The Fashion of The Vampire Diaries

           They say clothes make the man. What clothes really do is tell you something about a person's character. When you see a movie you pick up on a character's personality or how they're feeling by the clothes they wear. A woman in a small black dress at a party or that red dress sitting at the bar looks dangerous yet sexy; that guy in the suit means business or that guy in the torn jeans and casual t-shirt is guy who rebels against the flow of the corporate world or he's a romantic struggling artist. The Vampire Diaries is no different. Like any other show, TVD has the best clothes from designers who sponsor the show (this is called product placement which I will go into another time). I won't pick at every character's wardrobe and go too much in depth but only for the ones that stand out.

First the Girls:

Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev): Elena's style is small-town-girl-next-door. She prefers comfort but also seeks a romantic character persona. That means cute flats, flat boots, tennis shoes, skinny jeans, sweaters (tight fit), tank tops and sun dresses.

For special occasions such as formals and balls, Elena wears cute cocktail dresses that don't show much cleavage but show off her sexy legs and her ball gowns are elegant and sparkly.

In the season 3 premiere episode "The Birthday", Elena showed her innocence by wearing a cute white dress with sensible white heeled shoes. Elena also goes for layers with a long-sleeved shirt and a simple tank top underneath in case she gets hot or she's cold. When Elena turned off her humanity, Elena went for a more rebellious look (like Katherine). When Damon took her to New York City, Elena went with darker, edgier looks with high heels and denim jackets.

When she found Katherine hiding out in a small town, Elena completely robbed Katherine of her style: trading a blue denim jacket for a black one, some gaudy earrings, other jewelry, and Katherine's prized possessions: her hot black sandal high heeled shoes! That's low! Humanity or no, Elena likes to accentuate her thin delicate frame with tight bodices and flowing trains (Miss Mystic Falls she wore a safe blue gown and at Prom she wore a bold magenta one).

Caroline Forbes (Candice Accola): Caroline may seem girly and feminine but she's the boss and makes sure people know it.

Caroline dressed as Jacqueline Kennedy for the 60s Decade Dance so she has a "First Lady" set mentality: she likes scarves, blazers, very feminine sundresses and blouses, with booties, high heels and boots. She prefers bright colors to stand out. She likes to be the queen of the fairytale ball. In Season 3's "Dangerous Liaisons" Klaus saw this and knew just what to give her: a gossamer dress with different shades of romantic blues and a jewel encrusted waistline complete with a pair of long silk white gloves. Occasionally she'll wear jeans and short shorts depending on the temperature or the task she is set with for better mobility for the many parties and school functions she organizes.


Bonnie Bennett (Kat Graham): Bonnie is the down to earth person of the group but also she wants to just be an ordinary girl. She wears earthy colors like blue, magenta, and saffron, colors that keep her feet on the ground.

Deep down, Bonnie just wants to be a girl, not a witch who has to be the hero so she wears flirty tees and flower print dresses with some nice jewelry, but she can switch that off and become a bad ass at any time.


Katherine Pierce (Nina Dobrev): Katherine is opposite Elena when it comes to fashion. She likes to stand out in the crowd and that means sporting some of the hottest designers.

Yet she also likes to blend in with the night as she's a run away: with black jackets and dresses. She also likes to give off a subtle sexy vibe with see through silk blouses and she likes to show off her perky chest such as in the Season 2 Episode "The Last Day" where Katherine sported a black blouse with flowing sleeves and an aqua top underneath.

In Season 2 "Masquerade" Katherine wore a somewhat revealing black lace cocktail dress that accentuated her breasts and her nice legs. In Season 4, Katherine stuck with leather and the color black.

She wants to not only look fierce but BE fierce and wants people to know that when they see her. Katherine completes her ensembles with high heeled shoes ranging from pumps to booties along with some sparkling accessories. Katherine has attitude and that is projected by her outfits, down to her lingerie choices.


Rebekah Mikaelson (Claire Holt): Rebekah, like Katherine, likes to stand out but she also likes to be the center of attention, but then again she likes to be classy too.

In Season 3 "Disturbing Behavior", Rebekah was disgusted by the black patterned dress that was too revealing for her taste likening it to something a prostitute would wear. Rebekah wears nice, classy tank tops and leggings. Her formal wear is classy and fairytale-like.

In "Dangerous Liaisons" she wore a dark green mermaid gown: dark green color for her personality (meaning that she is envious of other girls like Caroline) and a mermaid gown to make her walk and stance graceful.

In Season 4 "Pictures of You", Rebekah wore a sophisticated, yellow ruffled, strapless gown. This gown gave the impression that she was gliding instead of walking. The yellow color could project Rebekah's own fears during the episode of how she may pass Elijah's Human Test.


