Catelyn Stark: Episodes 3 - 6 & 8 - 10, with special guest Lysa Arryn!

Note: This post will involve many jokes about Harry Potter and Gormenghast. It was unavoidable. 

SPOILER ALERT: A Storm of Swords and (probably) GoT season four.

     Mama Stark traveled all the way from Winterfell to King's Landing with only Ser Rodrik in order to warn Ned about the Lannisters and how they may or may not have tried to kill Bran twice. She is traveling light with only one guard and, as far as we can tell, only one outfit. Her clothes are well-made but plain, in shades of green that are somewhat drab. The road is dangerous and King's Landing even moreso. Cat does not want to call attention to herself: these are her Go Get Shit Done clothes. She will wear this basic outfit in various configurations for the rest of the season - the scarf in particular will do a lot of heavy lifting.

While making these photosets, we were loathe to cut Ser Rodrik out of any of them because we love his beard so much.

     Lady Stark and Ser Rodrik are probably a touch overdressed for summer in King's Landing. Cat is without a doubt the most modestly dressed woman in Littlefinger's brothel (as she reminds him, she is no back alley Sally). While Petyr is probably right that a brothel is the last place most people would think to look for Lady Stark, she certainly stands out in her heavy, dark wool robe with dark fur cuffs and somewhat matronly northern hairstyle. (Compare her to the prostitute in the background, in her colorful, revealing clothes with hair that is doing its best to mimic the Queen's.)

"Not looking at the prostitutes. Not gonna look at all."

     

     There was no reason to include this picture except that Cat's head popping out of the window is cute and we want to watch Littlefinger get messed with again.

     Note to Ned Stark: when someone tells you not to trust him, you should listen.

 

     So remember a couple of posts ago when we discussed Sansa and Joffrey's clashing outfits as a harbinger of things to come in their relationship? Here we see a couple who have a strong and loving relationship, dressed in outfits that compliment each other almost perfectly. Even though Ned had no way of knowing Cat was coming, they look family-portrait perfect together. (Albeit a gloomy, somber family.)

     The last time Ned and Cat see one another. The simplicity of their clothes, the setting, and the dialogue serve to highlight the strength of their relationship. They are not Lord and Lady Stark here, they are Cat and Ned, loving husband and wife, saying goodbye.

Hey, it's Marillion. Sup Marillion? Sorry about your tongue.  

     This entire trip, Cat has been trying for some discretion. And it's no different here: she hopes that her simple clothes will help her blend in at the Inn at the Crossroads. It works for a while, but then who should come in but Tyrion Lannister, making no attempt to conceal himself whatsoever, not to mention calling attention to Cat by greeting her by name when he sees her.  

     Cat has the best faces here. Tyrion should have run the second she looked at him like that.

Check out that braid hanging down her back from beneath her headscarf, and remember the Game of Clothes essential equation: BRAIDS + COMMENTARY = IMPORTANT

     Tyrion, however gets more than he bargained for when Lady Stark drops the scarf, and the just-a-simple-traveler act, and calls on all the men in the Inn loyal to House Tully to seize Tyrion. Make no mistake: Mama Stark is in charge here. (Do note the thick braid she's been wearing ever since leaving King's Landing.

     In this scene, Tyrion starts to poke holes in Cat's "Tyrion Lannister came into my home and sent an assassin after my son" theory. And Cat begins to doubt herself, ever so slightly. Not that she'd admit it. Same basic outfit (the scarf she was wearing over her head is now wrapped around her neck) but this variation is perhaps a bit more Catelyn Tully than Lady Stark. Her light blue gown is clearly visible under her dark robes. Check out that braid: Cat may be shaken up after after that battle, but her hair is demonstrating her resolve.

     But here is Lady Stark, on a black horse with a wolf pelt around her shoulders. She looks completely at home on the rocky bluffs of the Vale.

     And now it's time to visit the Eyrie, the creepy-ass Ravenclaw tower with a healthy dose of Gormenghast.

Seriously, it looks like Death Owls should be roosting all up in there.

      Tyrion warned Cat than her sister had gotten a lot crazier in the five years since they'd last met, but she remains skeptical, right up until she actually sees her breastfeeding her eight-year-old. (It's saying something that one can't concretely state that this is the height of Lysa's crazy. There's just so much!)

 

     Lysa doesn't so much sit as perch upon her throne. It is placed high and made out of a tree.

Yep, that's the face of someone sure they made the right decision.

