[NO SPOILERS] Costumes

[Edda van Heefmstra Ruston]

Then they shouldn't have made such a big deal about what a practical woman she is when talking about her costume designs, IMO.

I'm not saying she needs to have towering structures of hair like Cersei or go around wimpled like Septa Mordane, but something like an elegant (but simple-to-do) low chignon - even something like this or this to give it more interest/texture would (again IMO, naturally) have bridged that gap between her proclaimed practicality and a simple style that still reflects a bit of status. [FWIW, before I cut my hair it was proportionally longer than the wig they have on Michelle Fairley, and I could do either of those on my own. Given enough ties and/or pins, of course, especially since elastic bands would be a real novelty in Westeros. ;)]

I mean, I get the idea, I do. She's noble, and doesn't have to work, other than the day to day running of Winterfell, hosting whatever visitors come, and raising her children, of course. She is also the super-contrast between gilded Cersei representing the South and the Lannisters and the harsh ways of ye olde Northe. (And, perhaps, they're downplaying the status of the Tullys, so Cat wouldn't have been raised as heir to a Great House before her brother was born, just the daughter of a lesser lord.) She also keeps it tied when she's actually traveling, as we've seen from some of the trailers / stills, so it's not like it's *that* impractical. I just think it's distracting that they touted her practicality and then gave her something so contradictory. Even if it had been inside - down, outside - tied, I probably would never have noticed.

Argh, I'm not trying to convince anybody that I'm right and they're wrong. I love the look designed for Catelyn, so I don't want to be bashing the designers or the costumers or the wigmakers/-dressers or whomever. It's just one of those times that you get a little something stuck between your teeth - normally it wouldn't be a big deal, but every time you notice it, it drives you a little bonkers trying to get rid of it. And I can't, because it isn't all inside my imagination. :P

Anyway, I promise I'll try to stop responding, because nothing's going to change. :lol:

[Yagathai]

Stopped by the HBO store this weekend. Was interested to note that while the workmanship was really quite excellent, they did "cheat" a bit -- they used non-period closures and hooks and loops, and while the visible stitching in the front of, say, Jamie's casual walking-around leather jerkin was obviously hand-stitched (to the point that they went too far and it actually looked more than a little sloppy), in the back it was totally machine-stitched.

Still, in general the crafting was fantastic, from Littlefinger's triple knife-pleats to the way that a lot of the leather was patchwork in places, as if someone was trying to get the most wear out of a single hide.

[Yagathai]

Also, a lot of the props were totally cheaty, and couldn't stand up to close inspection. For example, the gold paint was flaking off of Cersei's (?) belt in places where the links connected, so you could see the dull metal underneath.

The hinges on the books were nonfunctional, and to make the books they had obviously bound a bunch of disparate machine-processed signatures together, and done so deliberately sloppily to make it look "rustic" or something. This is not something that would be very obvious on the screen, of course, and probably not apparent unless you're a massive bookbinding nerd like me.

Also, the scales on the Kingsguard armor were bound to the leather backing using catgut or leather cord, which is an odd choice -- if you're going to emphasize "historical" correctness or practicality they would have been either riveted on or bound with metal wire, but if you were concerned with wearability and unafraid to use modern materials you'd think you'd use nylon or something. I mean, it's not like anyone would be examining it that closely when it appeared on the screen.

Also, up close the scales were so perfectly cut and shaped and curved and devoid of toolmarks that to make them by hand would be almost impossible.

[Kat]

Stopped by the HBO store this weekend. Was interested to note that while the workmanship was really quite excellent, they did "cheat" a bit

I noticed that for the costumes they had on display at Wondercon, also. King Robert's crown was made of some sort of painted resin, on close inspection, but from far away it looked a lot more like gold.

I can't imagine why they wouldn't vest in several pounds of gold for this production. For shame. THIS SHOW IS GONNA SUCK I KNOW IT. HOW CAN IT BE BELIEVABLE WITHOUT REAL WEIGHT OF CROWN??

[Yagathai]

I noticed that for the costumes they had on display at Wondercon, also. King Robert's crown was made of some sort of painted resin, on close inspection, but from far away it looked a lot more like gold.

I can't imagine why they wouldn't vest in several pounds of gold for this production. For shame. THIS SHOW IS GONNA SUCK I KNOW IT. HOW CAN IT BE BELIEVABLE WITHOUT REAL WEIGHT OF CROWN??

Wait, the crown isn't real gold?! :tantrum: :commie:

BOYCOTT! BOYCOTT! BOYCOTT!

