Regardless of how anyone felt about the conclusion of Game of Thrones, it's hard to argue that it wasn't one of the grandest and most spectacular television shows ever made. This high fantasy epic set a new bar in terms of the production value an audience can expect from the shows they're watching, and this intercontinental tale wove together centuries of mythology and years of character development into one of the most ambitious stories ever told.
While the awe-inspiring scale of Game of Thrones was impressive and unparalleled, the show was also rife with hundreds of minute details that only served to enhance the grandiose story even further. One of the most detailed and visually impressive aspects of the show was the costumes. There were never any wardrobe choices that weren't very intentional choices, and every piece of fabric on each character told its own story, even if many people didn't notice.
Daenerys Looks Distinctly Un-Targaryen
One of the more interesting aspects of Daenerys Targaryen's costume choices in the early seasons of Game of Thrones is how completely unrelated her wardrobe seems to be to all things Targaryen. Daenerys spends a lot of time referring to her Targaryen heritage and to taking what belongs to her with fire and blood, but the airy pastel fabrics and materials that make up her clothing couldn't be further from the image that House Targaryen typically projects.
It's also interesting that Dany's journey east seems to distance her as much as possible from everything Targaryen, which is reflected by her wardrobe.
Fire & Blood
As Dany's journey continues to bring her closer and closer to the Targaryen dynasty in Westeros, her clothing choices seem to transform and edge closer and closer towards the true Targaryen look. Once Daenerys finally returns to her birthplace of Dragonstone, her black and red clothing embossed with dragon scales is the pinnacle of House Targaryen symbolism.
What's also curious about Dany's clothing is that they're actually astoundingly close to the wardrobe of her brother Viserys. That would seem to heavily foreshadow Dany's endgame, as the Mother of Dragons slowly descends towards madness in her quest for the Iron Throne.
The Angel Of Death
One of Daenerys Targaryen's most beautiful, memorable, and low-key intimidating costume choices is definitely the fur coat she wears on her first ride into Winterfell. It's an intriguing choice because the white fur makes her look almost angelic, and although the streaks of red are surely meant to represent the red of House Targaryen, it very distinctly has the look of blood.
Dany's entry into Winterfell is her transition from invader to the queen of Westeros, but she's not met with the kind of welcome that she feels she deserves. A woman arriving in the shroud of an angel with blood seeping through the apparent cracks seems to be a very clear indication of where Daenerys' story is going.
A Baratheon Only In Name
By the time Game of Thrones really got into the thick of its storytelling, it was already common knowledge that Prince turned King Joffrey Baratheon was not a Baratheon at all. He used the Baratheon name to claim the throne as his, but his true parents were Jaime and Cersei Lannister. And that certainly shows in his clothing choices.
Joffrey wears King Robert's crown that was fashioned in the style of a stag's antlers, but everything else that Joffrey wears is Lannister through and through. It's rare to see him in anything other than the red and gold of House Lannister, and many of his weapons and armor are outfitted with Lannister lions.
A Lannister Crown
When Cersei finally ascended to the Iron Throne, she had about as much pride as you'd expect any Lannister lion to have after conquering Westeros. It's not at all surprising that Cersei decided to ditch the crown that belonged to King Robert after spending dozens of miserable years metaphorically suffering under the weight of his crown.
Cersei's tiara is an interesting one. The look of it is quite abstract in general, however, the emblem at the front is very reminiscent of a lion's face with a glowing golden mane surrounding it.
Cersei's Homage To Tywin
When it comes to Cersei Lannister's relationship with her father Tywin, there is an obvious love/hate dynamic at play there. As Tywin's only daughter and oldest child, Cersei often felt that she was unfairly looked over simply because she was a girl.
Although she could never claim House Lannister for herself, she thought that she was just as capable and clever as Jaime, and she took great pains to learn as much as she could from her father. So then, it's no great surprise that once Cersei becomes the legitimized queen of all of Westeros she wears a coronation gown straight out of the Tywin Lannister lookbook.
A Girl Is No One
One of the main themes of the Game of Thrones story is that the "pack" of House Stark is separated, and each individual member of the family is sort of adrift at sea in their own little worlds. In no character's storyline is this more obvious than in Arya's.
Arya's experiences in Essos are not only designed to make her into the warrior assassin to end all warrior assassins, but they're also designed to make her "no one." At least in terms of her appearance, they succeed. Arya never gets further from her family than at this point, and there is not a stitch of fabric on her that is reminiscent of House Stark.
The Last Of The Starks
The reunion of the remaining members of the Stark family was certainly one of the main highlights of the final season of Game of Thrones. Jon, Sansa, Arya, and Bran have all transformed into completely different people since the last time they were together as a family, but no matter how far they went or how far apart they were they never stopped being Starks.
Their wardrobe choices when they're finally together again are the boldest visual indication of that. Though there are obviously details here and there that are different, overall their wardrobe choices make them look nearly identical.
Sansa's White Wedding
When it comes to Sansa Stark's marriage to Ramsay Bolton, it seems like her clothing choice is almost a cruel joke. As most know, a white wedding dress is meant to symbolize purity, so for Sansa to be wearing this on her wedding night with Ramsay seems like a glaring sign of the horrors that are about to come.
It's also interesting when contrasted with her golden wedding dress for her unconsummated marriage with Tyrion. Finally, there is the detailing of the fish on Sansa's gown. Clearly, they're meant to reference her Tully heritage, but it's curious that even though she's finally back in Winterfell, there's no inkling of a wolf on her wedding gown.
The Queen In The North
Comparatively speaking, the difference between Sansa's clothing choices when she is essentially a hostage in her own home versus when she's finally claiming the North as their queen couldn't be more, well... stark. Out of all of the characters in the series, Sansa probably had the most drastic and repeated changes to her wardrobe style.
Sansa always had to hide her true self whether she was in King's Landing, with Littlefinger, or even in Winterfell as Ramsay's wife. There are details all throughout her final costume that reference all of those experiences, but ultimately everything in her style takes pride in her status as a Northerner and a Stark.