Fashion in the World of Avatar

People of the World of Avatar wear many different types of clothing and other accessories depending on the nation from which they hail and their social status. The clothing ranges from the very humble attire worn by Air Nomads to the elaborate robes worn by the Fire Lord.

By the time of the foundation of the United Republic of Nations, fashion began to leave tradition behind in favour of more modern types of clothing, bearing similarities to Western fashion of the late 19th/ early 20th century, although still heavily influenced by Asian dress.

A notable fact of fashion in general is that each nation wears the color that symbolizes their native element. The Air Nomads, therefore, wear oranges and yellows, the Water Tribes wear blues and purples, the people of the Earth Kingdom wear yellows and greens, and the people of the Fire Nation wear various hues of red, brown, black, and gold.

Air Nomads


The colors in fabrics worn by the Air Nomads are browns, oranges, and saffron yellows, which is the general palette linked to the art of airbending.

Clothing
The Air Nomad attire is as simple as the way people of the nation live their lives. Nomads tend to wear an assortment of loose apparel, including cloaks, robes, and shawls. In addition, monks also wear beads depending on their position in the council. Generally, it appears as if the clothing becomes more layered as a monk increases in position and improves in skill.

Young Air Nomads
Young Air Nomads learning airbending wear loose, orange shawls over long-sleeved yellow shirt-like robes that extend to the knee, cut at the crotch to leave it draping only over the outside of the legs. The orange shawl overlaying the shirt acts as a parachute, catching air as the young bender falls. Air Nomads also wear an orange belt-like wrap around their waist, keeping the yellow robes tight against the wearer. Brown pants are worn under the yellow robe, and long red boots that reach the knees are pulled over the main robe, also acting as a parachute, catching air during a fall.

Monk robes
The senior monks who have become master airbenders wear much longer robes than the children. These monks' robes are in shades of yellow, orange, and brown, which again links back to the art of airbending. Their robes are designed with a yellow collar, and are worn underneath flowing brown robes. The armlets are loose and opened wide at the wrist. Women of the same rank generally sport the same style. However, there is usually a yellow lining that extends over the bust and meets a long underskirt of the same yellow color.

Necklaces
Senior monks wear necklaces made of wood, displaying their rank and superior skill. The necklaces usually consist of wooden beads and a number of round, wooden disks carved with the Air Nomad emblem. In addition to the basic components, necklaces may also rope small knots of leather tassels.

Shaving


Shaving one's head is a tradition in Air Nomad society. Young nomads who are in training to be master airbenders shave their heads, while elders grow beards and mustaches, but they keep their heads shaved. Female Air Nomads do not fully shave their heads, and they only shave the front portion in order to reveal their tattooed arrow and thus identify themselves as nuns. Air Nomads utilize shaving tools such as Aang's, which are curved blue and white razors decorated with the symbol of the nomads. Much like washing, shaving is considered part of the morning ritual to prepare for the day ahead.

Tattoos
The arrow tattoos that run down an Air Nomad's chi paths signify their mastery over airbending. This is an emulation of the natural arrows on the heads of flying bisons, the original airbenders and animals revered by the Air Nomads. Apprentice airbenders have no tattoos as they receive their markings after passing the thirty-six levels of airbending, or slightly earlier if they engineer a new airbending technique.

Water Tribes
The citizens of the Northern and Southern Water Tribe wear blues, purples, and whites as their general palette. The attire in both the polar tribes usually consists of furs and thick material.

The members of the Foggy Swamp Tribe, on the other hand, utilize natural materials from the swamp to craft clothing and accessories. These materials may include wood, leaves, and tree bark, which are later fashioned into leaf skirts, leaf hats, shirts of bark, and wooden necklaces. The people of the Foggy Swamp Tribe sport various greens, browns, and whites.

Clothing


Water Tribe clothing is typically a set of kimono-like tunics, covered by thick over coats to counter the cold arctic weather. Styled in blues, purples, and whites, the colors represent the nation's cultural heritage and the practice of waterbending.

