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Interesting topic! I'm no fashionista but I'll give my thoughts:

 

Kanto: It seems pretty temperate climate wise with not being as cold as sinnoh nor as hot as some of the other regions. I feel a more modernized Kanto would reflect current popular JP fashion trends more but the region sort of feels stuck in the 90s/early 2000s since our journeys to Kanto have always been from that time. The older crowd would probably dress more conservatively and professionally while the younger crowd a bit more stylish.

 

Johto: Johto is a bit more rural than Kanto and the denizens at least in HGSS seem dressed for their environment. Pryce lives near the mountains and dresses warmly, Morty wears long sleeves and a scarf, bugsy his little adventure outfit,and chuck forgoes tops all together as he lives near the beach. Cooler colors seemed favored here, though whitney and Jasmine wear more neatural ones. Ah it should be noted that sports seems popular in Johto, so I think sportswear would be a common choice as well. I get the impression Johto-folk are more outgoing and enjoy physical activities more than their more business oriented, insular Kanto counterparts.

 

Hoenn: they have a more wild style to them and dress more flamboyantly, perhaps moreso than any other region. Feels like in Hoenn standing out is the name of the game and going by the dorks in dewford I feel there's this weird fixation on being "hip" in Hoenn. The warmer climate allows for more skin to be shown and I get the sense Hoenners are more expressive and free spirited in general which plays into their dress sense.

 

Sinnoh: the colder environment seems to play a part here, and jackets/longcoats are popular. However young girls, perhaps against common logic, like to show off their legs so expect to see some skirts and shorts. Sinnoh's fashion sense always had this sense of modern-retro to me, perhaps best exemplified by Flint and Lucien who sort of have this late 60s/70s vibe with a mid 2000s twist. This mix of old and new plays very much into Sinnoh's beliefs, where the myths of old are still honored and passed down in a modern society. I feel this results in an eccentric style that one would find either charming or just plain weird. 

 

Unova: the style of choice here reflects the urban melting pot that is the unova region. The colors feel warmer overall and have a variety of different styles, yet all adapted to a western sensibility. The region isn't as warm as Hoenn or Alola and while short sleeves are common, not as much skin is shown here. People seem to take their jobs seriously in Unova and dress accordingly for such, so high end suits and sportswear is expected here. 

 

Kalos : the self proclaimed fashion capital of the pokemon world, fashion is an essential part of Kalosian culture and they take it very seriously. Outfits are stylish, yet must be functional,  expressive yet tasteful,and posses a degree of elegance which every Kalosian is expected to carry within themselves. Clothes alone are not a concern either, but also one's hairstyle, as they all send a message of what you're all about. Fashion in Kalos is a language all its own, with even the color of fabrics having a subtle meaning.  So important is fashion in Kalos that stores will even refuse you service if they feel you're not fit to wear their clothes! The rich and powerful of Kalos are especially known for their vivid and expressive outfits, such as lysandre and his much beloved "pyroar's mane" of hair.  Foreigners may find the fashion culture of Kalos intimidating and while this is partially true, once they understand its nuances and importance they too will appreciate how it shapes everyday Kalosian life.

 

Alola: much like hoenn, Alola is a generally warm region and heavily impacts the fashion there, perhaps even to a more extreme level. Here comfort and ease is placed above all else so those expecting formal attire will find themselves disappointed, as much of Alola's fashion is VERY causual. Short sleeves, tanks, skirts, and shorts are "elite 4" of Alolan fashion, and there appears to be a big love for designer sneakers and shoes as well. The clothes offer vivid and striking patterns to balance out their simplicity, and clothes are loose fitting for max comfort. Showing skin is common in alola, so people take good care of their bodies to show. In addition to this, clothes and patterns honoring Alola's customs of old are readily available and favored among the older generations in particular. The younger generations favor street wear and accessories like wristbands and bandannas to flourish their look. 

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An easy way to look at fashion by region is to address player character sprites and the way they dress.

 

Kanto:

 

Red: The Kanto region's fashion sense as depicted by Red may be the most distant from the regional fashion at large. Red is portrayed as a 10 year old boy in the 90's - with rolled up jeans and a button-up vest. He's dressed very much like a normal kid at that time going outside to play. When looking at Red's FR/LG model it looks as if he's matured and decided to wait three Pokemon years (10 real life earth years) and the fashion sense changes slightly with his jeans being baggier and shoe length. Instead of riding a bike, Red looks ready to travel on foot. He trades in the vest and black undershirt for a T-shirt when he gets to Alola. In general, Red provides a simplistic fashion sense throughout, indicating that kids probably were minimalist. This is further backed up by Youngsters and Lasses in this region.

