The Costumes of Game of Thrones

Have any of you heard of Game of Thrones, by chance?

The world of Westeros dominated the 2010s, ushering in a new era of gritty takes on the fantasy genre. I was not allowed to watch it because, by the time it ended, I was still in middle school.

Even still, I spent hours watching clips and video essays about the costumes of the show, getting to know the characters through their wardrobes before I ever met them on the small screen. This is one of the shows that really got me into costume design, and Michele Clapton’s incredible work is to thank for that.

For the women of Game of Thrones, clothing is often one of the only forms of agency in a society that generally punishes their self-expression. Clothing can be a tool for seduction, a symbol of allegiance or a display of power.

Let’s take a dive into the sartorial world of Game of Thrones.

Season 1

Welcome to Westeros. Season 1 is crucial for establishing the world of Game of Thrones. We’re meeting all of these characters for the first time, and their costumes play a key role in introducing them. Before we even hear a character speak, their costume gives us clues to who they are.

Sansa’s Welcome Dress

Sansa doesn’t play a huge role in this scene, but the outfit she wears to greet the royal family when they arrive at Winterfell gives us some major clues about her as a character. Standing against a backdrop of dark grays and browns, Sansa visually distinguishes herself from her family in this pale blue and gray outfit. It’s as though she’s trying to signal to the visitors that she is suited for royal life in King’s Landing, in hopes that she will be whisked away from Winterfell.

Daenerys’ Wedding Dress

This is one of the first dresses we see Daenerys in, and it’s one of my favorites for the purpose that it serves. She’s being married off against her will, and the way the fabric wraps tightly around her is a physical manifestation of the constraints she feels at this moment in her life. She’s essentially been gift wrapped to be thrown into a world she knows nothing about, and this costume conveys that perfectly.

Sansa’s Tourney Dress

This is one of my all-time favorite looks from the show. I’ve always found Sansa to be one of the most expressive characters in the show when it comes to her wardrobe, and every look has so much to say about her and her mental state in a given scene. At the beginning of Season 1, Sansa is still reliably wearing the creams, blues and grays of the Starks and the North. However, the wide neckline and more form-fitting silhouette (contrast with the more traditional Northern dress Arya is wearing) shows that the South is already beginning to influence her. At this point in the show, Sansa is defined by her desire to escape Winterfell and become queen. This dress does a great job of marking the point she’s at in that transition: ready for more but still tied to her home and family.

Cersei’s “You win, or you die” Dress

Cersei’s Season 1 looks generally fall into one of two categories for me: over-the-top ridiculous or just plain boring. This is one of the latter, and I think that might be on purpose. In the first couple of seasons, Cersei is frequently seen in pastel-colored wrap dresses. They’re pretty and often feature exquisite embroidery, but they’re not particularly memorable. I think this reflects Cersei’s general discomfort in her life and role as a woman. When she tells Robert that perhaps she should wear the armor, and he the gown, she’s not wrong. She looks out of place in these demure gowns because that’s not who she is, but she doesn’t yet have the power to really express herself.

Sansa’s “Or maybe he’ll bring me yours” dress

Yes, this is post is mostly going to be a lot of Sansa. It’s not my fault she has the most interesting style in the show. This ill-fitting dress practically swallows her up, which is an apt metaphor for her position at the end of Season 1. Her father is dead and she’s alone in King’s Landing with the Lannisters, who have made clear that they are not her friends. This is where we really see her trying to camouflage herself among the ladies of King’s Landing. Her dress and hair are similar styles to those worn by the queen, and she’s now wearing pink instead of the blues or grays of her house. She’s doing everything she can to make the people around her forget that she’s a Stark, but we can see that she’s in way too deep.

Season 2

The War of the Five Kings is upon us. A key aspect of Game of Thrones is the lack of clear “good guys” and “bad guys.” At any given time, there are a ton of different characters with different allegiances, motivations and methods. With so many forces at play, costuming plays a huge role in visually distinguishing one character for another, and we can really see the different styles of dress across Westeros (and beyond) this season.

Melisandre’s Ceremony Dress

Seeing this dress for the first time was a bit jarring because a solid, bright red dress looks very out of place in the so-far very drab color palette we’ve seen in Westeros. However, it makes sense in this case because Melisandre is meant to be a strange, otherworldly character. She needed a strong look to match the fear and distrust she inspires in the people around her, and this design accomplishes that goal.

