The coronation dress, as seen on the Funko Pop indicated the sum of her experiences throughout the show as well as her new status (Hosein, 2020). In her coronation scene she is seen wearing a corset made of metal. It is a nod back to the leather corset that she wore in earlier seasons, but also reflects that Sansa is protecting herself, even with this new status she has as Queen in the North (Clapton, 2019, cited in Renfro, 2019). The inside of her sleeves was embroidered with crimson weirwood leaves, signifying all the trauma that she faced during her time but was also a nod back to her fallen family members. Moreover, having the leaves of the weirwood on her sleeves, reminds us of the power of the North and its ancient traditions (Renfro, 2019).
Her crown featuring two direwolves was a nod back to the symbol of her family as well as her brother Robb as he wore a similar clasp on his cloak as he was killed during the Red Wedding (Clapton, 2019, cited in Renfro, 2019). Clapton writes that the fur on the cloak is rabbit fur as a nod back to her brother’s fur who wore this kind of fur when they were young at Winterfell (Clapton, 2019, cited in Renfro, 2019). Whilst this is difficult to see on the Funko Pop itself it is distinguishable in Figure 1.
The costumes often play a bigger part in the show than we realise. With so much going on in Game of Thrones the show makers cannot afford to say everything. Sorry George R.R Martin but time is of the essence here. Therefore, the creative team of the show has to look at other aspects of the show to add in details, details that can have a large impact on a character’s arc.
This is particularly the case for Sansa Stark throughout the eight seasons of Game of Thrones. By the end of season eight, yes we know that Sansa is the Queen in the North but having a well crafted outfit full of symbolism can take us back to the very beginning without literally taking us back. The coronation costume that Sansa wears in the show and on the Funko Pop! represents her growth from a naive girl to an older and more seasoned woman of her time who made her way to the throne. The show’s costume designer was intent on symbolising that change and everything that Sansa Stark endured during the show with this outfit (Hosein, 2020).
Here is the video of the coronation scene from the final episode of the show, where Sansa Stark becomes Queen in the North and is therefore, the first woman to sit on the throne.