The Colours of Brave
In the beginning of the film, Elinor disapproves of Merida having a bow and wants her to act like a princess. Yet she let her get a bow at such a young age and even encouraged practicing. She's seen wearing her crown but has a purple dress with no designs. Her outfit showed how neutral she was- she balanced being a queen and a mother, but it was almost because she seemed to have no personality herself besides those two things, or even her own ideas.
When Elinor's wearing green, she's fully engulfed in her queenly role. She now has developed a bold personality and style, but her whole personality/persona is just being the queen. She now has developed her own ideas, but only the ones she deems acceptable. So it's kind of ironic when her dress rips off when she's a bear, her "shedding" her former persona.
But at the end of the movie, she's finally putting her hair down like her daughter and wearing her daughter's signature colour blue. And yet, she still keeps the regalia her green dress had but now on her new gown- gold trim, styled belt, draped sleeves and such. Not only this, but she chooses not to go back in the forest for her old crown or make a new one. She finally has her balance- being Merida's mother and a queen on the side. But this time, it isn't like the neutral stance like in the beginning of the movie, Elinor chooses this balance for herself, while finding her personality along the way.
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King Fergus on the other hand, showed all three colours throughout the film in his clothing pattern- purple, green, and blue. However, each colour popped in different lighting and plot changes.
When he's having fun with family, the lighting is more cooler, making the blue pop from his clothing.
When he has to face certain royal duties, Merida's betrothal arrangements, or when he thought he lost Elinor, the lighting turns red and makes his clothing look more green, showing his focus on the kingdom and queen.
At the end of the movie, where everyone is watching Merida cover her mother with the tapestry, Fergus' clothing becomes discoloured, with the purple only really showing- expressing his confusion and defeat.
Throughout all those colour changes, the purple is always seemed to be paired with it. When the green and purple colours were paired, he was either in a blind rage or going along with whatever plans the kingdom had in store. When the purple was paired with blue, he was blindly only acting as a father and husband, forgetting everything else around him.
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I feel like the purple represented when they let other people or rules take over themselves. Green represents kingdom loyalty, and the blue matched freedom.
Merida is the only one who stays in one colour, she outright refuses to follow kingdom expectations (green) and never has a neutral stance in something or backs down from others (purple), which is why her dresses only fluctuate in different shades of one colour (blue). This way, she displays her emotions and ideas without having to conform to other colours. She knew her personality all throughout the movie.
