Alright, so, the “House of the Dragon” costumes, right? Been itching to try my hand at recreating some of those outfits. They’re epic! Where did I even start? Okay, first, I binged the whole damn series again, but this time, I was Pausing. All. The. Time. Screencaps galore!
Research, Research, Research! That was step one. I spent hours online, scouring forums, costume blogs, even trying to find behind-the-scenes stuff. You wouldn’t believe how many fan theories there are about the embroidery alone! My goal wasn’t to copy it exactly, because let’s be real, I’m not a professional costumer, but to get the vibe, the essence of each character’s look.
Next up? Fabric. This was the hardest part. I wanted something that looked and felt kinda authentic without costing me a fortune. Ended up hitting up a few different fabric stores. Found some really nice heavy linen for a Daemon Targaryen-inspired coat (because who doesn’t love Daemon, am I right?). Then, I snagged some dark red velvet-looking fabric for a dress, thinking Rhaenyra.
Pattern time! Now, I’m not a master pattern maker, so I cheated a little. I took existing patterns I already had for similar garment shapes and then modified them. Chopped sleeves, added gores, lengthened hemlines – you know, the usual. For the coat, I basically Frankenstein-ed together two different coat patterns and hoped for the best. There were definitely some moments where I was muttering under my breath!
Sewing. Oh man, the sewing. It was a journey. The linen coat was particularly challenging because that fabric is a beast to work with. Thick and heavy! But after a lot of swearing and seam ripping, I got it done. Then came the details – the embroidery (simplified versions, of course), the leather accents, the buckles. I even tried my hand at some basic leatherworking for the belt and straps.
The dress was a bit easier, thankfully. But getting the drape right took some fiddling. I ended up adding weights to the hem to make it flow nicely. And the sleeves… those damn sleeves! They were supposed to be all elegant and flowing, but they kept looking like sad, deflated balloons. Eventually, I figured out a way to gather them just so.
- Daemon’s Coat: Heavy linen, dark gray, with leather accents. Tried to get the collar shape just right.
- Rhaenyra’s Dress: Dark red velvet-look fabric, long sleeves, flowing skirt. Went for a slightly simpler design.
Finishing touches? Weathering! I wanted the costumes to look lived-in, like they’d actually been worn in battle or at court. So, I used some watered-down paint and a bit of sandpaper to add some dirt and wear to the edges of the fabric. Nothing too drastic, just enough to give them that authentic feel.
All in all, it took me a couple of months, working on it in my spare time. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it! I’m not going to wear these to Comic-Con or anything, but just having them hanging in my closet, knowing I made them, that’s pretty damn cool. And who knows, maybe I’ll tackle another “House of the Dragon” costume someday!