Joffrey’s Nameday Outfit

If Joffrey has one redeeming quality, it’s his royal drip. He may have been an objectively horrible king, but no one can accuse him of failing to serve. Joffrey’s crown features the Baratheon antler motif, but his clothes tend to be Lannister red and gold, a reminder to the audience that he’s a Lannister in all but name. The cape-like sleeves also give him a very peacock-like, showy appearance. He looks like he’s playing dress up as a king because, well, he is. He has a lot of power, but he takes very little part in the actual work of ruling.

Cersei’s “Power is power” Dress

Season 2 sees Cersei start to transition away from pastels and toward Lannister red and gold. She’s less focused on looking pretty and more interested in upholding the interests of her house, and she wants to make that known. Cersei spends a lot of this season trying to be recognized by her father as a legitimate player in the game of thrones (see what I did there?), and her power dressing is an extension of that. She still hasn’t abandoned her Season 1 look entirely, though, as she maintains the wrap silhouette of her earlier gowns.

Daenerys’ “Where are my dragons?” Dress

There is so much to be said about this outfit. It’s obviously a beautiful dress, but it also marks a turning point in Daenerys’ story. This is the first time we see the cap-sleeve silhouette that will become a staple in her wardrobe as she conquers the cities of Essos, and one of the first times we see her in her signature blue. The metal overlay on the bodice is also divine. I find this piece in particular really interesting because, while the material and shape evoke armor, the cutout patterns give it a delicate appearance, reminding us of Daenerys’ vulnerability and relative weakness at this point in the series.

Daenerys’ House of the Undying Dress

During her stay in Qarth, Daenerys’ outfits are much more elaborate than what we’ve grown accustomed to seeing her in. After spending the last two seasons with the Dothraki, the change in her wardrobe is welcome. Here, Daenerys has lost her dragons and learned (the hard way) that she can’t trust anyone. She responds to this by changing into a tougher, more armor-like version of the outfit she was wearing earlier in the episode. This look is all about protection. Daenerys doesn’t feel safe, so she’s trying to project a stronger image of herself to others.

Margaery’s Proposal Dress

Margaery Tyrell is one of my favorite characters in Game of Thrones, and it’s a shame she gets so little time to shine. Where Cersei resents her womanhood, Margaery uses it as a tool to get what she wants. After Renly Baratheon’s death, Margaery is pretty much screwed. Her husband was in open rebellion against the crown, and now he’s not here to protect her. Asking to marry Joffrey Baratheon is a last-ditch effort on her part to a) get closer to the throne and b) not be killed, and she’s not taking any chances. Margaery regularly uses her sexuality to her advantage, and here she’s openly trying to seduce Joffrey. And of course it works, because Joffrey is an idiot. It also didn’t hurt that Margaery showed up in quite possibly the lowest cut gown Westeros has ever seen with a huge pendant drawing all the attention to her chest. Good for her.

Season 3

The war rages on, and new players are starting to emerge. Arya is getting to know the ugly reality of a country at war, Daenerys is coming to her own as a conqueror and Margaery is becoming a force to be reckoned with at court. We’ve established most of our main characters at this point, so this season really gives us a chance to get to know them and understand their motivations.

Arya’s “Arry” Outfit

Okay, so this really isn’t exclusively a Season 3 look, but Arya wears the same outfit for like half the show and I had to put it somewhere. Even while in disguise and on the run, Arya manages to look like herself in this outfit. It’s simple but instantly recognizable, and that’s a huge accomplishment for a show with such a large cast. I find the construction of the tunic really interesting, as the strips of fabric laced together aren’t something we really see anywhere else in the show. It’s a small change that adds texture and interest without overdoing it, and that’s just what Arya needs.

Margaery’s Orphanage Dress

This dress is interesting to me because it’s unlike anything else we ever see Margaery wear. I love the draping and the shawl, but it seems at face value like a very un-Margaery-like outfit. However, this dress actually serves a need for the plot. In this scene, Margaery goes out into the city to visit an orphanage. There’s a brief moment where we see her walk over a pile of *ahem* human waste on the ground (we are in medieval times, after all), and when her handmaiden warns her to be careful of her dress, she smiles and shrugs it off. Margaery is putting on a show for Joffrey and the people of Flea Bottom by doing this, and her lack of concern for her dress is part of that show. If she wasn’t wearing a long shawl, it wouldn’t drag in the dirt, and we would lose an important moment for her character.

Catelyn’s Funeral Dress

This is my favorite look of Catelyn’s throughout the entire series. Admittedly, it’s not a high bar because I’m not the biggest fan of her style, but this dress is gorgeous. She’s wearing black to mourn her father, but the subtle floral pattern and embellished collar are really beautiful details. This dress is also strikingly similar to the ones we see Sansa wear this season, which I’ll talk about more later.

