I am Daenerys of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regnant of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons.

October 2017 was the first time that I’ve sewn my own Halloween costume and I have to say, I’m hooked!

I knew I wanted to make a Daenerys Targaryen costume after watching the most recent season of Game of Thrones. The only question was, which look should I go for?

As much as I love her early white and tan costumes from season 1, her blue costumes from season 3 and 4, and her white and purple costumes from season 5,  I really fell in love with her brown leather costume from season 6 episode 9 “Battle of the Bastards”

It is the perfect combination of Dothraki, Meereen, and Mother of Dragons.

I used faux leather from Cali Fabrics and McCalls 6941 to make the bodice. Because faux leather is notoriously difficult to work with, I made a muslin beforehand. It highlighted a few things to change: shorten the back bodice, and move the crossover straps.

I ended up with this…

The skirt is a piece of leftover faux suede from my suede circle skirt. I cut it at a jagged angle and then pinned it around myself. I chose not to add fastenings but just pin it every time I wear it because it makes it look much more “thrown together.” I worried a zip or buttons would ruin the look.

I made a belt from leather cord and conchos from eBay. The two belts are just tied around my waist with the cord.

My wig is from eBay as well and was the thing I agonized about the most. Here is the one I used. It looks great but it doesn’t style very easily. It get tangled and won’t hold a braid. If you were looking to recreate any of Daeny’s styles with many braids from later seasons, this is not the wig to use.

So there you have it! My first step into cosplaying/halloween costume making. I’m already thinking about what to make for this year…stay tuned!