Wardrobing in GoT: Such Amazing Details

[Eyes High]

18 minutes ago, Conan Troutman said:

No love for Mace Tyrell's fabulous feather helmet? Elizabeth II herself was green with envy. 

It was good. My favourite costuming visual gag was Lancel dressed up like Jaime in Season 2, though.

[SeanC]

We didn't talk about Missandei in the wardrobe review; she doesn't have the same huge suite of clothes that the major highborn ladies have, but she's had some different looks, and Nathalie Emmanuel is at least arguably the most beautiful woman on the show.  Of the ones Clapton designed, I can't recall any standing out in my memory as particularly bad.

Once she gets control of her own wardrobe she ditches the cleavage-y slave outfits for simpler white dresses with some blue, which she wears until they take Meereen a season later.  At that point her wardrobe gets a lot fancier -- in 405 she's wearing the same dress as Dany, but in blue; she keeps that look until 508, when she debuts the crop top/skirt combo, also in blue.  Which, this season, has become a crop top and pants.

Edited June 1, 2016 by SeanC

[GrailKing]

7 hours ago, Conan Troutman said:

No love for Mace Tyrell's fabulous feather helmet? Elizabeth II herself was green with envy. 

When I saw that my question was why is the fool wearing white and blue; the house colors are green and gold.

[Minneapple]

I thought Gilly's dress, while not that flattering, was appropriate. I have this image of Sam's sister telling her to choose one from the wardrobe and she picked that, not knowing what to choose. They did a very nice job with her hair and makeup though. 

I hate Arya's Braavosi hairstyles with the twin buns on top of her head. Just yuck. And when they got too fancy with Sansa's braids in King's Landing. Also yuck. Sophie has a striking kind of beauty, with her height and her red hair, and I think simple clothing and hairstyles suit her well. 

[Eyes High]

36 minutes ago, Minneapple said:

I thought Gilly's dress, while not that flattering, was appropriate. I have this image of Sam's sister telling her to choose one from the wardrobe and she picked that, not knowing what to choose. They did a very nice job with her hair and makeup though. 

I hate Arya's Braavosi hairstyles with the twin buns on top of her head. Just yuck. And when they got too fancy with Sansa's braids in King's Landing. Also yuck. Sophie has a striking kind of beauty, with her height and her red hair, and I think simple clothing and hairstyles suit her well. 

That crown hairstyle did no one any favours. The whole "It's a crown LOL" justification from the hair person who came up with it mystifies me, since Sansa wore a braided hairstyle at her Ramsay wedding that was also "crownlike," in that it wrapped around her head as a crown would (and I've even seen that type of hairstyle described as a "crown braid"), but much less ridiculous. I guess they wanted something a little more conspicuously exotic and otherworldly, since you can't throw a rock at Coachella without hitting a crown braid, but still.

I was thinking Maisie looked quite pretty in the HOBAW scenes with her hair half-up and half-down. Simple works better for her too, I think.

Quote

Once she gets control of her own wardrobe she ditches the cleavage-y slave outfits for simpler white dresses with some blue, which she wears until they take Meereen a season later.

I liked that Missandei once she had her druthers as to wardrobe immediately chose more practical, less revealing clothing. It made sense for the character.

There were many "clothing as character" touches over the course of the series I've quite liked:

1. Tyrion dressing as Tywin does (in the small council musical chairs scene from Season 3, they're sitting opposite each other and their clothing is very similar).

2. Sansa having two dresses in KL, one light pink and the other by blue, that both get destroyed in Season 2 in traumatic fashion (the blue ripped by Ser Meryn, the pink torn in the attempted gang rape during the riot) and make way for darker clothing, symbolically representing her loss of innocence and the effect on Sansa of these events.

3. Dany wearing pants under all her dresses because she's always prepared to bolt if she has to.

4. Cersei transitioning from light gowns covered in bird and nature embroidery with simple metal belts in Season 2 to dark reds, lion embroidery and bigger metal belts in Season 3 as she tries to consolidate her position and reacts to Margaery.

And so on.

Edited June 3, 2016 by Eyes High

[ElizaD]

The 6x07 preview shows Jaime in what appears to be Tywin's armor rather than the more generic Lannister armor he wore in season 1. It could be that they're just reusing fancy armor, but it feels a little ominous to see Jaime become Tywin.

I've hated Jaime's hair since season 4. It looks too modern, like they're so terrified of the Prince Charming comparisons that they chose to give him extra short hair, but with an artistically arranged mess over his forehead.

My favorite costume touch was the Margaery/Cersei contrast in season 3. After an iffy season 2, Margaery found a version of her style that really worked for her with the curls, the pale flowing fabric and the youthful, cleavage-y outfits that revealed a lot more than KL ladies used to do without becoming too obviously sexy. In response, Cersei clearly seemed to go for a darker, more imposing power-dressing look, compared to the kimono-ish stuff and occasional paler colors she used to wear. Her gowns became like Margaery's season 2 cone dress done right, stiff, rich and armor-like.

I hope Arya gets at least one truly fabulous outfit before the series ends; something in the spirit of the stuff Dany wears, practical yet expensive and clearly not something a random kid would wear.

[Eyes High]

10 hours ago, ElizaD said:

My favorite costume touch was the Margaery/Cersei contrast in season 3. After an iffy season 2, Margaery found a version of her style that really worked for her with the curls, the pale flowing fabric and the youthful, cleavage-y outfits that revealed a lot more than KL ladies used to do without becoming too obviously sexy. In response, Cersei clearly seemed to go for a darker, more imposing power-dressing look, compared to the kimono-ish stuff and occasional paler colors she used to wear. Her gowns became like Margaery's season 2 cone dress done right, stiff, rich and armor-like.

I hope Arya gets at least one truly fabulous outfit before the series ends; something in the spirit of the stuff Dany wears, practical yet expensive and clearly not something a random kid would wear.

The cool thing about the Margaery vs. Cersei power struggle as reflected in costuming is that you can see more of the KL extras dressed like Margaery in Season 3. At Sansa's wedding, if you look closely at the female guests, you can see a mix of Cersei dressers (belted kimono-type dresses) and Margaery dressers (cap sleeves, tight bodice, cleavage, flowy skirts). As Margaery gains power and influence, more and more women are influenced by her style.

If you watch the Cersei/Margaery scene in 3x08, it plays out pretty clearly. As they begin to speak, a Cersei dresser (crown hairstyle, twin braids, belted kimono-type dress) moves between them and the camera. As Margaery takes Cersei's arm and starts walking down the steps, you see two female extras in the background, a Margaery dresser (seafoam green dress with cap sleeves and a Margaery-type hairstyle) and a Cersei dresser (crown hairstyle, twin braids, reddish belted kimono-type dress). Behind them you can see more Margaery dressers, and as they continue to walk you can see Loras chatting up a guy while another Cersei dresser (crown hairstyle, twin braids, kimono-type dress) listens. And so on. It's genius: as Cersei and Margaery are having their own little power struggle (Margaery trying a charm offensive and Cersei shutting her down), that same power struggle is playing out in the costuming of the extras.

I agree that Arya would dress much like Dany does: clean lines, very little ornamentation, very minimalist. A number of the dresses Dany has worn wouldn't look out of place at the Oscars. Dany's 5x09 dress reminded me a lot of Gwyneth Paltrow's 2012 Tom Ford Oscars dress. It's hard to imagine Arya in a dress, though, since she's been dressing in either men's clothes or unisex outfits (like the HOBAW trainee robe); even her oyster seller getup has an androgynous edge, since Braavosi men sometimes wear skirts as well.

Edited June 3, 2016 by Eyes High

[ElizaD]

Costume journeys: Cersei, Daenerys, Jorah, Sansa, Tyrion.

There really are so many details in the costumes that are never going to be noticed if you just watch the show on TV. For example, after all this time and despite my interest in the show's costumes I had no idea that there were skulls in one of Cersei's season 4 mourning dresses; they were just too small to be visible in the photos I'd seen before.

[riley702]

Thanks, Eliza. I had no idea there was that much symbolism put into the wardrobes. That just killed a few happy hours.

[ElizaD]

The person who made the costume journey posts has added Margaery. I'll never forget her fabulous cone dress.

Season 7 has been rather dull with all the major female characters power-dressing in black/blue/gray. I hope we'll see springtime colors in season 8's series finale.

[Eyes High]

3 hours ago, ElizaD said:

The person who made the costume journey posts has added Margaery. I'll never forget her fabulous cone dress.

Season 7 has been rather dull with all the major female characters power-dressing in black/blue/gray. I hope we'll see springtime colors in season 8's series finale.

Ugh, the cone dress. Margaery's gold gowns in Season 5 were gorgeous, though.

The costume journey posts are great. I hope they'll be updated at the end of Season 7 (where applicable).

[SeanC]

I'm changing my choice for best Dany look.  Her fur ensemble this week was to die for.

[ElizaD]

Yes, Dany's 7x06 look was like an amazing combination of her eastern white dresses, Dothraki braids, Stark furs/colors and Elsa.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

IKEA posts instructions to make a Jon Snow cape using their rugs 

Quote

Michele Clapton, the Game of Thrones designer, who worked on seasons 1-5 of the show, revealed that many of the capes worn by members of the Night’s Watch were actually made of cut-up and aged IKEA rugs.