Gloves
There are a few styles of gloves in the Water Tribes. Some gloves have the index finger and thumb separate from the rest of the mitten, with the purpose of providing extra grip to the wearer. Another design is the classic five-fingered glove. Usually, men in the Water Tribes wear a three-hole mitten, keeping their index and middle fingers separate from the ring and pinkie fingers, and the thumb by itself.

Fur coats


When out in the cold, people of the Water Tribes wear thick fur coats with hoods. The coats are lined with soft fur, meant to keep the wearer warm. Their armlets often show wavy designs resembling waves, linking to waterbending and the general culture of the Water Tribes. These thick, traditional coats can be found in an array of styles. Women's coats are usually shown with a fur or leather belt-like wrap tied just below the chest, while men's coats tend to have no tie at the waist and display three string-like fur hangings.

Light clothing
This type of clothing is generally used when traveling to warmer regions. It resembles a kimono-like tunic, with split sides for leg movement and fur trimmed leggings underneath. Lighter clothing comes in various styles. Princess Yue's lighter clothing is shown as a light purple dress covered by a kimono-like tunic in a darker shade of purple. Her attire had no split sides, like those of Katara's and Sokka's. The tunic was lined with white trim, displaying the Water Tribe emblem in the lower corner.

Sarashi
These strips of cloth are wrapped around the woman's chest and worn under clothing as undergarments and/or swimsuit. Men can specially wrap a sarashi as a loincloth, serving as alternatives to briefs or boxers. Katara wore the sarashi as a bathing suit. The sarashi can also be used to wrap injuries and it can be found wrapped around one's arms or legs to prevent sprains.

Hair loopies


Hair loopies are traditional hair pieces worn by the female members of the polar Water Tribes. Two locks of hair on either side of the head are fastened with clips onto the back of the head, hanging down more loosely than the rest of the hair. In the Southern Water Tribe, these loopies are usually plain, however, in the Northern Water Tribe, they are often braided into elaborate designs.

Warrior's wolf tail
A warrior's wolf tail is a hairstyle used by male Water Tribe warriors. This style requires younger warriors, like Sokka, to shave the sides of their head, only growing the top. The hair is pulled back and tied, resembling a wolf's tail. As the warrior gets older, the sides of his hair grows and remains uncut. The hair grows out with age, and eventually grows down to the warriors mid-back. Sokka and the rest of the Southern Water Tribe warriors can be seen sporting the style in the Invasion of the Fire Nation.

Necklaces


In the Water Tribes, it is essential for a man to give a special necklace to the woman whom they wish to marry. This betrothal necklace signifies the marital joining of the couple and subsequently also tells other men that the woman is taken. Both Princess Yue and Katara can be seen with these blue chokers, though Katara did not initially know the significance of her necklace, as she received it as a family heirloom passed down from her grandmother. Sokka can be seen wearing a white choker necklace, and this may have been traditionally worn by male Water Tribe members, though it has not been seen on other males.

Makeup
Water Tribe warriors wear a traditional makeup during battles, It is believed that the purpose of the makeup is to allow other warriors in the tribe to distinguish their own members as well as serve as a type of camouflage in the icy tundra of the poles.

In the Northern Water Tribe, female makeup is worn. Princess Yue's consisted of various pink shades.

Earth Kingdom
While people residing in rural areas often wear clothes similar to those of peasants, royals and the wealthy, as illustrated by Toph Beifong, as well as the rest of the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se, usually wear more fancy robes. They dress in an array of greens, browns, golds, yellows, and many other earthy colors. Kyoshi Islanders however, dress in blue attire.

Outside Ba Sing Se


Outside Ba Sing Se, there are mostly farming communities. People wear dark green and brown, representing the color of crops and farming soil.

However, there are variations, like Chong and his friends, who wore multicolored clothing in wild styles.

Inside Ba Sing Se
Ba Sing Se is split into three different rings, so there is a much greater variation in attire. The lower class citizens wear darker colors, while the middle and higher class wear lighter colors. This is done to segregate the people, and to indicate an individual's wealth.

