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Game of Thrones Costume Patterns

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March 15, 2016

Game of Thrones costume patterns M6941 and M6940 in McCall's Spring 2014 lookbook — *Queens of the Game* in McCall’s lookbook, Spring 2014. Image: Issuu.

Dear HBO, Have you considered costume pattern licensing? With a new trailer for season 6, and season 5 out on DVD, here’s a look at ~~completely official Game of Thrones sewing patterns~~ sewing patterns inspired by Game of Thrones.

Game of Thrones / The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug costume pattern S1347 in a 2014 lookbook — *Fantasy Play* in Simplicity’s lookbook, 2014. Image: Andrea Schewe.

Sansa Stark / Game of Thrones costume pattern S1137 in Simplicity Summer 2015 lookbook — *Dark Faerie Tales* in Simplicity’s lookbook, Summer 2015. Image: 3D Issue.

Costume designer Michele Clapton won three Emmys for her work on the first five seasons of Game of Thrones. Season 6 will see a new costume designer for the series: April Ferry, who designed the Emmy Award-winning costumes for HBO’s Rome (2005-2007)—which also starred Tobias Menzies, Indira Varma, and Ciarán Hinds. (Read a Costume Designers Guild bio here.)

Ciarán Hinds as Julius Caesar in HBO's Rome (2005) - costumes by April Ferry — Still of Ciarán Hinds as Julius Caesar in *Rome* (2005) Image: HBO / IMdB.

Update: Michele Clapton returned as costume designer during season 6, winning two more Emmys for “The Winds of Winter” and season 7’s “Beyond the Wall.”

Daenerys Targaryen's coat from "Beyond the Wall" - Game of Thrones season 7 — Costume for Daenerys Targaryen from “Beyond the Wall.” Image: Making Game of Thrones.

Given the two-way relationship between Game of Thrones’ costume design and fashion, the costumes are interesting even if you don’t watch the show. (Full disclosure: I’ve made more than a few Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire costumes, including S2 Daenerys, book Quaithe, and Lyanna Stark.)

Cersei Lannister's red and gold court dress - Game of Thrones season 1-2 — Cersei Lannister costume from *Game of Thrones*, season 1-2. Image: Bell Media.

Givenchy ensemble, fall/winter 1997–98 silk, feathers, metal, synthetic; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Friends of the Costume Institute Gifts, 2013 (2013.564a, b) — Alexander McQueen for Givenchy haute couture, Fall/Winter 1997-98 (*Eclect Dissect*). Image: The Costume Institute.

McCall’s

In spring, 2014, McCall’s released patterns for the most popular women’s Game of Thrones costumes, Daenerys Targaryen and Cersei Lannister. Both M6940 and M6941 are available as printable downloads. (I made M6940 for my Lyanna Stark costume; preview here.)

Game of Thrones / Daenerys costume pattern McCall's 6941 (2014) — McCall’s 6941 (2014) Daenerys Targaryen costume.

Last month, the company launched a new Cosplay by McCall’s line with three patterns including a unisex Westerosi cloak, M2016, “for those for whom winter can’t come soon enough” (press release here). Their pattern for the cross-fastened cloak worn by the people of Westeros (including Jon Snow, Eddard Stark, and the Stark children at Winterfell) includes an optional fur capelet. There’s also a hooded version similar to Sansa Stark’s hooded cloak:

Cloak X: Jon Snow / Night's Watch / Sansa Stark cosplay pattern, Cosplay by McCall's 2016 — Cosplay by McCall’s 2016 (2016) Cloak X

Hooded view of McCall's 2016 - Sansa Stark cloak — Hooded view of McCall’s 2016 (2016) Image: Cosplay by McCall’s.

Simplicity

Simplicity’s Game of Thrones costume patterns emerge in full plumage, but quickly change colours to evade capture.

Simplicity Game of Thrones costume patterns, before and after - S1487 / S1009 and S1137

Andrea Schewe’s Game of Thrones adaptations for Simplicity also started appearing in 2014. Simplicity 1347 combines three Daenerys outfits—wedding dress, Dothraki Khaleesi, and Qarth court dress—with the elf Tauriel from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013). (Now out of print, but see S1010.)

Simplicity 1347 (2014) Daenerys Targaryen / Tauriel costume.

Simplicity 1487 includes court dresses for Cersei Lannister and Sansa Stark. (Now out of print, but see S1009.)

Game of Thrones Cersei / Sansa costume pattern S1487 — Simplicity 1487 (2014) Cersei Lannister and Sansa Stark costumes. Image via Etsy.