Esther Mikaelson (Alice Evans): Esther has a regal presence (like the actress Alice Evans). She is a serious, stoic, and pragmatic person who likes to dress to show her authority but also she is a mother nature type so there is a softness to her sovereignty.

The Boys:

Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley): Stefan is a romantic and a compassionate person who has an edge to him at times when he falls off the wagon.

   

He's a humble person who wears simple hoodies but with nice blue jeans. He's also the type to dress in layers.

More often than not you'll see Stefan wearing a white tank top which he wears underneath his other shirts; we know he has some amazing muscles but he's not the type to brag (when he's sober).  In Ripper mode, Stefan lets loose and becomes less humble, showing off his fine abs.

Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder): Damon is a rebel so leather is his fabric of choice. In his '80s garb he was prone to wear chains and have some "Thriller" zippers but NO gloves.

Damon is also a dark soul so he will wear dark, tight fit shirts from t-shirts to long-sleeved. Being a sexual being, Damon also prefers shirts that are easy to take off in a hot moment of passion so dark buttoned shirts are hanging in his closet.

And not a lot of tank tops for him either as Damon is the peacock who likes to put himself on display. No prints or shirts with statements on them; if Damon wants to make a statement he does so forcefully and his wardrobe says it loud.


Elijah Mikaelson (Daniel Gillies): When you first hear the name Elijah, you don't think of a guy who wears jeans and a casual jacket; you think: SUIT!

And Elijah is never complete without a fine cut suit. Elijah is the oldest of the 3 Originals that are left and so he's the serious brother who handles the family business. If Elijah could have any profession it would be lawyer/hit man. And you know Elijah knows how important first impressions are and so he definitely cares that he looks proper without a stain on his Stafford black jacket as whenever he gets into a scuffle he makes sure his suit is untarnished.

 

Elijah is old school and has never grown out of the sophistication of a man's suit. It not only gives him a "no-nonsense" look he's also a perfect gentleman.


Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan): Klaus is an artist at heart so he has a sensitive soul but also a brutality and an ego while exuding sexual tension; so think British Rock Star.

For his accessories in Season 3 I noticed that he liked to wear a rosary for a necklace; this gives him an edge with a sort of "last-rites" drama as with Catholic Rituals where the Passion of Christ is him being whipped and beaten bloody. Klaus doesn't like to wear shirts with statements on them, they seem cliché and pointless as with Damon, if Klaus wants to make a verbal statement he'll do so forcefully by tearing someone apart.

Klaus also exudes a sexual vibe so he wears tight form fitted shirts and shirts that are partially unbuttoned and he prefers dark colors given his disposition and love of being the bad guy. In Season 3 "Our Town", Klaus went rock-star with a rebellious cut yet charming black jacket, black pants, and a white buttoned shirt with some religious accessories.

Sometimes Klaus likes to wear comfort. He'll have a cardigan or wear a simple hoodie, but they're always designer. Klaus is the antagonist but he also is the romantic who has a taste for bloody drama.


Jeremy Gilbert (Steven R. McQueen): Jeremy's the emo kid; no doubt about that. However, he went from emo to punk after a while, which made him hot! Jeremy, like Elena, goes for comfort but he also wants to look cool and bad ass so he sticks with dark colors, rocker t-shirts, comfortable shoes, sometimes a cool chain or leather bracelet, and casual jackets.

Alaric Saltzman (Matt Davis): Alaric is the high school history teacher who is also an alcoholic so he has little concern for his looks. He prefers casual practical jackets, shirts, pants, and shoes.

No accessories for this guy unless you count his ring that brings him back to life, but like I said, Alaric is a practical guy who only keeps what he needs. He has a few nice shirts for work but he would have to borrow a nice suit or he only has one he would wear to a funeral (and there are a lot in Mystic Falls!).


Matt Donovan (Zach Roerg): Matt is also a practical guy who prefers whatever he can afford. He throws on a t-shirt, his football jacket, and some dirty old jeans and he's ready to go. He's a down to earth guy and that shows in his wardrobe. He does have a suit but it's probably a rental or he only owns one that he wears to every formal occasion.

Tyler Lockwood (Michael Trevino): Tyler is the jock. That means his ensemble includes athletic wear. He likes to show off his physique with some loose tank tops. Being that he also comes from money he also wears the Ambercrombie & Fitch-type brands.

I haven't mentioned other characters and their wardrobes, mostly because only these few stood out to me. The style of a person's wardrobe says a lot about their character whether real or made for TV.