So, this was a comment I received in response to this post of mine and I had a lot of words to say about it.
Hi, my name is Key and I have a theatre background with an emphasis in costuming. So I have a lot to say about Eliot Waugh on any given day in general, seriously, I think about Eliot and the way he dresses a lot. But presently the subject is his look at the end of 4 x 13.
Eliot puts a lot of himself into how he dresses. Anything that Eliot is wearing is carefully chosen. Picked out first in style, dandy, or Fillorian, and then in colour.
Magali said so herself that Eliot's outfits becoming darker over the course of season 1 was on purpose. It was a reflection of his mental state getting darker. I don't think that care has left Magali's thought process with Eliot at all. If anything, she is the only one I would trust in the crew of the show. She hand made lots of Eliot's Fillorian wear, one was just "based on a painting." [One of his chiffon based outfits I'm not positive which one, Hale brought it up in an interview.]
Now I will say that the comparison between him in 4×13 and the images of him from 3×05 are very, very different and there are several reasons behind that and I kind of went over some of them in my one post about his outfit in 3×05 here.
Basically Eliot's outfit in 3×05 is a very specific look that is different than anything Eliot wore up until then. The closest comparison being what he wears in 3×13/4×05/(4×09?). Because he lives in those outfits. He wears those two outfits far longer than anything else he wears and therefore those costumes become important. Therefore comparing the outfits from my post are a little bit unfair.
However, let's get into it.
Eliot has always looked tired. His makeup always has his eyes like purple all around them. Like nearly bruised with how exhausted this man is. Because Eliot is exhausted. I highly doubt he sleeps more than 5 hours a night. It nearly looks like he is wearing eyeshadow-- he's not. The only time Eliot does wear eyeshadow is Lizard!Eliot. Every other time, it's just this sleep deprivation manifesting around his eyes.
This look is no different. He is exhausted, you can just see it around him like an aura. The love of his life just died. I'm not about to beat around the bush here he probably hasn't even been getting that generous 5 hours I mentioned earlier.
Plus, he nearly died himself. His stomach was ripped open. He had to go through surgery nearly hysteric on the pain. This man has been through a lot leading into this scene.
Also, note: he has not been aged. The rest of his makeup is just basic. Foundation, maybe brows, if I squint hard enough there might be mascara. But he has not been aged. This is just what Hale/Eliot looks like at 31/28. That's just this man's face.
As for the hair I just disagree with the commenter. His hair isn't bad, but it's not meant to look good either. But I will be comparing it to 3×05 for this. Eliot up until season 3 has been a mostly closed off character. He doesn't talk to very many people besides Margo and Quentin. And he almost exclusively does not open up.
From what I have seen his hair sort of reflects that. In all of season 1 his hair is always in that style where they have pulled all of his hair to the top and back of his head. In season 2 he is almost always wearing his crown so his hair has to be out of his face. And then in season 3 he is still wearing the crown at the start of the season but whenever he's not wearing his crown his hair is still pulled back out of his face.
His hair in 4×13 is no different. It is very reminiscent of his hair in season 1 actually. There is a lot of styling at the top but the rest is pulled to the back of his head. His hair is longer now however so we get the little curls at the base of his neck that poke out. This is the hairstyle that Eliot is comfortable wearing.
Now, in 3×05, Eliot's hair is different. He's disheveled, he's raw, he's unkempt. And his hair reflects that. His hair is falling into his face, he's not pushing it away and out of his face. He is being vulnerable with Quentin, and he's not not caring about how he looks, but he is allowing it to be looser.
Eliot is like the opposite of Quentin. Quentin hides behind his hair. His hair is like an anxiety shield for him. Eliot does the opposite. He pulls his hair out of his face and keeps himself mostly clean-shaven to protect himself. Eliot, to me, seems to feel like if looks well kept, than he is. No matter how untrue it may be. If he looks good, than everything will be alright. If others think that he is okay, no one will ask questions.
Because we jest that Quentin is a high strung super nerd. So is Eliot.
Eliot probably spends an hour or more getting ready every morning. Picking out his clothing, by style, by colour, by feeling. Styling his hair. Choosing his cologne. He does it to meticulous detail. He always has we just don't see it. We see him after that, pretending that it required no effort, that he woke up like that.
His outfit we can't fully see because of his coat but he is wearing mostly black, his shoes, his pants, his coat, his cane, his shirt and tie are a dark purple: the shirt has a pattern that reveals filigree amidst the darkness. His vest is hard to see but it's dark whatever colour it may be grey/purple/black.
Anyway Eliot is going through a lot. Mostly mourning, and he is dressed accordingly.
Thus ends my TED Talk.