Simplicity 1246 has costumes for Margaery Tyrell and Daenerys, specifically the split dress and cape she wears as leader of the Unsullied. (This version out of print, but see S1008.)

Game of Thrones / Margaery Tyrell and Daenerys costume pattern Simplicity 1246 — Simplicity 1246 (2014) Margaery Tyrell and Daenerys Targaryen costumes.

Simplicity 1137 includes two Sansa Stark costumes. Michele Clapton conceived both as showing Sansa’s own handiwork: the dress with flower-embellished neckline from season 1 and ‘Dark Sansa’ from the end of season 4. The necklace refers to Sansa’s needle—“a jewelry idea of [Arya’s sword] Needle.” (See Fashionista’s interview; for more on Game of Thrones’ embroidery see Elizabeth Snead’s article in The Hollywood Reporter and embroiderer Michele Carragher’s website.) Andrea Schewe has posted tips on making the feathered neckpiece. (Still in print with new envelope, S1137.)

Game of Thrones Sansa Stark / Dark Sansa pattern Simplicity 1137 — Simplicity 1137 (2015) Sansa Stark costumes.

Sansa Stark dress, bodice flower detail — Sansa Stark costume, *Game of Thrones*, season 1. Image: Michele Carragher.

Dark Sansa collar detail - goth Sansa / Alayne Stone costume in "The Mountain and the Viper," episode 8 of Game of Thrones S4 — Dark Sansa collar detail, *Game of Thrones*, season 4. Image: Fashionably Geek.

Game of Thrones meets Star Wars in Simplicity 8074, a pattern for season 5’s Sand Snakes Obara and Nymeria with Rey from Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) (still S8074):

Game of Thrones + Star Wars / Sand Snakes + Rey costume pattern Simplicity 8074 — Simplicity 8074 (2016) Warrior costumes: Sand Snakes and Rey.

Sand Snakes costumes from Game of Thrones S5 — Sand Snakes costumes from *Game of Thrones*, season 5. Image: Making *Game of Thrones*.

HBO is owned by Time Warner, which has existing pattern licensing for DC Comics. Do you think HBO should license Game of Thrones patterns? I’d be first in line for a King’s Landing halter dress or Varys’ kimono.

Update (June 2018): Game of Thrones and Star Wars meet again in S8718 — season 7 Arya Stark with Rey from Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017):

Game of Thrones + Star Wars / Arya Stark + Rey costume pattern Simplicity 8718 — Simplicity 8718 (2018) Warrior costumes: Rey and Arya.

Arya Stark sketch for *Game of Thrones*, season 7. Image: Making *Game of Thrones*.

Update (August 2018): evil queen Cersei and Dragonstone Dany were among Simplicity’s fall costume patterns:

Cersei Lannister and S7 Daenerys costume pattern Simplicity 8768 by Andrea Schewe — Simplicity 8768 (2018) Cersei and Daenerys costumes.

Queen Cersei pattern S8768 - Simplicity catalogue Autumn 2018 — Cersei Lannister costume on the back cover of Simplicity’s Autumn 2018 catalogue. Image: Simplicity.

And Burda’s new Renaissance costumes work for characters like Sansa Stark and Tyrion Lannister. Game of Thrones wedding, anyone?

Sansa Stark wedding dress pattern Burda 6398 (2018) — Burda 6398 (2018) Image: Simplicity.

Game of Thrones men's costume pattern Burda 6399 (2018) — Burda 6399 (2018) Image: Simplicity.

Update (September 2018): Just in time for Halloween, McCall’s released Game of Thrones season 7 costume patterns for Dany, Arya, and mad queen Cersei. Winter is coming…

Game of Thrones S7 Dragonstone Daenerys Targaryen costume pattern McCall's 7854 — McCall’s 7854 (2018) Daenerys Targaryen. Image: McCall’s.

Game of Thrones S7 Arya Stark Winterfell costume pattern McCall's 7855 — McCall’s 7855 (2018) Arya Stark costume. Image: McCall’s.

Game of Thrones S7 Cersei Lannister costume pattern McCall's 7856 — McCall’s 7856 (2018) Cersei Lannister costume. Image: McCall’s.

Battle of the Throne: Game of Thrones-inspired costumes in the McCall's Fall 2018 lookbook — Battle of the Throne: Game of Thrones-inspired costumes in the McCall’s Fall 2018 lookbook. Image: Issuu.

Update (spring 2019): Michele Clapton’s book, Game of Thrones: The Costumes, is out in November.

Game of Thrones: The Costumes book by Michele Clapton with Gina McIntyre — *Game of Thrones: The Costumes*, by Michele Clapton with Gina McIntyre (Insight Editions, 2019) Image: Vanity Fair.