Daenerys’ Conquest Dress

This is, in my opinion, the most recognizable dress in Game of Thrones. Daenerys wears this dress while she conquers the cities of Essos, and it really becomes a signature for her character. One thing that strikes me about this look is that, unlike many characters in the series, Daenerys doesn’t really wear her house colors until much later on. We’ll see her in Targaryen red and black eventually, but right now she’s wearing a lot of blue and white. This dress also features some really beautiful embroidery and pleating around the shoulders and neckline, which actually become more elaborate and creeps further down the dress as the series goes on. Michele Clapton posted a close-up photo of a later iteration on her Instagram.

Sansa’s Mauve Dress

In Season 3, Sansa moves away from pastels and starts wearing this mauve color a lot, and I see a couple of reasons for that. First, she’s essentially a hostage in King’s Landing and she’s trying to keep a low profile by dressing in a drab, unassuming way. Second, she’s trying to wear something a little more similar to her house colors. Sansa can’t risk walking around the Red Keep dressed in Stark gray and blue, but she can mix them with the pinks she’s been wearing to subtly stay connected to her family. This dress is also a lot more similar to one Catelyn would wear, with the closures down the front instead of off to the side. Again, Sansa is trying to remain a Stark without invoking the wrath of the Lannisters.

This is also a great example of the influence Margaery has on Sansa, as you can see that she’s begun mimicking her hairstyle. Vogue India wrote a great article about the evolution of Sansa’s hair throughout the show if you’re interested in learning more.

Sansa’s (first) Wedding Dress

Poor Sansa. Just as she thought things were looking up, she gets sold off to Tyrion Lannister. Every part of this dress is a reminder that Sansa is not in control here. This is the only time we see Sansa wearing a sleeveless dress like this, which highlights her vulnerability. The dress also looks a little too big for her, making her look and feel small. The sash detail also looks a lot like a harness, evoking a feeling that Sansa is being physically and metaphorically restrained as she’s forced into this marriage. The most crucial detail of this dress, which you unfortunately can’t see here, is the lion’s head detailing on the back of the high collar, driving home the symbolism of the Lannisters’ control over Sansa. You can get a closer look at the embroidery and beading on this and other Game of Thrones costumes here.

Cersei’s Lion Dress

By Season 3, Cersei is leaning into the Lannister imagery hard. She is regularly seen in extravagant red and gold dresses, and we start to see this wide neckline that creates a much more imposing silhouette than we’ve seen from her so far. In addition to the dress being Lannister red, we can also see the lion motif (House Lannister’s sigil) displayed prominently. In case the lion embroidered on her shoulder wasn’t clear enough, Cersei wears a massive gold lion necklace. Feeling insecure as the Tyrells assert their dominance, she’s power dressing in a last-ditch attempt to remind people that the Lannisters are still the richest family in Westeros.

Season 4

Season 4 is full of betrayals, and power is constantly changing hands. We start to see characters really dressing for the roles they want, rather than the ones they have. Margaery and Cersei are competing to be queen, Lysa is trying to seduce Littlefinger and Daenerys is settling into her role as a monarch. Many characters are just beginning to explore the aesthetics that will define them for the rest of the series.

Oberyn’s Yellow Robe

The best thing about Season 4 is that it’s the only season featuring Oberyn Martell, the most fabulous guy in Westeros. Pedro Pascal has talked about loving how this costume allowed him to swish around the set, and I wholeheartedly agree. I am not a fan of male fashion (if you haven’t noticed), but I can admit when it’s done right. This costume is great because, in addition to being cunty as hell, it sets Oberyn apart visually. He is not from King’s Landing, and his Dornish heritage is important to his character. He doesn’t fit in, and he doesn’t want to. This costume does a great job of reminding the audience that, beloved as he is, Oberyn is an outsider.

Margaery’s (first) Wedding Dress

Oh, the Purple Wedding. The second most iconic Game of Thrones wedding, and in my opinion the best wedding dress we see in the series. Decked out in Tyrell roses (just look at that incredible train), Margaery shines on her wedding day. Yes, her husband chokes to death in front of her, but she looks great! The thorns wrapped around her bodice are an interesting detail, especially for a wedding dress, and I see them almost as a symbol of her house’s protection. Margaery is walking into a marriage with quite possibly the most evil person in King’s Landing, but she’s not alone. In the end, her house does intervene to protect her when Olenna (aka the Queen of Thorns) has Joffrey poisoned.

