3. Characterization

“Wardrobe is character, wardrobe is set.” 

Guillermo Del Toro

One of the most interesting ways red, blue, and gold are used in the film is in wardrobe design. It is here that you can see how wardrobe not only further characterizes Edith, Thomas, and Lucille, but demonstrates a certain amount of character development in the first two. Guillermo del Toro has stated that “color should tell you about a character”, and it is in Edith and Thomas that we best see this philosophy in action (Huls n.p.). 

In the film, Lucille can largely be found wearing blue, red, or black. This is consistent with previous conclusions on the meaning of the colors red and blue, as Lucille is the dominant force of death and danger in the film (red), as well as a relic of the Old World (blue).  

Guillermo del Toro hasn’t said anything about the use of black in the Sharpe siblings’ wardrobe, but it does hold significance in the film. Black symbolizes entrapment, while white denotes freedom. This is highlighted not only in the change in Thomas’ wardrobe at the end of the film, but in the appearance of Thomas and Lucille’s ghosts. 

Lucille wore black because she was just as trapped at Allerdale Hall as Thomas and Edith. She lived life locked away, first at the estate with an indifferent and strict mother, and then in an asylum after murdering said mother. Upon returning to Allerdale Hall as an adult, she feared leaving the estate and being locked up again. Her cage was mental, but a cage nonetheless. When she dies, Lucille’s ghost is black, choosing to forever stay at Allerdale Hall. 

In contrast, Thomas could be found wearing blue, black, and white. The blue isn’t surprising, as he is just as much a part of the Old World as Lucille. It’s his gradual tendency to wear more white and less black which truly highlights the changes his character undergoes throughout the story. Because that’s what white symbolizes: freedom.  

In the beginning of the film, Thomas wore an outfit of all black and blue. However, towards the end, he could be found sporting a white shirt and black vest. This symbolized his growing desire for freedom from the estate and his and Lucille’s evil plot. However, as marked by the black vest, Lucille’s influence still trapped him. After Lucille kills Thomas, his ghost appears as completely white before departing Allerdale Hall forever. 

Like Thomas, Edith’s wardrobe also symbolizes a more complicated character arch. Her dominant wardrobe color is gold, symbolizing safety, kindness, and yes, the new. However, throughout the film, she can be found wearing green and black accessories, as well as a red wedding ring—which is revealed to be Lucille’s. 

These black, blue, and red accessories demonstrate how death, entrapment, and the Old World leave their mark on her throughout the film. She begins as a golden beacon, but at her lowest points the lights is obscured by these outside influences. 

In the final scene, when she kills Lucille, she’s wearing a white nightgown, symbolizing her freedom. Yes, she wore this nightgown throughout the movie, but this is representative of the fact that she continuously searched for answers and never gave up striving for freedom. It is when the white snow finally falls that she finds it.