[ElizaD]

Tom and Lorenzo on the queens, the Stark sisters, Missandei and Tyrion.

[Eyes High]

Lyanna's wedding dress is an interesting bit of business. It's hard to see in the episode proper, but the stills give a much better look. 

It's not really like anything that's been worn in the show before: a light blue, Grecian-type dress (with a shimmery gold underlayer), and the metallic bands with gold leaves. There's nothing very Dornish about it.

The way the bands cross over her chest and loop around her neck reminds me a bit of Sansa's wedding dress. The "collar" part, even though it's wrought out of metal, reminds me of the embroidered collars Catelyn, Arya and Sansa used to wear. Maybe that's what Michele Clapton was going for...?

[YaddaYadda]

7 hours ago, Eyes High said:

Lyanna's wedding dress is an interesting bit of business. It's hard to see in the episode proper, but the stills give a much better look. 

It's not really like anything that's been worn in the show before: a light blue, Grecian-type dress (with a shimmery gold underlayer), and the metallic bands with gold leaves. There's nothing very Dornish about it.

I felt her dress and the leaves were very much a nod to "The Maiden of the Tree." 

When I saw the HD pictures, that's the very first thing that popped in my head. 

Edited September 1, 2017 by YaddaYadda

[Lady S.]

17 hours ago, Eyes High said:

The "collar" part, even though it's wrought out of metal, reminds me of the embroidered collars Catelyn, Arya and Sansa used to wear. Maybe that's what Michele Clapton was going for...?

That's what I assumed. The collars were worn by other women who lived in Winterfell, including when the Boltons ruled there, so I think it's supposed to be a northern style rather than anything specific to Catelyn and her daughters. All that made Catelyn's collar unique was the Tully trout embroidery.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Lady S.

[JustaPerson]

I loved Dany and co.'s winter outfits this season. Dany's amazing white fur coat in "Eastwatch" has been noted, but my personal fave was her black/deep purple? outfit in the 1st episode with the dragon scale embroidery. 

[SimoneS]

I loved the women's outfits this season. The fabrics were rich and textured. Missandei's jumpsuit was a stand out, very sexy. It helps that Nathalie is gorgeous. Dany's outfits were fitting for a queen. Someone on the episode said that they have her gravitas and I agree. The sexy nymph outfits were never befitting for a queen. The only misstep was not dressing her in vibrant Targaryen red for that meeting with Cersei. She would have taken everyone's breath away. I hope when spring comes, they find a hybrid outfit that keeps her as authortative queen without turning her back into nymph queen. I liked Sansa and Cersei's dresses although I thought they were sometimes unnecessarily severe. I also liked that Arya dressed like Jon and her father. It was very appropriate for her character.

My pet peeve continues to be the women's hair. Dany's wig is out of control with those plaits. She will never be able to wear her hair down in bed with Jon with all those things on her head. Cersei's wig is just ugly as hell and is not flattering. It ages Lena and makes her look too masculine. A bob might have been a better look. 

I rarely noticed the men's outfits, but I was not a fan of Jon's leather this season. Every  time he turn to the side, it would fan out making it look like he had a pillow stuffed under. They need to rethink that costume or purchase more high quality supple leather.

ETA: Re-watching Dany's outfit in the Mereen when Drogon saved, that white dress and cape and the dragon necklace was gorgeous. I take back the nymph comments a bit.

Edited September 4, 2017 by SimoneS

[AshleyN]

I know people have justly complained about Rhaegar's wig, but I have to say I thought his outfit was a rare complete misfire from the costumers as well. The overall design was just kind of bleh, and I really didn't like how the three-headed dragon was just randomly stamped on the side - other characters costumes often have elements of their sigils included, but in a much more subtle or organic way a la Jon's twin direwolves on his neck thing (sorry, don't know the official term). Plus, it was huge on him, to the point where I half-wondered if the actor was a last minute replacement for someone three sizes bigger.

I'd also say that while I liked most of the outfits on their own merits, having basically every character in black all season was a little on the nose for me.

[YaddaYadda]

I've complained about everything. The Targaryen sigil was wrought in RUBIES on Rhaegar's armor. What they put the actor in that flashback was so very bad. They put more efforts with the pummel of the sword and the belt than they did with the potato sack. I think for a character that anticipated for a while, it was a letdown.

