Game of Thrones designers explain the symbolism behind season 7 costumes and sets

Game of Throne cast and crew members are up for a total of 22 Emmys for their work on season 7. Among the nominees are production and costume designers Deborah Riley and Michele Clapton, respectively. They spoke with IndieWire about the hidden meanings behind what they create, starting with the fluffy white coat Daenerys wore to rescue Jon Snow and company in “Beyond the Wall.” Take it, Clapton:

"It was the first time that I could remember that Dany had put herself in danger that is not necessarily for personal gain, so the white was this sense of purity. It had an honesty to it…she has fallen in love with Jon."

And here I thought she just wore it because it was cold up there. And Clapton had even more on her mind when designing that garment. “I wanted to create this powerful image of her descending like an Angel to save these men from imminent death.”

It’s one thing to talk this way about making a garment, but another to actually put it together. “It took a lot of prototyping,” Clapton explained.

"Once we found the most effective way to do this each panel of the coat was created and then molded onto a base for strength. This whole structure was then mounted on to a corset-like base to make it secure and flattering. It is essential that a costume fit the actor perfectly and allow them to move with ease. The back panel was faux fur that we cut into to create the idea of a dragons back. It all took a very long time."

Clapton, incidentally, has already won three Emmys for Game of Thrones thus far, plus another for The Crown. With this kind of vision and work ethic, we can see why.

Dany wore her blazing white coat in “Beyond the Wall,” but for most of season 7, she was dressed in blacks and red. Those colors were symbolic, as well, as Clapton explains:

"I think as Dany has mentally and geographically gotten closer to her goal of ruling Westeros, I chose to design the silhouette of her costume to echo the style that her brother wore, the same style one supposes worn by her family that once ruled. She is also finally beginning to wear her house colors [particularly red]. It’s her belief that she has this absolute right to the throne, at any cost. We really are seeing Dany evolve."

Riley put an equal amount of thought into designing the sets for season 7, chief among them the Dragonstone throne room. “The room had to look like it was constructed of solid materials, taking the lead from [Zumaia, where scenes on the Dragonstone beaches were filmed], but to also feel like it possessed a certain majesty.”

"The triangle with the top lopped off was a shape that became a very repeatable symbol of power and allowed the space to look like it was standing on its tippy-toes in an uncomfortable defiance of gravity. There was nothing that felt welcoming about the space, it spoke only of ambition with all of the focus towards the throne."

Maybe that’s why all Davos could think of when introducing Jon was “He’s King in the North.”

Riley also wanted the throne to have a permanance to it, perhaps to set it apart from the Iron Throne:

"The central idea of the space needed to hinge on the idea that the throne was to be carved into the rock, not a piece of furniture that could be moved. Instead, the whole building had to look like it had been built around it. It was important that the seat of Targaryan power feel like it was innate to that very spot."

The hexagonal floor tiles were no coincidence, either, but rather a tribute to the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, long the nexus of filming on the show. “It is subtle, but the hexagon shape helps to anchor the space, particularly with the big Targaryan sigil carved into the floor. In the top shot, it was important to be able to show Daenerys crossing the space for the first time, the strength of her family history built into the fabric of the space.”

I wonder if we’ll ever see that room again…anyway, the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards air September 17th on NBC.

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