Cersei’s Mourning Dress

Poor Cersei. Her eldest son has been tragically killed and she’s wearing the customary black mourning attire (with a hint of Lannister gold, of course). While generally in Westeros characters wear black during an unspecified mourning period before reverting to their usual clothes, Cersei is rarely seen in any other color for the rest of the series. Here, she’s at the beginning of an arc defined by grief and vengeance that will follow her to the finale. While here she wears a wrap dress similar to her early season outfits, her black dresses will progressively become more elaborate as she attempts to convey power through her sartorial choices.

Lysa’s Wedding Dress

Yes, Lysa is the worst, but I like her dress. Sue me. When we meet her in Season 1, she’s wearing a very stuffy dress with a high neck and her hair pulled back. When we see her again in Season 4, her style is much more open. The halter-style neckline and half-up/half-down hairstyle make her look far less stern, helping us understand why Sansa trusts her at first. She’s also wearing a slightly more revealing outfit because, now that Littlefinger is within reach, she wants to seduce him. For their actual wedding ceremony, she tosses the cape-like sleeves over her shoulders to show more of her arms, making the outfit look less regal and more carefree. You can also see that the fabric is emblazoned with the moon and falcon sigil of House Arryn.

Daenerys’ Gray Dress

One of my favorite Daenerys costumes (mostly because it’s pretty), this gown is unlike anything else we see in the series. Daenerys has just taken up residence in Meereen, and she’s experimenting with her style as she adjusts to the transition from conqueror to ruler. The way the dark, heavy fabric opens up to a more delicate, pleated white fabric skirt is, to me, indicative that Daenerys is shifting away from her days of being ready to run and getting more comfortable with her place safe in a high pyramid (an ivory tower, if you will).

Daenerys’ Cutout Dress

Daenerys only wears this dress once, the morning after she sleeps with Daario Naharis for the first time. It’s the most revealing outfit she ever wears, and it serves as a message to Jorah Mormont. Daenerys and Jorah have had some tension in their relationship at this point, and I see this dress as Daenerys’ way of reminding him that he can’t have her. She knows he doesn’t approve of Daario, and she wants him to know that she doesn’t care.

Season 5

Season 5 sees a dramatic visual shift for many of the female characters in Game of Thrones. Sansa begins dressing in heavier, black clothing. Daenerys is wearing elegant white gowns in place of her more practical dresses from previous seasons. Arya, in a rare occurrence, is seen in skirts and dresses as she trains with the faceless men. We also get to see some new geographic areas, including Dorne, Braavos and Hardhome. This gives us the opportunity to see the different styles of dress worn by different cultures, something I’ve always found Clapton’s work to do exceptionally well.

Sansa’s Black Cape Outfit

After Littlefinger kills Lysa, we see a new side of Sansa emerge. She’s always tried to visually emulate whoever she’s most influenced by, and now that’s Littlefinger. In addition to dying her hair black to disguise her identity, she starts wearing this fur-trimmed coat that’s almost identical to Littlefinger’s. It’s also the first time in a long time we’ve seen Sansa wear fur, a hint that she’s on her way to returning to her roots in the North.

Missandei’s Halter Dress

The thing that strikes me about this dress is just how much influence Missandei takes from Daenerys. We can see here that Missandei and Daenerys are wearing similar dress styles, and closer inspection reveals still more similarities. When Missandei first joins Daenerys, she adopts a matching blue and white color palette. It also apears that Missandei’s belt and neckpiece are borrowed from Daenerys, who wore them with similar dresses in Seasons 3 and 4.

Sansa’s Raven Dress

Like many of her costumes, Sansa made this dress herself. We see this dress a couple of times in Seasons 4 and 5, and it’s representative of where Sansa is psychologically as she’s leaving the Vale. This is a much edgier look for her, and I see it as an effort to make herself look tougher as a sort of self-defense mechanism. Playing the scared little girl worked with the lords of the Vale, but she needs another strategy for dealing with Littlefinger and, eventually, the Boltons. Sansa is in quite possibly her most vulnerable position to date here, but she’s trying to look unbothered in hopes that it will keep her safe.

Myrcella’s Yellow Dress

When Jaime finally tracks Myrcella down in Dorne, she’s wearing this beautiful, flowing yellow dress. Her costuming in this scene is a message to Jaime that his daughter (*ahem* niece) is no longer his. Her dress has a distinctively Dornish look, unlike anything we would see in other parts of Westeros. The color reinforces this message, calling back to the yellow spear of House Martell’s sigil (we also frequently saw Oberyn wearing yellow). She’s fully assimilated to Dornish culture, and she’s not interested in returning to King’s Landing.

