Thus does the old political camouflage erode — slowly, but with visible results.

On Tuesday night (and for some, Wednesday morning), as the election results rolled in and candidates gave their victory or concession speeches, the way that many of them chose to present themselves in that moment was as clear a message about how they meant to go on — and the split that was about to become the new normal in Washington — as any of the words they uttered.

Yes, I’m talking about what they wore. Starting next term, Congress is going to have something of a new look, not just because of the striking diversity of race and gender in the House, but because of the new attitude toward image and self-definition that goes with that.

In an era when the president places a premium on “casting” and has raised the stakes on visual communication, and when he put himself and those ideas at the center of the referendum, it’s part of the story.