Welcome back followers and visitors to part 3 of Decoding Graces Costumes. In the previous part, we explored how Ryland Grace’s clothing reflects his fear, insecurity, and reluctance to accept responsibility. However, as the truth about the mission unfolds, his wardrobe begins to reflect a deeper transformation. The clothes that once symbolised his desire to retreat from responsibility gradually become part of a visual narrative about confronting his fears, accepting his role, and becoming someone willing to act for the sake of humanity. So, without further ado, let’s turn our attention to what the camera reveals.

Outfit Eight Yield of the Mismatch: We return to space with our protagonist, focusing on his dingy shoes, their true appearance obscured by darkness, much like his memories. The clear direction he once had in life has become shadowy and uncertain, consumed by despair, as there is only one answer left to this journey: death. The only thing that remains sharply defined is the clear red line, a solitary, vivid marker of his fractured reality, symbolising the Petrova Line that he follows toward Tau Ceti.

Grace drops an item and bends down to pick it up, only to notice a golden plaque and suddenly stops midway. The audience does not get a clear view of his outfit until he removes his sunglasses and replaces them with his regular glasses. Rather than remaining obscured by darkness, his vision literally and figuratively covered by shadow, he chooses to see things clearly. The simple act of exchanging his sunglasses for his glasses marks a moment where he is no longer trying to hide from what is in front of him.

With this the audience gets full view of him. He’s dressed in a mismatched outfit, some parts his own others are pilfered from his dead crewmates: hid glasses, white sneakers with one shoelace left untied, a long-sleeved striped polo in blue, red, grey and black, the Project Hail Mary cap sitting crookedly on his head with another canvas hat angled in the opposite direction, a flowery skirt, and the fox cardigan thrown over the entire ensemble. Although he is largely obscured by shadow in this scene, enough of the outfit remains visible to make out its chaotic combination of colours, textures and overall silhouette.

His outfit practically screams, “I do not care what I look like. Nothing matters anymore. I’m going to do whatever I want.” It is a fashion nightmare a chaotic collection of clothes that should not work together and very much do not. But that is precisely the point. His external appearance has become a physical manifestation of his internal state: disordered, overwhelmed and no longer concerned with maintaining any sense of normality or control.

Hunched over, Grace silently makes his way through the hallway, taking in the golden records of human history fixed to the ship. He is confronted with what humanity has chosen to send into the stars: a visual record of its evolution, history and its very existence. If the Hail Mary fails and Earth is lost, humanity will still survive in some form through these records. A final testament that the world, and the people who lived on it, were once here.

The weight of this moment is particularly significant for Grace. He is millions of miles from home and does not even fully know who he is, possessing only fragments of the person he once was. Yet somehow, he is here—the only person left who can carry humanity’s hopes forward.

As he absorbs the significance of what surrounds him, off screen Grace removes the canvas hat from his head. The gesture can be read as a quiet sign of respect, almost as though he is standing before a memorial. Removing one’s hat is traditionally seen as a gesture of respect (Rhodes, 2023), and here Grace acknowledges not merely the records themselves, but what they represent: humanity, its history, and everything that could be lost if he does nothing.

Once Grace reaches the end of the assorted golden plaques, he removes the Project Hail Mary hat as well. The gradual shedding of his assortment of hats creates a symbolic progression, moving from the relatively meaningless canvas hat to the one most directly connected to the mission itself. As each layer is removed, Grace appears to strip away the distractions and defences surrounding him, culminating in a moment where he is confronted with the true weight of his responsibility. The progression reflects his shift away from self-preservation and towards something more selfless: not what he cannot do, but what he can still do for humanity. Just as humanity once crouched before learning to stand tall and walk forward, Grace must now do the same. Humanity cannot end here, immortalised in golden plaques as though its story has already been completed. The story is not finished yet. Grace has the opportunity to give humanity the ink and paper it needs to keep writing.

As he goes through the plaques he’s wearing his fox cardigan. From fighters to teachers, garments like this have long served the simple but essential purpose of shielding people from the elements. In the darkness of the scene, however, the cardigan becomes far more visually prominent. Its oversized shape seems to almost swallow Grace’s frame, while the intricate red foxes draws the eye, making it feel less like an ordinary piece of clothing and more like a protective layer surrounding him.