Lower Ring
In the poor and crime-stricken Lower Ring, women and men wear brown and dark green clothing, putting emphasis on their low position in society. The style is anything but elaborate, as most wear raggedy kimono-like tunics, and if lucky, a reasonable pair of shoes.

Hair
Hair is not usually styled in the Lower Ring. Women tie their hair back or in a bun, but not to an extravagant degree. Men try to keep their hair short, and if long, is usually tied back to keep out of the face.

Middle Ring


In the Middle Ring, clothing is fashioned in more elaborate styles, usually in various shades of light green. Women have dresses lined with hints of gold and yellow, and men sport more extravagant tunics.

Hair
Middle class families are adequately secure, financially. Therefore, men can afford to braid their hair or pull it back in a top-knot wrapped in a green band. Women have more elaborate and decorated hairdos.

Upper Ring


Due to the great wealth of the Upper Ring, women and men wear the most extravagant styles of all. Their clothing consists of various light shades of green with gold trimmings, fashioned into elaborate designs and patterns. Men wear longer and more embroidered tunics.

Hair
The hairdos of high class society in the city are extravagant and elaborate. Women can be seen with long, flowing hair that can be partially braided over their neatly-layered hair underneath. Some women may pin parts of the hair up with large ornaments that are beautifully designed. Men do their hair in many different styles as well, also partially braiding over neatly-layered hair, or pulling it back in a top-knot wrapped in a gold band.

Accessories
Women in the Upper Ring are often seen with accessories. In Ba Sing Se, both Team Avatar girls held an elaborate fan of dark green bordered with gold and with a frame, and many women wore elaborate headpieces, usually gold and mostly adorned with flowers. Chartreuse parasols made of a similar wood to the fans are also used.

Makeup
Higher class women wear makeup. A few wear white powder but most wear pink on their cheeks and some wear blue, green, or white around their eyes.

Tattoos
Tattoos are not common, nor frowned upon in the Earth Kingdom. Earth Kingdom citizens such as June and The Boulder have tattoos.

Hats
Peasants and farmers tend to wear conical straw hats, developed to keep shade as large in area as possible, thus being practical for working in the sun. The upper class of the Earth Kingdom mainly wear coronets known as guan; these vary in style immensely and indicate social rank and wealth. Chin the Great wore an especially elaborate piece called the tongtian guan. Mayor Tong wore a fangjin, a rectangular hat for lower officials, while Pu-on Tim wore a putou, a rounded black hat used by scholars. The citizens of Chin Village mostly wear wushamao, large hats with two oval flaps protruding from the sides. The women of Ba Sing Se wrap their hair around elaborate supports and ornament them with flowers.

Ornaments
Select citizens wear glasses, such as Earth King Kuei. Some citizens also sport headpieces, mostly generals and military officials. Earth Kingdom necklaces can also be found worn by various people, often made of flowers, gold, jewels, or wood.

Makeup


Makeup is used by the Kyoshi Warriors when they sport their uniform. It is meant to mimic the makeup of Avatar Kyoshi.

In Ba Sing Se, the Fancy Lady Day Spa is a spa dedicated to makeup and body beautification, located in the Upper Ring.

Amon used a makeup to fake his scars so that he could make up a story on how his family was murdered by a firebender.

Swimwear
As represented by Toph Beifong, Earth Kingdom swimwear resembles regular Earth Kingdom clothes in color, coming in yellows and browns.

Earth King
The Earth King wears a green hat with the Earth Kingdom emblem, and is clothed in a yellow garment with a green coat and a skirt, along with a belt and a beaded necklace.

King of Omashu
The King of Omashu is dressed in similarly elaborate clothes as the Earth King. The king usually sports a green hat, a green or purple robe, and several elaborate rings.

Fire Nation
Fashion in the Fire Nation mimics traditional Chinese elements. Layers of various colors, coats, and traditional pieces of armor are common elements in their style.

