I just remembered an interview with Masali where she says Michaela wears sequins as a kind of celebration of the moments of joy she finds, something flashy. It reminded me of champagne—People tend to love it; it’s appealing to people who don’t even drink wine, and we associate it with celebrations.
It is in the celebratory nature that Michaela hides in plain sight, simultaneously grabbing attention but redirecting it perfectly to talking points where she is in control of the narrative. Sequins are also nice to look at—but not to touch. A shiny exterior that she wears like chainmail.
So in my headcanon, Francesca has strong preferences for particular textures of various fabrics, so when they start getting closer, Michaela starts to wear more dresses that feel nice, and she feels guilty for almost inviting Francesca’s touch.
She still manages to include something sparkly and fun but also keeps the same deep reds, forest greens, sapphire blues—altogether something she knows Francesca finds pleasant.
Once they start sharing a bed, Michaela switches only to linen because Francesca hates how wool sheets feel.
(“Bed linens are best suited for beds. Wool is meant to be a nice winter coat. I don’t need to lie in it.”
Francesca pulls back the bed linens to climb in, and Michaela just has that small amused smile as she always does when Francesca insists on this same point each winter.)
Francesca also runs warm, so as time passes, during the colder months in Kilmartin, Francesca gets used to waking up to Michaela curled up like a cat, pressing her back into Francesca’s chest.
After a year of falling asleep beside one another, Michaela will pull Francesca practically on top of her like a warm blanket in her sleep. She argues that it’s Francesca’s duty to make up for the lack of wool sheets for winter.
Francesca accepts all such responsibilities, and it turns out she’s very good at keeping her wife warm.