Red foxes are known for their cunning and adaptability, altering their behaviour to suit the environments they inhabit. For them, survival is quite literally a matter of adapting or dying (Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre, n.d.). This idea closely aligns with businessman Leon C. Megginson’s interpretation of Darwinian survival: “According to Darwin’s Origin of Species, it is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself.”

In this sense, the red fox becomes an especially fitting symbol of survival through change. Strength alone is not enough; survival depends on the ability to respond, adjust and transform when circumstances demand it.

Outfit Nine The lab coat, the fox and the colour:

Which brings us back to Earth to the clean room which has transformed into a regular laboratory. Grace is wearing an almost identical version of the outfit witnessed in the preceding scene aboard the Hail Mary, except he’s wearing pants now and his fox cardigan has been replaced with a light blue lab coat. This visual similarity connects the two settings, suggesting a continuity in Grace’s character despite the circumstances surrounding him. The same curiosity and excitement that drove Grace on Earth is reignited aboard the spacecraft, suggesting that, despite everything that has happened to him, the scientist within him has never disappeared.

Decked out in PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), Grace stands in a laboratory after an abysmal amount of time away from one. Yet despite finally being back in his element, he finds himself at a standstill. Beneath the lab coat he wears his long-sleeved striped polo with a white t-shirt, allowing its colours to continue carrying symbolic weight: red for his passion for the project (Cherry, 2026), blue for his loyalty to humanity (Smith, June 8th, 2025), grey for intelligence (Smith, 2007), and black for the loss of his old life. The white T-shirt symbolically foreshadows his spiritual journey (Cherry, June 4th, 2026). Although Grace’s life can never return to what it was before, his determination to solve the problem remains. He knows there must be a way to replicate the alien cell, but the conventional tools at his disposal are insufficient to provide the answer. For all his scientific knowledge and renewed enthusiasm, Grace must confront the limitations of the very environment he once thrived in, as the conventional tools available at his disposal cannot give him the answer he needs.

Grace therefore has to stop relying on the laboratory as it currently exists and begin improvising. Significantly, he exchanges the lab coat for his fox cardigan. This costume change visually marks a shift in his approach: from conventional scientist working within established systems to an inventive problem-solver willing to adapt when those systems fail. This transition is further reinforced by the protective glasses, which Grace and his colleagues play around with despite having no immediate need for them. Their use becomes less about conventional laboratory procedure and more about experimentation and improvisation. In doing so, Grace comes to embody the qualities associated with the red fox—adaptability, resourcefulness and cleverness (Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre, n.d.).

This symbolism becomes particularly fitting when Grace constructs a literal box in order to experiment with the alien cell. Rather than waiting for the ideal equipment or conditions, he gathers the limited resources available to him and creates his own solution. The fox cardigan therefore becomes more than a distinctive piece of clothing; it represents Grace’s ability to adjust his methods, think creatively and survive through ingenuity.

Importantly, this improvisation does not replace his scientific methodology. Instead, it allows him to discover what he needs before returning to the laboratory with new knowledge. When Grace once again dons his PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), including lab coat and gloves, the costume transition completes the cycle. He takes what he has learned through improvisation and brings it back into the structured scientific environment, demonstrating how unconventional thinking can complement established scientific methods.

His red watch is prominently visible as he constructs the box to breed the alien cell, it adds another layer to the costume symbolism. With red associated with energy, passion and determination (Cherry, 2026), the exposed watch visually reinforces Grace’s renewed enthusiasm for problem-solving. At this moment, his passion is quite literally on display. Rather than giving up when he encounters an obstacle, Grace adapts his approach, drawing on his resourcefulness to develop a solution.

Grace’s growing resourcefulness is further demonstrated, as he readily listens to Carl’s wisdom and solves the issue of the missing microbe by placing the box inside a second box to locate them. Later, he constructs a specialised pair of goggles that allow him to see the alien. These improvised solutions strengthen the symbolism of the fox cardigan, as Grace repeatedly adapts to the limitations of his environment rather than allowing them to halt his progress. Like the red fox, he survives through flexibility, ingenuity and an ability to make use of whatever resources are available to him. Although not wearing the garment, the cardigan therefore becomes a visual representation of the mindset Grace adopts throughout this sequence: when conventional methods fail, he adapts, a crucial trait that will carry him far, whether he wants it to or not.

