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Asoiaf fashion

E-Ro

By E-Ro,
in General (ASoIaF)

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E-Ro Council Member

E-Ro

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SInce recently becoming a princess myself, I've began appreciating the virtues of fashion in ASOIAF. There's a lot of attention and detail that goes into the descriptions of clothing, and thought I'd make a lighthearted thread about fashion. Are there deeper meanings in the outfits the character wear in the series? For example, I realized that at Ned's beheading, Sansa wears a dress of blue and silver; does this foreshadow her later trials in the Eyrie? Does clothing serve a symbolic layer, or just add to a layer of world-building?

Also, I thought it would be interesting to know if anyone has preferences when it comes to the fashions of ASOIAF-- personally, I like Lady Dustin's "black is the new black" wardrobe.

PS:Does anyone else want to see those pink butterballs destroyed, and driven from the forum? http://bbsimg.ngfile...5da85c18c19.jpg

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Daena the Defiant Council Member

Daena the Defiant

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I shall quote myself

I myself have been agitating for years for a Tom Tierney book of paper dolls (an idea I pilfered from someone on the old board, I think) lovingly depicting the queenly habiliment of Cersei (I would kill for a glimpse of Cersei's fabulous mourning gown of black festooned with rubies), the maidenly attire of Sansa, the exotic fashions of Danaerys as she flits around the Far East.

Which is not even to speak of all the armor and equipage!. Who doesn't want to see a depiction of Tywin Lannister's gold and crimson armor with its lion helm and paired lioness broaches or the glittering sapphire-inlaid cuirass of Ser Loras? Ser Jaime's milk-white plate armor chased with gold?

Margaery's airy confection of a wedding gown, foamy Myrish lace and seed pearls! King Joffrey's parti-colored doublet of Lannister crimson and gold split with the yellow and black of Baratheon!? Princess Arianne's skanky, skimpy scintillas of silk and sashes?!?! The striking verdant green and golden-rose embroidered tabards that the Tyrell men wore at Joffrey's triumph!?!?! Lady Tanda and her daughters all turned out in matching gowns of turquoise silk trimmed with vair???????????? (well, maybe not that last one...)

We have books of aSoIaF maps, the Feast of Ice and Fire cookbook, etc.

Come on, Ran, make it happen!

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Buckwheat Council Member

Buckwheat

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Okaaaaaaaaaay then.

I think that particularly Sansa's choice of the Tully dress when she was at the Eyrie is significant for her. It shows that she still wants to have some connection to her roots and feels very connected to her mother's side, although she must play the role of Alayne.

The ill-fitting pink dress worn by Brienne speaks for itself - Brienne does not fall into the models fit for a woman in this society, and the dress emphasizes it.

I am just trying to widen my horizons, and diversify things. I have interests other then Stannis(as glorious as he is)

:wideeyed:

Help! Somebody hacked E-Ro's account!

There's more than one pink butterball around here, you know. I thought we'd moved past this "all butterballs look alike" nonsense.

Whoops. Sorry, Eadie. :blushing: Of course I recognise the diversity of the butterballs and will try not to make the same mistake of rash conclusions in the future.

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butterbumps! Council Member

butterbumps!

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what the fuck is this thread?

Are there deeper meanings in the outfits the character wear in the series? For example, I realized that at Ned's beheading, Sansa wears a dress of blue and silver; does this foreshadow her later trials in the Eyrie? Does clothing serve a symbolic layer, or just add to a layer of world-building?

I do tend to think that clothes are given much detail and attention in the series, and that it's probably something we should pay attention to. I like the example of Sansa's dress during Ned execution as a possible foreshadowing of her position as a result of Ned's death. If I'm not mistaken, Arya's outfit is a kind of anonymous jerkin without color or marking, perhaps similarly foreshadowing "No one." I think color, fabric and the intended wearer's gender is probably what you're talking about wrt finding "deeper meanings" and potential foreshadowing, right? Gemstones plays into that as well I think.

I think there's a couple of different angles to take with this. The children in Doran's water gardens go naked, and he mentions how the fact that without these external trappings of show, all men are equal. In a similar vein, Cat observes that in the dawn light, all men look grey, an observation Tyrion will make as he's being carried off the battlefield, where the sun bleached all of the distinctions out of the clothing. The lack of clothing, or I suppose, color, is something that's been repeatedly foreshadowing as a great equalizer. I think the uniformity of the white of the KG, Black of the Watchmen and the Grey of the Maesters plays into this idea as well. Interesting that the difference between white and black is that black is the absorption of all color while white is the absence; not sure if you're looking to play on that as relative to greater meaning.

Also, I thought it would be interesting to know if anyone has preferences when it comes to the fashions of ASOIAF-- personally, I like Lady Dustin's "black is the new black" wardrobe.

Yea, Lady Dustin's might be my favorite; I would also not turn down the wildling clothes.

PS:Does anyone else want to see those pink butterballs destroyed, and driven from the forum? http://bbsimg.ngfile...5da85c18c19.jpg

wtf, e ro.