     Lysa has been living in King's Landing until recent events, and some of her wardrobe still reflects the Cersei-mandated fashions. But here in her own court she wears an ensemble unique to the Vale. The high collar, sleeveless gowns, and opened-armed capes all reflect a feeling of air and flight. Her hair is attempting an intricate style that invokes a crown, but the braids falling over her shoulders are sloppy and become ragged at the ends, indicating a lack of consistency in Lysa's mental state. She's in charge, but her paranoia has created an unstable hold on her lands within her own mind.
     Her son is never apart from her for long - she obsesses over his health and has coddled him to an extent that has actually fostered some of her own madness within him. The child is bloodthirsty, and his moods swing back and forth just as much as his mother.

All she needs is a twin sister and she'd be in the running for Cora and Clara Groan. (Oh wait, she's basically created one in her son, so....)

Everything's just a little off here. Hens a'roosting.

     The Eyrie definitely has is own style - aside from hue all the women are dressed identically, and even the colors (sorted into different pairs) are washed out, the colors of clouds. The only other sign of variety within the ladies of the court is hairstyle - they're all mimicking Lysa (sans crown), but a few are wearing airy bits of tulle in their hair (because sometimes the Eyrie has 50s-themed sockhops).

Cersei doesn't have a monopoly on weirdly inbred gossipy clones for ladies in waiting.

     Seriously, can we talk about how Lysa's Ladies-in-Waiting look like a flock of creepy birds? The men and women mostly wear a similar style of cape; the collars are high and made of a stiff fabric that creates the illusion of a bird's long neck. The stiff fabric extends into a yoke in the mens' versions - the pleated capes hanging off the shoulders invokes the high wings of birds of prey. Even the warriors in their dark armor carry heavy cloaks slung across their shoulders. No one escapes the fashions of Vale!

     Cat is clearly trying to hold this show together, attempting a fair and legal trial despite her sister's deranged shrieks.  Lysa keeps her arms free from her robes, displaying the fabric cuffs that attach to her wrists - if she raised her arms, the image of wings would be complete.



     Lysa, it's really hard for us all to take your accusations against the Lannisters seriously considering you were the one who poisoned your husband. Maybe in her twisted mind she's even started to believe her own story. 

     Oh, Cat, your sensible clothes are the only non-crazy thing in this room. Listen to your instincts girl! I know she's your sister and you don't want to admit wrong, but damn.

     At the trial, Lysa has ditched her regular robes for this heavy knitted version - her son of course continues to be dressed in identical Mommy and Me clothes. These fabrics feel more armored than her usual fair - and this pattern - the only pattern we ever see her wear) looks just like feathers.

     This gown is a mixture of the ladies and mens clothing at the Eyrie - the heavy flowing robes of the women, the birds of prey shoulder design of the men, and an imposing quality that's all Lysa.

"Hmm, am I gonna be reasonable and not-crazy today? Nope!"

     Did y'all know Jon Arryn's second wife was named Rowena? Creepy Ravenclaw Tower.

     Cat is back in the green shift that connects her to Ned, and creating a sartorial barrier between her and her sister. Cat refers to Ned all through this scene, questioning her sister and asking for her support against the Lannisters.

     Lysa is back in a King's Landing robe (so convenient for breastfeeding, especially for an aggressive eight year old). She is in her private quarters, and these robes are clearly more comfortable than her bird capes. It also serves to draw her allegiance away from Cat and her family and back towards King's Landing. By refusing to help her sister, she is defacto siding with the Lannisters, and her clothes enforce that idea.

     Cat finally leaves her sister to stew in her insanity, and rides off to join her son's army. This is the first time we see Cat in the black and furs of a Stark warrior - but that is just what she has become, leaving the Tully side of her behind with Lysa.

So dark, so imposing. But then you see Ser Rodrick's beard and it's hilarious all over again!

     When she hugs Rob, the green and blues of her clothing are clearly visible beneath the furs - she is here as queen of Winterfell defending her own, and these colors are of her family.

     Cat blends in well with the warrior lords of the Rob's council; her robes convey a sense of belonging within this group - Cat's position is never questioned.

     Cat rides to the Freys to ask them to allow passage over the river. Some of the Frey kids actually seem pretty okay, but Argus Filch over here just gets grosser and grosser. Check out that sideeye Cat's giving as he gropes his new fifteen-year-old wife. Sooooo gross. Cat'a a good diplomat, and promises to marry Arya and Rob off to two of Frey's children in exchange for his support. Gee, I really hope no part of this arrangement will go terribly wrong and lead to a horrifying tragedy.

