Vil and Fashion

Eric says that fashion is a hobby of his, which influenced Vil. He explains, “all fashion is rooted somewhere. Whether it’s something as significant as one’s cultural background or as trivial as wanting to mimic a friend. In my case, I was influenced strongly by my father.”

Vil says that his father did not leave him to “languish” on his own while traveling the world for film shoots but took Vil along with him, and “to say the experience broadened my horizons is an understatement. It was simply astonishing how different he would look every time I saw him. One day he’d be an old man, and the next, an upstart youth…beauty isn’t an inherent trait; it’s something we create. It is an ideal that one finds for oneself and eternally works toward perfecting. THAT is why I love cosmetics and fashion I love the way that I am.”

There is a running theme of Vil giving detailed introductions of the outfits worn by himself and other people in the game, such as during Beanfest for both himself (“Its centerpiece is a vibrant combat jacket that leaves a powerful visual impression”) and Floyd (“The functional tactical vest adds an imposing presence to an otherwise playful look.”). 

Vil orders the Savanaclaw students on his team to memorize a styling tip he gives them (“Accessorize oversized outerwear with a small handbag. That’s all you need to evoke this season’s fashion trends”) and they say they will, as well as passing the tip on to Leona: “I’m sure he’ll appreciate it!”

We have also seen Vil comment on his platinum outfit, his outfit for Vargas Camp and his Playfulland costume.

He may not have been a very big fan of his liongarb outfit, saying, “Can’t say it’s a style I’ve dabbled in before, but I don’t hate it.”

On the topic of the “pop culture-centric” items available for sale at Playfulland Jade asks if there is anyone who could make them look genuinely good, and Vil realizes that Jade’s supposed interest in character merchandise was a lie: “You just came here to goad me, didn’t you? You have some nerve. I suppose you were trying to incite me in hopes of watching me struggle to create an outfit out of less-than-fashionable items…”

Vil then proceeds to put on sun glasses with bright red frames, earrings, a hair tie and take up a purple handbag to demonstrate his coordinating skills. Jade observes, “You’re clad from head to toe in character merchandise, yet you look no less refined for it.”

Vil responds, “There’s no such thing as a fashion article I can’t make work…at least, l’d like to believe as much. Heh.”

When the final accessory (a 100-carat tiara) for Vil’s red carpet look fails to arrive in time he refuses every alternative that is offered to him, explaining, “my goal here is not to simply garb myself in the finest garments and gems” and telling them to forget jewelry altogether and come up with a new approach.

The shop staff attempt to give up and Vil inspires them to keep trying (“Quite groveling and show me what you can DO!”), but it is ultimately Vil himself who arrives at a solution after Grim accidentally pulls down the curtains of a fitting room on top of himself. 

Vil comes up with the idea of turning the curtains into a cape, and then with a theatrical way to debut it, opening an apple-shaped box on the red carpet that lets out a puff of smoke to reveal him dressed in his outfit’s final form (Vil: “Feast your eyes on the fairest in the land!”).

When asked about the outfit he explains that the cape allows his own beauty to shine through, preferable to relying on “gaudy jewelry” to dress things up.

Vil promises Ace fashion advice during his second birthday vignette, providing it during the Tapis Rouge event.

Vil has also given Rook fashion advice in the past, once recommending that he dress up for a play for which he had front-row seats, despite how Rook himself didn’t have any interest in dressing up. Rook explains that Vil gave him wonderful advice and even coordinated his entire ensemble. 

Vil explains how he prefers to dress up when he goes to see plays as an audience member, which he considers to be part of the fun of seeing a play: “Getting ready to see a show makes me feel so excited… ‘pumped,’ even.”

Vil will often mention fashion, mentioning a spring coat and matching accessories during winter and expressing an interest in Scalding Sands designs.

He tells a story about a time he used color-changing magic on his and his father’s outfits to hide from paparazzi, turning their neon-colored outfits into different colors like white and pale pink and changing their accessories from silver to gold. Jade observes, “I daresay only a fashionista like yourself could have thought of such a clever ploy.”

Vil says that the best part was his father was telling him how impressed he was, and complimenting his use of color.

When Vil goes shopping for jewelry in a Sunset Savanna marketplace Lilia comments that he thought Vil would only be interested in luxury brands. Vil explains, “Brand names aren’t important. Quality is. If the craftmanship and materials are top-notch, I’m happy to wear generic items.”

He makes a similar comment during Tapis Rouge, saying that “expensive doesn’t always mean high quality. Things can be good quality and cheap, and poor quality but expensive. Which is why you need to learn what to look for.”

Vil also explains the design of Pomefiore’s vampire costumes, and—according to Ruggie—will “nag” Leona about his fashion choices.

Vil is delighted by the fashion in his own dream world, saying that he tends to avoid gaudy designs when he is not on a job, but he might try his dream-look for himself when they return to NRC.