#persephones-plantpot | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

demon-of-the-ancient-world · 2 years

Text

ASOIAF House Fashion Headcanons : Part 1

So idk if I'm gonna get in trouble for this bc I'm not like, super deep into ASOIAF lore as some people are and might get things wrong, and I'm not very prominent in the fandom, but I'm big obsessed with costume/clothing design so hey, I'll give this a shot.

Basically I've recently been inspired by the art and words of wonderful people such as @persephones-plantpot, @inky-duchess, and @shebsart who have talked about the cultural clothing differences between the 7 kingdoms and I...wanted to do my own? I haven't been brave enough to draw them yet (one day! I'll update when that day comes!), but I do have ~ideas~ for my personal takes on the fashion of Westeros and I'd humbly like to bring them out. Based more on the books (as much as I love the show's costuming!) as sort of an alternative take - not necessarily 100% consistent with what they say about the clothing, but I try to stick to it occasionally. I love hearing different people's ideas on the clothes so I've thrown my own little opinion into the mix.

Warning: I'm wordy. Very.

The Targaryens: So here I'm less talking about Dany and Viserys, because while I'm sure they will have retained some of their cultural heritage through clothing (especially Viserys), they're detached from their homeland and family customs, and therefore have to adapt to whatever clothes they come across in their exile. Daenerys especially I think would adapt quickly, being younger and having virtually no memory of Westeros, and be wearing pretty much only Pentosi clothing at the beginning of the series.

ANYWAY onto the old Targaryen dynasty, pre-rebellion.

In terms of historical inspiration, I actually came up with a weird combination of traditional Russian/Slavic clothing and classical Roman/Greek dress

(Also, @persephones-plantpot drew her version as Byzantine inspired and THAT stuck in my head so, now there's Byzantine touches in my headcanon too *shrugs*).

Lots of Roman-style drapery, but with big yoke/collar situations going on, metal belts, torcs, arm bands and cuffs, hair jewelry and headdresses (similar in shape to the kokoshnik), and of course tons of dragon imagery in a variety of ways.

Big shoulders. Long coats with funky split sleeves for the men and long trains on the womens' gowns, all of it in expensive fabrics like velvet, silk, satin, and intricate brocades - they were the royal house after all.

For all the houses I want to stay away from sticking ONLY to the house colours, but did use them as a base to jump off from. So the Targaryens would obviously have red and black, but instead of a bright ruby red it's a whole swath of darker, more subdued tones. Maroon, burgundy, blood red - they're an old dynasty with a lot of weight behind them, so the shades in my mind would be "older"

Grey and white would also come up, with light draped outer garments in warmer weather

Also - purple. Dany wears it several times in the books, and as it's the traditional colour of royalty I can see them wearing it.

I even wondered if - in true Medieval fashion - they were the only ones allowed to wear purple, or certain shades of it, during their reign (or perhaps only during the reign of certain rulers)

Likewise, I see amethysts being a big part of their jewelry - they can be so polished and soft looking but also raw and spiky and dangerous.

Black stones too; onyx and (possibly raw) obsidian in all it's dragony goodness, and garnets that are such a dark red they're close to black. Diamonds as well. Elaborate jewels and beadwork would be worked into the clothing in a variety of ways.

I also have a headcanon that the majority of their jewelry would be mounted on silver or white gold, but never yellow gold to distinguish them from the Lannisters.

The Starks/North

Like many others, I headcanon a Scandinavian look - somewhere between Viking and traditional Saami clothing

Warm materials of course - mostly a variety of wools, linens, and even some kind of flannel - though I want to honour that velvet and silk are both mentioned as part of the Starks' wardrobe. The northerners tend to value comfort and practicality over aesthetic but the ~fancier~ Starks + allies would wear them for sure

Colour scheme would be fairly limited, mostly grey, white, and shades of blue and brown, but I don't want to ignore the fact that Sansa wears a lot of green in the first few books as well, so I'd like to think there's green in their palette

Not much in the way of jewelry, but a lot of heavy and complex embroidery

I can also see them being masters at pleating and smocking details

What jewelry there is would mostly consist of simple necklaces, brooches, pins and cloak clasps of etched iron and bronze, though I can see amber being used for beads, carved wooden beads as well.

Viking-style tortoiseshell brooches

Possibly walrus ivory used in both jewelry and craftwork along the coasts and in the far north.

