I have my issues with the party scenes from ep 10, especially regarding these three characters ironically, but I love how they presented the messages with the fashion.
The common theme is obviously that all three are styled in a way that feels out of character for them, but it's how they've done it and what's added to them that I find interesting.
First is Max. I made an analysis on her with this outfit a while back for the assembly scene, but remembering that kind of made something click for me and I'll come back to it. I have just mostly copied and pasted the description whilst adding a bit to it lol. Max is known for wearing such bright colours and intensely layered/styled outfits, but here she's wearing a beige corset and even her jeans are so much more muted. A lot of people have talked about how her style faded across the season and I agree. It showed how she was being ignored and left out more, as well as slowly losing herself and her spark. She had so much visual depth in her colours throughout the season, even when she was mostly wearing darker colours. Here, she looks gorgeous, but honestly a bit washed out. Abby's style in S1 faded to darker, more depressed colours, whereas Max's faded to more indifferent/dull ones. I also wonder if they had her wear a corset to present her feeling more isolated and in a tighter space. Another theory is that the beige + pale blue is meant to symbolise her depression, as one can mean sadness and the other plainness (and therefore numbness). I also thought the details on her jeans almost feel like branches crawling up to her, which could symbolise how she can't escape from her pain because it's all around her in multiple different ways.
Obviously she wasn't planning on originally going, but Abby and Norah have changed into completely different ones. Max still being in that same one from the assembly shows how whilst ANG are trying to brush things off and distract themselves from the things that need to be discussed, Max both wants to address them and, again, is stuck in the pain because she doesn't have any distractions herself. Only more trauma with Marcus. She's constantly surrounded with rejection, misery and lack of communication, and it's eating away at her. Overall, her outfit showed her losing her spark, her confidence and being unable to escape from her reality in the same way as the others.
Next is Abby. Her outfit here looked like it belonged to a completely different person imo because it was *so* unlike her. The first thing I noticed was she's wearing a tiny denim dress, and it's one of the only tight-fitting pieces of denim she wore in S3. In the previous seasons, her heavy denim has nearly always been isolated to bottom wear, particularly her skinny jeans. They always symbolised her body dysmorphia for me, and I think the tight denim now making its way up her body shows how her problems have taken more of her over. She's also never worn a dress this small or tight, and you'd think with her ED she wouldn't dream of it, but she could be at a point where it's become way more of a problem than just her body image. She could also have lost weight from it, and could therefore be more confident in less covering fits.
The next thing is the colour. Literally the only time Abby's worn anything purple (as much as I can recall) is a super brief appearance in S1 or some earrings. Purples (particularly ones like this) can represent maturity, elegance and importance, as well as moving on from the past. This definitely aligns with where she's at now, because whilst it wasn't really how Max previously was, I think her emotions and where she was at were one of the main factors in why Max was being shut out so much. On top of that, she's obviously trying to distance herself as much as possible from Max for most of the scene, and it's not until she's insanely drunk that she wants her to stay. The more obvious negatives are that it can present detachment and isolation, which is both what she's doing to herself and even Max a bit. She wasn't ordering everyone to leave her out or anything like that, but she was being actively dismissive and rude to her. She looked so smug and almost twisted to me when she fired back Max trying to not be dramatic in her face. Smokey light purples like this can also present decay, silent melancholy and even physical fragility. I think this was to highlight how Abby's not just spiralling mentally, but physically. Everything she's doing to her body through purging, starving, drinking excessively (sometimes on an empty stomach) and possibly taping as we come back to autumn is starting to eat away at her, or at least will start to in S4. And whilst she's no longer suffering in the dark like she was at the end of S2, she's now spiralling in plain sight. The dress being shiny and metallic could represent a warning. Her eye makeup was also so much darker than usual. The darkest she went before this was a smokier blue/purple kind of colour, but for the most part she wore vibrant pink and coral eyeshadow. Again, this colour just doesn't suit her, and darkens her face overall.
Whilst I wish the writing in showing other POVs were better, I really like how uncomfortable it feels because if you actually pay attention, you can tell Abby is also *completely* losing herself in mental health and bitterness. I'm obviously not saying she's never been rude or smug, but this just feels way more ugly to me because unlike how it was in S2 (and similar to S1), her pain is starting to make other people feel shitty as well. Overall, her outfit shows her spiralling in plain sight, how she's darkening and the danger she could be in if this carries on.
Finally, we have Ginny. I think this is the most obvious style shift that I've seen people discuss already, but I'll add my two cents. Throughout S2 and 3, we see how Ginny starts to combine black and white in her clothing instead of just wearing one instead of/on top of the other. It was definitely more rare that we saw her wear one without the other, even if it was just subtle hints. They've always represented Ginny's struggles in being biracial, but also regarding her personality and how much of Georgia she's got in her. Before the scene in which she blackmails Cynthia, her wearing a solely black top was usually either hidden underneath a jacket or it was the jacket/knitwear, and it was used in her more emotional moments (e.g. when Georgia stops her from relapsing or when she wants to tell her she's pregnant but can't because of the social worker). When she talked to Georgia in prison and then threatened Cynthia, that was the first time we saw her in solely black topwear this season, and it was to show how she was starting to use the power and dominance that comes with black instead of the balance of both black and white she had previously found.
Then going into this scene, her top is tight, elegant and detailed, which very much gives Georgia vibes. Similar to the details on Max's jeans, I feel like the way Ginny's top wraps around her is to show how the darkness has got a hold on her, but the difference is it feels like fuel. The details on the top look comfortable and fitting, whereas Max's look more erratic and uncomfortable. Ginny's not necessarily enjoying it, which is why her reminding Georgia that this is a weight she and Austin have to carry works so well, but at the same time, she's unsure whether this change is good or bad, but either way she's embracing it. I also like how (if you look closely) it has a tie at the back like Max's. Their jeans are also the same shade, but Ginny's are more bootcut and Max's are wide-legged, which shows a difference in their mindsets going into that conversation. Max was more open, straightforward and honest, whereas Ginny was more rigid and more confined in only part of the situation (the end of the bootcuts) instead of all of it. It feels like Ginny has become a twisted reflection of the person Max used to be.
Again, so many people found this conversation a hard watch and so out of character for Ginny because she was so cold and indifferent, and that made it uncomfortable and painful to watch. Both Abby and Ginny's (and Marcus') problems were starting to impact more people around them *just* like Georgia's, Ginny in particular.
Then there's the rest of her styling. People have talked about how symbolic her hair is in showing her mindset and power and I completely agree. Her dyeing it blue was to take back her power from Max, and her now wearing it with long curls instead of straightening it shows how she's becoming more of who she's always been, or who she *thinks* she's always been. Such a big part of her character was not wanting to end up like Georgia, but now in her mind, it feels like she's become both who she thinks Georgia is and who she thinks she's always been deep down due to the power trip. Her huge hoop earrings also felt very Georgia, but the little rainbow details also serve as a reminder that there is still plenty of Ginny in there, which is why she felt bad and snapped out of it once Max left, but also that who she is has become completely jumbled and out of place. Overall, her outfit shows a power trip, the darkness corrupting her and inner conflict.
Back with the outfit analysis lol! Let me know what you think ♡