I finally saw The Fault in Our Stars on Tuesday night! I fell in love with the soundtrack weeks before the movie hit the theaters, so I had a feeling it would be an awesome movie. I really felt like the movie did the book justice. Although, some parts of the book were not translated to film, I felt the actors really stayed true to the characters in the book.
So, you're probably wondering where is she going with this and what does this have to do with fashion? Well, I believe that fashion plays a significant role in any movie, whether the characters are wearing elaborate costumes or just a t-shirt and jeans. The clothes we wear say a lot about us, whether we think so or not. So, I would like to take you through a somewhat in-depth analyzation of Hazel's fashion in The Fault in Our Stars. (WARNING: There are spoilers below, so you may want to watch the movie before reading ahead.)
Let's talk about Hazel Grace Lancaster's style throughout the movie:
After Hazel meets Gus for the first time, her wardrobe becomes a bit brighter. The outfit she wears while waiting for Gus to call her is very simple: a graphic tee, jeans, and Converse shoes. Even though her outfit consists of mainly dark colors, there is a splash of reddish pink color on her shirt. This glimpse of color is a metaphor that Gus has already started to brighten her world with his infectious personality.
As Hazel and Gus' relationship begins to blossom, Hazel continues to wear brighter pastel colors such as yellow and lavender with a peep of pink. Her clothing is still loose, but her shirts show off her figure a bit more. Above is a picture of the outfit Hazel wears when Gus tells her that they will be traveling to Amsterdam to meet the author Peter Van Houten, who wrote her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction.
However, after Hazel is rushed to the hospital due to a build up of water in her lungs, she is crushed because the doctors tell her that she is too ill to travel to Amsterdam. To reflect her loss of excitement for life, she reverts back to wearing loose and baggy clothes.
I have to say, the scene when Hazel is getting ready for her date with Gus is one of my favorites. She had packed two dresses: a white dress with red polka dots (featured above) and a green dress, but she ends up wearing the blue dress her mother bought her for their special night. This is the first time we see Hazel putting effort into her appearance. Also, this is the first time she no longer wears the dark blue nail polish, which symbolizes her fully embracing life and not living as if the cancer is consuming her. On this "once in a lifetime" trip, Hazel gets to escape reality for a few days and truly live life instead of just going through the motions.
The blue dress she wears on her first date with Gus looks absolutely stunning on her. It's a conservative style, which makes her look sophisticated and wise beyond her years (which she is), but the bright blue color keeps the dress looking youthful.
The next day, they visit Peter Van Houten and Hazel wears an olive green jacket and a tongue-in-cheek shirt with a pipe on it as an ode to the main character in An Imperial Affliction. This shirt reflects Hazel's witty personality as well.
The morning after they make love for the first time, Hazel wears a bright red pullover to breakfast. It's the first time we see Hazel in a vibrant color. Cliche as it may sound, the costume designer most likely chose red to symbolize her love for Augustus and the fact that she had finally given her heart to him despite her fear of being a "grenade" that "will obliterate everything in [her] wake." After Augustus tells Hazel that his cancer had returned with a vengeance, they return home and she reverts back to wearing light pastels and dull colors.
At Augustus's funeral, Hazel wears a black dress that is reminiscent of the blue dress she wore on their first date. The hem of the dress has the same horizontal details as the blue dress, which I thought was a genius idea because it symbolized the fact she will always remember him and their memories from Amsterdam. It was a subtle detail, but it made all the difference.
In the last scene of the movie, Hazel reads the eulogy Gus wrote for her and she lays down on the grass in a white lace dress and looks up at the stars above. To me, the color white symbolizes that Hazel will continue to enjoy whatever time she has left, just as Gus had taught her. Also, I believe she accepts her destiny and is finally okay with the life she's been given.
These are just my interpretations of the movie, so let me know in the comments below if you have seen The Fault in Our Stars and your opinions on Hazel's wardrobe. Sending you lots of love from my heart to yours!
“There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1. There's .1 and .12 and .112 and an infinite collection of others. Of course, there is a bigger infinite set of numbers between 0 and 2, or between 0 and a million. Some infinities are bigger than other infinities. A writer we used to like taught us that. There are days, many of them, when I resent the size of my unbounded set. I want more numbers than I'm likely to get, and God, I want more numbers for Augustus Waters than he got. But, Gus, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn't trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful.”
-John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
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