Danerys Targaryen - fabric? + introduction

Hello everyone

First of all, I will introduce myself: I am Paine, I've been cosplaying for about 5 years now, I started from level zero (didn't know how to sew ) and I gradually learned how to sew, and how to make various props.

For those who are interested to see what kind of costumes I am doing, I have a FB page where you can see most of my recent work: https://www.facebook.com/PaineCosplay

So I am really into "monsters" and into period-inspired dresses.

I'm following the book serie "A song of ice and fire", and I am currently watching HBO's Game of Thrones.

I really fell in love with Daenery's season 2 dress:



And thus I came here for advice: it looks like the dress is in silk chiffon/georgette. However, it also looks like the fabric is layered with a sort of golden spots.

Therefore, my question is the following: what kind of fabrics do you guys think was used for this dress? Do you by any chance know where I could find any detail about the blue dress?

And as I am not familiar with the world of movie/series replicas: is there any place where I could actually buy the same fabric? I have no idea who or how (or if) you can contact movie costume/fabric suppliers.

Many thanks for reading me and sorry for all of the questions

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Simon Brindle .... costume armour supervisor (20 episodes, 2011-2012)
Catherine Shanks .... costume coordinator / costume department coordinator (20 episodes, 2011-2012)
Katy Taylor .... costume trainee / trainee seamstress (20 episodes, 2011-2012)
Ciara Winnington .... principle costume trainee / principal costumer / ... (20 episodes, 2011-2012)
Claire Snoddy .... costume assistant / assistant key crowd costume (17 episodes, 2011-2012)
Chloe Aubry .... assistant costume designer / assistant designer (13 episodes, 2011-2012)
Alex Fordham .... assistant costume designer / assistant designer (13 episodes, 2011-2012)
Donna Hughes .... principal standby / principal key costume (13 episodes, 2011-2012)
Carolyn Marston .... costume extras supervisor / crowd costume supervisor / ... (13 episodes, 2011-2012)
Edel McCarron .... principal standby (13 episodes, 2011-2012)
Susan Pollard .... set costumer / key crowd costume / ... (13 episodes, 2011-2012)
Kathryn Tart .... assistant costume supervisor / principal key costume (13 episodes, 2011-2012)
Rachael Webb-Crozier .... costume supervisor (13 episodes, 2011-2012)
Sarah Yeoman .... wardrobe mistress (13 episodes, 2011-2012)
Stephanie McCutcheon .... costume trainee (12 episodes, 2011-2012)
Stephen O'Rawe .... crowd assistant supervisor / assistant crowd supervisor (12 episodes, 2011-2012)
Melanie Carmichael .... costume maker / costume seamstress (11 episodes, 2011-2012)
Enda Kenny .... costume breakdown supervisor / breakdown supervisor (11 episodes, 2011-2012)
Mark Miller .... senior costume armourer (11 episodes, 2011-2012)
David Craig .... costume supervisor: Malta unit / assistant costume supervisor (10 episodes, 2011-2012)
Kathryn Blight .... wardrobe mistress (10 episodes, 2011)
Kerry Gooding .... principal standby / costume assistant (10 episodes, 2011)
Emma O'Loughlin .... costume trainee (10 episodes, 2011)
Wyn Vaughan-Humphreys .... principal standby (10 episodes, 2011)
Lex Wood .... costume buyer (10 episodes, 2011)
Michele Carragher .... principal cast embroiderer (9 episodes, 2011-2012)
Josie Pledge .... key costume cutter (9 episodes, 2011)
Ashleigh Lennox .... costume trainee / crowd costume assistant (8 episodes, 2011-2012)
Orla Marley .... costume assistant / crowd costume assistant (8 episodes, 2011-2012)
