Fashion is Coming: Examining the costumes of “The Last of the Starks”

Cersei’s red and gold dress

Like Daenerys, Cersei Lannister shows off her house colors in this episode, sporting a red and gold dress during her scenes. Cersei’s dress is the more elaborate of the two, with gold trimmings and jewelry to accompany it. This distinction between the two of them also showcases their differences: Cersei has always cared more about the status and wealth that comes with power, while Daenerys’ plain attire emphasizes that she’s less concerned with those aspects of ruling.

Keeping with her House Lannister theme, Cersei also wears a golden necklace with the lion sigil of her family. She seems proud to be a Lannister, even if most of her family members have either died or betrayed her. Perhaps her necklace is meant to distinguish her as the “last Lannister”—or at least, in her opinion, “the last one who counts.”

Much like in the season premiere, Cersei has what looks like armor on the shoulders of her dress. There’s been plenty of discussion regarding how women’s fashion has changed over the course of this series, with the dresses becoming more and more protective. That seems to be what the costume designers are going for with Cersei this season, and we suppose it’s understandable that she’d want to look like she’s prepared for a fight with the dragon queen on her doorstep.

Another interesting thing to note is that Cersei doesn’t feel the need to wear her crown in Euron’s company, as can be noted in the photo here. She does later place the crown on her head when treating with Daenerys, however. It’s possible that Cersei doesn’t think it necessary to assert her authority around Euron. While she may not trust him, the promise of a child in her belly might keep him from violating her authority (until he realizes that it’s Jaime’s). She knows that her enemies and the people of King’s Landing, on the other hand, need the crown to remind them of her power over them.