Colour Psychology in Film Fashion

Which part of a movie grabs your attention? The soundtrack? The snarky comebacks? The emotional running-to-the-train scenes? For me, it’s the carefully chosen costume designs that secretly manipulate the narrative. Chances are, you don’t really pay attention to what the characters are wearing. There might be an occasional “oh, that’s cute”, but it doesn’t really affect how the storyline is depicted…or does it?

Colour psychology is when you feel a connection between colour and emotions. This is why most people have colour associations, like red with love or yellow with happiness. Movies and TV shows use this to their advantage to influence how you feel without you even realizing it. 

So, no, that outfit wasn’t just cute, it was a calculated psychological move used to trick our brains and emotions. By dressing characters in specific shades, costume designers quietly tell you who owns the scene, and who fades into the background.

Yellow - Joy and Optimism:

In the 1995 film Clueless, Cher Horowitz wears the iconic yellow plaid outfit in the opening scene. Costume designer Mona May and director Amy Heckerling wanted a bright, sunny look that made her stand out from everyone else. The design team tried two other colours for the skirt suit before settling for yellow, but red felt too much like something Santa Claus would wear, and blue didn’t stand out enough on screen. Yellow is chosen for outfits as a powerful visual and psychological tool to make a character pop, and to symbolize warmth and optimism. It’s often used for main characters, particularly ones who are unapologetically confident, and demand to be seen. On the flip side, it can sometimes be used to represent instability, unease, obsession, or madness, such as The Bride’s Tracksuit in Kill Bill. 

Red - Danger:

While red is often used to illustrate love or desire, it is also used as a sign of danger. During Katniss Everdeen’s pre-game interview in The Hunger Games, she wears a red gown to project power, passion, and impending rebellion. This is not only a warning and foreshadowing of Katniss’ later rebellion, but also a sharp contrast to the cold, eerie atmosphere. Like yellow, red forces the audience to focus on the person as an undeniable force. This colour is used to highlight moments in which a character has unyielding confidence, and is the centre of attention. However, in many movies, red outfits are used on characters who are falling in love, showing that their feelings are becoming too strong to cover up. 

Blue - Calm or Melancholy:

Red and yellow are probably the most obvious colours used for colour psychology, but filmmakers also often use subtle colours to display certain emotions and to affect yours. Blue often shows up as peace or calm, but it is also used to hint at hidden sadness or loneliness. For instance, in La La Land, Mia Dolan goes to a big Hollywood party wearing a bright blue dress. This makes her look completely calm to unknowing onlookers, even though she feels lonely on the inside. Not only does this outfit show that her upbeat energy is starting to fade, it also creates contrast against the loud party around her. Characters who wear blue are often at a low point in their stories, telling the audience that they’re emotionally distancing themselves from the world, but it can also mean that they’ve finally started seeing things clearly. 

Green - Balance, Hope, and Energy:

Because green sits right in the middle of the colour spectrum, it doesn’t force your eyes to work hard to look at it. This naturally makes people feel calm, steady and relaxed. Much like Mia’s blue dress from La La Land, this particular outfit of Estella’s in Great Expectations was chosen to make her look like she has her life completely together. Even when everything around her is chaotic and noisy, she looks completely balanced and in control. Additionally, our brains also connect green to life and energy, making it the international colour for  ‘go’ and new beginnings. When she shows up in this bright, leafy green outfit during a reunion scene, she feels like a breath of fresh air. To the guy who loves her, she looks like a walking symbol of hope, sort of like a new, happy chapter of his life is finally starting. Green is often worn when characters have reached the resolution in their stories, marking them turning over a new leaf in their lives. 

Now that you know which colours are commonly used in film fashion and why, see if you can spot them the next time you watch a movie! With the importance of color in mind, you’ll be able to determine which part of their storyline characters are  in, and exactly what they’re feeling or trying to cover up. So the next time you catch yourself admiring an outfit on screen, just remember: you aren’t just seeing a wardrobe, you’re being played by the colour wheel.