We all know that Game of Thrones‘ watch has ended, and it ended on a pretty disappointing note to many fans. However, it still remains one of the best and most acclaimed television series to date, prone to rewatches and endless cosplay possibilities. There were many things that went into making Game of Thrones the masterpiece that it was — the amazing writing, the outstanding acting, the unbelievable sets and, of course, the costumes.
Every single character displayed their unique style throughout the course of the show, and the choice of wardrobe was anything but arbitrary. The costume department went all in when it came to bringing all these iconic characters to life. With Jon Snow being one of the protagonists, his clothes in particular had plenty of noteworthy intricacies. Let’s take a look at ten hidden details about Jon Snow’s costume you didn’t notice on Game of Thrones.
10 Something Extra
Kit Harington is many things — dashing, an amazing actor, and a pretty cool person overall. What he isn’t though, is tall. Standing at around 173 cm (or 5’8″), Harington was one of the shortest male cast members, which made it pretty complicated when he was acting alongside taller actors, particularly in fight scenes.
So, in true Iron Man/Robert Downey Jr. fashion, Harington had to wear high heels to make him stand as tall as other castmates and make the overall logistics of the series easier for everyone — especially the cameramen. The costume department did a stellar job since pretty much no one noticed this major detail.
9 Hinting At Loyalties
The Game of Thrones costume department has gone on record plenty of times to let audiences know that the wardrobes of the characters were never a coincidence. They often hinted at everything from hidden motives to specific loyalties at a given time. Jon Snow was no exception.
Once the King in the North sided with Mother of Dragons Daenerys Targaryen, some people began noticing a similarity between the way the two dressed. This was obviously done on purpose, in order to better convey Jon’s newfound loyalty and, of course, love.
8 Heavy Is The Cloak
We always felt a little bit bad looking at the actors portraying characters living in the North, most notably the Night’s Watch and the wildlings. Every inch of nature was covered in snow, which meant the actors and actresses had to be dressed in what seemed to be extremely heavy cloaks and fake furs.
Turns out, we had every reason to feel sorry for Jon Snow and company, since these pieces of clothing were, in fact, extremely heavy. This made it harder to film during the long hours and extreme weather conditions that the show demanded.
7 His Clothes Speak About Him
Once again, the people responsible for choosing Jon Snow’s garments clearly weren’t playing around. The heaviness of the cloak hinted at the extreme weather conditions Jon had to live under, but it also hinted at something else.
This weight was both physical and metaphorical, symbolizing how heavy Jon always felt inside throughout the course of the show — not knowing his true parentage, losing his brother and father, deserting the Watch, facing the Night King…Jon had plenty of reasons to feel miserable and heavy inside, and the clothes attempt to mimic that.
6 Gloomy All Around
On a similar note, you’ll notice that Jon Snow wasn’t exactly known for his colorful shirts and patterned capes. From the very moment we meet him as Ned Stark’s bastard to his time with the Watch and the wildlings, all the way to being crowned King in the North, Jon’s clothes are grey on black on grey.
This is yet another strategy to convey his feelings throughout the course of the show, which was paved with very little happiness and plenty of gloominess to go around.
5 We Buy IKEA
Have you ever wondered how the people in charge of costume designing ever came up with the clothes worn by the people in the North, namely the Watch and the wildlings? No, it’s not fur, even though it seems pretty believable.
In fact, the very famous garments that were keeping the characters warm were none other than IKEA carpets and rugs. This means that if you’re thinking about dressing up as Jon Snow next Halloween, you need to look no further than your closest interior design store.
4 Harington Wasn’t Crazy About It
Due to the heaviness of his character’s clothes and the long hours and nights filming in the freezing cold, Kit Harington wasn’t exactly happy with the wardrobe chosen for him.
Several people admitted in interviews that while all of the actors kept something that belonged to their characters’ wardrobe, Harington didn’t want to take anything with him, simply because he disliked them so much. Can’t blame him.
3 A Sad Goodbye
Even though Harington seemed to dislike his wardrobe so much, that didn’t keep him from feeling a lot of sorrow when it was time to say goodbye. In fact, he admitted that the last time he was taking off Jon Snow’s clothes, it was an incredibly emotional moment.
The actor said taking off the outfit felt like being skinned, and he was so reluctant to be stripped of it that the costume department had to almost tear it off of him. Eight years is a lot of time — we definitely understand the emotions.
2 A Cape Is A Tribute
Jon Snow’s statement piece is, and always will be, the huge cape that he wears throughout the show. And even though Harington disliked it immensely and it was actually an IKEA rug, the cape had a very important meaning for the character of Jon Snow.
It was a tribute to Ned Stark, the man who Jon believed was his father. The cape was so significant that the costume department had several discussions about it, even deciding to remove it for the scenes when Jon was more vulnerable.
1 Worn Out Isn’t An Accident
Aside from characters who’ve had it easier throughout the show — who, let’s admit it, weren’t many — the costumes of the cast often seem worn out and old, depicting the harsh conditions many of the characters had to endure while vying for the Iron Throne and protecting Westeros, including Jon Snow.
As it turns out, there was actually an entire breakdown team, whose only job was to work over the pieces of the wardrobe in order to give them a more worn and nasty appearance.