Update (spring 2020): One more Game of Thrones pattern, for Sansa as Queen in the North.

Sansa Stark, Queen in the North costume - Simplicity 9089 — Simplicity 9089 (2020) Sansa, Queen in the North costume. Image: Simplicity.

Update (fall 2022): A House of the Dragon pattern? This cape costume includes Targaryen-style dragon and octopus appliqués:

Targaryen / House of the Dragon fantasy cape costume pattern M8335 (2022) — “Capes of Thrones”: McCall’s lookbook, Fall 2022. Image: Issuu.

2000s, cosplay, Cosplay by McCall’s, Game of Thrones, Halloween, McCall’s, sewing, Simplicity

14 responses to “Game of Thrones Costume Patterns”

Sandra Berry

March 15, 2016

The Alexander McQueen is to die for. Wouldn’t I like to find a similar pattern.

Reply
Linda of Nice dress! Thanks, I made it!!

March 15, 2016

The grey dress with the flowers and the embroidery details is beautiful!

Reply
1. PatternVault
  
  March 19, 2016
  
  The embroidery on the show is stunning. I’ve updated the post with some more interview / gallery links.
  
  Reply
  1. Linda of Nice dress! Thanks, I made it!!
    
    March 19, 2016
    
    I’ll go take a look!
sewitorthrowit

March 15, 2016

Sansa’s embroidery is meant to be her own work?! Funny!
She strikes me as lacking in the practical skills, but maybe with those long northern winters even Sansa would get tired of lute playing and cards and romance novels flown in via crow and eventually turn to needlework. Based on nothing but my own speculation. I haven’t read the books, maybe there’s more discussion of her special skills there.
On an unrelated note, a Sand Snakes spin-off show would be really fun.
It’s kind of wild that the pattern envelopes change colors. Like, fooling no one, yet not worth HBO’s time to crack down on.

Reply
1. PatternVault
  
  March 19, 2016
  
  Ha! Yes, in the show and the books, the Stark girls have needlework lessons with their septa (nun-tutor). Sansa is the teacher’s pet, but Arya sneaks out to watch sword practice—hence her naming her sword Needle. You could say S’s “womanly arts” are framed as more ladylike than practical until she makes herself that daring black outfit.
  I suppose we’ll never know whether Simplicity was being preemptive or not.. Andrea Schewe commented that she couldn’t discuss it.
  
  Reply
erniek3

March 19, 2016

I love this whole line of thinking. The licensed and unlicensed pattern lines fill me with giddy glee; I buy a lot of costume patterns I have no intent of sewing, simply to see how close they flirt with stealing some designer’s work. The licenses for Disney work ebb and flow between the Big4 over the years; now that they own Marvel, those are shifting as well.
I was disappointed that McVogue did not bring their cosplay patterns to SewExpo this year. Hopefully in the future, they will expand past the NYC ComicCon.

Reply
Pamela Dan

May 22, 2016

I’ve bought all these patterns, simply because they are awesome. I did not understand why they were so quickly re-issued. It is clear I now Must Watch “Game of Thrones.”

Reply
thatcalamity

July 5, 2016

Reblogged this on Cosplay Calamity and commented:
I *was* going to write an article about this. But Why re-write something that has already been covered so wonderfully?

Reply
Meg

May 29, 2017

Hi Ladies,
I’m new to costuming, but my eventual goal is the dress Margaery wears in 301 at the orphanage. Do you think those pleats were done one by one or in panels?

Reply
Claudia Labbe

March 28, 2018

So, I’d like to go to Boston Comic Con in August as Dany, but I don’t understand this whole thing? Why is it printed on paper? Is it not REAL fabric? I’m a bit confused, but I’d LOVE to wear her Qarth dress and would love any knowledge anyone has! I read the Printable pattern description but I just don’t understand! I’m new to cosplay, so any insight would be great! thanks!!

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Outlander Costumes – PatternVault

January 25, 2019

[…] for season 2 (see top of post). The pattern is still in print, but as with Simplicity’s Game of Thrones patterns, the colour was soon changed to a less provocative […]

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Lyanna Stark Costume – McCall’s 6940 – PatternVault

May 23, 2019

[…] (If you object to seeing material from season 5, or interpretation of a book published 20 years ago, read no further. Perhaps you’d prefer my post on Game of Thrones costume patterns?) […]

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One Cloak to Rule Them All: Costume Patterns Inspired by Tolkien – PatternVault

December 30, 2021

[…] Bonus: From 2014, this pattern includes Tauriel from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013), with Daenerys Targaryen (see my Game of Thrones post). […]

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