Costume decisions

• Mr Birling - ill fitting white dress shirt with top button undone


  • trying too hard to fit into a societal role that he wasn't designed for
  • the style was the fashion in 1912 but a 1945 audience would see it as outdated and old-fashioned
  • the undone button shows how the stress of the Inspector's visit is starting to get to him, but he is not as dishevelled as Eric
• Mr Birling - black dinner jacket and trousers


  • the style in 1912 for a formal event
  • the audience would see this as an outdated display of pre-war formality that was rarer by 1945
  • shows he is trying to pass himself off as a man of wealth and luxury
• Mrs Birling - long, floor-length, well-fitting red velvet dress


  • length signifies her wealth - the dress would have been expensive at the time
  • red shows the blood on her hands
  • velvet is an expensive material; reminds the audience of her riches and she is not to be seen as an ally to the working class
  • the close fit shows how she is designed for the upper-class role in society, unlike her husband
  • would be seen by a post-war audience as an outdated style
• Mrs Birling - matching red velvet gloves


  • she does not take them off throughout the entire play
  • signifies the blood on her hands and her refusal to acknowledge it
  • contrast with Sheila, who takes her gloves off in remorse as soon as she finds out her involvement
• Mrs Birling - diamond accessories (neckalce, earrings, etc)


  • further reinforces her wealth and disconnect from the working class
  • can have implications of "blood diamonds" - can lead the audience to wonder how many ordinary people were exploited in order to cover this woman in diamonds
  • would lead a 1945 audience to see her entire outfit as an exaggerated display of pre-war opulence
• Sheila - medium-length, well fitting, green silk evening gown


  • medium length suggests she takes advantage of her wealth less than her mother
  • green is the colour of envy, the reason she got Eva fired
  • the fit suggesrs that she was born to be a part of the upper class, like her mother
  • silk is a less heavy material than velvet, suggesting that she is less weighed down by the strict gender roles of 1912
• Sheila - matching green gloves


  • she takes them off halfway through Act 1 when she finds out her involvement with Eva
  • unlike her mother, she is willing to see the implications and consequences of her actions
  • shows that she is more willing to change, reminding the audience of the prominent theme of hope for future generations
• Sheila - purple accessories 


  • the green and purple combination reminds the audience of the Suffragette moement, who used the same colours, and foreshadows her more liberal beliefs in contrast to the rigid gender roles of 1912
• Eric - creased, white dress shirt with multiple buttons undone


  • more buttons undone as the play goes on - starts with just the top button undone
  • at the beginning, it appears like he doesn't put much thought into his appearance
  • by the end of the play, once we know what he has done, his appearance shows how the stress and the alcohol have got to him
  • the white dress shirt shows that he knows what is expected of him for a 1912 man, but he does not care enough to put effort into it
• Eric - messy hair


  • shows that he is being strongly affected by the alcohol and the stress
• Gerald - well-fitting white dress shirt


  • he knows his place in society and fits into it well
• Gerald - black dinner jacket and trousers


  • the fashion in 1912, seen as outdated by a 1945 audience
  • Gerald knows exactly how to dress, he is born to be in the upper class
• The Inspector - long, dark brown trench coat


  • would seem out of place in 1912 - furthers the idea that he might be some kind of supernatural being
  • suggests that he has a lot of secrets beneath his coat and that he isn't telling the Birlings everything about himself
• The Inspector - dark blue suit

  • not the style in 1912 - out of place
  • hard to see beneath the coat - implication that there isn't even anything there
  • ghost idea