oh i just had a fucking revelation about the ghoul outfits
so. meliora and prequelle era ghouls are very butler-esque. the spats, the neat button downed cassocks of meliora and well-fitted suits of prequelle giving more of a āfashion and formā look, along with the appealing and fluid, attractively-featured chrome masks. it really drives the point that the ghouls are nameless and faceless, simply hired minions. theyāre servants- they do the menial work. (in this case in the lore, menial = being hired help for the band and possibly servants for the abbey)
even in the older eras of infestissumam and opus eponymous, the ghouls outfits are monk-like in nature;
which is telling us, again, that the ghouls are uniform because theyāre meant to be, its their role to blend into the background.
but all of a sudden, cardinal copia becomes a candidate for reign. he keeps the prequelle look as his time as cardinal because heās not papa yet, itās not his place to make drastic changes.
as soon as he gains the title of papa, however-
boom.
this is not typical ghoul fashion. sure, its still fairly glitzy, (as tobias forge is wont to do,) but this is much more streamlined. military. the epaulettes, the roughed seams of the coat, the bulky, practical helmet look of the masks, even the high leather boots evoke an aura of militia garb.
group photos in the impera age dont look like an important church figurehead being surrounded by lackeys and servants. this looks like a man being guarded.
they arenāt dressed for just appearances anymore.
theyāre being outfitted for war.