Outfit Ten What you Wear When you Take Drugs From Strangers:

Grace steps out of the car, with the lower half of his body obscured from the audience’s view. However, his polo shirt and T-shirt suggest that he has transitioned from the laboratory to the field, exchanging his personal protective equipment for a yellow raincoat. A visual symbol of the cowardice that engulfs his being (Smith, 2025). As Grace moves about the scene, he’s handed pills, a aviator helmet and life-support gear. As these items are thrust upon him his apprehension becomes increasingly apparent. Yet, the frantic pace of those around him leaves little opportunity to refuse. Ultimately, he’s swept along by the others and onto the jet. There his yellow rain jacket is discarded for the helmet and life support equipment. This transition shifts the visual symbolism of his clothing: while the raincoat represents his fear and reluctance, the life-sustaining equipment signifies his impending participation in the mission. However, this transition does not necessarily indicate that Grace has overcome his fear or consciously chosen to move forward. Rather, the hurried sequence suggests that external pressure, rather than personal conviction, is propelling him towards a role he remains reluctant to accept.

When Grace arrives aboard the aircraft carrier, he’s carrying his yellow raincoat. As he disembarks, he hands it to the aircraft personnel to hold, but is then promptly returned to him. Eventually he lets Stratt take it, this marks a turning point in his character development. Previously the yellow rain coat is associated with his cowardice and reluctance to accept his role in the mission, his raincoat becomes a visual reminder of the fear he must overcome. By relinquishing it, Grace symbolically begins to shed his reluctance and embrace his responsibility for humanity’s survival. This moment coincides with the alien microbe finally solidifying its offical name, Astrophage, further establishing the transition from the initial uncertainty surrounding the mission towards a more concrete understanding of the threat facing humanity.

However, Grace’s growing acceptance of responsibility does not immediately translate into confidence, particularly as the true nature of the mission is gradually revealed to him. The last time he stood before his scientific peers, he cussed them out, openly expressing his frustration with the scientific community. Now, as he addresses the crowd of scientists, he finds himself confronting a situation far beyond anything he has previously faced. His casual clothing and vest distinguish him from his colleagues, visually reinforcing his vulnerability as he begins to comprehend the magnitude of what is expected of him. Rather than presenting Grace as a confident scientist prepared to embrace his role, his costuming highlights the contrast between his ordinary identity and the extraordinary responsibility he is being asked to shoulder.

Well dear reader that’s where I’ll leave you for now! If you enjoyed this post, don’t forget to like and subscribe so you can follow along as we continue our deep dive into the costuming of Project Hail Mary.

References:

Cherry, K. (2026, April 30). ‘Red color psychology’. Verywell Mind.

Cherry, K. (2026, June 4th) ‘What does the color white symbolize?’, Verywell Mind, 4 June. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/color-psychology-white-2795822

Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre. (n.d.). Red fox fact sheet. NSW Department of Education. Available at: https://fieldofmar-e.schools.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/mammals/red-fox-fact-sheet

Megginson, ‘Lessons from Europe for American Business’, Southwestern Social Science Quarterly (1963) 44(1): 3-13, at p. 4. 

Rhodes, M. (2023, August 15). Why do we remove our hats? Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/the-daily-cuppa/why-do-we-remove-our-hats-80e54778f6b5 

Smith, K. (2025, June 8). The meaning of blue: Color psychology & symbolism explained. Sensational Color. Available at: at:https://sensationalcolor.com/meaning-of-blue/

Smith, K. (2025) ‘Meaning of yellow: Color psychology and symbolism explained’, Sensational Color. Available at: https://sensationalcolor.com/meaning-of-yellow/

Smith, K. (2007) ‘Meaning of gray: Color psychology and symbolism’, Sensational Color. Available at: https://sensationalcolor.com/meaning-of-gray/