Costumes/outfits

 Hey everyone! Another day has come, and today it came down to finalizing our outfits throughout the movie opener. These outfit choices will help explain and express each character's own story. I will describe what each of us plans to wear, starting with myself!

Raina (Me): The 'Party Friend'

My character is all about holding on to the past and pretending that everything's okay. As a result, a majority of my outfits are casual and have a sense of normalcy. 

For example, in the beach memorial scene with the three of us (me, Ngoc, and Emi), we all plan to wear a simple, knee-length white linen dress. It will be sleeveless ideally, and it has a flowy bottom on the skirt part. We chose this as the memorial scene because white represents purity and a new beginning, which we are supposed to be embracing. The flowiness of the dress helps match the environment we are in, such as the beach, which has a breeze of the wind to it. 

For the flashback scene of us visiting Jahzara when she is about to die, I plan to wear a light blue, floral crop top that has a V-neck and a pair of blue wash jean shorts. I also plan to pair it with simple gold hoop earrings. The reason for this outfit is that this is the 'Raina before.' It would be a stereotypical outfit for me that's trendy, put-together, and colorful. The crop top and jean shorts show I care about style or the way I dress, but the light blue flowery top keeps it sweet and approachable, giving me the aesthetic of a fun friend. 

For the present day of us being at school on the first day after Jahzara's death, the outfit I plan to wear is a baby pink tank top that is tucked into white jean shorts with white ankle socks and white sneakers. The reason for this outfit is that this outfit will be known as the facade outfit. It is more preppy and put together than my flashback look. The tank top and jean shorts seem so perfect that it almost seems performative (ironically, it is). To represent this, the jean shorts have small rips in them, symbolizing the facade slowly peeling away.

As for my hair evolution, in the past, I had sleek, straight hair, which gave an effortless vibe. In the present, I will have a half-up, half-down hairstyle with a flower claw clip. This hairstyle gives the aesthetic of style, showing an attempt to look perfect and hold everything together. 

As subtle details for props, I plan to have a glitter clear and fun phone case before Jahzara's death, but afterwards, my phone case will transition to a pure black phone case. 

Emijola (The depressed friend):

Emi's clothing is in some way her emotional protector as she disappears into her own grief.

For the beach scene, she will be wearing the same white flowy dress as everyone else. Like I said before, the white helps represent new beginnings and purity, whereas the flowiness helps match the atmosphere of the beach. 

For the flashback, she will be wearing a yellow halter top with blue wash mom jeans. She looks cozy and bubbly in this outfit. The yellow and blue help represent her happiness before. 

For the present day at school, she will be wearing a black hoodie and black sweatpants. The reason for this outfit choice is that it helps represent her sadness and depression. Her clothes are 2 sizes too big, meant to hide her.  The dull, dark colors mirror her internal self. She is practically building a barrier between herself and everything else.

For her hair evolution, in the past, she had medium-length knotless box braids that looked clean and put-together. However, for the present, it will be the same braids, but visibly frizzy with new growth. 

Ngoc (mediator):

Ngoc's style evolution is more subtle but also significant. She keeps her usual outfits, but in a way, her clothes start shifting to darker tones and shades.

For the beach memorial scene, her outfit will once again be the same white flowy dress. In a way, the white perfectly represents her character even more than it does for me and Emijola, in that the white symbolizes new beginnings. This helps emphasize Ngoc's future continuity of trying to keep the group together and move on. 

For the flashback, she will be wearing a white quarter zip with light blue wash jeans. She looks kind and thoughtful. This is "Ngoc before," the reliable and nurturing friend who always gives advice. The quarter zip suggests a slight maturity and her role as the group's anchor.

For the present day at school, she will subtly transition in that instead of a white quarter zip, she will be wearing a beige crewneck sweater with a darker shade of blue wash jeans. This new outfit is nearly identical to the one before, put-together. However, the color has deepened dramatically. The bright white color has been replaced by a warm beige color. She is still trying to be the mediator, but the grief has still changed her world. 

For her hair evolution, in the past, she had two perfect Dutch braids. This signals care, attention, and control. For the present, she will have her hair worn down and straight. Letting her hair down symbolizes a slight release of control. It's less maintenance, because maintaining the braids, like the friendship, has become too exhausting. 

Jahzara (the friend who passed away):

Jahzara's outfit throughout the movie opener is mainly the same, as a majority of her screen time will be in the flashback scene of her sickbed.

For her outfit in the sickbed, it will be a black cotton T-shirt and grey sweatpants. In addition to her look, she will wear a head scarf. This head scarf is an important choice because it confronts the audience with the reality of her cancer treatment. The black and grey are neutral colors and do not signal a personality, only existence and illness. In a way, this represents her fading into the shadows of the room, becoming more of a memory than a person, even before she is fully gone.