Clothing
Fire Nation people wear outfits mostly of red accented with black, though colors ranging from yellow, gold, gray, brown, and even as far as white can be seen. There is a major gap between the rich and poor, and the different social classes in society wear different clothes based on their wealth and power. One style popular with young women is midriff revealing tops. A common footwear is sandals.

Commoners and peasants


Commoners and peasants tend to wear simple clothing, usually a faded shade of red. A prime example of this is the river village of Jang Hui, where extreme poverty has engulfed the town. At the Boiling Rock prison, the prisoners wear uniforms of simple reddish-brown tops and bottoms.

School uniform
Fire Nation schools follow strict uniform guidelines. The Fire Nation school that Aang joined has a uniform consisting of brown pants or a skirt, a shirt, a black and red vest, and a red sash marked with the school's logo.

Swimwear
As with all Fire Nation clothing, the style is linked back to their native element. Azula, Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee were wearing the Fire Nation insignia on their bathing suits in Ember Island. Two-piece bikinis are popular with female Fire Nation citizens. Whilst Azula, Zuko, and Mai wore red bathing suits, Ty Lee sported a white bathing suit. Zuko wore bathing shorts while on Ember Island. The beachwear that they later wore to Chan's party was similar to the clothes that they wore to the beach.

Royalty


The Fire Nation Royal Family is the richest and most powerful family in the Fire Nation and perhaps the entire world, with the possible exception of the Earth King's family. They wear the most elaborate clothing which is usually a shade of red, and also sport royal armor. However, in times of mourning, white, formal clothing is worn. Ozai, Zuko, and Azula were seen wearing this attire at Azulon's funeral which was also Ozai's coronation as Fire Lord.

Prince and Princess
The clothing of the Prince and Princess of the Fire Nation is also very elaborate. For military matters, such as war meetings and battles, Zuko and Azula wear formal armor. This armor is black and deep red with gold trimmings. Zuko and Azula both wear gold flame ornaments in their hair top-knots when they wear this armor. While not in public or in a war meeting, the Fire Nation royals usually wear more comfortable robes.

Fire Lord


The Fire Lord is the ruler of the Fire Nation. He wears an ornate robe as a sign of his power and rank. In addition to his unique robes, he also wears the Fire Lord headpiece, an ornament in the shape of the Fire Nation insignia.

Phoenix King
When Ozai proclaimed himself the Phoenix King, he wore an elaborate helmet and armor. The helmet was gold and black, with a large jewel in the front. The armor Ozai wore was also very decorative, resembling twin phoenixes with a cape that extended down to his feet.

Accessories
Along with their clothing, Fire Nation citizens also wear many accessories. Royalty and nobility wear elaborate headpieces and golden necklaces, while the less well-off wear headbands and less elaborate headpieces. There are also headcrafts available in the Fire Nation, different from the ones in the Earth Kingdom in the sense that they are mostly gold in color.

Top-knots
Top-knots are the most frequently seen hairstyle in the Fire Nation, worn by both men and women. Fire Nation citizens often wear decorative headpieces in their top-knots.

Necklaces


The red and gold necklaces are common among women of the Fire Nation. Both Azula and Ty Lee wore necklaces to Chan's party. Suki and Katara could also be seen wearing Fire Nation styled necklaces while masquerading as Fire Nation citizens.

Makeup
In the Fire Nation, makeup appears to be a luxury, as only royalty and nobility have been seen wearing it. Azula's makeup and lipstick has more of a reddish color.

Headpieces
Headpieces are worn by many people in the world of Avatar to adorn their otherwise bare top-knots. These headpieces range from the very humble headpieces worn by normal citizens to the golden five-pronged headpiece worn by the Fire Lord, which resembles ancient Chinese fashion.

Fire Nation citizens often wear decorative headpieces in their top-knots. The headpieces are only decorative, however, and are in no way a rank of royalty. Zuko and Azula have both sported three-pronged headpieces in the traditional flame shape. While in the Earth Kingdom, however, Azula wore a simple red headpiece, but later replaced it with a golden one upon returning home.

