The purpose of this manual is to provide a complete and thorough listing of details about Lopin, and general guidelines for appearance and behavior. This document is not intended to be a set of hard fast rules, but instead a general guideline for sensible defaults and simple ways to add flair to a piece without compromising the general look and feel of the character.
Please feel free to take artistic liberties where appropriate to fit the piece, your style, or the setting.
Lopin’s clothing is his most notable feature. It is one of the few defining features that sets him apart visually. As such, a lot of care and thought has gone into crafting his wardrobe. While Lopin may have a default outfit, it is not his only one. The following sections detail these defaults and ways to customize new bits of clothing for him.
The jacket is the single most iconic item of clothing that Lopin has. As such, it should not be modified unless absolutely necessary. These are the only strict rules in this document.
The jacket only makes its appearance “out and about”. The piece represents safety; a bit of home away from home. Only certain scenes will call for the jacket. If the piece involves an intimate, indoors, or informal situation, the jacket should be omitted entirely. If the jacket is worn, it will likely end up covering the vest entirely.
The jacket is pure black and wrist length. It has a mandarin collar going straight up from the garment, roughly 2-3” in height, with a gap in the front. The lapel is distinctive in that it does not fold over, but instead is mostly flat. The point of the lapel extends directly from the seam of the collar, and comes out toward a point. This makes the lapel look as though it is sticking out. The bottom edge of the lapel runs the length of the jacket, terminating roughly at the front edge of the sleeve.
Underneath the lapel, the jacket body has the appearance of a second layer. The main jacket body should have two pockets, one on either side. Each pocket should be horizontal with a roughly 2” flap over top of it. There are two buttons, both black. One button is roughly mid way down the body while the other is at roughly navel height. The bottom front should come to points along the sides like coat tails just longer than the sleeves.
Please see the provided images for more detail of the jacket, as it may be difficult to get correct from description alone.
The vest is a basic three to five button vest with two pockets. It can scale down in complexity based on the amount of detail required. By default, the vest should be a grey color. If three or four buttons are illustrated, they should all be fastened. If a fifth button is added, the bottom button may be left unfastened. A chain, such as that for a pocket watch, should go between the next to last button and the pocket on Lopin’s left.
The vest should remain solid colors. A pinstripe pattern may be used, but more complicated patterns should not be used with the waistcoat version. Alternative colors are fine, but should remain darker than the shirt, as explained below.
If a pattern is desired, you may use a sweater vest instead of the waistcoat style vest. The primary color of the vest should still be darker than the shirt, and argyle type patterns tend to work best.
The shirt is a simple collared dress shirt of a solid color, typically one of four colors: white, light grey, dark grey, or pale blue. Alternative colors may be used, but if used should be lighter than the vest.
The cuffs of the shirt should be rolled up just below the elbow unless in a formal situation. This should be a loose roll, typically three folds the width of the cuff.
The top button is only required to be buttoned if the sleeves are down. Otherwise, the button may or may not be buttoned as fit for the piece.
The necktie is a standard 3-4” width, and is always a solid color, usually a light blue-grey or crimson.
It is always tied in a simple symmetric knot. Typically, either a Half-Windsor or a Pratt works best. It should be tied loosely around the neck, providing plenty of room to breathe and a slightly casual look.
The pants are black dress trousers with cuffs at the bottom, roughly the same size as the shirt cuffs. If detail requires, they should be pleated-front, rather than plain-front. If a belt is required, black or brown leather are preferred, with a silver buckle.
The shoes are a pair of Converse All-Stars, High Top, in black with white rubber, trim, stitching and laces. The white parts should be kept relatively clean.
Hair is black and short on the sides and back, gradually getting longer as you approach the front. The hair is combed over from the left to the right, with a long flock of hair coming down to frame the face. The hair should curl around the face, and not cover it. The hair on the side may be omitted entirely if needed.
Spots around eyes are mostly round, but curve to a point at the bottom, that should run along the snout and point towards his nose. If done correctly, the eye patch should look similar to an apostrophe.
Lopin has a basic goatee, a strip of black fur running from his bottom lip to just under his chin. This strip is a constant width, roughly 1/2”.
Lopin’s hands and arms are black, extending up to his shoulder. On the front, this ends roughly at the armpit, the edge running vertically from the armpit to the top of the shoulder. The back has a black stripe running between the two shoulders. The bottom of the stripe should be at the point where his arms connect to his torso. The top of the stripe runs from the middle of one shoulder, down to just below the neck, before going back up to meet the top of the other shoulder.
Lopin’s feet, legs, and tail are black, extending up to his lower back, just above the base of the tail. This edge is horizontal until it reaches the side of his hip, at which point it slopes downward along the line where the leg meets the torso, leaving his groin white.
This section is not yet complete.
This section is not yet complete.