How to Dress Otipet

Otipet is a street fashion among the urban middle class in the Chusha city of Ensha. While the political statement it carries is lost when worn in other nations, foreigners can still show support for it's wearers in Ensha and enjoy its general aesthetic.

Steps

  1. Do your research.  Don't just blindly wear the fashion; read up on the history of it and understand its meaning.
    • Otipet developed in the city of Ensha around 2010, as a response to strict social class norms that prevented the lower middle class from wearing any "flashy" clothing. This only furthered the divide between economic classes.
    • In protest, many teenagers started wearing clothing that would be normally considered plain and normal, except coordinate them or modify them in strange ways. For example, they would pair a long, loose wrap top with a skirt modified to be knee length. In other words, they would wear clothing that's otherwise boring and wear it in a flashy way.
  2. Get rid of all of your clothing that isn't black. Black is considered the default, humble color. While other colors such as brown and dark green are occasionally acceptable in small amounts, it's very hard for a beginner that doesn't understand the culture behind it to pull off.
  3. Get rid of all of your clothing that has embellishments. Embellishments include buttons, visible zippers, beads, laces, embroidery, frills, tassels, studs, and everything similar. Everything you wear should be purely fabric.
  4. Never wear jewelry. Unless it's extremely simple and made of cloth (like cloth wristbands), it isn't allowed.
  5. Get the essentials. Skirts are required (no pants), so invest in some good plain, black maxi skirts. If you're feeling daring, get some knee length or shorter skirts as well. Make sure that everything is black and plain, Also, other commonly worn items are:
    • A plain, long black scarf.
    • Simple cloth wristbands (often homemade; worn in Chusha by all classes to make the wrists appear smaller).
    • Head wraps/scarves.
    • Solid black tights.
    • Plain canvas shoes.
    • Easy to layer socks in various shades of black.
    • Plain black shirts.
    • Plain black shawls.
  6. Invest in a collection of gloves. They're such a common feature in Otipet that they're deserving of their own step; get a large variety, from chunky knit mittens to long, soft arm warmers. As long as they're plain black and lack embellishments, they will be useful.
  7. Do your hair in the traditional Chusha style. Big, chunky braids, hair carefully teased to be bigger, and dreadlocks are most common. Regardless of social position, in Chusha, the bigger the hair the better!
    • Hair must be as long as possible, for both boys and girls. It's a sign of health and beauty.
    • Don't dye your hair an unnatural color. If you already have, dye it back, or if you really must keep it, at least try to fade it.
    • Consider dying your hair a few shades darker.
  8. Pair together clothing that doesn't match. For example, wear your aforementioned chunky knit gloves with a long, flowing skirt. Wear a different kind of sock on each leg. Wear a short skirt with a modest shawl. The point is to follow the "rules", yet still be contradictory and flashy in a roundabout way.
  9. Modify your clothes. Have too many maxi skirts? Cut the hem of one to make it asymmetrical. Accidentally tear the feet of your tights? Modify them to be a shrug instead.
  10. Don't be afraid to go against Western norms. In Chusha it is still pretty normal for women to go completely topless, or at least to wear revealing tops. There's nothing strange about it. While most women will not be able to go topless, they still will be able to wear something that defies Western notions of modesty without going against traditional Chusha modesty norms.
    • Chusha fashion is androgynous, and the men and women wear the same type of clothes. While some Otipet elements are borrowed from Western female fashion, they would not seem strange at all worn in Chusha and should not be too feminine when worn properly by a man.

Tips

Warnings

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