While watching movies, it’s no surprise we often feel inspired by the actors’ talents, a film’s musical score, and the scenography used to bring a script to life. However, we tend to overlook a key factor that plays a major role in defining the characters’ own personalities, their psychological traits, and even how the character’s plot is bound to take shape. That’s right, I’m talking about the costumes, outfits, and clothing used in films of any genre.
Before diving into some examples and further explanations regarding the psychological connotation of fashion in film, it’s important to highlight the correlation between Color Theory and fashion.
For those of you who might not be familiar with the term, Color Theory is a popular tool used in a variety of design-based fields, such as architecture, interior design, graphic design, and, of course, fashion design. Its main purpose is to describe and define the ways in which certain colors can be arranged in order to create an aesthetically pleasing combination.
The best way to understand Color Theory is to look around your local bookstore, fashion boutique, supermarket, or even your own home! The main idea behind this exercise is to notice how every single color of the setting’s components harmonize in a visually pleasing way.
Now, back to costumes! Just like any other important details of a movie, such as the lighting, the music, the ambiance, and the casting, wardrobe selections are completely intentionalー even more so than you’d think.
For starters, the clothing worn by the characters is always meant to convey a specific mood, feeling, personality, characteristic, or even to foreshadow what the character is about to experience within the plot. To visualize this, think of any character belonging to one of your favorite movies (the possibilities are endless)! Then, ask yourself, what are they wearing? Because you now have a clear image of your character, let’s take a look at the Color Theory meanings of each color in order for you to analyze the true meaning behind their wardrobe choices.
Pink: kindness, tenderness, love, delicacy, femininity, irony
Red: anger, lust, power, passion, aggression, danger, violence
Orange: energy, warmth, enthusiasm, flamboyance, humor
Yellow: joy, relaxation, optimism, wisdom, dishonesty, illness, hazard, imagination
Green: jealousy, peace, nature, perseverance, pride, good luck, youth, fertility
Blue: spirituality, loyalty, tranquility, cleanliness, sadness, technology
Purple: eroticism, royalty, mystery, transformation, cruelty, arrogance, sensitivity
Black: power, sexuality, darkness, elegance, mystery, grief
Gray: intellect, diplomacy, cool, modernism, conservative
White: purity, protection, simplicity, benevolence, sterility, birth, marriage, futurism
After doing this simple exercise, it’s easy to see how film characters’ clothing are premeditated and designed for specific reasons. However, the relationship between psychology and Color Theory goes much deeper than some simple color associations. There are also certain color dynamics at play when costume designers and directors make outfit or character design choices. We can classify them as follows:
Monochromatic: color schemes that revolve around a single color.
Analogous: combinations of neighboring colors in the color wheel.
Complementary: color palettes that present completely opposing colors in the color wheel.
Triadic: any color combination composed by three evenly spaced colors in the color wheel.
The depth of fashion, Color Theory, and psychology is positively mind blowing once you start analyzing the fashion in films and series. Feel free to practice and start building your own interpretations of the colors presented in the costumes and wardrobe selections presented in your favorite TV shows and movies.
You can always share this information with your friends and start your own debates and theories surrounding the meaning behind certain characters’ outfits. The possibilities are endless!