Since its premiere in late August, House of the Dragon has become one of the most watched and successful shows of 2022.
A large majority of die-hard Game of Thrones fans approached the sequel with an air of caution and skepticism. Completely understandable given the incredibly disappointing ending to the iconic original series.
But House of the Dragon takes the best bits from the original and improves on them, the most noticeable improvement being the striking visuals. Of course, the dragons are breathtaking, but it is the beautiful fashion design that steals the show.
Award-winning costume designer Jany Temime is the person responsible for bringing Westeros to life, creating over 2,300 costumes for the extras and main cast. The French designer, who has worked on major franchises like Harry Potter and James Bond, seamlessly took the baton from Game of Thrones designer Michele Clapton and ran with it.
As with most of George R.R Martins’s stories, it starts with peaceful prosperity, a time where unity exists among all characters before cracks appear which eventually divide them.
Another key component of Martins that is present is the deep historical roots which help connect the dots. If you need reminding of the connections within the Targaryen house, ExpressVPN’s family tree visually breaks it down in detail.
For all the scheming, backstabbing, and politics, it is the fashion choices that have had the biggest political implications.
At the start of this series, we are shown how close Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower are to each other, and this is reflected in their garments. In a specific scene when they are talking under the Gods tree, they both wear summer dresses with calming colors, lilac, and sunflower yellow.
As the series continues and the gap between the two friends grows bigger, the softer colors turn bolder. Alicent dawns her late mother’s dark blue dress in a bid to seduce the king and Rhaenyra starts choosing darker clothing, dark capes, and a regal robe with deep crimson red.
At the midway point of the series, the divide between the characters is made abundantly clear when Alicent fashionably interrupts the king’s speech wearing the deep green color of her own house, Hightower. From this moment on she is seen only wearing this color as a sign of rebellion and mistrust in the Targaryen family.
Rhaenyra also primarily wears the color black with red lining, the color of her own house for the rest of the season. The divide is becoming concrete in the final episode of the season, titled “The Black Queen.”
The civil war that eventually erupts between the two houses is forever known as the battle between the blacks and the greens.
This shows just how important fashion is in this series, and it was designed perfectly by the incredible Temime.
The fashion choices aren’t just there to be visually striking; they drive the story forward and voice intentions without speaking a word and play a starring role.