Sansa’s (second) Wedding Dress

This whole sequence is gut-wrenching. A surprisingly beautiful ceremony, Sansa’s wedding to Ramsay feels like a funeral march. It’s a somber affair, and it should be. After years of close calls with various men, Sansa is being forced to meet her fate as a plaything for the Boltons. It’s horrible to watch, and this dress is perfect as a visual indicator of what Sansa is feeling. The dress is heavy and restrictive, as if Sansa is trying to delay facing her wedding night. The lacing up the back is something we don’t see in many of Sansa’s costume, and here it’s a physical manifestation of her inability to protect herself from Ramsay. I also notice a lot of Catelyn-like elements in this dress (the sleeves, neckline and fish clasps), almost as though Sansa is trying to take comfort in her family during this especially dark part of her story.

Daenerys’ Fighting Pits Dress

As Daenerys settles down in Meereen, she increasingly wears these pristine, white dresses with cape-like sleeves that fall all the way to the ground. It’s a far cry from the shorter dresses she wore over pants and boots in earlier seasons, ready to climb on a horse at a moment’s notice. Now, she’s fully committed herself to the idea of being a queen, wearing much more impractical outfits to signify to the people around her that she is a ruler. To me, this trend in Daenerys’ costuming signifies the beginning of her losing sight of the people she’s ruling over. The contrast between Daenerys and the men fighting below her is almost laughable, and I think that’s the point. She’s also started wearing oversized dragon jewelry, holding onto that imagery as a symbol of her power.

Arya’s Oyster Dress

Arya gets a new outfit! This is the first time we really get to see Arya wear something more feminine, and it’s such an interesting look for her character. Because we haven’t seen a ton of Braavos prior to this point in the show, Clapton really had some freedom to play around with what a Braavosi woman might wear. There are so many textures and details to appreciate in this outfit, and I find that the netting and color palette in particular feel right at home at the docks where Arya is working. You can check out Michele Clapton’s sketch of this outfit here.

Karsi’s Mussel Outfit

We don’t get to know Karsi for very long (a surprisingly sad death for a character who’s only in one episode), but she’s a great character with a great outfit. The Wildlings all wear pretty similar outfits, but a closer look can reveal some pretty cool details. Karsi’s jewelry, made of mussel shells, adds some interest to her outfit and tells us a little about her character, setting her apart visually as a leader when we first meet her.

Melisandre’s Sacrifice Dress

This might be the darkest scene in the entire show. Even years later, knowing it’s coming, it’s still hard to watch. It’s also a pivotal moment for Melisandre, who’s actually a favorite character of mine because she’s more than just an evil witch. She genuinely believes the things she says, and she doesn’t do anything that she doesn’t think is in service of the greater good. Still, in this moment she condemns a young girl to an exceptionally cruel fate. Part of what makes this scene so devastating is that it’s all for nothing. Stannis and his army die anyway. It’s at this moment that Melisandre’s mask slips. She’s not all powerful. She’s just a person. We met Melisandre in bright red from head to toe, but here she’s in a much more understated maroon. She’s still the red woman, but she’s lost some of the otherworldly quality she had in earlier seasons.

Season 6

Before we dive into Season 6, I want to note that this season’s costumes were designed by April Ferry while Michele Clapton was on hiatus. I do think we see an overall shift in aesthetic going into the later seasons, with many characters shifting toward a darker wardrobe. I see two main reasons for this. For one, a new designer will obviously interpret the characters differently. But more so, the show has taken on a different tone. We aren’t walking through the gardens anymore. We’re drawing up battle plans and taking revenge on enemies, and the visuals reflect that.

Cersei’s Pink Dress

This is the last time we’ll ever see Cersei in a lighter color like this. Fresh off her walk of atonement, she returns to one of her dresses from much earlier in the show. Since Joffrey’s death, we’ve seen her almost exclusively in black, and I interpret this reintroduction of color into her wardrobe as a symbol of her hope and excitement to see Myrcella again. That hope will soon be crushed, but for a fleeting moment we see Cersei truly happy as she runs through the Red Keep to meet Jaime on the beach. We can also see the lion motif displayed prominently on her sleeve (see a closer look at the embroidery here), which could be her way of trying to protect herself and reassert her position by literally wrapping herself in her house sigil.

Daenerys’ Dragon Necklace

When we first see this necklace in Season 5, it’s a much more impressive statement piece. Here, it just looks kind of sad. I see this as an intentional choice, showing the audience visually how far Daenerys has fallen now that she’s a prisoner of the Dothraki. It also reminds us that she doesn’t have her dragons to protect her anymore. Rhaegal and Viserion are locked away in Meereen and Drogon has gone off to who knows where, so Daenerys’ dragon jewelry is just a hollow symbol of a power she no longer has.