[Lady Blackfish]

- even something like this

Oh that's lovely, and definitely sophisticated while far less ostentatious than Cersei's do's. Not that it's the hugest deal but I find myself not really liking Catelyn's early looks. She feels more like Catelyn to me when her hair's up (though this is a relatively superficial metric, in fairness).

Though that brings up another thing. Ned's costumes are actually much rough tough burlier and brawnier than in the books. Obviously a man of the north would have his furs, but he's wearing all these leathers and earthy rustic tones down in King's Landing whereas in the books he was always changing into the Westerosi equivalent of a crisp white office shirt. So really the aesthetic of the north in general is a bit different than I imagined. Actually the aesthetic of so much of Westeros seems different. Really all I wish is that Catelyn looked more like a mix of southern presentation and northern sensibilities in the visual language of the series itself. It's not the hugest deal, but the way they're costuming characters might reflect their concept of the personalities, so I notice those things.

[MM22]

I think that it was probably left loose to be a polarizing contrast to Cersei's elaborate braids and knots.

The two womens hairstyles say something about their characters. Cersei's hair is very stylised, formal and ornamental. It says that she is important, complicated, leisurely and wealthy. Catelyn's is long, loose, and slightly rugged, and says that she is more free, has a simpler and more hands on life with her family and people.

It also is a symbol of the North(rugged and rustic)/ South(civilised and formal) culture divide.

Having said this, Catelyn is Lady of Winterfell, and of House Tully. so it would be more believable if she wore her hair loose and bushy by default but had sleeker, more elegant styles for feasts and formal occasions.

Catelyn's dress also bothers me a little. I know her appearance is not her main concern, but she is more or less the second lady of the land - she could/should have more than one drab blue gown. Even her disturbed sister in the Eyrie manages to dress up.

Love the actress though, just wish they had done a bit more with Catelyn's image.

[gotthammer]

I haven't seen any of the costumes up close, but, on screen, they all look nice. :D

The only complaint/gripe I have is the lack of tabards/heraldry (like that scene where Cat calls on the bannermen/friends of House Tully at the inn: maybe it was faint or something, but I didn't notice markings/heraldry on the people she was addressing).

Also, while black does make him look menacing, I think a yellow tabard on The Mountain would've made him look 'bigger' (yellow being a bright colour. That and black tends to have that 'slimming' effect, even if Gregor's armor was quite wide)

[Acolyte Philonious]

Pros

- The Kingsguard uniforms look quite amazing.

- The Lannister armor looks stunning. Kevan Lannister's armor during the scene where Tyrion meets his father is a wonderful crimson mixed with black, full of rich dark gold ornaments, especially on the pauldrons. I loved the thing that looped around Tywin's neck and over his chest. I don't know the name of it! The high collars on his outfit gave him a very severe yet aristocratic look. So fitting. The black near the collars makes a nice contrast with his fair skin, the contrast causing the fair skin to appear deathly pale against his blue eyes. Again, fitting.

- Shagga's bone helm was pretty vicious!

- Love the Stark furs, and that all the boys have them. Lord Cmdr. Mormont's outfit also looks pretty great.

Cons

- The maesters do not wear chains!

- The Hand does not wear his necklace!

- In both of these instances, they replace the necklace with some chest brooch... not a good replacement.

- The Stark logo in the show does not match the one from the book appendices... in the appendix it's a full-body image of a wolf; in the show, it's only the head. The full-body image looks cooler; the head-only image looks too scaley and is easily confused with a dragon's head.

[Ranzadule]

"Hodor!!!! Where are your pants?!?!?!?!?!?!!?"

That is not a spoiler is it?

[Daena the Defiant]

Cons

- The maesters do not wear chains!

The maesters are wearing chains, but they are these huge rings that are draped loosely, rather than what I pictured. As done on the show, I think they look silly.

[Rangers30]

On HBO Flavor Flav is a Maester.

[Joanna vander Poele]

Loving the new dresses, especially on Sansa and Dany. The hair... err... not so much.

Hopefully they'll do a longer behind-the-scenes video of the costumes, or maybe a photobook. I want more pictures!

[Talleyrand]

I like both the costumes and armours but the Lannister helmets remind me of Uruk Hai

[jfrenchy]

i got to wonder about armor. especially little armor. tywin must have some secret unspoken hope that tyrion could one day bask in military glory for him to have a couple spare suits of dwarven armor conveniently hanging around at the local army supply tent

oh and i really think sansa's dresses have been really nice throughout the series so far.

the costumes overall in the show are well done, it's just after being spoiled by the Borgias... well it's going to be tough to beat that, even if it the shows are set in different time periods, planets and universes