     Ever since Cat left Winterfell and throughout all her travels, whether peeping from under her scarf or out in the open, Cat has worn a simple, thick braid which hangs down her back. Here, as she walks through camp as a queen, the men bowing to her, remaining stoic in her grief until she reaches the forest, what hangs from beneath her furs and in place of her braid, is the tail of a wolf. 

     We usually see the Stark colors under the grey filter of winter. Juxtaposed the black furs and leather with the lightness in this scene emphasizes the darkness surrounding the grieving family.

     Covered in furs and the black of a northern warrior, she comforts Rob as he cries that he will 'kill them all' to avenge his father's death. Cat is a mother wolf - her first priority is her daughters' safety and she reiterates that fact. But her leather gloved hands clench as she strokes Rob's head. We will get you sisters back.

And then we will kill them all.

     Look out Jaime Lannister: Cat's got you prisoner now, she's lost her husband, her kids are in danger, and she wants her daughters back. She's basically wearing an entire wolf around her neck. We wouldn't mess with that, if we were you.

Cersei Lannister: Episodes 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7

     Cersei is back home in King's Landing, where she sets the fashions of the day.

     This is the lightest and softest we see Cersei, wearing a color she usually reserves for Jaime.

     This is a very maternal scene for Cersei. Say what you will about the woman, but she does love her kids. In this scene she dresses Joffrey's wounds and gives him some decent advice about being king (although all he takes away from the conversation is "a king can do as he likes"). 

 

     Both her dress and hairstyle are fairly low-key compared to a lot of other stuff she wears. The embroidery on the gown is also much more delicate than her usual brocade. This scene, and this outfit, are about Cersei's role as a loving mother. Also, in this family scene, Cersei wears her Lannister Lion necklace.

"I really hope Joffrey doesn't take 'A king can do whatever he wants' the wrong way."

And now for another edition of...

The Many Faces of Cersei Lannister

Clockwise from top left: Anger; Annoyance; Concern; No Jaime that's a really bad idea for a ballad.

     Cersei panics about the possibility of Bran Stark waking up and telling his father what happened that day in the tower. Jaime is flippant ("I think we can outfox a ten-year-old") but then serious as he assures her that he will kill everyone in the entire world if that's what it takes for them to be together.
     This dress is the same blue-green as the dress she wore when she was mothering Joffrey earlier.  But this dress is a lot more revealing than almost anything else we will ever see Cersei wear. 

     Even though this dress is revealing, we don't think it's about sex. It's about vulnerability. She isn't wearing this dress to seduce Jaime; she's wearing it to yell at him for leaving a chink in their armor. A revealing dress because she's worried that they are about to be revealed, as the murderous, incestuous family that they are.

     This is a public appearance, so once again, Cersei is in full Queen of the Seven Kingdoms regalia. She wears a Baratheon antler crown, but it is overshadowed by the Lannister lions on the front of her cloak. Not much happens with Cersei in this scene, she's mostly just there to create a sort of "still life with perfect royal family" but like we said, the red and gold, and the large, prominent lions make a statement, and a pretty bold one at that. Also, some epic eye-rolling. Liz Lemon would be proud. 

     Cersei Lannister is the Betty Draper of the Westeros. Seriously, think about it: the lacquered hair, the impeccable outfits, the depression, the adulterous husband. But most of all, the outward appearance of perfection. She is what every woman in Westeros aspires to be.

Hi non-terrible children! Hi!

     This dress of Cersei's is about power, and definitely sex. (Which is fitting, because after this conversation, Ned realizes that Cersei's children may not have been by Robert.) The deep red, the Lannister necklace signifying that she is Jaime's woman, the relaxed hair (no braid helmet here; she doesn't feel she needs that particular piece of armor) - she is in control here, and fully confident that she has the upper hand.   

     She's flaunting her power in front of Ned, baiting him, challenging him to challenge her, dropping cryptic hints, and not a bit worried that Ned will rise to the occasion. She's having fun with politics here.

     Before Cersei begins wearing real armor in season two, this is her own version of protective clothing: red and gold, wealth and power, and the juxtaposition of her soft, robe-like dress with the metal at her neck and waist, holding it all together.

Cersei's really enjoying her role as Evil Queen here.