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E-Ro Council Member

E-Ro

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Yea, Lady Dustin's might be my favorite; I would also not turn down the wildling clothes.

Interesting, wildling clothes? Arent they just furs and such to stay warm?

wtf, e ro.

I am sorry, but this is how I feel on the matter of butterballs. They are a bane on these forums.

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Lyanna Stark Council Member

Lyanna Stark

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There's been a lot of analysing of Sansa's clothing in the "Pawn to Player" thread, Rapsie wrote up a really nice piece.

I think Lummel et al also did a lot of analysing about LF's, Tyrion's and Tywin's outfits in the Rereading Tyrion threads. There's a bit on Tywin in the Arya re-read as well, in the ACOK chapter where he leaves Harrenhal. But yeah, basically what butterbumps! is pointing out in that they are often working as trappings of power, and that in the absence of clothes or colours, "all men look equal".

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E-Ro Council Member

E-Ro

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There's been a lot of analysing of Sansa's clothing in the "Pawn to Player" thread, Rapsie wrote up a really nice piece.

I think Lummel et al also did a lot of analysing about LF's, Tyrion's and Tywin's outfits in the Rereading Tyrion threads. There's a bit on Tywin in the Arya re-read as well, in the ACOK chapter where he leaves Harrenhal. But yeah, basically what butterbumps! is pointing out in that they are often working as trappings of power, and that in the absence of clothes or colours, "all men look equal".

Oh wow, very nice post by rapsie. The blue and silver thing just popped into my head and I was wondering if grrm might use clothing colors and such to foreshadow things in the story.

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Nausicaä Council Member

Nausicaä

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I adore the fashion of ASOIAF. One of the reasons the HBO show bothers me visually is that the costumes are awful. I can't stand those ugly dresses that characters in KL wear, the Northern-style dresses with bulky unflattering collars and when I saw some of Margaery's outfits I simply couldn't believe my eyes. None of the symbolism in what the characters wear and how they look in the books is translated to the show, from what I saw of it. They tossed some of the house colors, some armor that characters wear, the outfits that are clearly described, like Sansa's engagement dress.. And didn't they leave out the moment with Sandor's cloak? I suppose they are trying to insert their own symbolism into the clothing, making Sansa wear a lot of dragonfly-themed stuff and such, but I dislike it.

I think the clothing in the books can definitely have deeper meanings. As a huge supporter of the A+J=C&J theory, I feel like I should leave this here:

Ser Jaime Lannister was twin to Queen Cersei; tall and golden with flashing green eyes and a smile that cut like a knife. He wore crimson silk, high black boots, a black satin cloak. On the breast of his tunic, the lion of his House was embroidered in gold thread, roaring its defiance. They called him the Lion of Lannister to his face and whispered “Kingslayer” behind his back. Jon found it hard to look away from him. This is what a king should look like, he thought to himself as the man passed.
And then at last she saw him . . . only for an instant, framed between the branches of the trees as she looked down at the valley floor, yet she knew it was him. Even at a distance, Ser Jaime Lannister was unmistakable. The moonlight had silvered his armor and the gold of his hair, and turned his crimson cloak to black.

I love the image of Jaime in Targaryen colors.

And I love this little moment of foreshadowing, for example:

Beside the entrance, the king’s armor stood sentry; a suit of forest-green plate, its fittings chased with gold, the helm crowned by a great rack of golden antlers. The steel was polished to such a high sheen that she could see her reflection in the breastplate, gazing back at her as if from the bottom of a deep green pond. The face of a drowned woman, Catelyn thought. Can you drown in grief? She turned away sharply, angry with her own frailty. She had no time for the luxury of self-pity. She must wash the dust from her hair and change into a gown more fitting for a king’s feast.
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Lyanna Stark Council Member

Lyanna Stark

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Oh neato. I like when Jaime goes from Lannister crimson in AGOT to being "drained" of colour in AFFC and described as white and grey. Both Kingsguard and weirdly Stark aligned. The Targaryen colours are nice as well since even if I am not a believer in Jaime and Cersei as Targs, I do believe he is tied to Rhaegar's line, as evidenced in the dream sequence where Rhaegar accuses Jaime of not taking care of his children.

Here's some more stuff on colours and outfits at Ned's beheading, courtesy of the Arya reread. This piece by Milady of York may also be of interest.

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cortchuzska Sellsword

cortchuzska

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The description of Tywin Lannister's armour - oh my| It's a wonderful presentation of character. Quite literally, a dress to kill.

Oberyn donning his armour -another masterpiece.

Despite their "sexiness" - GRRM is better at describing them than banquets, IMHO, dresses are far from a matter of fashion in a medieval society; and the characters know it full well.

For instance Jaime Lannister's or Arianne Martell's purposeful choice of clothing, fully aware of their symbolic meaning and of people reaction to them.

There are also remarks about the different codes followed in Braavos and Westeros.

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