Foundation Vs Manus Uniforms
Rolling around the Manus Vs Foundation uniforms in my head. (+ Expansion on the Manus' outfit eras)
The symbolism in how the two Foundations who parallel each other so well, who’s very figureheads would have far more success in each others roles, have uniforms that also poke at the hypocrisy of each organization.
The Foundation has uniforms that imply the divine, and make it seem like they’re a higher power (something they’ve actively worked on setting into the public’s minds through generations of “controlling” arcanists). “Let the peace be with us”, their images of light and peace, all for the era of mankind despite the fact that the entire organization has been built on top of arcanists being kept under them. It’s high collars and colorless themes. High collars are regularly to shield from outside conditions like wind or rain, and the Foundation has been portrayed throughout time as a protector of humanity from the storm chaos arcanum can bring. Their overall shapes and the cut of their clothing is also warped and whimsical to represent arcanists because despite them standing for mankind, they’re an organization with more trained arcanists than anywhere else.
I also find it interesting with the NPCs of the Foundation and how they’re entirely inhuman looking. We saw in chapter 5 how a lot of them ARE human despite not looking that way. They look like soldiers and golems, arcanist. They represent the light of truth while wearing full face covers.
Their outfits also don't reflect any era from the past nor from 1999, and they don't represent any visions for the future that fashion in 1999 held. Futuristic fashion in 1999 was sleek and earthy if not entirely monochrome. The Foundation uniform's style is entirely removed from any fashion within that time period as well as any futuristic styles, they had an entire new fashion style for their organization by 1999. From Mr Karl we can see in the early 1900s, their checker pattern was still a core of Foundation's uniform
It's also worth noting the logo and symbol of the Foundation. Their logo looks like both a dove flying up, or an angel. Both of which have symbolism towards the divine and good messengers.
Then there's the SPDM uniform, and unlike other school uniforms for a similar boarding school, the SPDM’s goes out of its way to be specifically angelic. Boarding school uniforms typically aim to represent an ideal of education, formality, or the school itself, but the SPDM's uniform represents symbolism for the divine. It mirrors the custom uniforms official members get with the high collars and fantasy-like cuts. However their wide neck collars can’t protect from any Storm or even inconvenient weather, and their shapes aren’t warped. A possible visible representation of how the Foundation sees the children of the SPDM: pure and untouched by the irrationality of arcanum, but not above the influence of it.
Then the Manus has themes of mortality. Not human, but mortal. Their outfits are grounded to humanity far more than the Foundation.
They each take their outfits from different eras as well. There's no uniformity in the era they represent, unlike the Foundation whose official outfits are fairly strict in representing the era they lost. Ms Grace has a dress based on ones from 1957, but many aspects of the dress are aspects from later decades that didn't surface in high fashion until much later. Forget Me Not wears an evening suit vest from the 1910s~20s which fits his era, but his sleeves fit closer to ones from later on because straight sleeves were the main cuts available around 1910. Their outfits are based from their own eras, but they're corrupted by the Manus to include periods of time they'd have no access to. It's a visual representation of what the Manus offers: safety and preservation through the reversing of eras despite the mutation it'll bring.
The sole person within the Manus that doesn’t appear mortal despite the themes being present in her outfit as well is Arcana. Even in the first time we see her, the light is highlighting her too in a divine lighting set up in the same way the Foundation uses in it's buildings. The space and very buildings in the St Pavlov branch are built and designed to feel both calming but authoritative. For the Manus, Arcana herself is the symbol of divine authority over the Manus itself which is cemented in the story chapters when, despite her death, they still believed that she'd return before grasping at a power restructure. Manus Vindictae holds an unshakable faith in Arcana as a divine figure and what she represents over what the Manus itself may represent.
The themes of mortality on Arcana as apart of the Manus' motifs are corrupted and overshadowed by her own arcanum in a way that makes her appear almost divine too. She wears formal evening wear in the same way all of the members do, but with Arcana's outfit her arcanum is active apart of the outfit and taking it over as apart of her arcanum as opposed to the "corruption" in the other uniforms which are paint-like to represent the oil paints the rain mimics. Her corruption of even her own organization's motifs and symbols are the way she stands out even while wearing the same thing as other members makes her a clear idol within a cult.
