By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

Last year, I reviewed and recommended Not Your Typical Reincarnation Story and I thought that my usual “Happy Hearts & Matching Outfits!” post this year would be a great follow-up. The series has become a favorite of mine in the last year and the clear attention to detail that the creators have put into the costuming makes it fitting to revisit this series under that idea.

The deliberate design choices that went into the characters’ outfits, which are often Rococo levels of elaborate patterning, are often used as both dressings for the character and a narrative device within the work.

Let’s take Chapter 8, for example. In Chapter 8 (before as well, but it starts to stand out here), the Rudwick family that Edith has married into are notably color-coordinated. The mother, father, and two sons are dressed in dark tones within the blue, black, and green spectrum most often, and this color palette visually reinforces their cohesion as a family unit.

In contrast, the “original” female protagonist, Rhyse, of the novel that Edith has entered, is often depicted in pastel shades and traditional soft pinks, but she appears in Chapter 8 wearing soft green. This subtle shift aligns her visually with the two sons of the Rudwick family, Cliff and Killian. (Cliff is seen on the right in the image above and on the left in the image below. Killian is seen in the left in the image above and on the right in the image below.) Rhyse is particularly close in color with the older son, Cliff, her intended love interest, who is wearing a depressed, greying green. While Killian is not wearing a color that matches the other two, but is still in a color family close to them as he wears dark blue with accented white. The harmony in their colors hints at Rhyse’s integration into the family dynamic—or at least her perceived role within it.

Meanwhile, Edith, our protagonist, is often dressed in dark colors with contrasting patterns. Initially, this visual distinction emphasizes her outsider status within the family. As her role evolves, so do her color choices, but her palette consistently contrasts with the family’s at the beginning, often incorporating purples and reds to set her apart:

At this early stage in the story, Edith and her husband/love interest, Killian, are decidedly not on the same page and this is clear in the color scheme. Yet, Killian is also not exactly on the same page with Cliff and Rhyse either given their different color palettes.

As the story progresses, we see Edith and Killian continue to be on very different pages emotionally. This is reflected in their clothing. For instance, in Chapter 10, Edith wears a vibrant yellow, gold, and red dress, while Killian opts for black and gold with red accents. The shared red details subtly suggest an emotional link beginning despite their strained relationship.

Later in Chapter 10, Edith dons pink with purple accents while working alongside her mother-in-law and Rhyse. Although she shares colors with the female lead, her patterns and accent color better match those of her mother-in-law’s purple color palette and pattern This signifies a potentially subconscious attempt by Edith to adapt and fit into her new family:

Killian, at this time, continues to wear Edith’s colors as accents when he appears again with red cuffs. It creates an aesthetic harmony as Edith is shown to be slowly finding a place within the household under her mother-in-law’s praises. However, this harmony is short-lived, as Edith’s “fitting in” is dropped temporarily in Chapter 12 following the argument between her and Killian. We see this through the costume change best as when she is called to join them, she is seen wearing blue but intentionally changes to meet the jeweler so as to not match the Rudwick family in the following scene:

While her blue outfit would have initially matched the family, her change into a purple-reddish color starkly contrasts the family’s color palette in Chapter 13, visually underlining Edith’s sense of isolation.

Despite moments of discord, though, Edith’s clothing often matches the family’s palette when she is around multiple members.

By Chapter 24, she and Killian are on better terms. They wear complementary colors, almost matching entirely except for differences in patterns—Edith in florals and Killian in leaves. This subtle mirroring signifies their growing unity as a couple:

This costuming and coordination cannot be underestimated either. Looking at Chapter 33, we can see how intentional the costuming is regarding their relationship as Edith repeatedly rejects Killian’s advances, and their clothing reflects this emotional push-and-pull. Initially, their outfits are in completely different color schemes (blue and pink) or styles:

As the tension eases between them, their colors grow closer together, though their styles remain contrasting—such as Killian appearing in formal attire, while Edith is in relaxed, informal wear:

Evidently, when Edith hesitates to reject him during this time is when they are closest in color and attire style:

Though, notable in this scene, they are still not matching as Killian’s garb is closer to that of a formal dinner and Edith’s is more like regular day-wear.

This continues throughout the chapter (and frequently in the story) as they get close and then further apart repeatedly, so too do the coordination of their clothes:

Until, finally, they are on the “same-page” again shown by how they are no longer in contrasting colors or styles and are able to communicate clearly:

By Chapter 42, Killian has somewhat abandoned his original color scheme, which had aligned with his family and Rhyse. His colors now fully match Edith’s, even if their patterns differ.

This consistent coordination continues through Chapter 59, underscoring their united front as a couple.

The older Rudwick couple similarly match colors and styles, like we see in Chapter 89 when they appear in perfectly coordinated outfits.

The matching colors present the Rudwick parents as a unified and established front, symbolizing the stability of their relationship. This allows readers to see Killian and Edith’s matching colors as a mirror of this idea that in Not Your Typical Reincarnation Story, matching clothes are more than aesthetic choices—they are narrative devices. The characters’ evolving relationships are visually represented through their outfits, with color schemes and patterns reflecting unity, conflict, or distance. This intricate use of costume design adds a rich layer of storytelling that rewards careful observation.

So, the next time you revisit this series, or another romance, I hope you will pay close attention to the clothing—it can tell you more than you might realize!

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Author Note: Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed my Matching Outfits post for this year! It’s something I really enjoy discussing so I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic in the comments below. Also, and this is a total side-note here, there will not be post from me tomorrow because I’m sending this out a day early!

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Copyedited by: Krow Smith | @coffeewithkrow and Katherine Cañeba | @kcserinlee