Bella’s wardrobe in “Poor Things” has a special meaning: the message in Emma Stone’s appearance

In 2023, the ambitious film “Poor Things” directed by Giorgos Lanthimos was released, which tells the story of Bella Baxter, an adult woman whom a scientist “brings back to life” by implanting a baby’s brain.

Costumes as a narrative tool in “Poor Things” know their secrets

As the film progresses, the protagonist begins to discover the world in her own way, delving into both the wonderful things and the dangers that surround her. Although the character is already interesting in its own right, her outfit is impressive, which changes deliberately during the various stages of Bella’s development and which also holds a few secrets.

According to fashion designer Holly Waddington in an interview with the “New York Times”, at the time of “Bella’s birth” she wears neutral colors and lots of ruffles to refer to her childhood.

This gave him the freedom to move and discover the unknown. In fact, he plays with the idea that he soon begins to take off and put on more clothes at all times, just as small children would.

After deciding to leave home with Duncan Wedderburn, the clothes have more vibrant colors that reflect curiosity and imagination, but are also made with translucent fabrics that signify her discovery of sexuality and the freedom she is slowly experiencing.

The more observant might notice that Bella maintains a more relaxed style as she begins to physically and emotionally distance herself from Duncan due to her ever-changing outlook on life.

After working in the asylum, questioning the world and discovering how different people are, Bella enters a “dark” stage where her top-to-bottom black clothes show sobriety and elegance and also represent the sadness she feels knowing that the his father is about to die.

Bella Baxter is ‘oppressed’ under the care of Alfie Blessington and then finds her true self

However, Bella had a setback in her appearance, because when she arrived at the house of Alfie Blessington, who identifies himself as Victoria Blessington’s husband, she kept dresses in red or wine colors that even seemed to give the appearance of a suit of armor due to her her rigidity, alluding to how trapped and unhappy the woman felt in her marriage.

In the final scene of “Poor Things”, Bella appears in a cream sweater and a brown skirt, symbolizing that the protagonist has become a woman with her own personality, voice and style who is willing to become a doctor.

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