Warning: This Article Is Dark And Full Of Spoilers.
HBOAside from being arguably the most stylish character on Game of Thrones, Cersei’s shifting wardrobe also gives us an insight into her increasingly twisted psyche.
Costume designer Michelle Clapton is a complete genius when arranging Cersei’s appearance for various meetings, confrontations and plot twists.
At the beginning of season seven, we see Cersei wearing masculine, warrior like clothes, with her jewellery being worn as if it were armour. This was a marked change from the flowing, feminine robes of previous seasons.
HBOSpeaking with The Independent, Michelle explains how Cersei’s new ‘brittle’ clothing reflects her long desired ‘kingly’ position, as well as a way to emulate her ruthless, calculating father, Tywin:
I wanted to show this brittleness to her. So I started adding these jagged edges and points to what she was wearing.
I’m trying to give clues to their situation, to subtly show when the characters are feeling strong, when they are feeling weak.
Game of Thrones/HBOHowever, we saw our favourite evil queen sporting a notably different look when it came to her long awaited meeting with Daenerys.
The spikiness was put aside in favour a dress made of a softer material, with a lined pattern giving the deliberate suggestion of chainmail.
She also wore her thorny looking crown and a long fitted coat. The back of the coat was purposefully crafted to resemble a scorpion’s tail, showing dangerous Cersei’s cunning nature.
Speaking with the Making Game of Thrones blog, Michelle revealed how this coat which held the clue to Cersei’s shocking deception:
I knew she was lying. Something about the slashing and the twisting told you a lot about her character, a contradiction of the costume from the front.
It’s almost like a sting in the tail, something on edge as you see her walk away: there’s something really disturbing about this woman.
Cersei's coat/shawl thing with the back design. LOVE! Looks very much like a spine. #GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/LJ1kDezj58
— Sarah (@SarahFaith74) August 28, 2017
As we now know, Cersei’s vow to join forces with Jon and Daenerys to fight the White Walkers was just a lie to protect her own self-interest.
Even Jaime was so disgusted by this deceit, he left King’s Landing and their twincest affair for the more honest lands of Winterfell.
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We will be paying way more attention to costume choices from now on…
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.