Y'all got me back in my kpdh bag so guess what?
ANOTHER STYLE ANALYSIS WOOHOO
This is my bread and butter, anyone who knows me and my art knows the way a character dresses is the most important part of character design to me.
So anyway let's talk about Rumi guys!
First and foremost, Rumi tends to try to appear bigger than she is in some way shape or form. Like let's look at her most iconic outfit
Are we seeing those SHOULDERS? Damn! Each shoulder pad is the size of her head it's fucking nuts. These are probably the biggest shoulder pads she wears in the movie but it's a common theme. Here's more examples:
But it's not just the shoulders, we also have to talk about the size of some of the pieces she wears, such as these.
Now, why does she do this? There's two reasons.
1. Unlike Mira there isn't a stark contrast between what she wears on stage and what she wears outside of it. This is because the line between idol Rumi and real Rumi does not exist. She can't stop working, she can't comfortably stop putting up a front. She does not know how to relax AT ALL. On that note, it's important to talk about what she's trying to tell others by dressing this way. Shoulder pads came into fashion in the 80s along with the power suit, a symbol of empowerment for women. It borrowed from masculine silhouettes and was meant to show that the woman wearing it was strong, in charge, and would not dampen her presence for male sensibilities. They're obnoxious on purpose, if you have shoulder pads on, especially ones that big, you mean to take up space and do so with authority. Rumi is the leader, and that's exactly what she's giving. It needs to be reiterated even in the most casual of scenarios because she doesn't trust herself.
2. Big clothes can be a form of concealment. Why do you think so many trans people make jokes about the dysphoria hoodie? These types of clothes distort the body, often to the point where it's hard to guess exactly what's under it. When something is big enough it's hard to guess at what's under it. For Rumi, I think that distortion is very important. It's an extra layer to how she hides her marks. It's not enough to just not show the marks, she has to hide everything about her upper body and leave no room for question.
Another thing that's worth mentioning is that most of her clothes reach up to her neck. If it's not an actual turtle neck, there's a strap or something right at her neck and it's usually at a vital artery. Symbolically, it represents the constant state of danger she is or feels like she's in. I think the only time she doesn't do that is at the end when she's not only trying to relax for the first time ever but has come to accept her scars as a valid part of her worthy of love. The truth is out and she's no longer in danger. Before that, her arms were exposed. Her walls are slowly being deconstructed in the last half hour of the movie and we see that in her clothes.
Now onto what I think she might wear post-movie. I don't think she'd make a huge jump in style. She's not wild about fashion like Mira, she leans more toward neutrals when she's not on stage and generally seems minimalist. I think she loves a good statement jacket though, she'll definitely go crazy with the outwear. I could see her wearing brighter colors, cuz her outfit at the end is much brighter than the ones before, but I don't think it's gonna get all that crazy. One bold color at a time probably. For that reason I also think we'd see a greater divergence between idol Rumi and real Rumi. I'm a Pinterest warrior, so I decided to do what I do best and make Pinterest boards. Mira's is here too, since I didn't think to make one before.
Explore a hand-picked collection of Pins about RUMI 🐯 on Pinterest.
Explore a hand-picked collection of Pins about MIRA🖤 on Pinterest.