Missandei’s Diplomat Outfit

With Daenerys missing in action, we finally get to see Missandei in an outfit that could be representative of her personal style. It’s a tougher version of the outfit she wears in the fighting pit, with a leather harness-like top and *gasp* pants. This is easily my favorite outfit of Missandei’s, and I would happily wear it myself.

Arya’s Braavos Outfit

This outfit isn’t the most exciting one we ever see in Game of Thrones, but it’s worth including because this is the first time we ever see Arya in an outfit that she (presumably) chose for herself. In Season 1 she was only a child, and after that she wore basically whatever clothes were available to her. This is Arya as herself. I find this to be a very androgynous look because, while she’s no longer posing as a boy, this is definitely not an outfit that a typical woman would wear. This outfit also demonstrates the influence Braavos has had on Arya. The cap sleeves and flowing fabric are motifs we frequently see on characters in Braavos, and Arya has become a part of that world.

Daenerys’ Dothraki Outfit

After killing the Khals and declaring herself ruler of the Dothraki, we see Daenerys in this more rugged ensemble. It’s more casual than anything we’ve seen her in for a long time, and the dark color palette is a huge contrast from the white gowns she’s been wearing in Mereen and the bright blue dress she wore during her previous conquests. This is something of a return to roots for Daenerys. As Daario tells her, she’s a conqueror first, and a throne room just isn’t where she belongs. Daenerys feels most at home at the helm of an army, and that’s very visible here. The top she wears here is a very similar silhouette to that of her conquest dress from earlier seasons, and the ring she now wears around her neck is the same one she dropped in the plains for Daario and Jorah to find her, another reminder of where she came from.

Sansa’s Wolf Dress

This is the dress I’ve been waiting to talk about. Sansa is finally free to dress without trying to hide herself, and the very first thing she does is stamp a giant wolf on the front of her dress. We’ve been watching Sansa fight her way home for years, enduring horror after horror until finally, finally, she’s a Stark once more. Sansa made this dress herself, although I’m not sure where she found all that velvet at Castle Black. It’s a powerful symbol of her resilience and autonomy, and I love the moment she shares with Jon when he compliments the wolf imagery.

Margaery’s Atonement Dress

Poor Margaery has fallen so far. Previously known for her flirtatious style, Margaery now has to play the role of a devout follower of the faith of the Seven. I hate the High Sparrow arc in this show, partially because it’s a damn shame to see Margaery spend her last days reduced to a shell of herself. This dress, in my opinion, is flat-out ugly, and I think that’s the point. Margaery can’t be herself anymore, and this is what’s left.

Cersei’s Revenge Dress

One of the crown jewels of Game of Thrones, for me, is the destruction of the Sept of Baelor. It’s an excellent sequence with an excellent soundtrack, and it rose to the challenge of following the legendary Battle of the Bastards for one of the show’s best season finales. Like Sansa, Cersei is no longer dressing for the men around her. Lately, she’s been dressing for revenge. There is one glaring issue with this costume for me: the timing. We’ve never seen Cersei wear anything like this before, and here she’s dressed almost as if she knows she’s going to be crowned queen later in the day. But she doesn’t know that. Tommen is supposed to survive this. Putting Cersei in this outfit before killing her son is jumping the gun, in my opinion. She’s about to transition from protective mother to ruthless ruler, but she doesn’t know it yet.

Daenerys’ Goodbye Dress

We will never see Daenerys in a dress this relaxed again. We’ll never see her sit down and be this honest with another person again. To me, this is where it all goes wrong for her. If you know me, you know I’m a believer that Daenerys’ story was always going to end the way it did. Her fall into madness wasn’t executed well, but it wasn’t out of nowhere either. Daenerys is in her element as a conqueror in Essos, but no amount of power will ever be enough for her. To me, the moment she sets sail for Westeros is the moment she sells her soul. Putting her in such a casual outfit here creates a juxtaposition, further driving home that she’ll never be this comfortable again. I also note that, while this dress is technically more of a charcoal gray, it’s close enough to black for me to say that this is the very first time we see Daenerys begin to adopt her house colors. More on that later.

Season 7

Winter is here. The last two seasons of the show are largely devoid of color, which is a little disappointing when you think about the beautiful costumes we saw way back in Season 1. However, I find it really impressive that, even with such a limited color palette, each character’s wardrobe remains visibly unique. The silhouettes, textures and accessories do a great job of allowing each character to stay true to themselves even as the show takes on a darker tone.