     And here is the most honest conversation Cersei and Robert ever have. They talk about the Targaryans and the Dothraki, they acknowledge that their terrible marriage is the thread holding the kingdom together. They talk about Lyanna. And finally, Cersei asks, almost tenderly, if there was ever a chance for them. Robert says no. And asks how it makes her feel. Mask firmly back in place, she says that it doesn't make her feel anything, and walks away.

     It's interesting that she goes into this scene with Robert wearing the same clothing, though it's an episode later. It draws a connection between Robert and Ned, but maybe Cersei felt she needed this protection, to feel confident going into a conversation that's almost the opposite of the one above. She is honest with Robert for the first and only time, vulnerable and in no way cryptic. But her clothes allow her to retreat quickly into her protective shell when she needs to, when Robert responds to her.

     This is Cersei's "you win or you die" dress. It's red, which is her power color. She wears it here, and later, when Ned stark confronts her. And in both those scenes, she's out to prove that no one puts Cersei Lannister in a corner. And in these two scenes, at least, she is powerful. Neither Robert Baratheon nor Ned Stark ever get the best of her.

     This is the dress she wears for Jaime - it connects her to him, and stresses her allegiance (not to her husband) in this scene. Now she wears it to confront Ned about his fight with Jaime and the fact that Cat took Tyrion captive. ("How dare you lay hands on my blood.") She and Robert and Ned argue until Robert slaps her across the face hard enough to bruise. And that is the exact moment when Cersei decides that Robert is going to die.

      

                                               She wore this dress in family scenes before and, though Jaime and Tyrion aren't present, this scene is about her family. They are her blood and she will protect them. If that means killing her husband and making an enemy of Ned Stark, so be it. 
     This blue-green dress also blends into the color of the room, both tying Cersei into her surroundings (she's decided Robert is going to leave King's Landing - feet first, but she ain't leaving), and diminishing her visually as Robert diminishes her power in front of Ned.
      
     This is another clashing outfits=unhappy marriage scene. Cersei wears a sumptuous dress in a cool blue-green while Robert is wearing a black jerkin that does its best to mimic armor.

     Now it's time for Ned to confront Cersei about her children's true parentage. She's wearing her same scarlet woman dress from her conversation with Ned that laid the groundwork for this one, as well as her conversation with Robert about their failed marriage (which failed more than Robert will ever know, as it didn't provide him with any true heirs).

     Ned has figured her out, but again, Cersei's not scared. She's so confident in her power in this situation that she tells Ned all, admitting her children are Jaime's and laughing at him. She can easily destroy him. She's left behind any remaining feelings for Robert (her cheek is still red and bruised from when he struck her), and has fully accepted her role as enemy of the crown.

     Instead of high braids here, her hair weaves into a single, long thick braid. Cersei's high piles of braids are about the power she believes she has, but thick braids=true power (see also: Dany at the end of seasons one and two). She's running this show even as she's put on Ned's mini-trial, and her hair knows it.

     And as Robert dies (and he sends her away and keeps Ned with him instead, a final token of his complete disregard for her) she's continues in her power, a Lannister through and through, ready to control the throne through her terrible son.

That's why her hair is so big: it's full of secrets.

     See what we mean about the braids getting higher? It's time to put on a show. This scene is all about securing Joffrey's right to the throne, especially in the face of Ned's (entirely accurate) accusations. She's wearing Baratheon colors and a Baratheon crown (with a green Baratheon jewel at the center). Note that she's still wearing her Lannister necklace, and that this gown is more subtly opulent than anything she's yet worn. The strings of beads that hang down the front bespeak riches as well as invoking chains of office. The cape (which still shows her arms - she's still southern fashionable even in a power coup) is imposing, and the hair that cascades from that truly impressive 'do is looser than usual, conveying a sense of ease in her new position. Joffrey may be sitting on the Iron Throne in this scene, but Cersei's the one in charge, the focal point of everyone's attention. She goes straight for Ned's throat in front of the whole court, coolly and calmly ripping apart Robert's will naming Ned as regent and ordering the death of his entire household.

Hey Cersei, you know ripping things apart doesn't make them disappear or prevent their legality right? No? Well, whatever works for you.

     Throughout it all, the mark on her cheek is still clearly visible, a bright red reminder of why this is all happening. Cersei may be awful, but much of this is also Robert's fault, for neglecting his responsibilities as a husband and a king. Winter is coming, but Robert had it coming, too.