[Sunshinegal]

I can't wait to find out what the hair, makeup and costuming will be in season 8.  I wonder what it will say about the character arcs in the final season.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Inside Game of Thrones: A Story in Cloth (this is from S7 but I didn't see it posted here):

[ElizaD]

Well, I didn't get my wish of seeing the characters return to the brighter colors of the earlier seasons as a sign of spring, but I did get one last fabulous Sansa dress. With fur, embroidery, weirwood imagery and a steel crown, she went full Northern for her coronation.

[Advance35]

Quote

Well, I didn't get my wish of seeing the characters return to the brighter colors of the earlier seasons as a sign of spring, but I did get one last fabulous Sansa dress. With fur, embroidery, weirwood imagery and a steel crown, she went full Northern for her coronation.

Her look was fabulous.  I didn't think we would get one more wonderful dress out of Sansa before the end.

[MadameKillerB]

And Brienne's new sigil on her armor. LOVED the colors but don't get why Bran was in dark blue, Tyrion in black, Brienne had yellow (?) bands...would have liked to have seen more of a uniformity. But perhaps that speaks to the immediacy of getting the realm back on track after upheaval?

Sansa's coronation dress, I could talk about for days!!!

[Eyes High]

6 hours ago, ElizaD said:

Well, I didn't get my wish of seeing the characters return to the brighter colors of the earlier seasons as a sign of spring, but I did get one last fabulous Sansa dress. With fur, embroidery, weirwood imagery and a steel crown, she went full Northern for her coronation.

Sansa has had a lot of hideous dresses over the years, but her S8 dresses have been on point, and the coronation dress was perfection. 

Poor Arya only got one new outfit in S8, and it was really just a grey variation of her previous outfit. I was hoping for something a bit different.

5 minutes ago, MadameKillerB said:

And Brienne's new sigil on her armor. LOVED the colors but don't get why Bran was in dark blue, Tyrion in black, Brienne had yellow (?) bands...would have liked to have seen more of a uniformity. But perhaps that speaks to the immediacy of getting the realm back on track after upheaval?

Sansa's coronation dress, I could talk about for days!!!

Bran had feathers embroidered into the capelet he was wearing in his farewell scene with Jon. A nod to his 3ER identity, I guess.

After two seasons of wearing striped fabrics with no Lannister touches in his clothes, Tyrion is finally dressing like a Lannister again. His last outfit was in black leather (like Tywin), with gold clasps up the front (as he wore in Seasons 3 and 4) and gold swirls on black leather (as he wore in Season 3). He has embraced his identity as a Lannister again, and he's dressing a lot like Tywin, which makes sense now that he ended up where Tywin ended up (as king in all but name).

Dany's 8x05/8x06 conqueror outfit was amazing. 

[Minneapple]

Sansa's coronation dress may be my favorite dress of the entire series.

[Minneapple]

Buzzfeed breaks down how Sansa's dress honors her family

[ElizaD]

10 hours ago, Eyes High said:

Sansa has had a lot of hideous dresses over the years, but her S8 dresses have been on point, and the coronation dress was perfection. 

Poor Arya only got one new outfit in S8, and it was really just a grey variation of her previous outfit. I was hoping for something a bit different.

We talked about whether Sansa and Arya were wearing sacks for their KL interviews for spoiler reasons, turns out their dragonpit costumes were generic but Sansa did get a massive spoiler costume (reminds me of Clapton talking about the crown she'd made for season 6 and no one guessing it would be for Cersei's coronation). No wonder this scene was Sophie's storyboard gift, it was a fabulous ending to Sansa's fashion journey from copycat pawn to iconic Northern queen regnant. But I too am a bit sad that Arya never got a really stand-out look: of course she's far more practical than Sansa, Cersei and Dany, but it would have been nice to see an outfit that shouted Legendary Explorer.

I loved Sansa's scale dress when we first saw the poster, can't believe that it wasn't even the peak of her power-dressing in season 8.

[ElizaD]

Clapton:

QOTN Sansa. The dress was made in the same fabric as the dark Sansa dress, which was the same fabric dyed that was used in Margaey’s wedding dress to Joffrey.. Sansa had a bond with her. It has falling leaves as its pattern. There is a feathered and embroidered dire wolf across her shoulder and not seen here but beautiful red beaded leaves falling from one sleeve. The sleeves are textured like the fur on the first sigil. The metal bodice features the growing branches of the weirwood tree. The Crown is two howling Dire wolves. Nothing is created without meaning...in the final scenes it’s my hands dressing Sansa!!Thank you David and Dan for making that possible..

The dress looks even better with proper lighting, on TV it was so dark it looked like yet another black dress but these shots show more of the gorgeous, character-appropriate details and what a nice blueish-gray color it is.