The second season of The Wheel of Time has concluded, and a good time was had by all. We thrilled to the twists and turns of the story, marveled at the sights of sounds of Falme and Cairhien, and paused the episode midway through to point and say, “What in the world are they wearing?”
Well, maybe not all of us did that, but the costume department on this show was definitely working overtime this season to whip up some memorable outfits. Let’s take a sartorial journey through Randland and remember the 10 most powerful outfits from The Wheel of Time season 2:
10. High Lord Turak: Go big or go home
The costumes on The Wheel of Time are, generally speaking, a lot. The designers like big, they like gaudy, they like to make an impact, and the invasion of the Seanchan people from across the ocean gave them a great opportunity to indulge their wildest fantasies.
The Seanchan are supposed to be different, alien. Their clothes should follow suit. High Lord Turak’s multicolored, multilayered, multi-dimensional robe is a good example. It’s ornate to the point of being impractical to wear; how are you going to walk through doorways with that big boney bedframe behind your head? But the opulence is part of the point; it emphasizes how strange and foreign these foreign strangers are. No one in Rand’s life, not even the most fashionable Aes Sedai, could ever imagine wearing that. The Seanchan are something brand new.
And we have to talk about the three-foot long nails at some point, but that can wait.
9. Aviendah: Roughin’ it, by Prada
From the wildly ornate to the deceptively simple, the Aiel warrior Aviendah wears a sleek travel outfit made of simple fabrics and colored exclusively in shades of brown. If the Seanchan people wear clothes so elaborate they’re hard to move in, the Aiel are all about functionality. These people live in the deep desert, where every day can be a struggle. They don’t have any time for ornamentation. They’re worried about survival.
At the same time, there’s something very chic about the clean lines and monochrome coloring about Aviendah’s outfit. I can see her marching like a warrior queen down a runway in this. And while the outfit is simple, it’s not boring to look at. The combination of fabrics gives it a tactile look; you think about how it feels to wear when you see it. And the shades of brown are gradated in a way that you’re always looking where you’re supposed to look.
Also, who doesn’t like a hood?
8. Moiraine’s big blue cardboard dress
When Moiraine arrives in the city of Cairhien, she’s wearing a handsome blue number with a wide skirt that, at first glance, seems like a pretty standard thing for a member of the Blue Ajah to wear. Thank goodness blue is her color.
What makes this outfit stand out is how stiff it is. I don’t know what it’s made of, but watch Moiraine walk around wearing it in Episode 3; that fabric does not move. Her sleeves and skirt are rigid. It’s almost like she’s wearing a sculpture.
I think this says something about where Moiraine’s head is at during this time. She’s just lost her powers. She’s feeling insecure, but she still needs to project strength as she goes about her business protecting the Dragon Reborn and bossing around her family. The dress is made of a material so stiff it might make it hard to interact with other people, but that’s okay, because as an Aes Sedai, those other people will accommodate her.
This is a power move of a dress, something she’s wearing to compensate for feeling weaker than she’s ever felt.
7. Renna: Straight Outta Hot Topic
We go back to the Seanchan, on whom we can always count for an interesting outfit. Renna’s getup is a little simpler than what her countrymen wear. It almost looks a little Renaissance Faire, with the high riding boots and the forked drop-down belt. The colors are pretty simple — brown and blue — and the padded shoulders let you know she means business.
What really brings this look together is Renna’s makeup, in particular the deep eyeshadow. It makes Renna look like she’s going through a rebellious goth phase; her dad would hate it. This outfit is about attitude and actor Renna Emain sells it.
When Renna puts on her war makeup, she goes from looking like a Hot Topic teen to something far more alien, more in line with the rest of the Seanchan.
Next, we pay tribute to the patron saint of The Wheel of Time fashion:
6. Lanfear: Massacre chic
Lanfear is pretty much the reason this list exists, so I thank her. Ever since we learn who Selene really is at the end of Episode 204, it’s clear she was going to be a lot of fun. Vampy, campy and incredibly powerful, Selene goes where she wants and does what she wants. And in Episode 207, she wants to burn down the Foregate in Cairhien while wearing stylish battle armor.
This outfit pretty much speaks for itself. Lanfear is obviously dressed for battle, but her armor and bracers are gilded and glittering, because she isn’t just a diehard warrior for the dark: she’s fancy and classy. And the mantle-cape thing she wears around her shoulders adds a touch of softness.
The dark makeup and slicked-back hair also add to the vibe: Lanfear is in battle mode, but she’s still going to make sure she’s presentable.
Splendid as Lanfear’s outfits are, credit must also go to Natasha O’Keeffe for wearing them to perfection. Anyone can put on a glittering set of evil armor, but not everyone has the conviction to pull them off. O’Keeffe does.
