When watching Game of Thrones from a fashion perspective, it's easy to get swept up in the glam—the sweeping gowns, the rich fabrics, the capes. Costume director Michele Clapton is the one tasked with keeping everyone outfitted and it's not as easy as stocking up on medieval-type clothes. Nope: These are outfits with a hidden message.
“I love the fact that you can have a sub story going on because the costume is telling you so much that words aren’t saying at that moment,” she told The Telegraph, revealing that there's an important piece to all of Daenerys Targaryen's wardrobe that audiences don't ever get to see. Underneath the sleek, flowing gowns Emilia Clarke's character is wearing are a pair of practical pants and boots. “There’s always a fear in her that she will have to leave so it gives her the freedom to always escape and run. If she had silly shoes on she’d lose all her strength.”
Other fascinating wardrobe secrets? The fur used is faux when possible and sourced from vintage French markets if not. All the fake blood used on the series is designed to be washable, but things can get, erm, gory, so three versions are made of any costumes being used in a fight scene. When the script calls for a ripped garment, two pieces are made. “If they rip costumes off people we’ll have two of those. As one has been ripped we’ll be stitching it back up while the other one is being used, and then it goes back and forth and we swap them in and out,” she explained. “Poor Sansa gets her stuff ripped off all the time.”
Currently, all costumes are being saved and archived, but that wasn't the case when the show was in its original season and hit-status hadn't been confirmed. Things sounded a bit more budget-friendly then, with Clapton and her team deconstructing used costumes and repurposing material for new styles. “We had to go back and un-dye them so they were restored to how they used to be,” she said, adding that things aren't always saved exactly as they were shot—certain actors are gifted a small bit of their costume once their character is killed off (and, nope, she wouldn't comment on Jon Snow).
