When creating a character in fantasy, I try to take a little bit of style from history, and change it just enough to feel foreign, yet familiar, to give you some idea of the culture from which they came.

So like if a character is wrapped in sheets, they may feel a little exotic, like maybe a desert dweller, simply because most people in our own history who wore robes were from the desert. Using some of our own subconscious preconcieved notions can be very effective when you want to convey some feeling about a character.