Appearance of inhabitants of Waterdeep

All manner of clothing and garb may be seen on the streets of Waterdeep. There are no laws relating to dress except to prohibit private citizens from impersonating the Lords of the city, the black-robed Magisters, or officers and members of the guard or watch. Guild livery can only legally be worn by guild members, and is worn when appearing before the Lords' Court on official business, dur¬ing holidays, outside the city on diplomatic trading busi¬ness, when appearing before a Black Robe, and at any private guild functions that guild laws require it to be worn to, such as voting meetings. Coats of arms to which one is not entitled cannot, of course, be copied and worn.
Nobles usually do not wear their coat-of-arms, except in signet rings, belt buckles, or pendants; their servants wear clothes emblazoned with their coats-of-arms. Nobles wear any sort of dress without social censure; it is common for noble women attending parties and other functions to wear glittering, diaphanous gowns of silk and sequins, their lower bodies concealed by layers of translucent silk, and their upper bodies festooned with jewelry (and, if the weather is cold, fur gloves that reach up to points at the shoulders). Most "high fashion" noble party dresses involve masks, although many are not intended to conceal the wearer's identity, but merely to provide a means of further adorn¬ment. Younger noble ladies often wear gowns with elaborate filigree "stomachers" in exquisite designs (often set with gems), and the arms and front of the lady will themselves be covered with glued-on gold dust and sequins. A stomacher is a rigid garment, in this case, of open wire-work worn over a silken dress, extending from crotch to breast; Waterdhavian examples often sweep up both sides of the bodice into fantas¬tic swirls and points on the shoulders.
Mercenary and adventuring company members usually wear the devices of their organizations openly, with pride, on the city streets; again, it is a crime to falsely wear such garb, although a plaintiff must prove (by oath of recognized officers of such a body, or the enlistment rolls, or both) that such a person is unlawfully bearing such a device—such complaints are, as a result, rarely successful.
Jewelry is worn by both sexes in the City of Splendors; some people festoon themselves with its glitter, and others 
never wear a single bauble, regardless of personal wealth. All manner of hairdos may be seen, and all types and colors of clothing are used. There is no law against nudity or requiring particular areas of the body be covered, but Waterdeep is a coastal city—when it isn't raining (or in winter, snowing), there is usually mist about the streets. Despite the sheltering mountain, the city streets can also be windy in bad weather and around highsun (dawn, dusk, and night tends to be calmer). These conditions preclude light or skimpy dress for most beings, most of the time.
The fashions of other planes, as well as other lands, may be seen on the city streets, so dress is individual and vari¬ance is freely tolerated. There is no such thing as "not in fashion" in the City of Splendors, in regards to dress. How¬ever, the younger nobles' games of one-up-manship in dar¬ing or unique clothing tend to sway opinions toward certain modes of dress and away from others.