Fire Lord headpiece


The Fire Lord's headpiece is an ancient royal artifact of the Fire Nation, meant to be worn by the Fire Lord, the absolute ruler of the nation. The headpiece is shaped like the Fire Nation insignia, except it possesses two additional prongs to make it appear like a crown. It is worn in a top-knot. The royal headpiece has been passed down for many generations of the nation's history from each Fire Lord to the next. The Fire Sages initiate the crowning ceremony. The crown has been worn by at least six Fire Lords: Sozin, Azulon, Ozai, Zuko, and two of which whose names remain unknown.

Crown Prince headpiece


The Crown Prince headpiece is an ancient royal artifact of the Fire Nation, meant to be worn by Heir to the Fire Lord, who can be male or female. The crown has two prongs, as opposed to the five pronged headpiece of the Fire Lord. The headpiece is crafted into the shape of the Fire Nation insignia. The headpiece was passed down from generation to generation, until it was inherited by Prince Sozin, who gave it to his friend, Avatar Roku. Roku kept it, and wore it for the rest of his life. Years later, it was shown to be kept by Iroh, who passed it on to Zuko.

The United Republic of Nations
As the United Republic of Nations and Republic City, its capital, grew, fashion shifted from traditional clothing of the four nations to more modern fashion, reflecting the more modern and cosmopolitan nature of the new nation.

Men's fashion
Male citizens of the United Republic tended to wear outfits closely resembling the two-piece suit, incorporating a jacket or longer coat, a shirt with a stiff, square collar which covered the neck, and trousers, tucked into either knee-high boots, as sported by Amon, as well as commanders in the United Forces, such as General Iroh and Commander Bumi, or stockings over black shoes, such as those worn by Mako, Bolin, Yakone, and Tarrlok. These were available in various colors and styles, with the jackets of wealthier people, such as Hiroshi Sato and Tarrlok, featuring a round pattern on the shoulders. Waistcoats are also worn on occasion.

Women's fashion
Women and men dress rather similarly in the United Republic, sporting jackets similar to men, but often wear a dress with tights and leather stockings. Women will opt to wear more fancy dresses on more formal occasions. Additionally, women will tend to wear long overcoats in cold weather, such as those sported by Asami and Lin Beifong in the South Pole.

Formalwear
Like everyday wear, men wear suits, although generally of a more elegant style than usual. Formalwear consists of either two-piece or three-piece suits, with the two-piece suits featuring a cummerbund and either variety having a dress-shirt (usually white) with ornate fastenings and a stiff, square collar. Cravats, neckties or scarves are worn, and trousers are always worn with white stockings and black shoes. Women wear different varieties of ballgown, and hair is worn in varied styles. For both men and women, color and variation depends on the wearer's taste and heritage: for instance,perhaps reflecting his Water Tribe Tarrlok wears a sporran at his gala, while Korra's ballgown is sleeveless, and she covers her ponytail with a cap that matches her trademark armlet, and Mako and Bolin wear red and green respectively.

Accessories
Both sexes wear a variety of hats and gloves, and scarves are often worn, such as Mako's trademark red scarf, which belonged to his dead father. Asami once bought him a new one, noticing that his was old and frayed, although the young firebender refused to wear it.

Swimwear
Men wear one-piece bathing costumes, as worn in the early 20th century, a close-fitting waterproof garment which covered the entire body from the torso to the upper thighs, leaving the arms and legs bare, and decorated with broad black and white stripes. Women also wear one-piece bathing suits.

Air Temple Island
The outfits of the Air Nomads and Air Acolytes have stayed more or less the same as what the Air Nomads traditionally wore, although the Air Acolytes wear less bright colors, reflecting their less prominent role in Air Nomad society. Young airbenders (a term that only really refers to Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo) wear clothing similar to that of the young Aang, while elder airbenders incorporate layers in their clothing, most noticeably the long capes which Tenzin and the elder Aang wear in addition to their shawls, and both are a vivid shade of scarlet.