Daenerys’ Dragonstone Outfit

Winter is here, and so is Daenerys. After 6 seasons, she has finally made it home to Westeros. She’s also incorporated the teeniest tiniest bit of Targaryen red into her wardrobe for the very first time. Daenerys’ wardrobe for the remainder of the show is essentially a bunch of variations of this look in various fabrics and shades of black, gray, red and white. Something that I love about this particular iteration is the detailing on her shoulders that appears to emulate dragon scales.

Sansa’s Feather Dress

I wasn’t always a huge fan of this dress, but looking back at it now it might be one of my favorites. Littlefinger is right about one thing: command suits Sansa. She’s totally in her element, and it’s really interesting to see her finally develop her own personal style. I call this the feather dress because, if you look closely, the bodice is decorated with rows of what appear to be raven feathers. A callback to her “dark Sansa” days now that Littlefinger is back in the fold? Perhaps. My eye also immediately goes to the statement necklace she’s wearing. We previously saw a different interpretation of this necklace with the raven dress, and it’s a staple of Sansa’s wardrobe for the rest of the series. Clapton said she sees this necklace as a symbol of Sansa’s strength and resilience. And, of course, she’s made sure to include some Stark wolf imagery at the collar.

Daenerys’ Throne Room Dress

Finally, after 6 seasons, Daenerys commits to the Targaryen colors for her first meeting with Jon Snow. The red cape slung over her left shoulder is a wardrobe staple for Daenerys in the last two seasons, as is the three-headed dragon brooch and chain (closer look). I find that the chain links look almost like vertebrae, and I love to see how Daenerys has adapted her dragon jewelry to a new wardrobe. The cape is also pleated in a way that seems to emulate dragon scales, adding further to the dragon queen imagery. Finally, the tips of the dress’ shoulders have a bit of red woven into the fabric, almost as though they have been dipped in blood. Fire and blood, indeed. See a closer look at what I believe to be a later iteration of this dress here.

Sansa’s “Lady of Winterfell” Dress

Sansa, at this point, knows what Littlefinger wants with her. She’s also been burned before, first by Joffrey and then by Ramsay. Her costumes this season are reflective of a desire to protect herself from unwanted advances by Littlefinger or anyone else who might pose a threat. Notice how little skin is left exposed, and how tightly this dress is wrapped around her. She’s wearing several layers of dark, heavy fabrics. This dress also appears to wrap around the front, closing towards her side rather than her back. She’s not taking any chances of having another dress torn off her, and she wants to send a message that she is not available for use.

Cersei’s Crypt Dress

Cersei’s costumes grow increasingly ridiculous as the last two seasons go on, and I struggle to find anything to like about some of them. However, I think this really speaks to Cersei’s headspace. Now that she’s queen, she has all this power and she doesn’t know what to do with it. This manifests in her trying way too hard to dress like a ruler. But how does a female ruler dress in Westeros? No woman has ever sat on the Iron Throne before, so Cersei doesn’t really have anything to go off of. Something she frequently does in her costumes is try to emulate armor, as we see here in her metal shoulder caps. I also notice that this dress uses very similar fabric to this outfit worn by Tywin back in Season 3, signifying that Cersei is trying (and failing) to live up to his political prowess)

Missandei’s Dragonstone Outfit

I do not particularly like this outfit, and I think it’s a shame that Missandei gets stuck wearing it for the rest of the series. Still, it reinforces some of the themes we’ve already seen in her costuming. Now that we’re in Westeros, Daenerys has taken to wearing dark outfits in heavier silhouettes. Missandei, as usual, emulates Daenerys’ style in this black ensemble that’s far more conservative than anything else we’ve seen her in. She also appears to have borrowed the leather harness, which we saw Daenerys wearing back in Season 3.

Daenerys’ White Coat

One of my all-time favorite looks from the series is this white coat Daenerys wears for her trip north of the wall. Clapton said this coat was made almost entirely using fake fur, and it looks so soft and cozy that I wish I could wear it. See one of her sketches here. This coat serves the obvious purpose of keeping Daenerys warm in the North, but it also helps her to project a certain image of herself. When she arrives at the frozen lake where Jon and the others are trapped, she’s like a guardian angel dressed all in white, descending to bring their salvation from certain doom at the hands of the white walkers. And it seems to do the job, since Jon ends up bending the knee to Daenerys afterwards.

