{"id":1191,"date":"2017-07-16T17:27:33","date_gmt":"2017-07-16T17:27:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hannahgladwin.com\/?p=1191"},"modified":"2017-11-14T21:05:29","modified_gmt":"2017-11-14T21:05:29","slug":"game-of-thrones-fashion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hannahgladwin.com\/home\/game-of-thrones-fashion\/","title":{"rendered":"Game of Threads: the fashion behind the Thrones"},"content":{"rendered":"

Game of Thrones: what are the secrets behind the show’s fashion?<\/h1>\n

The most successful and expensive show of all time needs no introduction. HBO’s Game of Thrones returns to our screens on 16 July and I CANNOT wait! What better time to delve into the world of the Seven Kingdoms and its fashion?!<\/strong><\/p>\n

(It’ll be 17 July by the time I’ve watched episode one here in the UK! And if you aren’t up to date with the show – there may be spoilers, so read with caution)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Blonde

I am so excited! Here I am holding a dragon egg! Obviously, it’s not a REAL egg, it’s a gold pineapple. Actually it’s a candle in the shape of a pineapple<\/a>, but you get what I’m going for – it could be mistaken for a dragon egg…<\/p><\/div>\n

The intricate costumes themselves tell a story<\/strong> and it’s that attention to detail that has won the Game of Thrones lead costume designer, Michele Clapton<\/a><\/strong>, two Emmy awards for Best Costume and been nominated every single year the show has been running.<\/p>\n

14 facts about the Game of Thrones costumes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    The most expensive costume to make\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

    was Margaery\u2019s \u2018purple wedding\u2019 dress<\/strong>. Each rose was hand-wrapped, the stems of which made of silver-plated cord and its thorns made of Czech glass.\"\"<\/span><\/li>\n

  2. \n

    The dress inspired by an Alexander McQueen piece was\u2026<\/h3>\n

    another of Margaery\u2019s dresses – this one:<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \u201cMargaery\u2019s funnel dress was obviously an homage to the wonderful Alexander McQueen\u2019s costume for Bjork<\/strong>. It just felt right that this young ambitious girl would be experimenting with shapes, honing her style skills which we now see her employing to great effect. It was a risk and divided the audience.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    The two characters with the most costumes\u2026<\/h3>\n

    are Cersei<\/strong>, and no surprises, Margaery<\/strong>\u2026 That woman must have an amazing wardrobe collection!
    \n\"\"<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    99% of the costumes were made in-house in Belfast<\/h3>\n

    Armour and costume are 99 percent made in-house<\/strong>, and we have a wonderful range of artisans: leather workers, dyers, metal workers, cutters, printers, and embroiderers.<\/p>\n

    – Michele Clapton<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n

  5. \n

    One episode requires up to 700 individual costumes!
    \n\"\"<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n
  6. \n

    PETA got well annoyed at the show\u2019s use of fur<\/h3>\n

    Animal rights organisation PETA got in touch with the producers when the show launched to object over the costume designer\u2019s use of fur. However, new fur pieces were never commissioned by Michele Clapton, so instead, the team scoured markets for vintage fur.<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n

  7. \n

    And some of the actors refused to wear real fur…<\/h3>\n

    So, where possible, they always tried to make some pieces in fake fur.<\/strong>\"Jon<\/li>\n

  8. \n

    The costumes aren’t always true to the books<\/h3>\n

    Michele had one meeting with George RR Martin<\/strong>, but from then on, pretty much had her own reign over the designs. The costumes do not follow the representation in the books necessarily, because they\u00a0reflect the path of the TV\u2019s storyline, the characters\u2019 journeys<\/strong>. The costumes also\u00a0had to remain consistent with the style of clothing that was created for each of the locations<\/strong> within Westeros and Essos, so the viewers know which area they are in straight away.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n

  9. \n

    Tommen rarely wore red… <\/span><\/h3>\n

    Whereas Joffrey predominantly wore the sigil colour of House Lannister and after Joffrey’s death, Tommen never wore red again<\/strong>. This is very telling of the brothers’ characters – Joffrey had the sinister streak of the Lannisters, but timid \u00a0Tommen wore orange and browns – the colours of the House Baratheon. Ironic.\"Tommen<\/span><\/li>\n

  10. \n

    It takes longer to create the destroyed and dirty costumes<\/h3>\n

    \u201cYou spend two weeks breaking down, patching, dying, repatching. Then you trash it, age it, then trash it again and repair. You can\u2019t just stick a couple of patches on it and spray it with dirt because that is exactly what It will look like on HD televisions<\/strong>. […]\u00a0Depending on the climate and whether it’s armor or a women’s gown, it involves, oiling, sanding, oiling again, waxing, and pressing dirt colored pigment into it. After the actors have worn it a few days in the sun it gets even better – nice and ripe!”<\/p>\n

    – Michele Clapton<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n

  11. \n

    Why don\u2019t they wear hats on the wall? Or up north in general? Look how cold it is up there!<\/h3>\n

    Michele, the costume designer originally wanted them to wear hats, but the directors found that it hid the actors facial expressions<\/strong> and made it harder for viewers to distinguish between characters with their heads and faces covered – so, no hats! I guess Jon Snow’s hair is thick enough to keep his head warm enough anyway…<\/p>\n