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SYFY WIRE Look of the Week

Look of the Week: Gwendoline Christie and Sophie Turner's fantasy fashion moments

By Emma Fraser
Gwendoline Christie

Welcome back to Look of the Week, celebrating the best in TV and film sartorial excellence, past and present across sci-fi, horror, fantasy, and other genre classics!

Rainbow ruffles and hot pink heart emblems are a far cry from the armor, capes, furs, and chains that dominate the Westeros winter ‘19 season. Game of Thrones has featured colorful garments in previous years, but the time for frivolity has long since passed. Black and various shades of black are very on trend for a majority of the Seven Kingdoms: a classic choice, but one that doesn't leave much room for sartorial flair.  Thankfully, stars Gwendoline Christie and Sophie Turner are getting to enjoy a different kind of fantasy fashion, courtesy of Japanese designer Tomo Koizumi.

Brienne of Tarth has fought a bear, a Hound, and is now preparing for a war to end all wars, but the ability to walk down the stairs in this extravagant Japanese polyester organza caped jumpsuit, without so much as a stumble, is worthy of sitting on the Iron Throne. It doesn’t look particularly practical, but this ensemble doubles as a great cushion against the cold metal of all those swords. Maybe everyone wouldn’t be so hell-bent on winning this seat by any means necessary if King’s Landing couture was a little more fun. This would be quite the outfit to dish out orders in, Cersei (Lena Headey) could never.

Gwendoline Christie
Anyway, I’m pretty sure Brienne could win a sword fight in layers and layers of rainbow fabric, even if her hands are concealed underneath all that material. All the better for a surprise counter-attack. Koizumi even refers to his creations as “ruffle armor for girls.”

Meanwhile, Sophie Turner gets to indulge in sartorial-infused pop shenanigans in fiancé Joe Jonas’ new Jonas Brothers video — alongside sisters-in-law Priyanka Chopra and Danielle Jonas. Opting for an aesthetic that mixes The Favourite with the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, “Sucker” is the first single from the band in six years. An event of this caliber calls for an array of super glitzy garb, including a very Villanelle-esque pink tulle Giambattista Valli frock. The Killing Eve-style influence continues to penetrate all areas of fashion. However, it is Turner in a Tomo Koizumi Sailor Moon-inspired heart dress who pulls focus.

Sophie Turner
It's a far cry from the wolf-heavy influence of her Winterfell closet; the sun is shining, and White Walkers couldn't handle these conditions. Sansa has become the heart of the Stark family, so it might be time to switch out a wardrobe inspired by her father for something a little more fun. Granted, she already has trouble getting people to take her seriously, so it might not be the most strategic of choices. Costume designer Michele Clapton knows what she is doing; pink isn’t in the cards for a Stark rebrand, no matter how much I want it.

Christie and Turner’s organza color explosion get-up is less King’s Landing, more hanging out with Keira Knightley's Sugar Plum Fairy in the recent Disney film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. And while it was neither a great critical or box-office success, Jenny Beavan’s CDGA-nominated designs did do a lot of favors for candy couture. Either that or it is the fashion version of the flower people in Annihilation. This is probably what it looks like when a person's DNA turns to fabric. And honestly, that would be quite the way to go. Just ask Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright), who may or may not become a magical tree.

Before his debut collection landed with fanfare at New York Fashion Week last month, Koizumi only had 2,000 followers on Instagram — he has gained over 30,000 new devotees on the platform at the time of writing this piece. This social media platform skyrocketed him to fame when his work was seen by designers Giles Deacon (Christie's partner) and Marc Jacobs, and stylist Katie Grand. Having a Game of Thrones star close out your show, especially one with as impressive a resume on the runway as Christie, is quite the pop culture fashion crossover event. It also helps that Thrones fever is about to reach an all-time high; wall-to-wall coverage is coming.

Koizumi has experienced quite the IRL fashion fairy tale, as he was given a month to pull together his debut NYFW collection. Even the Project Runway finalists get longer than this. Nevertheless, he made it work and then some. The final result is a fashion spectacle, perfect for two stars of the biggest fantasy show on TV. Winter is indeed here, but this time it is a cascading color confection.