Welcome back followers and visitors to part 2 of Decoding Graces costumes. I won’t meander with a long introduction when there are costumes to decipher. So, without further ado, let’s turn our attention to what the camera reveals.
Outfit Six PPE:
Grace’s civilian wear is hidden in a full body white protective suit with a few black accents. A stark contrast to the government officials in navy and black suits or Stratt’s more casual wear. With his place separate from the others a few feet away in a small white box which appears to be a clean room (Lund, 2024). He looks to be a specimen himself and that’s exactly what he has become.
At this point of the story no one knows anything about Astrophage other than it’s eating the sun. Whether the organisms can also kill humans, is still a question. It’s a whole host of unknowns, and Grace is a sacrificial lamb. His PPE (personal protective equipment) will protect him from the Argon but won’t protect him for the unknown danger presented by the Astrophage. I think of the suit like a safety blanket, it is to keep him calm and focus on his work, protection is preferred but not necessary.
Everyone is watching him, but they don’t share the risks of his endeavour. His protective white suit and his segregation invokes a feeling of isolation that despite him being surrounded by people and by cameras, no one but him is sharing in the physical risk (Cherry, 2026a). The clean room becomes a cage isolated and altogether unimportant in terms of whether he lives or dies though it’s preferable he doesn’t die. The visual composition therefore foreshadows one of the broader tensions within the story: the conflict between the value of an individual life and the perceived necessity of sacrificing individuals for the survival of humanity.
Outfit Seven The Fox Sweater:
Stripped out the white PPE suit, he’s changed into his civilian clothes. light-wash jeans, red watch, white shoes, blue button-up shirt and a cream coloured knitted cardigan with fox imagery designs on it.
Once again the fox imagery appears. As I mentioned in Part 1, the red fox can symbolise cleverness, resourcefulness, adaptability and the ease at navigating difficult situations (Thorn & Claw, n.d.). These qualities mirror the versatility of the cardigan itself, a garment that has evolved from its origins in military wear to become associated with academia and intellectualism (Kensington, n.d.). He wears this over a blue button-up shirt, light-wash jeans and even if you can’t see it, you know its there, his red watch. Grace’s determination to remain involved in the project, the impulsive way he argues (I use this term loosely here) to continue to get a part of the project, reflects the symbolism of the blue colours he wears, bravery and dedication (Smith, 2025) along with the impulsivity of the red (Cherry, 2026b). Combined, these details reinforce Grace’s adaptability and resourcefulness, while also hinting at the dedication beneath the surface, even is that dedication is often times accompanied by a streak of impulsiveness.
As Stratt leaves, the audience gets a close up of of Grace’s shoes for the first time and you notice red piping. Red in this context is one of passion and desire (Cherry, 2026a). The thin accents remind me of the colour of the Petrova Line and the placement on his feet shows the viewer that he will be the key to unlock the mysteries of the Petrova Line. Different from how we viewed them in the shoes in the school, there are flecks of dirt on them and have become grungy. Foreshadowing the world he’s walking into is one of filth and flexible moral lines.
That’s a wrap on Part 2, remember to like and subscribe to keep up to date with the rest of the series.
References:
Cherry, K. (2026a) ‘What does the color white symbolize?’, Verywell Mind, 4 June. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/color-psychology-white-2795822
Cherry, K. (2026b) ‘Red Color Psychology’, Verywell Mind, 4 June. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/the-color-psychology-of-red-2795821
Kensington, S. (n.d.). The evolution and impact of the cardigan: A knitted icon. Paul James Knitwear. https://www.pauljamesknitwear.com/blogs/guide/history-of-cardigans
Lund, K. (2024, May 8). What distinguishes a cleanroom from a sterile environment? 14644 Cleanroom. https://www.14644.dk/what-distinguishes-a-cleanroom-from-a-sterile-environment
Smith, K. (2025, June 8). The meaning of blue: Color psychology & symbolism explained. Sensational Color. https://sensationalcolor.com/meaning-of-blue/
Thorn & Claw (n.d.) ‘Fox symbolism and meanings: Folklore and fox as a spirit animal’, Thorn & Claw. Available at: https://www.thornandclaw.com/blogs/news/fox-meaning-and-symbolism
