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

Arya’s explorer look

What’s west of Westeros? At the end of “The Iron Throne,” Arya Stark embarks on a mission to find out. The younger Stark sister has finally figured out who she is and what sort of future she wants by the end of the series finale, and that can be seen simply by comparing her costume in “The Iron Throne” to some of her previous getups. In fact, the last time Arya boarded a ship away from Westeros, she was in disguise.

But a girl has come a long way since then, and Arya no longer has any need to hide who she is. The journey she sets out on during the finale suggests that she’s embracing a new life apart from the violent one she previously led, but her wardrobe signals that she’s taking plenty of her old life with her. The attire under her fur cloak is the same she typically dons, modeled after her father’s.

Arya’s cloak and weapons are also pieces of her old life that she’s bringing with her into her new one. The cloak certainly alludes to her status as a Northerner, and it’s well made enough to signify that she comes from a major house. Her sword and Valyrian steel dagger have both played huge roles in her story arc prior to this. Jon even asks, “Do you have your needle?” when Arya announces her intentions to go west. Needle will be Arya’s piece of her family that she takes with her on her adventure, and the dagger will serve as a reminder of what she’s been through and overcome.