oh i just had a fucking revelation about the ghoul outfits
so. meliora and prequelle era ghouls are very butler-esque. the spats, the neat button downed cassocks of meliora and well-fitted suits of prequelle giving more of a “fashion and form” look, along with the appealing and fluid, attractively-featured chrome masks. it really drives the point that the ghouls are nameless and faceless, simply hired minions. they’re servants- they do the menial work. (in this case in the lore, menial = being hired help for the band and possibly servants for the abbey)
even in the older eras of infestissumam and opus eponymous, the ghouls outfits are monk-like in nature;
which is telling us, again, that the ghouls are uniform because they’re meant to be, its their role to blend into the background.
but all of a sudden, cardinal copia becomes a candidate for reign. he keeps the prequelle look as his time as cardinal because he’s not papa yet, it’s not his place to make drastic changes.
as soon as he gains the title of papa, however-
boom.
this is not typical ghoul fashion. sure, its still fairly glitzy, (as tobias forge is wont to do,) but this is much more streamlined. military. the epaulettes, the roughed seams of the coat, the bulky, practical helmet look of the masks, even the high leather boots evoke an aura of militia garb.
group photos in the impera age dont look like an important church figurehead being surrounded by lackeys and servants. this looks like a man being guarded.
they aren’t dressed for just appearances anymore.
they’re being outfitted for war.
