Game of Threads: The Last of the Starks

After last week’s hiatus, Game of Threads is back with some beautiful new costumes to discuss.  The battle for humanity is over and the battle for the Iron Throne has resumed, as has our favorite characters’ commitment to stylishly getting shit done.

We open with somber dressing for the mass funeral of the fallen men and women in Winterfell’s courtyard.  Daenerys opts to wear her greyish sueded leather coat to mourn.  A strange choice because we know how many black outfits she has based on last season.  Still, she’s wearing the more subdued ensemble that she wore in episode 2, instead of making a statement.

Sansa has removed her leather armored bodice but has kept a few straps of black as a reminder that she is still armed to protect the North and her family.  This is also the most queenly hair arrangement we’ve seen her wear in a while, perhaps to boost the morale of the survivors with an image of commanding Northern noble, committed to rebuilding and maintaining their lands against those that would further threaten them.  Eerily though, the way the bun aspect is shaped is reminiscent of the way she wore her hair for her wedding to Ramsay…

Once the post-funeral feast takes place, it’s clear that every element of Sansa’s look is an homage to her entire tutelage thus far, whether consciously done on her part or not.  A fitting instance of costuming given her conversation with the Hound.  Her now mainstay necklace will always carry a bit of Littlefinger for her, as she first wore it during her turing point the the Eyrie in Season 4.  Her hair has elements of Catelyn and Margaery- two feminine forces in her life, and, again, the hint of Ramsay (a strangely terrifying trifecta of a hairdo).  Her cloak and leather harness are tied to her father and Jon.  Most obviously though, her leather dress is almost the exact same cut and style as Cersei’s Season 7 pieced-leather dress that she wore when speaking with Tycho Nestoris, but the way the leather is treated and applied is all Sansa.  The pieces take on a feather-like quality that has become a signature motif in a lot of her most meaningful dresses- taking control of her perceived “little bird”/”little dove” moniker.  Unfortunately there aren’t any full shots of the dress in action, but the promo photo shows more of the gorgeous craftsmanship.

Dany, however, is taking a much less nuanced approach to her dressing for the feast.  This is the first time we’ve seen her in a bolder, Targaryen red, instead of the more black-purple she’s been implementing in her recent dressing.  The shape, embroidery, and fabric treatment is similar to the silhouettes she mainly wore in Season 7, but the design really lets the color be the biggest statement.  Coupled with a black underskirt, she is a walking Targaryen sigil.  It’s Dany’s way of letting everyone know that “yes, we are celebrating tonight, but come tomorrow, it’s time for everyone to change courses and repay me for coming to help your cause.”  It’s also no coincidence that this declarative Targaryen outfit is the ensemble she wears when she implores Jon to keep quiet about his claim to the throne, and understandably starts to unravel.

Upon dressing to fly south she further implements her newfound red hue.  Dany’s now signature battle coat is reworked for the more forgiving climate in the same sueded grey leather as her other coat, instead of all fur.  The fur that does remain, the “veins” running through the seaming, is now the bright scarlet, as are the swaths of fabric in the sleeves and sash, which seems a fitting ensemble for an audience with her number one adversary (though for some reason her purple-red cravat remains?).  I also like that the motif of the contrasting fur panel “dragon spine” is still present in the seaming on the back of the coat.

Speaking of Cersei, we are treated to her return to full-on Lannister red.  The design itself is pretty similar to the black velvet piece that she wore back in episode 1 this season but there is, unsurprisingly, more hardware added and the shape of the neckline is a bit more severe.  However, the color is most noteworthy, partly because it’s the first time she hasn’t worn black since a very brief glimmer of happiness back in Season 6 when she thought Myrcella was returning to her.  It’s definitely reflective of Cersei’s happiness with her current standing and odds of winning, but it’s also worth noting that the color ties Cersei and Dany together in a, dare I say, “mad queen” way, and sets them both up for their ultimate face off.

Stray thoughts:

Brienne’s dressing robe is amazing and worthy of an actual appearance at court.

It was sure nice of Cersei to let Missandei remove her fur lined armor so she wasn’t too hot down in whatever temperature it is in King’s Landing right now.

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