Airbender formalwear
A new phenomenon in Air Nomad attire is the appearance of formalwear. This has appeared at the gala held by Tarrlok at his mansion, and incorporates bright, expensive colors, such as scarlet and gold. Tenzin is shown wearing dark red robes which cover the shoulders and legs, and open at the front to reveal the dark red and gold dress shirt he wears underneath, while Pema wears a dark red dress with a bright red cape and shawl. The young airbenders wear similar attire to their everyday dress, only their orange shawls are replaced with a scarlet shawl and cape. Pema, Jinora and Ikki have their hair specially arranged for the occasion: Pema wears her hair down, while the girls wear ribbons in their hair.

Metalbending police force
The Metalbending Police Force have a distinct dark grey uniform, inspired by both the uniform of the NYPD in the early 20th century and samurai armour. The uniform is made predominantly of metal, and is put on using Metalbending, and many in the force wear police hats featuring guards for the cheeks and neck, although Chief Beifong does not regularly wear it. The uniform has two spools located at the back, with two immensely long metal cables wound around them. These are used by the force for metalbending, especially during combat and moving around the city. The final distinguishing feature is the badge all policemen wear, the insignia of the United Republic of Nations, which is worn on the chest and is detachable. The non-bending policemen are also influenced by the NYPD of the early 20th, perhaps even more than the metalbending members. The non-bender policemen have tall hats with a navy blue uniform and whistles to alert people to a criminal on the run. Their main weapon is a police baton. They are also seen as employees at the Police Headquarters.

United Republic Council
The five members of the United Republic Council wear expensive clothing to indicate their prestige, and dress in the colors of the nation they represent. They all wear a badge bearing the insignia of the United Republic of Nations, indicating their position on the council.

United Forces
Members of the United Forces wear a distinctive uniform, denoting their position and rank within the forces. Soldiers of a lower rank wear a grey jacket with the insignia of an eagle in gold, as well as a grey hat, black trousers tucked into grey stockings, and a black shirt. Senior members, such as Commander Bumi and General Iroh, wear a long, red coat with golden inlays with their medals pinned to their chest, as well as white, pressed trousers tucked into knee-high boots, and a shirt with a stiff, red collar with golden edges, and a white cravat. Gloves are also worn.

The Equalists
Unlike most other citizens of the United Republic of Nations, whose outfits are inspired by 20th century clothing, the outfits of the Equalists take on more of a steampunk appearance. Nearly all members of the Equalists wear outfits that completely cover their bodies, albeit allowing for unencumbered movement while performing Chi blocking. In addition, they all wear gas masks with the Equalist insignia, and their iconic weapon, the Electrified glove. The Lieutenant's outfit differs in that he wears shoulder pads, his mask only partially covers his face, revealing his mouth and distinctive moustache, and he wears brass goggles instead of a gas mask. He also carries an energy pack on his back with his trademark weapon, his Electrified kali sticks. Their leader, Amon, wears a sleeveless grey trench coat with ornate shoulder pads, a black shirt and arm braces, ornate knee-high boots, and the most distinctive aspects of his attire, his hood and distinctive mask.

Trivia

 * Clothing in the Avatar World is influenced by several real-life cultures, such as Chinese, Korean, and Japanese clothing.
 * Fashion of the Air Nomads closely resembles that of Tibetan Monks.
 * Upper class Earth Kingdom citizens' clothing is similar to the Manchurian-Chinese Qipao, especially during parties and events.
 * Song and her mother wore clothing derived from a traditional Korean garment known as a hanbok.
 * Female hairdos in the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se are reminiscent of rich women during China's Qing Dynasty. Women wrap their hair similar to the fashion of the Manchu Qing Dynasty of China.
 * The Earth King's attire is based on real Chinese Manchurian emperors of the Qing Dynasty.
 * The nobles in Gaoling wore hairstyle and clothes influenced by the Tang Dynasty of China. Toph and Poppy Beifong are seen dressed in traditional robes called hanfu.