Chapter Text
Firstly, of course, I had to read and reread A Forfeit of Dreams. Which was no problem, it was absolutely my pleasure. I took some notes about what Sarah was described to look like and what clothes she was wearing.
Then, I took into account how Jennifer Connelly looked in the 90s and what she wore. I took into account where Sarah was in the story, the setting the context. I wanted to also keep the same energy and baseline aesthetic of her original costume and elevate it. It wouldn't look right if Sarah had done a complete 180 on her personal style or was wearing a hoody. I also needed to practice drawing her face and find a shorthand for Older Sarah's features.
Sarah was described to be wearing jeans in the fic so I kept the jeans. Originally I thought they should be cropped mom style jeans but I settled on a cut closer to the ones she originally wears in the movie. Full length and not tightly fitted at the ankle or calf. However, this design goes higher on her waist and she wears a visible belt which I feel expresses a more adult version of the same costume piece.
Another recycled element of her design is her white shirt. The sleeves aren't as theatrical as the original and instead fit more like regular office attire. I feel that with the waistcoat, she looks to be between a future dominated by work and her childhood. At her age now, she chooses her clothing not just as self expression but also to curate how others see her. The waistcoat shows off her waistline and pulls the shirt in to hug her body. Accentuating how her body has grown, I feel, is an important thing to show in this story. Not only do we have a scene where Jareth openly looks at her body and comments acknowledging he can see a difference (which means it has to be visible) but it's also thematically relevant. If we see her silhouette is different, older, elevated, with a lot of care put into it, we can assume the same about her character.
The choice to go with green is a layered one. I was between green and beige. Beige was too similar in colour to her original costume and felt it didn't give enough of a feeling of growth. I chose green on several accounts:
1) Dark, rich colours feel more adult and deliberately less childish and Sarah is someone who takes herself seriously and identifies as an intellectual/well-read. And I feel that dark green looks scholarly and learned.
2) The dress she wears in the first scene of Labyrinth is sage green - and I feel it is a little nod to that.
3) Green is a colour associated closely with nature. I feel this can indicate Sarah's down to earth character. She isn't one for all the bells and whistles - even though sometimes that is what she dreams of. She doesn't ask for things and prefers to work hard for them. Her priorities are always those she cares about.
4) Dark green is a colour that stands out in a refined way without being garish. It is bold but sophisticated and classy at the same time.
This was a very quick paint over job I did to make sure her outfit worked in the Labyrinth setting.
Official design sheets in the next chapter -->