Nicky Jones .... senior costume armourer (8 episodes, 2011)
Katharine Newitt .... costume armour coordinator/maker (8 episodes, 2011)
Stephen Ralphs .... costume armourer: Malta unit (8 episodes, 2011)
Vicky Salway .... assistant crowd supervisor: Malta unit (8 episodes, 2011)
Caoimhe Stack .... crowd costumer: Malta unit (8 episodes, 2011)
Jane Wrigley .... dyer (8 episodes, 2011)
Carmen Agius .... costume dresser: Malta unit (7 episodes, 2011)
Gina Bonello .... costume dresser: Malta unit (7 episodes, 2011)
Katarina Borosova .... costume stand-by: Malta unit (7 episodes, 2011)
Ernest Camilleri .... costume coordinator: Malta unit (7 episodes, 2011)
Michele Clapton .... costumer (7 episodes, 2011)
Marcelle Giannakoudakis .... costume dresser: Malta unit (7 episodes, 2011)
Mia Hoffman .... crowd costumer: Malta unit (7 episodes, 2011)
Kate Lawes .... principal costume maker (7 episodes, 2011)
Caroline Hill .... costume assistant / crowd costume assistant (3 episodes, 2011-2012)
Christine Barbknecht .... costume maker (3 episodes, 2012)
Carla Barrow .... principal standby (3 episodes, 2012)
Andrea Beaumont .... weaver (3 episodes, 2012)
Tony Blyton .... costume armourer / costume armorer (3 episodes, 2012)
Harriet Edmonds .... key crowd costume (3 episodes, 2012)
Lauren Hanna .... costume seamstress (3 episodes, 2012)
Nichola Jones .... senior costume armourer (3 episodes, 2012)
Rachel Low .... principal standby (3 episodes, 2012)
Lyndie MacIntyre .... principal maker (3 episodes, 2012)
Sally-Gay McCann .... principal standby (3 episodes, 2012)
Crawford McKenzie .... costume cutter (3 episodes, 2012)
Rebecca McManus .... principal standby (3 episodes, 2012)
Camille Moohan .... principal standby (3 episodes, 2012)
Carole O'Neal .... costume cutter (3 episodes, 2012)
Margaret Pescott .... principal costume seamstress (3 episodes, 2012)
Margaret Plunkett .... costume armourer / costume armorer (3 episodes, 2012)
Leonie Roberts .... wardrobe mistress (3 episodes, 2012)
Ivan Thomas .... costume armourer / costume armorer (3 episodes, 2012)
Kate Thomson .... costume dyer (3 episodes, 2012)
Raymond Widdowson .... costume armourer / costume armorer (3 episodes, 2012)
Sonja Maric Banovic .... seamstress: Croatia Unit (2 episodes, 2012)
Andrea Kustovic .... crowd costume standby: Croatia Unit (2 episodes, 2012)
Mara Kolic Pustic .... costume breakdown: Croatia Unit (2 episodes, 2012)
Katja Sunjic .... crowd costume standby: Croatia Unit (2 episodes, 2012)
Anja Anka Vlahinic .... seamstress: Croatia Unit (2 episodes, 2012)


If you are a subscriber to IMDB Pro, you can get these individuals contact information. Here is a link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/fullcredits#cast

I would reach out to the crew first regarding the origin of the fabric.

Good luck!

Many many thanks

However, I feel a bit uncomfortable to contact the crew to ask a question about my cosplay ;p but anyway, I can still try and it will be amazing if I get any answer!! If I do I will share it without any doubt!

But I still have to figure out how to ask without a pro account maybe some of my pals could help!

Many Thanks Obi Sean!!! x x

You might want to join us over here: Log In | Facebook

Lots of very talented GoT costumers in our group.

Interviews with the costume designer have stated that nearly all fabrics were woven, dyed, and printed exclusively for the show. The likelihood of finding anything exact would be next to impossible. But maybe you can find something somewhat close. Best of luck to you! I love that dress too.

