Cersei Lannister is one of the most clever and calculating characters ever on Game of Thrones and she even has the wardrobe to back that up. Game of Thrones’ costume designer, Michele Clapton has made Cersei’s clothing scheme as intricate as the character’s plans. As a result, she has one of the most complex fashions and fashion statements in HBO’s dark fantasy show.
But of course, that’s already a given since Cersei was meant to be the antithesis of the innocent and helpless fantasy princess or queen popularized by Disney. Despite her looks, she’s the most Lannister of all the Lannisters. Make sure to take note of that before dressing up as Cersei and do keep these costume hidden details in mind to successfully evoke her.
ROBERT BARATHEON’S DEATH FREED HER
She was rich, powerful, peerlessly beautiful, and young; Cersei would have been the perfect princess, Tywin’s ideal chess piece, even, if not for a certain intimate tendency she has with her twin brother. This eventually led to a plot to poison and kill King Robert Baratheon, Cersei’s husband though political wedlock. As soon as Robert died, you can immediately see Cersei dressing up more boldly.
Her gowns, once opaque and plain, became more and more stylized and even transparent. In addition, after Robert’s death, we begin seeing Cersei’s neckline go deeper. It was as if Robert was her chain and since he died, she was free to do whatever she wanted.
RED IS HER DISPLAY OF POWER
As for Cersei’s color choice for clothing after Robert died? Lannister red. It was her glorious display of power and she can be seen wearing it while bullying Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish or ordering some diabolical acts to be carried out.
Also, since Robert died, Cersei’s son and the assumed heir of the throne, Joffrey “Baratheon” took over. This gave Cersei a growing feeling of power and being in control, resulting in her wearing her red gowns a lot more often. After all, she’s pretty much the Queen since she controls her son. Funny thing is, out of all the Lannisters in the show, Cersei wore red best and most often.
ONE OF HER DRESSES WAS INSPIRED BY BJORK
One of Cersei’s red dresses or gowns had a distinct look that sported a funneled neckline. It gave her a distinct look since no other woman in Westeros– save for Margaery Tyrell, wore the same gown style. According to the costume designer, this was inspired by none other than the artist and musician, Bjork.
Bjork notably wore a Japanese kimono with a modified higher funneled neckline in the cover of her music album, Homogenic. It was this very kimono that inspired the costume designer to make the same gown for Cersei. In any case, it gave her a more intimidating and eloquent appearance, like how collars work for men and women.
SHE HAS THE MOST LIONS ON HER
Since Cersei’s the poster girl of the Lannister family, she spares no expense adorning herself with her house’s sigils. That is, lions, plenty of lions– usually fashioned out of golden jewelry. She also usually pairs these lion adornments with her red clothes for the full power trip.
Suffice to say, lions are Cersei’s favorite adornment; she puts them in everything from her belt, epaulets, necklaces, choker, and even on her mini sternum armor piece. It even came to a point where most of Cersei’s clothing adornment became armor-like because she just loves metal lions on everything. Even Joffrey’s armor didn’t have that many Lannister lion heads.
THE FASHION FIGHT WITH MARGAERY TYRELL
What happens when you, a middle-aged (but still pretty) woman, who also treats fashion as a weapon, finds that she’s not the prettiest girl in the room anymore? A deadly passive-aggressive catfight, that’s what. Such is the case between the Cersei and Margaery rivalry. She was more of a threat to Cersei and her son than Sansa Stark ever was.
Their silent fashion war took in the form of Margaery showing more skin and even ditching the sleeves altogether as a show of youth while Cersei covered up more and more as a display of regality. Hence, during this part of the series, Cersei is not in her usual noticeable daring display of deep necklines.
GOLD COVERS HER INSECURITIES
In addition to wearing more conservative and wiser clothing compared to Margaery, Cersei also covered herself up in gold. Lots of Lannister gold. Cersei, feeling threatened by Margaery’s youth and also stealing Joffrey (and eventually, Tommen) from her, clads herself in lion embroidered golden jewelry a lot more.
To Cersei, those big and clunky golden pieces reinforce her Lannister status and pride. That’s why when Margaery needs to be put in her proper place, Cersei started wearing all the bling to blind the Southern Westerosi challenger from the Tyrell house. Was it effective? Nevermind that, all Cersei needed was a bomb to win against Margaery.
HER FAVORITE ACCESSORY? WINE GLASSES
From the very first episode of Game of Thrones, the show has already established one of Cersei’s most persistent hobbies: wine binging. So, back in her comfy little high perch on Westeros, one of the accessories she cannot function without would be the wine glass.
Of course, they’re just regular wine glasses made as tools for beverages. They only become accessories– jewelry even, when Cersei uses them. It’s like her coffee routine but for megalomaniacs. Along with the lions and the gold (or the golden lions), the wine glass should be among your Cersei Lannister starter pack.
LANNISTER DEATHS=DARKER CLOTHES
It wasn’t until Cersei started losing relatives that her illusion of power was shattered. Her red garments were quickly replaced with more morose and somber colors like dark blue or black as soon as her eldest son died of poisoning.
This happened a second time when it was Tywin Lannister’s turn to die and eventually, Tommen. Oh, and Myrcella died as well, leaving Cersei childless. Since then, we barely see Cersei in her red power-tripping attire and it was all black moving forward; though she did don the red duds again when she killed Missandei and when she died in Jaime’s arms.
NO MORE PLUNGING NECKLINES LATER ON
Coupled with her darker clothing, Cersei also became more notably conservative with her choice of clothing later on in the series. Many factors contributed to this but the coup de grace was her walk of shame which made her a changed woman and gave her a down-to-earth slap in the face.
After this, (and also after her son’s death), Cersei never wore anything that flaunted her collar bone or shoulders again. It was turtle necks afterward and she never wore that funneled neckline gown ever. Even so, her charm and beauty remained somewhat unchallenged, just go ask Jaime Lannister or Euron Greyjoy.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER
Cersei’s black Queen of Westeros clothing wasn’t simply made to show her mourning Tommen’s death. She also fashioned it to sport an identical style to Tywin Lannister’s Hand of the King uniform. Cersei has always yearned for her father’s approval and she was arguably the best Lannister child save for her biological gender, at least by Tywin’s standards.
Hence, she outright copied Tywin’s black leather perforated gambeson. This gesture from Cersei is also open to interpretation; for all we know, she could be mocking Tywin as well after her coronation as Queen. She was daddy’s girl, after all.