Season 8

Ah, yes. The most beloved season in television history. I have to say that I don’t hate Season 8 as much as some people seem to. The first three episodes are solid, and I don’t think the overall story is the problem so much as the way certain things were executed. But this post is about costumes, so I digress. For the most part, I think of Season 8 as a continuation of Season 7. The aesthetics are pretty consistent between the two seasons, and most of the character arcs that were going on last season are still present here. There aren’t many new costumes, but there are definitely some that are worth a look.

Daenerys’ White Coat (Version 2)

While it’s very similar to what Daenerys wore to venture beyond the wall in Season 7, this is in fact a different coat. You can see that the pattern on the sleeves is slightly different, and the stripes are a deep red instead of black. I think the symbolism in the increased use of red in Daenerys’ wardrobe is twofold. First, it’s representative of her finally embracing her Targaryen heritage. Her power in Westeros directly hinges on her name, so she has to cling to that imagery. Second, it’s a warning. Daenerys’ arc this season is defined by fire and blood, and dressing her in read foreshadows the violent impulses that she’s no longer keeping under control.

Daenerys’ War Council Dress

This light gray color is pretty out of the ordinary for Daenerys, which I think is a reflection of how out of place she feels in Winterfell. Sansa doesn’t like her, and the Northerners are afraid of her. It looks like she’s attempted to incorporate the northern color palette, but she still sticks out like a sore thumb. Her hair, the silhouette of her coat and the red details all remind us that Daenerys does not belong. It also looks like an effort on her part to look more approachable as she tries to forge relationships with characters like Sam and Sansa, but once again she doesn’t quite get there. She looks harsh and stern, and that’s pretty reflective of where she is in her arc at this point.

Something else I found interesting was her choice to wear this outfit to the funeral after the Long Night. It’s customary in Westeros to wear black in mourning, but Daenerys is one of the only characters in this scene who doesn’t. She’s definitely mourning Jorah at least, so I take this as a sign of her separation from Westerosi culture.

Sansa’s Leather Bodice

I hated this look when I first saw it in 2019. Now it’s one of my favorites. While Daenerys is in Winterfell, Sansa is fierce and intimidating in this bustier made up of black leather straps. It feels like she’s trying to step up her game to hang on to power in the face of Daenerys’ challenge to the North’s independence. This dress is also sort of reminiscent of armor, as if it’s Sansa’s way of preparing for the wars to come.

Cersei’s Battle Dress

Let’s just get it out of the way. I hate this dress. Cersei’s costumes throughout the show have been beautiful, and this one is not. It’s a shame that her final outfit is one of her worst. That being said, it makes sense. Cersei, as I said earlier, is trying to wear all her power on her body. She’s decked out in red and gold, with a massive lion necklace and shoulder pieces that resemble armor. She’s trying so very hard to present this image of someone who’s not to be trifled with, but ultimately she’s doomed to fail because she’s not a strong ruler. Cersei is an incompetent queen who thinks she’s a genius, and I think her costumes in the later seasons really reflect this dissonance between who she is and how she views herself.

Daenerys’ Final Outfit

Yikes. In one of the most infamous moments in television history, Daenerys finally loses it and torches an entire city. On the plus side, her costume is perfect for this point in her story. In the earlier seasons, Daenerys dressed like a princess. Later, she started dressing like a queen. Now? She’s a commander riding into battle. The heavy leather coat is a far cry from the flowy blue and white dresses she used to wear, and the cape slung over one shoulder is reminiscent of something we might expect to see worn by a knight or a king. The leather features a pattern that looks a little like dragon scales, solidifying Daenerys’ image as the dragon queen one last time. The bottom of this coat features a red gradient effect, reflecting the metaphorical river of blood Daenerys wades through on her way to the throne. Take a closer look here.

Sansa’s Coronation Dress

The capstone of Game of Thrones costuming, the gown Sansa wears to be crowned Queen in the North is chock full of symbolism of where she came from and where she’s going. The black fur cloak over her left shoulder is reminiscent of the one Jon wears at Castle Black. The fish scales on her right sleeves call back to her mother’s House Tully. The weirwood leaves inside her right sleeve display her connection to Bran. The wolf crown is also a beautifully designed tribute to Ned, Robb and House Stark. The armored bodice reminds us of the strength that brought Sansa to her throne. She’ll never forget her roots, but she’s ready to finally lead an independent North to the future. See some of Clapton’s sketches here.

I started this post in January, when I had just begun my second watch of this incredible series. Experiencing it through the lens of this post really allowed me to focus in on the incredible artistry that went into the visual design of the show. As disappointing as the ending was, Game of Thrones is a hell of a ride. I hope this post gave you some new insights into the characters and the story behind the story.