Clothing

Clothes make the man, they say—and the woman, and the god. Both Julius and Amos Kane are sharp dressers according to mortal standards, as though they're saying, "Yeah, we're secretly magicians, what of it?" Other magicians, like Zia and Desjardins, tend to wear robes, which demonstrate their dedication to the House of Life and their training.

Sadie's punk rock style emphasizes her rebellious streak. Even when she's introduced to the magician wardrobe (plant materials only, so they don't interfere with magic), she still somehow manages to rock her combat boots.

Carter is, well, Carter. He says: "Sadie likes to tell me that I don't have a style. She complains that I dress like I'm an old man—button-down shirt, slacks, dress shoes" (6.47). And for most of the book, Carter doesn't seem too bothered by the fact that he doesn't fit in with other teenagers.

By the end of the book, however, Carter chooses something new from the magic wardrobe in the Brooklyn house: "some Reeboks, blue jeans, a T-shirt, and a hoodie" (41.153). He feels self-conscious at first, but Sadie tells him that he almost looks like a regular teenager (which is apparently a good thing). So in this case, Carter's clothing choices reflect his development during the story: he goes from being a mini-version of his dad to being his own person.