In a new book from HBO and Insight Editions, "Game of Thrones: The Costumes," lead costume designer Michele Clapton and Gina McIntyre reveal never-before-seen photos of the show's iconic gowns, armor, cloaks, and more.
In an exclusive new video shared with Insider, "Game of Thrones" lead costume designer Michele Clapton discusses how her work on HBO's hit series helped tell the stories of characters like Sansa Stark and Cersei Lannister through embroidery and subtle symbolism in fabrics
"My embroiderer Michele Carragher is like a genius," Clapton says. "She and I will sit down at the beginning of a season and talk about the characters' arc and [make] some ideas and sketches."
"The attention to detail allows us to say things the actors can't actually say," Clapton says.
For example, Sansa's earlier dresses on "Game of Thrones" often featured embroidered birds, which represented how the young Stark girl was "caged and repressed."
"It works subliminally to tell a story," Clapton says. "Some people pick up on that and some people don't. The great thing about a series is people tend to go back and watch things again, and I think it's really interesting to put in elements that maybe they didn't see the first time."
Below you'll find preview pages from "Game of Thrones: The Costumes," which outline how Clapton wove more symbolism into the coronation gown Sansa wore for her final moments on the series.
When the series finale of "Game of Thrones" first aired, some people noticed how her crowning ceremony had parallel imagery to that of Queen Elizabeth I.
Culture critic Anthony Oliveira noted how Sansa's long hair, worn uncharacteristically down, mimicked how Queen Elizabeth I sent a message with her chosen hairstyle on the day she was crowned.
Sansa’s hair completely down (vs complicated looks of her youth & severe pinbacks of Winterfell stewardship) took my breath away.
— Anthony Oliveira (@meakoopa) May 20, 2019
Elizabeth wore hers down at her coronation to signal sexual purity, in open hostility to those who said her sexual abuse ruined her. #GameOfThrones
In "Game of Thrones: The Costumes," Clapton specifically notes how she designed Sansa's metal corset with Elizabethan influences in mind.
"We heated the metal to take the shine away and make it look like iron," the book's entry reads. "There's something almost Elizabethan about it — it also represents protection, as even now Sansa continues to armor herself."
It's difficult to tell from the scenes alone, but closer images of Sansa's leather armor shown in "Game of Thrones: The Costumes" reveal that the weirwood branch pattern was actually on Sansa's costume earlier on the episode.
That pattern was made more obvious with this metal corset, but you can just make it out in the below scene where she says goodbye to Jon Snow.
There was also the added detail of Sansa's "needle" necklace, which she had worn ever since her "Dark Sansa" look debuted at the end of season four. This necklace was partially a reference to Arya's own sword, Needle, and how Sansa was developing of protection of her own.
But in the coronation gown, Clapton also used the necklace to connect Sansa back to Littlefinger.
"She still wears her needle necklace, which I attached to the metal corset the same way that Littlefinger would hook his dagger onto the fine chain belt he wore," Clapton said.
As many assumed when the episode first aired, Clapton also notes that the asymmetrical design of Sansa's queenly cloak is a sign of "respect" Sansa has for her little sister, Arya.
Throughout seasons seven and eight, Arya was often seen in an unique asymmetrical styled cloak. Sansa adopted this style for her own, but with a wolfish flair. The neckpad of Sansa's cloak is lined with rabbit fur, which Clapton writes is "a nod to Sansa's brothers, who wore this kind of fur when they were young at Winterfell."
The beaded wolf's head isn't just meant to symbolize the generic direwolf of House Stark — Clapton meant for it to be direct representation of Lady, according to "Game of Thrones: The Costumes."
Last but not least, Sansa's crown was a "special tribute to Robb, her fallen brother." Sansa's silver headpiece is made from two curving direwolf heads, which "resembles a clasp [Robb] wore when he was killed at the Red Wedding." Robb was the first Stark to be crowned King in the North in many centuries, and Sansa eventually followed in his footsteps while also creating a new record of her own as the first-ever Queen in the North.
For more on the epic costumes of "Game of Thrones," read our breakdown of more details you might have missed in Sansa's coronation gown here. "Game of Thrones: The Costumes" is in bookstores now and available online through Amazon.
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