‘House of the Dragon’ Used Over 2,000 Elaborate Costumes
House of the Dragon takes place in a fantasy world set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. The cast wore elaborate costumes, elegant dresses, and impressive suits of armor throughout the series. Costume designer Jany Temime had her work cut out for her on the prequel series, and she created over 2,000 elaborate costumes.
Award-winning costume designer Jany Temime worked on the set of ‘House of the Dragon’
Costume designer Jany Temime is definitely no rookie. An award-winning French costume designer, Temime has worked in the film industry for quite some time. However, she had her work cut out for her when creating costumes for House of the Dragon.
“Our crew was between 150 and 170 people,” she said while speaking to Harper’s Bazaar. “We had two to three units shooting at the same time. I had my little electric car running from one set to the other. For the extras, I created 2,000 costumes. And then, for the characters, 300 or more.”
For Temime, who has worked on major films such as Harry Potter, Black Widow, and Skyfall, it wasn’t the size of production that proved difficult. “What was challenging was to have different directors, different [directors of photography] each episode,” the costume designer continued.
“You usually start with one director, and you get to know what they like, and you work with much more confidence. But on House of the Dragon, because directors were changing, you were constantly backed into a new challenge.”
Temime says creating the men’s costumes was the most difficult
One of Temime’s favorite pieces to create for House of the Dragon was the armor worn by many of the male characters. “I loved making the armor—there’s something about working with metal and creating these shapes,” she told Tatler Magazine. “You can’t [cut corners] with armor because it’s all about proportion and volume and movement.”
Still, creating costumes for the men proved especially difficult. “The biggest challenge was the men,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “I wanted to have men in skirts to the knee. I think nothing is sexier than a man in a skirt. I found these amazing Japanese samurai skirts for references, and I put those on Matt [Smith, who plays Prince Daemon]. He started walking with it, and it was fantastic.”
One of Smith’s costume pieces in House of the Dragon turned out to be the most difficult for Temime to create. “Even though I loved the armor, it was difficult to design Daemon’s armor, especially because I thought it was extremely important,” she told Tatler. “When it came to his helmet, I didn’t want to do just any kind of mask—I wanted to create a sexy dragon.”
Rhaenyra’s coronation day look was inspired by Moroccan brides
Additionally, Temime found Rhaenyra’s coronation dress from the House of the Dragon premiere challenging. “It’s supposed to be antique for the time. I wanted to do something cultural but not too recognizable. Their world is completely fantasy, and it’s difficult when you’re trying to create a unique, antique, and special dress,” she revealed to Tatler.
Temime layered necklaces from markets to create the headpiece. She used Moroccan brides as an inspiration for Rheanyra’s accessories. She stated, “I wanted to create a beautiful version of something that viewers would be interested in wearing themselves.”
House of the Dragon airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
