Site patron @curious_usagi wanted a glamour for “casual Fridays” this month, leading to this one. If you’d like to make requests of your own, you can support Fashion Ninjutsu on Patreon.
When I first got this request, I strongly suspected I’d be looking to some of FFXIV‘s more modern gear pieces—things like the Whisperfine Woolen Boots or the Adventuring Sweater. I imagined that I’d most likely end up with a Scholar glamour, for something of an office vibe, but, as is so often the case, my initial idea fell by the wayside for something quite a bit different. As I was pondering over the weekend about what exactly to use (but before I actually started the glamouring process), I started to think about the sort of work environments in Eorzea that might actually have a Casual Firesday from time to time.
For Alahra, at least, the first thing that came to mind was whatever office she worked in as a lieutenant of the Maelstrom. Now, as of the conclusion of Stormblood‘s initial Main Scenario, I imagine that Alahra actually retired from that position (even though I’ve been dragging my feet about updating her background information), but the thought did provide some more direction when it came to the glamour itself: I’d want to be using Maelstrom colors! It also pushed me away from Scholar a bit. I already had a canon uniform for her in my head, and anything I did for Scholar would probably end up with the same glasses and thigh highs aesthetic.
Glamour Components (Required Level: MNK/SAM 54)
Weapon: Shire Katana
Head: High House Cloche
Body: Falconer's Shirt (Dalamud Red)
Hands: Claws of the Beast (Jet Black)
Legs: Ramie Trousers of Striking (Jet Black)
Feet: Songbird Boots
Since I wanted to deviate from the thigh high plan, I decided instead to work with the Ramie Trousers as a starting point. They’re the closest thing to a decent pair of slacks we have (in my opinion, anyway), given that they don’t seem quite so rigid as something like the Best Man’s Slacks do. The Songbird Boots were a natural choice to go along with them, though I would have honestly preferred to use the Spring Shoes instead. Were it not for the brown laces, which clashed pretty badly with the Ramie Trousers, I’d have used them for the first time here.
After that, I need a shirt that worked well for a “dressed-down” look. I didn’t like the Adventuring Sweater alongside the Trousers, and I’ve never been a huge fan of short sleeves in FFXIV, so the Extreme Survival Shirt was out, too. I considered the Holy Rainbow Shirt for a little while, but I’ve used it quite often (and it needs long gloves, which would feel really awkward for the theme at hand!). The Falconer’s Shirt made the cut because it’s probably the most “casual” shirt we have in the game, though it really wasn’t my first choice.
Like these things do most of the time, the last couple of pieces mostly came down to accents and details. I didn’t see any gloves really fitting the theme, which meant the Claws of the Beast for Alahra (though the False Nails would have worked, too), and the Cloche was mainly a way to add something at least a little fancy to the look, given Alahra’s normal preferences. I could have used glasses, too, but I use those too much as it is!
Of course, the end result could really work for any job with access to the Ramie Trousers, since they all dye more or less exactly the same (with the only difference being the color of the clasps and studs, which is pretty difficult to notice). I went with the Striking version of the Trousers almost entirely because I didn’t feel like over-writing the Pure White Dye on my Scouting ones (and I didn’t have a pair of the Aiming ones handy). That’s all I’ve got left to say on this one: next on the is another patron request!
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