Fashion is Coming: Examining the costumes of “The Iron Throne”

Daenerys’ speech outfit

At the beginning of “The Iron Throne,” Daenerys gives the Unsullied and Dothraki a speech about liberating — or, more accurately, conquering — the remaining cities of Westeros. If her words during this monologue don’t signal that she’s become the villain of the series finale, her costume picks up the slack.

Daenerys’ look here is similar to the one she wears in “The Bells,” and given that this episode picks up almost immediately after the previous one, we can assume that she hasn’t changed much about her appearance. She’s still got the shoulders of her costume that look like armor, and she’s still wearing the dragon chain across her torso. It’s clear that she’s ready to begin a Targaryen reign over Westeros. Her outfit tells anyone that might oppose her that she’s willing to fight them.

Credit: HBO

Daenerys is still wearing her House Targaryen colors, but the reds appear more muted during her speech. In the shots of her speaking to her followers, her whole outfit looks black, a drastic change from her white coats earlier in the season. That’s representative of the major turn she took since the beginning of season 8.

Whereas Daenerys once saw the light in the world, making decisions from a place of reason, the Dragon Queen is different. Her darkening wardrobe represents her descent into madness, and it matches the dragon wings that so perfectly frame her when she walks out to make her speech.