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Nika//Croatia//20

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Hi! So I Heard That You're An Expert On Costuming, Particularly In Asoiaf And I Was Wondering If You

hi! so I heard that you're an expert on costuming, particularly in asoiaf and I was wondering if you knew of any multiple sources to go to for some costumes or fashion that the characters of asoiaf would wear. Like a certain Tumblr, tv show, Pinterest board, movie idk lol any ideas?

Hi! Personally I interpret ASOIAF in terms of early medieval fashion (post-Roman), but that’s likely because I’m much more fluent in classical history than medieval. In reality there are many, many different ways to imagine ASOIAF. Many of the womens’ descriptions sound more early renaissance—GRRM’s extensive use of lace, for instance. I’ve even seen compelling arguments for ASOIAF mirroring Elizabethan styles (Game of Thrones did this with Braavos).

Keep in mind that while GRRM claims to strive for “historical accuracy,” there’s really no baseline of accuracy for a fantasy series, at least not with the way GRRM describes clothing. It’s all over the place. Which is fine! He’s not a fashion historian. As such, I’ll include a wide range of references in trying to answer your question. I hope it helps get you started, and that you are inspired to keep exploring!

Fashion

This is modern runway—in other words, aesthetic inspiration. Costume designers do reference fashion during research.

@agameofclothes

@a-song-of-style

@asongoficeandfirefashion

@gameofclothes-blog

@everythingasoiaf

@gotinspiredfashion | polyvore

Research

I threw together some ideas for the different regions/cultures in ASOIAF. Again, you’ll come across things that aren’t faithful to…whatever medieval period GRRM references, but this is the nature of fantasy (and preliminary research). I tried accounting for class differences as well as fashions blending into different regions; i.e.: the Stormlands sharing a border with Dorne, or the Reach and the Westerlands. Again, design is subjective, so simply use these ideas as a jumping off point.

Beyond the Wall

North

Iron Islands

Riverlands

Vale

Westerlands

Crownlands/King’s Landing

Reach

Stormlands

Stony Dornish

Salty Dornish/Rhoynish

Sandy Dornish

Free Cities/Valyria

Slaver’s Bay/Ghiscar

Qarth

Lhazar/Eastern Essos

Shadowlands

Meta: Clothing in ASOIAF

Time Period

Terminology

Clothing Index 1 | 2

Regional Styles

Smallclothes

Armour 1 | 2 | 3

Livery

Cloaks

Wedding Fashion

Myrish Lace

Tokars (note: one user equates the tokar to an “elitist” toga; this is redundant, as the toga evolved into an incredibly patrician garment)

Sleeves/Pockets | Purses

Gloves

Hair: Dye | Shaving

The westerlands: Jewelry | Cloth of Gold | Cersei

The north: Sansa | Arya

The stormlands: Estermont

Dorne

Textile Discussion

GoT Costumes

Wiki

Textiles

Embroidery

Smallclothes

Hair 1 | 2

Margaery

Sansa 1 | 2 | 3

Daenerys 1 | 2

Cersei

Books vs show

Further analysis

Relevant Resources

These are focused on the middle ages, but there is something to be gained by studying the patterns of classical civilisations as well. I recommend What People Wore When for a visual study on the history of fashion.

General medieval research

Some fantasy/sci-fi textile modification

Costumes from some medieval films (take the accuracy ratings with a grain of salt, some are quite off)

Medieval Jewelry

Medieval Costume and Fashion

Textile Research

Extant Medieval Clothing

Medieval Patterns

If you’re looking for more historical research, I recommend Claire Hummel’s excellent historical fashion masterpost.

Hope that helps!