I've been really enjoying the 911 costume meta you put together every week and it's been super interesting! I've even caught myself watching other stuff and noticing costume that's sort of foregrounded and wondering what kind of significance it has.
And I'm curious about your process! How much of the sort of "language" of meanings are generally agreed upon in costuming vs put together by the show's costumers - like is checks signifying change a universal thing or something that developed over seasons? And I feel like you must have a spreadsheet with everyone's costumes (or an incredible memory), I'm always impressed by the recall to prior episodes (not a skill I have lol). (Sorry if you've answered these before! I only found your meta breakdowns this season)
Antislice, lovely having you in my inbox!
I'm so so sorry that this has taken me an age to get round to answering, especially as its such a good ask, but I am happy that you've started noticing costume related things in other shows!
So each show/ piece of media will create its own themes etc that it plays on - 911 is doing this with check and stripes more generally and then Buck being in white is a more character specific meaning. The thing with check is that it is by nature a pattern that has lots of crossings in it - that makes it a perfect metaphor for change - for being at a crossroads as it were, so its one that tends to get used more frequently and as a result is becoming a specific language in its own right. Thats how many of these costume languages and meanings develop - they either deliberately or inadvertently get used in one or two things to convey a message and then spiral from there into a specific meaning that becomes a trope in its own right. its like a costume version of knowing the person who goes off alone in a horror movie is going to die!
As for colours - there is a lot more in this - the meanings of different colours is something that has been around since before film existed - its been around for centuries, it is worth noting that different cultures apply different meanings to colours - red for example has a different meaning in Chinese culture than it does in western culture - so its always important to keep that in mind when watching something regardless of where it comes from - because a good designer will make use of these differences if they are dressing someone from a different background. When I did my degree in costume design, we had specific lectures and seminars on colour theory and in analysing its use in various media (they were my favourite classes 😎) because it is important to understand so that you can better tell the story you're trying to tell.
Much colour theory is known by your subconscious and most people go through life completely unaware that colour is affecting decisions they make - its something advertisers use to their advantage!
I like to think I have an incredible memory 😂 and I kind of do - it remembers most things (usually it recalls a costume but cant remember exactly which episode it appeared in!), but you're right - I do have a spreadsheet (well I have one for each main and one for guest cast!) with all the costumes listed - its a full costume plot andis based on the plots I used to create when I worked in the industry! It has time stamps, reference pictures and is colour coded for type of costume and if its connected to a theme - its a bit geeky of me but I love doing it!
The first thing I do before I start writing my meta is a rewatch where I fill out all costume details for the episode and add the reference pictures! Maybe I'll share it with everyone during the summer hiatus, but then again maybe that would be one step too far!!!
I hope this answers your questions and sorry again that I didn't get to it sooner! 💜💜💜