Paine said:

Many many thanks

However, I feel a bit uncomfortable to contact the crew to ask a question about my cosplay ;p but anyway, I can still try and it will be amazing if I get any answer!! If I do I will share it without any doubt!

But I still have to figure out how to ask without a pro account maybe some of my pals could help!

Many Thanks Obi Sean!!! x x

Click to expand...

Much of the information gleaned by members here was discovered by asking crew members (and former crew members) questions.

From the type of paints used on Boba Fett's armor to the type of hat/shoes/bag (etc) that Harrison Ford wore in Raiders. All was learned from conversations with those involved in the production.

If I were you, thats where I would start.

I read these books when they were initially published, and have loved the series thus far.

If your White Queen costume is any indicator, you are going to be an awesome Danerys.

Keep us updated with your progress!!!

Thank you, Iycis I already asked to join the group (I am Vanessa). You guys have sweet costumes there!
I am indeed ready to dye the fabric and to try to reproduce the steps they made to obtain the beautiful result, I don't necessarily need to find it ready-made

@Obi Sean: thank you so much, that's very encouraging, I will try to do my best Dany is one of my favourite books character, and although her costumes are quite different in the show, I think that dress really does her justice

Paine said:

Thank you, Iycis I already asked to join the group (I am Vanessa). You guys have sweet costumes there!
I am indeed ready to dye the fabric and to try to reproduce the steps they made to obtain the beautiful result, I don't necessarily need to find it ready-made

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Oh very good then! I look forward to seeing your progress.

Welcome to the RPF, and to Game of Thrones costuming! The Facebook group iycis linked is a great one, and there's another specifically for DragonCon 2012 GoT/ASoIaF costuming and meetup here, so if you're planning on going to DragonCon, definitely join that one too.

On the Quarth dress, my guess is that it's probably light blue silk that has a gold-leaf print added after weaving. If you think about Quarth as a city and the clothing they've showed us from it so far, the mode of dress there is all about over-the-top luxury and displays of wealth. The gold filigree belts worn by everyone, the little jeweled bug brooches that the citizens pile on, even the amount of fabric shows that the wearer has wealth. So to take silk, which is already an expensive fabric, and add gold-leaf designs to the fabric itself, seems in-line with the other gratuitous displays of wealth.

If I were going to tackle this dress, I would start out by trying to identify the type of fabric first, silk or whatever else, in what weight, weave, sheerness, etc. You mentioned silk chiffon/georgette, and I think that's a pretty good guess. Silk takes dye really well, so if you can't find exactly the right blue, it'd be easy enough to start from white and dye it to the right blue. Once you have the base color, I would experiment with gold fabric paints over the blue. The pattern of gold on Daenerys's dress isn't really obvious, so you could hand-paint the fabric and have it turn out well, I think. Stamping the fabric with gold fabric paint would be another option.

Bottom line, I don't think you're going to find exactly the right fabric off the shelf, since the show almost certainly had it made by hand. But if you can start with the right weight and weave, with a little experimenting I think you can end up with fabric that looks like it walked right off the set. Good luck!

Thanks, Glasscannon!

Of course, I am aware that finding the perfect fabric is close to impossible (impossible in Dany's case ;p), but I indeed meant to have some opinions about the basic fabric.

I have all of my material at the moment, and I started making Dany's dress (the under dress is done).

For those who would like to know my choices:

- 4m of aqua colored satin back-faille for the under dress
- 8m of silk chiffon for the dress in itself (1m large only, that explains the quantity). I am going to dye the silk in aqua blue (china blue Dylon + a dash of green) and crinkle it.
- A 100ml jar of jacquart golden silk paint (classic gold) to stamp the golden pattern
- 3 big sheets of craft foam for the armor parts. Covered with a sheet of thin plastic (for the very clean effect) and golden acrylic paint

Of crouse, the progress can be seen on my cosplay FB page, I will also try to add the patterns asap

Many many thanks to those who helped, it is brilliant, and I hope my post will help many future Danys as well