outfit analysis of the tenenbaums

i apologize in advance if this is hard to read. and also apologize if i read into their outfits wrong, i've never been good at analysis or writing.

richie: at the beginning of the film, he is shown wearing his tennis uniform, which follows him up through the 20 year time skip. this shows that his character is fond of his childhood, dislikes change, and perhaps lives in the past. he finds comfort in the simpler times, so he chooses to pretend. his sunglasses show how he views his life, and the others around him. whether they're actually rose-tinted or not is a mystery (i genuinely cant tell. ;_;), but through rose colored lenses is how he lives. he sees his father as a pure being, unable to realize he wasn't really a father, he was never there. he over simplifies the things around him, and like his childhood clothes, the rose-tinted glasses let him believe that life is simple. every time he loses the glasses, its extremely important. he is finally viewing life as it is. his facade shatters. this is shown most prominently in the "needle in the hay scene." as he takes the glasses off, he looks at himself in the mirror. he realizes how fucked up he is, how scattered his mind is, how empty he feels. he cant keep filling the void in himself with childhood memories, he has to accept the present and move on. but he can't. in that scene he's emotionally naked, you see him as he truly is. an emotional, sentimental, broken human being. also, totally off topic- the look richie gives in the mirror before he says that line truly pains me. i dont know how luke does it, but that look of emptiness and hopelessness is. GOD. anyways... thats about it for richie.

margot: throughout the film, from start to finish, margot is wearing a large fur coat. this fur coat follows her everywhere, almost never leaving her shoulders aside from a few scenes. this fur coat symbolizes her guard, and the "mask" she puts on for others. she is usually seen to be incredibly stoic, and emotionless. and the thick fur coat shows that. when losing this fur coat, she is seen as she truly is. like richie, when she loses her guard, she is incredibly emotional. this is something that all the tenenbaum children possess, but it shows how she too is broken. messed up inside. in the scene where richie comes back from the hospital, margot only wears her 60's dress, no coat. she is emotionally vulnerable. as well in the bath scene with etheline. she is saying how she truly feels, and opening herself up. her short bob shows the bluntness of her personality. the short and unlayered cut matches with her interactions with the other characters. margot will always say how it is, how a situation seems. she refuses to sugar-coat anything. her contrast between out-going 60s attire (loafers, tube dresses, tights) and the heavy fur coat shows the clash between her personality. she is childish, while also being incredibly mature. as fur coats are usually associated with high life, wealthy, old money, etc. margot is a character that still confuses me, so i apologize if this is incorrect, or im reading into her wrong.

chas: the film opens up and shows chas wearing business attire, constantly. this displays his mature personality, and how he also takes after his father. im reaching here, but possibly, he could be trying to win his father's approval. he obviously wasn't the favorite tenenbaum child, but he still fought for royal's attention. he wore suits like his father, he went into business and law like his father, he even bought his father a vacation house. the suit shows his desire to finally be noticed by his father, while also showing his forced maturity, he never truly lived the life of a normal kid. contrasting with his attire later on in the movie. after the time-skip, he is shown wearing a red tracksuit. red is a color constantly shown in wes anderson's films. red usually symbolizes trauma, or an inability to move on. similar to the red beanies the crew of the belafonte were wearing in life aquatic. so, this red attire displays his inability to move on from his wife's death, and the constant weight of his childhood. this red attire also shows his anxiety around danger, as his wife died in a horrible plane crash. he is constantly trying to protect his children, even if it ends up over-bearing at times. the choice of a tracksuit shows how he's always trying to be on the move, always trying to shelter his children. he takes immense precaution in trying to do so. he is also a very stubborn character, so the choice of a red tracksuit shows his anger, mostly directed towards his father. possibly also how he always runs away from conflict. shown in the scene where royal announces he's "dying," and will be gone in 6 weeks. also shown in the scene in the game closet, where he runs off after royal raises his voice at him.

ok thats it. i dont wanna proof read this so... sorry for any misspellings, incorrect grammar, or a horrible analysis