Amber is fossilized sap, right? So it wouldn't be implausible to think that ancient Weirwood sap could form a rich, blood-red amber that's considered a Northern specialty and highly valued.

High collars to stave off the wind. Lots of fur.

I feel the common folk (and the nobility to some extent) have mastered the art of visible mending - using patching and stitching on worn clothes as a form of decoration. Northern clothing is durable and made to last, but I feel like the people would also push their clothes past the wearable limit and repurpose them for other uses (i.e. an old dress being cut up into fabric for a shawl or gloves, shirts into skirts, cloaks into dresses, etc.), so you'd see a lot of that

Hats! Hats! Hats! It's cold up there you guys!

Lannister/Westerlands:

Ok here I headcanon an early Renaissance/late Medieval sort of vibe, so like late 14th-early 15th centuries but sort of fantasy-ified

Especially the classic Burgundian dress

The Lannisters are very wealthy, so I'd expect the most expensive fabrics for them and other surrounding nobility - silks, velvets, satin, and lots of damask and brocade

Fancy headdresses, slight variations on those tall pointed hats

Also long veils, not so much covering the face but artistically and elaborately draped over the hair

They're all about house pride, so I feel like their house colours would be reflected more obviously in their clothing, so mostly bright, rich reds and gold/yellow shades, though I can also see some vivid greens and warm coppery browns mixed in

Cloth of gold and even metal-infused fabrics could be a thing

ALL about jewelry. Most of it's gold, but they won't say no to silver, copper, or bronze. Heavy and intricate necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, or jewels just sewn right into the clothes themselves

All kinds of rubies, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds , pearls, opals, any precious stone they can get their hands on really

While they like to show off and make a statement with their clothing, I feel like they'd still have a sense of classiness about it - they're just vain enough to toe the line of gaudiness, but still snooty enough to judge those who cross it

Idk I just picture Cersei having bright red fingernails so. Nail polish.

Greyjoy/Iron Islands:

Someone made a post (that I unfortunately can't find) that described the Iron Island culture as being like a cross between Vikings and golden-age-of-piracy-era pirates, and...yeah that's pretty much my headcanon too

I'm going mostly Viking with this one but I can see some flowy shirts and long 18th century-style coats thrown into the mix

They wouldn't be that colourful though; mostly black, grey, brown, some dull greens, blues, and dark gold

Mostly wool and leather, often waxed to make it water-repellent (yes I stole that from the show's costume designer but you know what, it works That Much)

Also, I can weirdly see knitwear being popular. I know it doesn't match with their vibes, but hey, it's warm, and you can't tell me there isn't at LEAST one Iron Islands granny out there insisting her grandson wears the sweater she made for him before going out raiding so he doesn't get cold

Also also: shawls, fingerless mitts, scarves etc

Also also also, complex cable patterns are a big thing in both Irish and Scandinavian cultures, so I love the idea of them as well as having house sigils having like, family knitting patterns that they wear to identify them (or etched into a leather jerkin, that works too)

On that note - the sailor tradition of wearing a gold earring so if they die at sea their funeral can be paid for totally applies here, though I can see wealthier people wearing other ear piercings just for The Look as well

(Part of Theon's Full Hardcore Ironborn initiation in ACOK involved him getting his ear pierced and you CAN'T convince me otherwise)

I've recently seen a lot of people drawing/headcanoning the Ironborn with tattoos and I gotta say I agree

Possibly facepaint too? Like a war paint situation? Eyeliner??? Yes.

I think much of their jewelry/decoration would come from plundering, so there's stuff from a lot of other cultures

However; amber, iron, bronze, mother of pearl, and pearls (I love the idea of them using primarily black pearls) would be their home specialties

I love the idea of some of the more experienced raiders (like Euron and Victarion who have gone all over the place) wearing foreign/ Essosi coins as ornamentation on their clothes or as jewelry

Temple rings? They were more of a Slavic thing but they were a Viking thing too so *shrugs*

I think the women's clothing would have a hint of rural 18th century dress, though less structured, and they'd often cover their hair, more for practicality's sake than modesty though

Like the Starks they're practical, but I think Fancier Islanders would wear sealskin coats and wraps

THat's it for now, there'll be a part 2 soon and I feel really inspired to draw these so you might even get that at some point if I've got time. Feel free to debate or add your own ideas !

#asoiaf #got #house targaryen #house stark #the north #house greyjoy #the iron islands #long post

82 notes · View notes