any choice in the matter, is colour-coordinated and often downright dapper. Even managing this in the usually-''ridiculously'' awful Time Lord ceremonial robes. Granted, it's easy to coordinate if you like to wear predominantly the darker, neutral parts of the spectrum, but this is beyond ''weird'' by the normal Time Lord "clashing is a thing" standards. Heck, s/he can even match a full outfit ''temporally'', let alone culturally. Oh, and yup: considered madder than a bag full of hammers, if brilliant, by most other Time Lords.

** [[Characters/DoctorWhoFirstDoctor The First Doctor]] dresses in slightly unusual but rather appropriate Edwardian clothing, fitting his characterization as a strange old geezer with the maturity of a teenager. The Second Doctor dresses in a similar outfit (supposedly the same outfit), but the clothes are all clownishly large and baggy, his bowtie is perpetually askew and he has an unkempt mop-top hairstyle, matching his penchant for ObfuscatingStupidity. When he is put into a machine in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E7TheMacraTerror The Macra Terror]]" that makes him look sharp and gorgeous, he moans about it and immediately resets his outfit to normal [[SheCleansUpNicely much to Polly's displeasure]].

** The First Doctor dresses in slightly unusual but rather appropriate Edwardian clothing, fitting his characterization as a strange old geezer with the maturity of a teenager. The Second Doctor dresses in a similar outfit (supposedly the same outfit), but the clothes are all clownishly large and baggy, his bowtie is perpetually askew and he has an unkempt mop-top hairstyle, matching his penchant for ObfuscatingStupidity. When he is put into a machine in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E7TheMacraTerror The Macra Terror]]" that makes him look sharp and gorgeous, he moans about it and immediately resets his outfit to normal [[SheCleansUpNicely much to Polly's displeasure]].
** The Third Doctor thinks sharp but inconspicuous dress for a wealthy gentleman in 1970s Britain ([[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture or at least a time aesthetically based on it]]) consists of brightly-coloured velvet suits, frilly dress shirts, bow ties, and a satin cape, tying in with the contrast between his suave demeanor and fish-out-of-water nature as a Time Lord in exile. Other characters derisively comment on his ridiculous dress sense, and in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS10E2CarnivalOfMonsters Carnival of Monsters]]" Vorg even assumes from his outfit that he's a working-class carnie.
** The Fourth Doctor dresses in well-coordinated and obviously very expensive AwesomeAnachronisticApparel with a [[ByronicHero Byronic]] or [[PerkyGoth gothic]] vibe topped with a designer hat, but wears it with a tackily-coloured stripy knitted scarf that is far, far longer than necessary. And never does the buttons up right. And CantTieHisTie. And doesn't iron anything. And the hat's visibly crumpled because he tends to just shove it into his pocket. And [[MessyHair he rarely even brushes his hair]]. All of this matches his characterization as a CreepyGood Doctor who veers between manic childishness and a level of imposing otherworldliness not seen in any previous incarnation; when he approaches the end of his life, he dons a darker, red and burgundy version of his outfit to match his more somber personality.
** The Fifth Doctor dresses in a sharp UsefulNotes/{{Cricket}} outfit... with the exception of a celery stalk attached to his left lapel and a pair of sneakers, highlighting how even though he's far more subdued than the extremely out-there Four, he's still as eccentric as the Doctor always is.
** The Sixth Doctor dressed in a bizarre, multicolored, and all-around mismatched outfit that was frequently compared to that of a clown, both in-universe and out. Of note is that producer Creator/JohnNathanTurner [[StylisticSuck intentionally made the outfit as eye-searingly ugly as humanly possible]] in order to highlight this incarnation's more unstable personality.
** The Seventh Doctor wears mostly somewhat casual formal wear with a hat, beige or dark dress jacket on top of (usually) tartan trousers with a shirt and a tie. He also wears a sweater vest, which wouldn't be an issue, if the thing wasn't ''covered in question marks''. All of this lines up with Seven's original depiction as a return to Two and Four's more clownish elements after the DarkerAndEdgier Six; after Seven's personality became darker and more Machiavellian in his second season, his third saw him switch to a dark brown version of his outfit to match. When he shows up in the TV Movie he's swapped into a red velvet vest and tweed jacket, but he's gone with Albert Einstein's hairdo; while we don't see much of him in the film, his outfit is meant to establish him as more older and wizened since his last appearance in 1989.
** The Ninth Doctor was a relatively subdued example, wearing a black leather jacket over a plain sweater and jeans: Not always appropriate for the situation he found himself in this episode, but much more low-key and understated than previous incarnations. This turned out to foreshadow the direction the revival series was going to take, with the darker palette and less cheerfully eccentric style [[SignificantWardrobeShift reflecting a soberer and less relaxed Doctor]] who'd come out of the Time War with a lot of emotional baggage.
** The Tenth Doctor is nearly always seen in a slim-cut four-button brown or navy pinstripe suit and tie that seems somewhat professional at first glance but is actually casual and geeky upon closer inspection, combined with casual Converse sneakers to emphasize his eccentric nature.[[note]]This sort of thing was a fad in certain circles for a while in RealLife as well.[[/note]] He even wears sneakers with a ''tuxedo''.
** The Master, when given any choice in the matter, is colour-coordinated and often downright dapper. Even managing this in the usually-''ridiculously'' awful Time Lord ceremonial robes. Granted, it's easy to coordinate if you like to wear predominantly the darker, neutral parts of the spectrum, but this is beyond ''weird'' by the normal Time Lord "clashing is a thing" standards. Heck, s/he can even match a full outfit ''temporally'', let alone culturally. Oh, and yup: considered madder than a bag full of hammers, if brilliant, by most other Time Lords.

