With a new season of Game of Thrones comes new challenges for our characters. Over the course of the show, the costumes have served not only practical purposes, but reflected those characters’ journeys. For Sansa Stark, this means wearing her first suit of armor in season 8.
We’ve seen Sansa in new looks every season, all of them reflective of where she was both literally and figuratively at the time. She’s gone from wearing Northern-style clothes to sporting southern threads; she modeled her hair after Cersei when she was betrothed to Joffrey, and then after Margaery when it became clear that Cersei was the worst of all role models. During her captivity in King’s Landing, she played the role of a loyal and dutiful lady, and her dress and hairstyles were part of the act. How she looked was as much a part of her survival strategy as what she said and did.
During her short stint as Alayne Stone in the Vale, Sansa’s feathered dress referenced the bird imagery often associated with the character; people gave her nicknames like “little bird” and “little dove” while she was in King’s Landing, and there has always been a sort of “pretty bird trapped in a gilded cage” theme to Sansa’s arc. Her Alayne dress embraced that; she was trying to take control over her narrative.
Her return to Winterfell in season 5 saw Sansa a prisoner in her own home, but her costumes managed to reflect a sense of self-realization and identity all the same. This was perhaps most evident in her wedding dress. The white color spoke to her youth and innocence, the silver fish clasps represented her Tully ancestry and the fur stole references the Starks of the North. In this marriage to Ramsay Bolton, Sansa was being used for her identity as the Stark heir and “key to the North” in an attempt to legitimize the Boltons’ claim on Winterfell. She spent the season suffering and enduring great trauma, as well as coming back to where she was meant to be.
In seasons 6 and 7, Sansa once again embraced Northern styles and her identity as a Stark. She was no longer a prisoner or a pawn, but a player in the game. And now, Entertainment Weekly reports on a new look to come for Sansa in the final season: armor.
The costume is not Jaime Lannister or Brienne of Tarth-style metal armor, but more like a jet-black ensemble made of thick leather or similar material.
“We [had] the idea of it being very protective and she buttons herself up,” Turner says. “I wanted her to have a bit of armor and be a bit more warrior like. She’s like the warrior of Winterfell.”
Without any images, it’s hard to envision how precisely the look will pull together. But Turner’s comments remind me of what Game of Thrones costume designer Michele Clapton said about Sansa’s costumes in season 7:
This is her taking back control of her body. I designed it to wrap around over her side-laced dress to represent the absolute removal of any possible physical touch. Her dresses are also tightly laced on, incredibly difficult to remove.
The belt and the quilted fabrics Sansa preferred last season also convey a sense of security and comfort. Despite the oncoming battles, she is in her element as Lady of Winterfell, at home in the North and surrounded by family and other protectors. Turner’s description of the season 8 armor as “protective” and something in which Sansa “buttons herself up” suggests that the character’s confidence and sense of self remain intact, and will define her journey as the series comes to a close.
Likely this costume change won’t mean any drastic alterations to Sansa’s character. She may wear armor, but I don’t expect her to also wield a weapon in battle. Swordsmanship is a skill that takes practice and training; Sansa doesn’t have it and doesn’t really need it. She even has a sort of unofficial Queensguard in Brienne, Arya and Jon Snow, her sworn shield and trusted loved ones. They protect and advise each other.
At the moment, Sansa’s position is roughly analogous to Cersei’s as she was presented in the first season: a powerful player at the upper levels of a kingdom. Both women take a more traditionally feminine role to their leadership. Think of them during the Battle of the Blackwater, when they sat with the women in the Red Keep. By that point, Cersei was too jaded and drunk to do her duty and lift the spirits of these frightened people, so Sansa intervened and engaged them in song and prayer.
But this year, it sounds like Sansa could play a more active part on the battlefield — not necessarily in the actual battle, but by being present to rally the Northern armies and the Knights of the Vale. It may play out similarly to her role in “Battle of the Bastards” in season 6, when she stood at the front of the Vale army, though this time around we can speculate that Sansa will be more interactive with the troops. Think something along the lines of Queen Elizabeth I.
Turner’s observation that Sansa is “like the warrior of Winterfell” fits with all of this, and speaks to her place in the Stark family. She bears the title and the responsibilities of the Lady of Winterfell. As we saw when she was discussing rations and winter-proofed armor last season, it’s clear that Sansa’s top priority is the safety and well-being of the North.
The color choice for her armor is another interesting point. Now, black isn’t at all uncommon or out of the ordinary, but its significance lies in the way George R.R. Martin reconfigured traditional color symbolism in the Song of Ice and Fire novels. Rather than white and black representing “good” and “evil” respectively, the White Walkers — who are icy white in color — are the villains while the members of the Night’s Watch — who dress all in black — are the defenders of humanity.
So while the “jet-black” color of Sansa’s armor may not signify a big shift in her character, it does denote her role as a hero and a leader of her people. We’ll see exactly how she embodies those characteristics when Game of Thrones returns in April.
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