The Downworld is comprised of a dynamic variety of beings. Granted, the term “Downworlder” itself is quite broad and Shadowhunters has really only scratched the surface in its exploration of these groups – each one having its own respective histories, mythologies, and social and political backgrounds. As illustrated in our previous article “The Fashion of Shadowhunters and What It Says About the Characters,” fashion can be very telling about an individual. Now we will demonstrate what fashion can reveal about groups of people – specifically the subdivisions of the Downworld comprised of warlocks, vampires, werewolves, and seelies. Because let’s face it, Downworlders are more interesting.
Warlocks
Like many other members of the Downworld, warlocks are immortal beings who have lived long enough to know that fashion changes and repeats itself over time. As a result, they have an eclectic style which combines looks accumulated from different eras throughout history.
Any fashion-lover that likes to stay on trend has found themselves pulling from the old wardrobes of their parents. Similarly, warlocks likely keep old pieces and reuse them in new ways when they become fashionable once again. The fact that they are powerful beings capable of performing magic also causes warlocks to have relations with important figures in different parts of the world, explaining why they often lean toward a look of luxury and pull from different cultural modes of dress. Plus, with the use of portals, traveling (and the transportation of numerous shopping bags) is made that much easier!
Warlocks are the part of the Downworld that express their individuality through dress more so than others. Where someone like Magnus Bane will spice things up here and there depending on his mood, his late friend Ragnor Fell favored the dignified look evocative of the Classical era, having been more set in his ways. Warlocks like Dot Rollins and Iris Rouse dress more like mundanes because they choose to live among them. Both of these women have a modern bohemian look, which still expresses who they are, but in a subdued way that slips more easily into mundane society since it is more spiritually suggestive than odd. If you recall, Dot had assumed the role of a tarot card reader at the beginning of the series. We knew what Iris was really doing in her shady household, but to mundanes, she just appeared to be a doctor with unconventional methods. The bohemian look suits both of these professions well.
Vampires
Vampires act as hunters out of necessity since they are reliant on human blood to survive, and their inability to walk in the sunlight also forces them to be nocturnal. So how does a vampire go about hunting a human? Why, seduction of course! The Night Children must dress in a way that attracts their prey. Camille Belcourt is the perfect example of this, most primarily in the way she uses red – the color of seduction. Red lips and body-hugging dresses with eye-catching statement accessories are what define Camille’s look.
Vampires frequent bars and nightclubs – places that are a part of nightlife and where even regular human beings go with the intention to seduce other humans. Raphael Santiago dresses to kill (figuratively speaking of course – killing mundanes would go against the Accords ). He is usually seen wearing expensive-looking suits or flashy jackets paired with satin shirts. He has worked his way up the ranks to become leader of the coven, and his dress sense demands respect comparable to that of an important businessman in the club after hours.
Simon Lewis is an anomaly in more ways than one. His style, while matured, still reflects his mundane self and hasn’t really changed much since he became a vampire. Simon prefers the less intimidating company of the werewolves and his father figure and Pack Alpha, Luke Garroway, which may explain why he hasn’t assimilated into the typical ways of vampires. For now, Simon’s style lends itself easily to being dressed up or down and remains nestled in limbo between the two worlds.
Werewolves
As a whole, werewolves tend to dress in everyday street clothes because they are the least removed Downworld race from the mundane world. Their mortality allows them to function as mundanes easier than the rest of the Downworld, and they can learn from each other how to control their transformations by controlling their emotions. This, combined with the inherent instincts of the pack-functioning animal they transform into, instills a sense of solidarity within their kind.
Werewolves can be seen dressing similarly, implying a sense of unison within their pack. Plaid shirts, leather jackets, and denim jeans are the most common wardrobe inclusions of werewolves since these choices are comfortable, unisex, and suggestive of middle-class mundanity all at once. Maia Roberts has an elevated street style that incorporates an artsy quality, expressing both her creativity and street smarts with pieces like her graffiti-covered jackets.
Seelies
The fashion of the Fair Folk is rooted in nature itself as well as the nature of how they operate as a group. Seelies incorporate flora and fauna into their looks: whether it is through tattoos, printed fabric, or actual leaves and ferns interwoven into the designs of their clothing. Seelies are closely connected with nature and use it to their benefit – that doesn’t mean, however, that this relationship isn’t one that is mutually respectful. Nature bends to the will of the seelie, and in exchange, the seelie dedicate themselves to making sure that nature remains protected – this is the same approach we see them utilizing in their dealings with other groups within the Shadow World. It isn’t a stretch to assume that nature may have a hand in the creation of their garb, giving off the impression that the seelie and nature are united as one single entity.
Seelies operate within a monarchy devoted in servitude to their Queen. The majority of seelies dress modestly in contrast to their leader, who is often seen wearing lavish gowns. This is done to make it obvious to outsiders who exactly is in charge within the Seelie Realm. In 2×09 “Bound by Blood,” Magnus pointed out that seelie armor signifies war. Monarchies have been a governmental system used since ancient times, and war fought with armor-clad soldiers is also associated with monarchies of the past. The seelies’ rigid use of long-standing archaic practices projects a sense of strictness which implies that their kind are not to be trifled with and that their Queen is someone to be respected.
In what fashionable part of the Downworld would you feel most at home? Let us know on Twitter!
Shadowhunters is available for streaming via Freeform for U.S. residents and internationally on Netflix. Shadowhunters returns with Season 3 in early 2018.