This trope happens when a small flaw in a character's wardrobe, such as poor fit or cheap material, is used to show something about their character. This isn't about a homeless person or someone living AfterTheEnd wearing rags because they have no choice. Nor is it about [[SeriouslyScruffy someone who lacks the time or motivation to dress well,]] or wears ill-fitting clothes as a purposeful fashion statement (''à la'' the baggy pants trend of TheNineties). It's when a character ''tries'' to dress nicely, but for whatever reason, they do not quite pull it off as well as they want to or think they do.

** Another episode from the first season, "Day Damn One" is a WholeEpisodeFlashback to his first day at his all boys' school. In addition to turning his navy blue school blazer inside out to set himself apart from the other students (which happened to be a colorfully stylish reversible fashion and his popularity at the school even inspired other students to do the same), but when attending his first class, he sports a NecktieHeadband while informing the teacher, who greatly dislikes the look, that he is wearing the tie in the proper knot according to the student handbook on decorum, [[LoopholeAbuse it never outright states]] ''[[LoopholeAbuse where]]'' [[LoopholeAbuse it should be worn.]]

* Beloved one-shot character [[AffablyEvil Hank Scorpio]] from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' is a downplayed version: when Homer is in his office and he asks him to hang up his coat on the wall, it's shown that it has no walls (only windows) and he claims that he didn't ask him to hang up his coat, which then shows him wearing the coat ''backwards'' [[RefugeInAudacity with a shit-eating smile on his face.]] The scene alone showcases his charisma and how wily and clever he is to both carry on being a great boss and [[Film/JamesBond Bond-like]] supervillain.

Television and movies are full of [[HollywoodBeautyStandards beautiful, well-dressed people]]. Even "ugly" people will be merely HollywoodHomely, and even "lame" people will be {{Cool Loser}}s. There are entire makeup and wardrobe departments dedicated to helping ensure that this is so. Even a blue-collar wardrobe straight from Wal-mart will fit perfectly and be well-cared-for.

Therefore, whenever this rule is {{Averted}}, [[LawOfConservationOfDetail there is always a reason]].

* Agent Coulson's suit in the first ''Film/IronMan1'' is ill-fitting, in keeping with his role as comic relief and to contrast with Tony's SimpleYetOpulent impeccably tailored suits (no, not [[PoweredArmor those]].). Later movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe give him [[SharpDressedMan better duds]].

* ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII'': The Red Prince is illustrated with gilded armour and fine clothes that are torn around the edges as a nod to his NobleFugitive status.

* Inverted in ''Film/DaddysHome 2''. The film features a dead-serious discussion over the thermostat and how it is a father's sacred duty to maintain an iron grip upon it. Brad, Kurt, and Don are the ones who understand this and are dressed in dowdy white undershirts and boxers. Dusty, the one who can't control the thermostat, is dressed in a gray t-shirt, that shows of his physique, and pajama bottoms to show he hasn't fully become a dad yet.

** In ''Film/GlassOnion'', Claire is perpetually wearing beige to differentiate her from the more colorful Disruptors (which clearly annoys her), and Peg's outfits are almost fashionable but veer off in strange directions, in contrast to her boss Birdie who is more effortlessly glamorous.

It could establish them as a minor {{slob|sVersusSnobs}}, illustrate that they're a [[CasanovaWannabe wannabe]] or NouveauRiche dressing in a manner they're unused to, that they're trying too hard, or that they suffer [[TheDitz a lack of attention to detail]]. Sometimes used to contrast one half of an OddCouple with his [[SharpDressedMan better-dressed counterpart]]. Compare SeriouslyScruffy, where a character is entirely unkempt because they just don't care, and FakeFabricFashionFauxPas, TackyTuxedo, and ImpossiblyTackyClothing, in which it's not just the details that are wrong. If the character's wardrobe is supposedly cool in-universe, it's WhatTheHellCostumingDepartment.

** The Ninth Doctor was a relatively subdued example, wearing a black leather jacket over a plain sweater and jeans: Not always appropriate for the situation he found himself in this episode ([[ChangedMyJumper not that it ever really came up]], except when they ended up in London during the Blitz because it vaguely resembled the uniform of a German U-boat skipper) but much more low-key and understated than previous incarnations. This turned out to foreshadow the direction the revival series was going to take, with the darker palette and less cheerfully eccentric style [[SignificantWardrobeShift reflecting a soberer and less relaxed Doctor]] who'd come out of the Time War with a lot of emotional baggage.

* In ''LightNovel/ThereWasNoSecretEvilFightingOrganization'', Sago's much wealthier friend gets him a fancy suit so he can attend a business meeting alongside her. However, Sago forgets to put on a necktie, which causes him no small amount of anxiety throughout the meeting. This symbolizes his ignorance of upper-class society. Similarly, the fact that Kaburagi forgot to tell him to prepare one shows that [[NonIdleRich she cares more]] about people's character than their appearances.

* One chapter of ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'' has the [[GenderBender gender-bent]] protagonist Matsuri dress up as a YukiOnna along with Rochka. Matsuri did the far worse job putting on his kimono (his sash is tied in a messy ribbon in front with a lot of slack; he also left out the decorative cord and cloth Rochka included), showing months of living as girl [[GuysAreSlobs hasn't given him a neat or feminine fashion sense]]. A couple chapters earlier, Suzu even insisted she dress Matsuri herself for a summer festival because he wouldn't be careful enough.

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[[quoteright:325:[[WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bad_tie.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:325: That red thing around his neck is a tie, and he's too cool to wear it properly.]]