 

Leaf: Leaf makes her debut in Generation III, which features the Hoenn region's vast biomes and need for athletic ability to traverse said biomes. She does a wonderful job at mixing the athletic culture of the early 2000's with Kanto's signature simplicity. She appears to be wearing pumps to wick away sweat from her ankles, but pairs it with a simple top and skirt/skort. Her hat keeps the sun out of her eyes, but it's not specifically "sweat reducing" or made to be worn athletically. It's a culture blend that revolutionized "Blue's" former black dress feminine look into one that was suitable for a Pokemon journey in the region without being overly flashy.

 

Johto:

 

Gold/Ethan: Both Johto protagonists in generation IV seem to provide some sense of "cold" areas in the region. Ethan wears a hoodie/jacket in all of his models, and his generation IV model gives him shorts that are cuffed, which might keep the knees and upper legs warmer than his previous shorts would. His older model gives him sneakers, but he appears to trade those in for slip-ons in Gen IV, providing an aire of "comfort" in the Johto region that, while less minimalist, still provides a sense of freedom later generations don't seem to offer.

 

Lyra: Lyra speaks to the ToJoh area's vast countryside and rural areas more than any other character in game. The overalls indicate that New Bark Town, which is essentially a border town between Johto and Kanto, is supposed to be a small village rather than a city or suburb. Of the two female protagonists offered in Johto games, Lyra opts for comfort over being fashionable or even over function. Overalls are loose, but not so much that they are comparable to Leaf's skirt, and her style is only appreciated in very specific areas.

 

Kris: Kris seems to be before her time. Her appearance shows more skin than Ethan's, which might have been the first take of New Bark's warmer climate than say, Mahogany Town and changed to a country form in the later version. Kris tries to do the same thing Ethan does, mixing athletic functionality with turn-of-the-millennium style, and her sprite really seems like it was an inspiration for what would become May in the next generation. I don't know why it didn't carry over, but it seemed like Kris is the closest thing to a "gender-swap" of the male protagonist in the franchise, and it may have been that in Gen IV it was more important to give Lyra her own style.

 

Hoenn:

 

Brenden: The early 2000's was the dawn of athletic clothing becoming fashionable, stepping out of the shadows from typical casual. However, it was also reconciling the "bright multi-color" style of the time period into more solid colors. R/S Brenden wears straight-up windbreaker pants, a heavy zip up, and a beanie - and all of it doesn't seem to fit Hoenn's relatively warm, semi-tropical climate from the 3rd Gen perspective, but it -did- show that Hoenn was a monstrous region to explore and the player character needed suitable threads for the journey ahead. Emerald Brenden moves to short sleeves, and shorts over skinnier windbreaker pants, while ORAS Brenden opts for a wetsuit look. The ORAS look - to me - is Brenden's best iteration, because it best conveys the athletic challenge of making a Pokemon journey.

 

May: May originally had what appeared to be volleyball shorts or spandex shorts in her original sprite, paired with a stylish short-sleeved zip up and a bandana. She doesn't seemingly change nearly as much in Emerald as Brenden does (except her shirt is flashier), but ORAS May tends to go for less "athletic" chic and more "cute tropic" chic. I find myself liking May's aesthetic all the time, but where Brenden visually improved in my eyes, May was in her element back in 2004. Her spandex were bicycle friendly (and biking was a pretty big deal in Hoenn) and she matched her male counterpart without looking like her male counterpart in function. May in ORAS may have more individuality, but she also seems less prepared for her journey.

 

(can't talk about Sinnoh much, but it looks like Platinum is a visual improvement for both sprites - given as it's the first region to really incorporate winter weather. I don't really like the DP sprites much.)

 

Unova:

 

Hilbert: Hilbert exemplifies urban casual. He has a typical zip up hoodie like thing, a ballcap, jeans, and it just oozes "urban". The first entries into the 5th generation wanted to provide the notion of traveling a vast city saturated area, and there's not much else to say. Hilbert looks like a dude you meet on the subway.

