Appearance

Garnet wears three distinctive outfits during the course of the events in Final Fantasy IX, and each one reveals a different side about Garnet; they say clothes make a woman after all. Or something like that. Though I'm sure reading descriptions about what the outfits look like will be tedious since you can simply view a picture of it, I have provided a little more insight into what each outfit symbolizes for the princess. Or at least, other interesting tidbits of information.

When you first catch a glimpse of Princess Garnet in the beginning full motion video, Garnet is dressed in a beautiful white gown sitting in a royal chamber of sorts. As the camera pulls back, you realize that she is sitting within a castle. This girl is not any average girl -- she's a princess. When she wears this dress, citizens of Alexandria know right away that she is of high royal status, even if they do not know the princess by face. The dress seems to be made of some sort of silk material and is embroided with green patterns of flowers from the chest area down to her waist. In her hair, Garnet wears an assortment of beautiful silver ornaments. The design is complicated and has jewels imbedded into it. Garnet wears this gown in the beginning and ending scenes of the game -- while she is ruler of Alexandria. Despite the beauty of such a dress, Garnet never truly feels happiness while she is wearing it. Maybe a fabulous wardrobe isn't worth being a princess for after all ... ?

Also in the beginning of the game, you will be able to see Garnet wear her white and red cloak. It's what I have dubbed her 'escape outfit' and while you would think that Garnet would choose a more stealthy outfit if she wanted to run away, a princess must escape in style. If you have played older versions of Final Fantasy installments, you will surely recognize this outfit: it's the classic outfit of a White Mage! Squaresoft wanted to bring Final Fantasy IX back to its roots and what better way to do so than by re-introducing outfits from the past? This cloak is an early indicator of the role Garnet will most likely assume in battle, as a summoner or a user of white magic. Garnet wears this cloak to hide herself as she's escaping, but in the end, it ends up being burned by flames, thanks to Vivi's magic.

In the majority of the game, you will see Garnet wear her traveler's outfit. In short, it's an orange, skin tight jumpsuit and she wears a white peasant's blouse underneath it. She also wears red gloves to go with it. It's easy to move around in and she can blend in with the commonfolk while wearing it, much easier than wearing any of her princess clothes. It still has a bit of flair for being her traveling outfit, but she's clearly put in some effort at appearing common and like 'everybody else'. Although Garnet dresses the part of a commoner, she naturally has a hard time acting the part. This outfit is ideal for Garnet because it allowes her to move freely and battle easily, much easier than if she wore a dress or skirt into battle.