Michele Clapton on how Cersei’s costumes reflect how she’s “dead inside”

Among the many highlights from “The Winds of Winter” were the costumes, particularly Cersei’s. If there’s such a thing as a Westerosi supervillain, they would wear an outfit like that, with the armored shoulders and the chains and the bare, cold, circlet-style crown. In one interview, director Miguel Sapochnik drew a comparison between Cersei and a James Bond villain, and yeah, I can see it.

Incidentally, “The Winds of Winter” is the only episode of the season that HBO nominated for an Outstanding Costume Emmy Award, and Cersei’s outfit has to be a part of that. Michele Clapton, Game of Thrones’ former costume czar (unfortunately, she no longer works on the show), talked to Vulture about designing the getup. She was particularly happy with the Cersei’s crown, which she called “[o]ne of my favorite crowns I’ve ever done.”

"I chose to make it in silver with just wisps of gold to try to show her isolation, her mental disentangling from her family. There is no reference to [her late husband, Robert] Baratheon; there is no need anymore. She doesn’t have to try and prove a link. The center of the crown is the lion sigil abstracted — its mane represents the Iron Throne, her desire. She has made it her own — she is reborn."

According to Clapton, Cersei wears lots of jewelry when she’s not feeling confident. In the finale, her look is simple and sleek—she’s feeling confident. This is in contrast to Tommen’s final look, where the amount of jeweled finery he’s wearing is indicative of his responsibilities weighing on him. “He was a nice boy,” Clapton said. “Too nice for this.”

Tommen committed suicide in “The Winds of Winter,” so while Cersei may have a newfound confidence in her ability to rule, it came at a terrible price. “She is dead inside,” Clapton said. “There can now be a clarity to her desire: power, the throne, on her terms.”

So basically, Cersei now has no rudder, which shouldn’t be good for anybody. We wish Clapton luck at the Emmys.