 

Hilda: Significally less warm than Hilbert, Hilda follows the typical trend for female protagonists to look "comfortable". The difference between Hilda and Dawn/May/Lyra, is that Hilda -also- pulls off the "owning it" aspect of fashion. The other girls dress comfortable because they are going on a Pokemon journey and it's practical. Hilda dresses comfortable because she's genuinely comfortable already. The high tops are indicative of attitude. She doesn't necessarily dress like a gang member, but of all the protagonists' likelihoods of joining a gang in Reborn, someone would probably pick Hilda out of a line up. She dresses as if Unova is "her turf." Pride is something that is...oddly enough, very fitting of Unova's American source material.

 

Nate: It's around here that athletic clothing has become "the normal style" - and the BW2 protagonists are the best representatives of "athletic casual". Nate wears wetsuit leggings underneath comfortable shorts, but those could also argued as some sort of compression shorts - which are currently quite popular with men who live active lifestyles here in the States. The zip up shirt is more loose than Brenden's and the visor is something people often wear on golf courses and tennis courts, but can also be used just to keep the sun out of the eyes. Visors make more sense in urban settings, because the goal isn't to keep things out of your hair in city environments.

 

Rosa: Rosa literally wears some sort of yoga pant/legging thing that is just "America, today."... at least on college campuses. I really like Rosa because she's the perfect blend of practical and absurd. Her dress is something most women around that age wear. it's comfortable, can serve athletic purposes, but is currently an "in" fashion outside of the gym too. What Game Freak does with the visor fashion is a real first for protagonists, because they are allowed to have hairstyles that are significantly more attributed to Japanese animation. Rosa's hair is basically Sailor Moon's if she were a brunette, and it's one of her most striking features, but the conservative color and appropriate dress cancel out the feeling that she's overdone.

 

Kalos:

 

Calem: The big city casual look returns! Calem leaves all of the super "fashionable" stuff to Serena from the outset of the journey. The only thing that really defines base Calem is the sunglasses as a head ornament. The argument can be made however, that Calem is more subdued because men don't tend to dress like a peacock in comparison to women - but thankfully, Kalos gives you the option to as a main selling point of the game if players are so inclined. I do want to point out the high top boots Calem has here. Those boots are very suitable for snowy climates, and Europe I would imagine gets more snow than the United States does. Essentially, for guys, the message seems to be that practicality is the pinnacle of male fashion.

 

Serena: This, is the city slicker touristy look that is what Kalos is all about. If you look at a map of Kalos, all roads seem to lead to Lumiose City, which effectively relegates the region as one that is arguably the most urban-centric of them all. Serena here seems very prepared to visit the sights and rest at the cafes and shop till she's out of Pokedollars (....Yes, I know the feeling. If Reborn wants to be cruel, Ame should add boutiques to the game on top of her economic system.) Her look is the defining look of Gen VI, where "fashion is everything."

 

Alola

 

Sun: Probably right up there with Calem for "most basic" protagonist. There's not a lot here that is really indicative of Sun being an Alolan citizen. It's implied they are from Kanto in the story, and that makes sense as his shorts tend to resemble Gen IV Ethan's a small bit, with even....warmer...cuffs. Honestly, the Sun and Moon protagonists were probably in NEED of a trip to the clothing stores, so it's nice that Lillie makes you stop at almost all of them. The fashions in the shops have been covered in the post above, except Sun here gets a choice to dress conservatively or stylishly.

 

Moon: At least Moon TRIES. There's a lot to like about her initial clothing set. Her simple green shorts are appropro for island adventuring, and her loose floral shirt tied up can easily fit over her water riding gear. The high top shoes are garish however, and the beanie/coral hat seems to suit a much less tropical climate. I really like both of the Alola protags here, but the message seems to be that they both have fashion faux pas, so you need to go fix it yourself. Not cool, GameFreak.

 

Ray (The given name in the trailers for the Male protagonist of UltraSuMo): Second time's the charm. Fisherman's hat, Board shorts, tank, wetsuit, slip on shoes. There it is!

 

Ailey (The given name in the trailers for the Female protagonist of UltraSuMo): Ailey seems to focus on being a tourist as opposed to Ray's focus on being an adventurer or an athlete. She's going boater hat, floral tank, shorts, and a really neat set of sandles. Both of these protagonists do it right this time.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Kanto: drudge

Johhto: 3kimono5me

Hoenn: 7.8/10 (also the land of 1000 midriffs)

Sinnoh: scarves, coats and dopey spacesuits

Unova: everything from PETA crusaders to ninja-pirate-terrorists

Kalos: hon hon hon baguette fashion

Alola: tropics are an excuse for gaudy rags

 

 

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