#I like royal fashion theory so ofc I'm applying it to the best royal family

[thesistersarcheron]

Elain's "ridiculous" plainness in black at the Solstice ball was deliberate.

The Inner Circle's strategy for the ball hinges on Nesta being the most intriguing and valuable asset the Night Court has to offer. She's seducing Eris into continuing their alliance after his confidence is shaken, in Rhys's own words. This seduction includes leveraging her looks to capture his attention.

Mor confirms this when she gets involved in preparing Nesta:

[While tutoring Nesta in Hewn City waltzes, Mor] asked Nesta suddenly, “What are you wearing to the ball, anyway? Eris... He’s all about appearances. You have to wear the right thing."

Then, upon entering the ball, it's noted again by Cassian that the entire royal family's appearance upon entering the throne room was planned:

Both sisters wore black. Both walked behind Rhys and Feyre, a silent indicator that they were a part of the royal family. Had mighty powers of their own. They’d planned it that way, wanting Eris to see for himself how valuable Nesta was.

However, Nesta herself notes in Chapter 19 that Elain is the prettiest sister:

When human, Elain had easily been the prettiest of the three of them, and when she’d been turned High Fae, that beauty had been amplified... Elain had gone from lovely to devastatingly beautiful.

So something has to be done about that.

And it is. At the ball, Elain is suddenly the plainest sister who is notably, visibly an outsider of the court:

Elain in black was ridiculous. Yes, she was beautiful, but the color of her long-sleeved, modest gown leeched the brightness from her face. It wore her, rather than the other way around. And he knew the cruelty of the Hewn City troubled her. But she hadn’t hesitated to come. When Feyre had offered to let her remain home, Elain had squared her shoulders and declared that she was a part of this court—and would do whatever was needed. So Elain had let her golden-brown hair down tonight, and pinned it back with twin combs of pearl. He’d never once... found Elain to be plain, but wearing black, no matter how much she claimed to be part of this court … It sucked the life from her.

To contrast Elain’s outfit with Nesta’s:

Nesta in Night Court black threatened to bring him to his knees. She’d braided her hair over her head in her usual style, but atop it, a delicate tiara of glinting black stone rested... Each spike was topped with a tiny sapphire... And the dress … Silver thread embroidered the skintight velvet bodice, the straps so narrow they might as well have been nothing against her moon-white skin. The neckline plunged nearly to her navel, where the silver thread gathered to hold a small sapphire... The full skirts brushed the dark floor, rustling in the rippling silence. Nesta’s chin remained high, accentuating her long, lovely neck. Her red-painted lips cocked in a feline smirk as her kohl-lined eyes took in the room watching her every breath. Nesta seemed to glow with the attention.

Nesta is specifically dressed in Night Court black, which may very well be a deeper, richer shade, given that it’s important enough to distinguish it from Elain’s simple black. Eris is also specifically wearing "Night Court black," not just black; what a coincidence that they should match on the very night they are meant to be subjects of the Inner Circle's matchmaking, since Eris is very concerned about appearances, no? It's almost like the Inner Circle knows a spy in regular contact with Eris who might also know what he plans to wear to the ball.

Not only that, but Nesta is also in a tiara to mark her as a valued member of the royal family, her dress is cut to reveal her body and embroidered with precious thread and stones to reflect the light off of the black and onto her, she’s in a familiar hairstyle that prevents her hair from casting additional shadows and suits her, and she wears makeup—which isn’t even noted for Elain—to accent her features.

Now, let’s also look at Feyre:

Feyre… The room gasped… She wore a dress of sparkling black panels, much like the one she’d first worn here—and it did nothing to hide her swelling belly. No, it showed off her pregnant womb, gleaming in the candlelight. Rhys’s face was a portrait of smug, male pride. He’d let everyone here smell it, further confirming that she was with child. Feyre might as well have been a goddess of old, crowned and glowing, her belly swollen with life. Her serene face was lovely, and her full red lips parted in a smile at Rhys.

Note the parallels between Nesta and Feyre: revealing dresses with sparkling detail, tiaras, makeup to accentuate their features, a glow. Nesta is a dressed as a High Lady—one Eris might want to charm. We often also assume that Feyre and Rhys, who have the power to make objects glow or to obscure them in darkness, aren’t magically influencing this moment as well. Rhys, the drama king who winnowed into Feyre's wedding with thunder and darkness.

Feyre and Nesta are the focus of the night. They planned it this way, because these two sisters each have a message to send.

And much like royals in the real world, everything they wear is deliberately chosen to send their desired message, as confirmed by Mor, Rhys, and Feyre here and in every passage of them getting dressed to visit the Court of Nightmares or important diplomatic meetings in previous books. Leveraging one's beauty and talents (or lack thereof) is also a strategy Nesta was taught at her mother's knee, which we learn of during her flashbacks in ACOSF.

So Elain looking "ridiculous," "plain," and lifeless in black is not an indicator of anything but the Inner Circle's skill for planning a very basic royal sleight-of-hand trick.

And all this without once assuming Cassian's natural attraction to Nesta or his knowledge (or, again, lack thereof) of fashion also influences his perspective of whether or not Elain is desirable or not.

#elain archeron #feyre archeron #nesta archeron #pro elain #pro feyre #pro nesta #a court of thorns and roses #a court of silver flames #mor #rhysand #elain #feyre #nesta #and you know what? #elriel #I like royal fashion theory so ofc I'm applying it to the best royal family