Layers, Bears & Oliver's Lost Without You Wardrobe

Purging Oliver of his armor was the first step to freedom.

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One of the most fascinating elements of Signed, Sealed, Delivered is the wardrobe and its ability to convey messages about the emotional state of the characters as we discussed a bit yesterday. And if you can believe that one more layer was tucked into Lost Without You, telling it's own story in the process, it was definitely the clothing. Oliver's wardrobe story is all about colors, layers and how they reflect what (and whom) is on his heart, and, as in the case of the wilderness, how well he is trying to protect it.

Dad & Plaid

It wasn't lost on anyone that Oliver and Papa O'Toole were perfectly paired for their USPS commercial. Oliver opts for that now iconic plaid blue suit, while dear old dad wears a matching shirt. In a way it acts as shorthand for their relationship. Joe keeps Oliver close, and Oliver, to some extent, keeps his dad at a distance, hence his representation in Oliver's outermost layer. Also on the outside, though, positioned over his heart, is a bright yellow pocket square reminiscent of the first rose of summer, or Shane.

Keep your eye on Oliver's dress shirts from here on out, though. In most cases he's rocking a plain light pastel of pale blue/purple variety and equally subtle tie. His dress shirts will act as a connection to Dale, and we'll get into why and what it means shortly.

A Fine Line

It starts when he goes to visit her office with Topper's letter. I swear, if you were to lift the fine blue stripe from Oliver's suit, and the light blue/grey one from Dale's, that swapping them would complete the others' suit. It's a subtle and extremely superficial connection between the two of them. Another wardrobe clue that stood out was how Oliver's clothing, particularly the innermost layer---his dress shirt---began to reflect Dale to some extent once she re-entered the picture.

Their colors connect, but for a different reason than being connected romantically. It's actually because the one thing they share most significantly is their faith, and it's the closest thing to their hearts. They pray together, sing in the choir together---that's their connection. It's a bit of a departure from previous associations made between characters, but even at Eleanor's service, where you would expect them to be leaning on their faith the most, their hues of purple coordinate. It's a connection they share that ends up excluding Shane, however, the wardrobe of whom we'll probe soon.

It is curious that Oliver's attire also seems split between Dale and Shane at the service. His dress shirt and pockets square hold closer connection to Dale, while his plain, dark suit connects him to Shane.

Even so, I wouldn't count Shane out. Interestingly, if you keep an eye on Oliver's suspenders, the two times he is seen without his jacket in the office they are black, and match Shane. Notice this is a layer under his jacket, but just outside his heart in a sense. She's closer, but she's not "the" reflected entity. It's still the pale shirt and, ultimately, his faith. All his associations, however, get overhauled by his journey into the wilderness.

Extra Padding

There are several significant points to be taken away from Oliver's wilderness wardrobe. The first is how it's completely opposite of anything we've ever seen him in. Separated from the comfort and familiarity of the DLO, Oliver and his wardrobe, are thrust into new and uncomfortable emotional and spiritual territory. And no one is more aware of that fact than an admittedly "over-dressed" Oliver.  

As we've discussed in the past, Oliver's suits are a form of armor, protecting him emotionally. The more layers of clothing, the more guarded his heart. So more layers than normal heading into the wilderness only emphasize the depth of his need to protect himself.

We learn very quickly that despite 5 layers of clothing, the very present dangers of the wilderness---of life---are still more than capable of catching one in its snares. As Joe so astutely observed, "Bears don't care what you wear." And it's the bears of his past that Oliver's wilderness journey was designed for him to confront, exacerbated by his father's declining health and his own waning hope.

Despite enlisting the extra padding to protect himself from the wilderness, he is absolutely his most exposed and vulnerable in this space, and experiences his greatest transformation as a result of the circumstances therein as a result.

Raw

Of course it's this transformation that is on full display in Oliver's actions once he returns to civilization. Unshaven and "look[ing] terrible," Oliver is his most decisive and even vulnerable. Exiting the wilderness, Oliver's wardrobe ties to Dale are almost completely severed (their both wearing jeans), but in addition to having lost two layers, Oliver becomes intricately connected to Shane's wardrobe. The white undershirt, black and white striped shirt, and tan jacket are the same colors tightly woven into Shane's jacket. She is represented in every layer of his clothing. After being estranged both physically and in terms of wardrobe throughout the entire film, they are never more connected in this film as they are during this chapel scene.

Not to mention the fact that even though he has, in a sense, returned to civilization, Oliver's lack of traditional armor---his suit---allows him to remain candid and vulnerable during this scene with Shane.

No question being stripped of that with which Oliver was familiar provided a prime opportunity for his transformation, but it appears that being stripped of his typical "armor" was a key to facilitating that transformation as well. Doing so cleared the path for Oliver both emotionally and spiritually, allowing him to achieve a newfound clarity and once more connect with Shane.

De-Layered,
~C