Emma D’Arcy, Matt Smith’s House of the Dragon Wins an Emmy in the Category Everyone Knew it Would
A prequel to the epic fantasy show Game of Thrones that had the audience in chokehold, House of the Dragon is an epic American fantasy show created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal for HBO. It is the second series in the A Song of Ice and Fire franchise and it has already managed to create a tsunami of loyal fans that somewhat undoes the damage of Game of Thrones season 8.
The series premiere was watched by over 10 million viewers across linear channels and HBO Max on the first day, making a record as the biggest debut in HBO history.
The series earned nine Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, which was not a surprise at all. The show even managed to snag one award that everyone was certain about.
House of the Dragon snatches the Emmy for Best Fantasy Costumes
Due to SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, many award shows got delayed or postponed, including the Emmys. The winners of some categories got the chance for early recognition ahead of the actual ceremony, such as Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes.
The Television Academy took to X to announce House of the Dragon as the winner of the category. When Discussing Films posted about it on X as well, fans were anything but surprised. Most fans touted it as a well-deserved win, with many praising the characters Alicent and Rhaenyra’s elaborate dresses for carrying the show. Check out some of the reactions below.
Also Read: George R.R. Martin Made ‘House of the Dragon’ Showrunner Lose His Mind With 1 Simple Phone Call
Rhaenyra’s episode 8 dress carried 🤭 pic.twitter.com/U34jSmhEPe
— Targ 🐉🚒 (@1llicitBuck) January 7, 2024
https://twitter.com/HIGHTW2_/status/1743823164096892987
It’s well deserved
— BONNET ROUGE (@medhzopulga) January 7, 2024
Beautiful fantasy costumes… well deserved
— V.S (@vishal070393) January 7, 2024
emmy winning masterpiece
— L 🌊 (@lukelipa) January 7, 2024
French costume designer Jany Temime is well-known for the magic she can weave with fabrics. Some of her most notable works include Harry Potter (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), James Bond (Spectre), and Marvel’s Black Widow. However, none could probably prepare her for the challenge that was the 10-hour-long House of the Dragon.
In this fantasy world, each piece of cloth told a story, eventually even forming enemy teams based on the color of the two dominant queen’s attire—the blacks and the greens. Whether it was a member of the royal family or the royal court, Temime made sure that the decade-long power struggle was done with style.
Jany Temime, who worked relentlessly for more than a year and a half, opened up to The Credits about her journey and said,
“I started designing the series thinking: ‘Okay, it’s about a bunch of houses. They hate each other. They’re powerful people who want to be the biggest, the strongest, and they’ll kill each other to get that.’ House of the Dragon happened many centuries ago, but if you think about it, this could happen now. If it weren’t dragons, it would be something else.”
Also Read: House of the Dragon Star Paddy Considine Rejected Game of Thrones Role as it Had “Dragons”
She also gave an insight into subtle details in the show, like weaving dragons into the costumes of the Targaryen clothes: “Look for the dragons,” because there isn’t a single [Targaryen] costume where you won’t find a dragon somewhere in the weaving or the jewelry or the buttons.” It took her workers six months to achieve the result but in the end, it was magnificent.
The cast shares their vision behind House of the Dragon costumes
In a Vogue piece done on the costumes of House of the Dragon, the cast opened up about the vision behind the costumes. In the show, the Taragaryen dynasty is at the height of its power. So, this definitely has to be reflected in not only their costumes but also their armor, which was reminiscent of the medieval period. Color plays a massive role throughout the show. Black, red, and gold are ominous colors that symbolize blood, fire, and death when the characters want to assert their political dominance or legacy.
Milly Alcock, who plays young Rhaenyra Targaryen, had badass costumes throughout her time on the series that showed off her rebellious side. Her costume had “a repetitive detail where I have dragon spikes on a lot of my costumes, and it’s on that one, too. It was tough to move in, but I loved that costume. It’s kind of punk and reflects Rhaenyra’s rebellious attitude when she is a teenager.” Temime’s dedication to her craft is truly praiseworthy in House of the Dragon.
House of the Dragon is available to watch on Max (formerly HBO Max).