A spotted bow tie and a flashy gold ring

The narrator finishes off their judge-y description choosing points other details about the client that stand out. To them, at least.

A neat mustache crowned his upper lip and his black hair was slicked back with oil. A spotted bow tie and a flashy gold ring completed the picture.

The Falcon's Malteser(2004)

These aren’t features like whether they’re short or tall—they’re style choices your client has chosen which can tell you about their personality. Maybe it’s their hairstyle, their perfume or cologne, jewellery, a bag or something else they’ve brought with them.

When you’re writing, what details can your narrator notice that can help them, rightly or wrongly, size the client up?

Can you see the same pattern in these examples?

A red leather jacket covering an Adventure Time t-shirt and a crumpled hand-embroidered floral skirt. Socks with avocados on them and bright green Doc Martens finished the look.

He had a big walking stick capped with tennis balls so it didn’t scuff the floor, and he used a white hankie to mop the sweat from his brow, a chunky gold ring on his delicately extended pinky.

Write your own variation.

ARCHIVED 220921 Detective comedy 2: Introducing the client

A spotted bow tie and a flashy gold ring