The Great Gatsby uses fashion to show who the characters are in a deeper form. Gatsby’s outfit for meeting Daisy for tea is a white flannel suit with a silver shirt and gold tie to show he has money now and tries to win her over again. The whole outfit is to stand out to her and attract her attention. The silver and gold are a way to show money and the white pops out from the colors around it to attract people’s attention. The use of contracting color also attracts the gaze of someone to it. Silver was often used as a luxurious décor and gold resembles wealth, paper money which traded for gold which had a fixed rate. The gold can represent Gatsby staying the same as he was on the inside loving Daisy no matter what. white represents purity showing he wants to be pure for Daisy and give her a good life.
Tom wears a black suit to show elegance and power. It shows he has nothing to prove to others with an outfit that stands out. Typically people with old money would be able to stand out among the crowd of people trying to show off. Showing he has the respect and old money to be noticed no matter how plain of an outfit he has on. Black is also typically used for someone with bad morals/ an evil person. Black suits represent success and authority which Tom has but it is through generational wealth.
