Andresh is the MMC of The Name and the Key trilogy. The first book takes place in the country of Brinn, in the coastal city of Mariner. The Bellamys, featuring FMC Lily, are natives to Brinn, while Andresh and his family the Zataviers hail from across the seas in a country called Sindalia. Their old home is Sindalia’s capital city, Evandra.

Sindalia came to me as a huge country with all sorts of influences–a mix of my time visiting countries overseas–where the capital is extremely metropolitan, filled with all sorts of cultures, languages, genders, nationalities, fashion…I wanted something culturally close to New York City (where I’m from originally!).

I’m talking about Sindalia first because it’s Andresh’s native culture and homeland. For centuries Sindalians wore traditional clothing, but then when other nationalities moved to the country, the fashions across continents became de rigueur.

I’m reminded of when Japan opened to the West, and during the Meiji era Japanese people started wearing the fashions of Europe and America while others held on to their traditional kimono and hakama.

Images sourced from Aesthetics from Japan.

This is pretty much the same thing with Sindalia. For special events, like the opening ceremony or graduation from his university, he would wear traditional Sindalian clothing. Same thing for weddings and funerals.

So what does Sindalian clothing look like? A little like this.

Images from depositphotos.

The Step and the Walk, book two in the trilogy and essentially Andresh’s story, takes place in Sindalia while he is at university studying literature. So, I needed to come up with an idea for traditional Sindalian clothing, and the gorgeous clothes from Kazakhstan came to mind. Basically I picture the bold colors and vivid embroidery and trim from Kazakh clothes mixed with some European influences. If I was an artist or fashion designer I would draw this for you, but alas, you’ll have to try to picture it yourself.

Now, when Andresh is in Brinn in book one of the trilogy, he assimilates and wears traditional Regency clothing, but continues to wear his hair the Sindalian way–in a long, loose braid that flows down to the small of his back.

Images sourced from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Notice that this becomes the time period where men are starting to wear pants as we recognize them today, with some exceptions to how they are cut. I can picture Andresh in these clothes easily, but I always describe him wearing knee-high black riding boots, because honestly, those are sexy.

The thing about historical Regency clothing is that it isn’t as bright or ostentatious as what I see in my head. The Sindalian traditional colors are bright jewel tones; but I want my Regency clothes to be like that, too.

Enter Bridgerton!

I wrote about the fantastical interpretation of the Regency in Bridgerton here. The men’s clothes in Bridgerton look more traditional to me, but there are pops of color there that I really like. Here are some looks from the show:

Image at left sourced from Jane Austen Runs my Life. image at right sourced from Hollywood Movie Costumes and Props.

So, all in all, Andresh’s predominant wardrobe consists of Bridgerton-style Regency costumes, and one traditional Sindalian outfit for ceremonial occasions. The unifying factors are that the clothes have rich colors and great tailoring, which is emblematic of Andresh’s style. He tries not to show it, but he absolutely does care about how he looks.

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References

Coat. American – The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (n.d.). https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/79704

Coat. British – The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (n.d.). https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/81107

Morgan, J. (2022, December 13). Emmy-nominated TV costumes from Season 2 of Bridgerton on display… Hollywood Movie Costumes and Props. https://hollywoodmoviecostumesandprops.blogspot.com/2022/12/emmy-nominated-tv-costumes-from-season_13.html

Newton – suit – british – the metropolitan museum of art. Newton – Suit – British – The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (n.d.). https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/79838

R, C. (2021, December 10). Uniforms and corsets at the Chrisanthemum Court, victorian fashion in Meiji Japan. aesthetics from Japan. https://aestheticsfromjapan.com/fashion/uniforms-and-corsets-at-the-chrisanthemum-court-victorian-fashion-in-meiji-japan/

WordPress. (2022, August 20). I Attended the Bridgerton Experience in San Francisco. janeaustenrunsmylife. https://janeaustenrunsmylife.wordpress.com/tag/gloves/