5. Rand sees red
This is one of the simpler outfits on this list, but I wanted to include it because Rand’s red coat is such an iconic look for him in The Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan. I know book-readers everywhere raised their eyebrows when he came onscreen wearing this.
And you know, not every outfit needs to be designed to within an inch of its life. Red is a great color, the color of fire, the color of the Dragon Reborn. The coat has some cool designs running down the collar and the sleeves, but they don’t overwhelm the man wearing it. The Dragon doesn’t have to dress elaborately to command a room. Whatever he wears becomes a symbol of authority, and this coat is no different.
4. Those creepy damane mouth-stoppers
For my money, those little mouth-stoppers the demane are forced to wear are the single most effective design element of The Wheel of Time season 2. The way the Seanchan treat women who can channel is very disturbing and upsetting. They’re viewed more like especially smart dogs than humans, and the Seanchan do not spare the rod.
The mouth-stopper is an incredibly effective, direct way to express this dehumanization. They leaves no room for doubt: the word of a damane is not respected. They do not speak, they do not contribute. They do as instructed, and if they don’t, they are punished.
It’s especially upsetting to see Egwene, a character we’ve come to sympathize with, wear one of these things. It’s so simple, but it completely changes how we react to her. The mouth-stoppers are a very emotional piece of costuming. Whenever I see someone wearing one, I want to smack it out of their mouth and wage war on the Seanchan.
3. Siuan Sanche: Bow down, b*tches
There’s no doubt in my mind that the outfit Siuan Sanche wears when she arrives in Cairhien is the best garment to appear on The Wheel of Time season 2. I mean, just look at it. The draping, the patterns, the train, the headpiece…this must have taken a team of designers a long time to make. Every inch looks hand-crafted with love.
But a great garment isn’t the same thing as a great look. As the Amyrlin Seat, Siuan Sanche is accustomed to wearing expensive, elaborate gowns; that’s just part of the gig. Looking at her in it, you get the idea that she’s used to this kind of thing; wearing this isn’t a moment for her. In fact, knowing Siuan, she’d probably be happier in a simple fisherwoman’s shift.
That’s part of why the look is interesting; there’s a bit of a melancholy feeling to it, because of how Siuan wears it…although it’s also just eye-poppingly beautiful. Don’t worry, we don’t have to overthink things too hard.
2. Lady Suroth: Nails for days
Lady Suroth’s outfit is a little like High Lord Turak’s, but it’s more tightly fitted, the colors are less chaotic, and I like the how precisely the train is arranged in front of her feet. Ditto the golden swooping shoulder pads. Most importantly, Lady Suroth is the first Seanchan leader we meet, and we are not ready for how different they’re going to look.
Like Turak’s costume, Suroth’s outfit is entertainingly impractical. You’re not playing kickball in that outfit. You’d be lucky to walk three steps without tripping. And then there’s the foot-long nails. Again, the Seanchan are aliens in this country. They’re traditions are strange. How many millennia must it have taken for foot-long nails to have become a marker of high status? Clearly, there’s a long history here we don’t know.
The final element that makes Lady Suroth’s outfit so effective is the mask. I’m repeating myself, but it makes her look unknowably odd. A lot of the Seanchan costumes incorporate weird masks. There’s Suroth’s mask, the damane mouth-stoppers, the fearsome masks worn by the Seanchan foot soldiers…Everything plays a part in making the Seanchan feel distinct from anything else we’ve seen before.
And now for our grand finale. The envelope, please…
1. Lanfear: Dominatrix from the dark side of the moon
When I first saw Lanfear wearing this outfit in Episode 205, “Damane,” I think I did a double take. Instantly, I knew that this was how I would remember her.
The context in which we first see this outfit matters. Before this, we’ve seen Lanfear in the guise of Selene, suspiciously well-dressed innkeeper. When Rand falls asleep and Lanfear meets him in Tel’aran’rhiod, we see her as she would like to be seen.
And apparently, how she would like to be seen is as a Power Rangers villain. She’s the black heart at the end of the kaleidoscope. She’s a dominatrix from the dark side of the moon. She is a gaudy, campy villain with three capital ‘V’s. This outfit flies out of nowhere and brains us.
I haven’t actually talked about the outfit itself yet. It’s neat. I like the pure black color, the strappy boots, and especially the winged headpiece. But again, what’s almost more important is how Natasha O’Keeffe wears it, reclining like this is no big deal; she’s the queen of the universe and she will see you now.
I applaud The Wheel of Time costume team for bringing a wide variety of looks for us to gawk at this season. On to season 3!
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels