By now, we’ve all learned that the rustic cloaks of the Night’s Watch on Game of Thrones are really provided by furniture store/Big Meatball cabal head, IKEA. Hey, you save a buck where you can in film production, especially with an entire army to costume. But now those savings are being passed on to you! To help cosplayers and last-minute Halloween costumers, IKEA has put out some instructions. But you will need a little help.
First step: Take one of IKEA’s sheepskin rugs, like a Ludde, grab some scissors, and start cutting:
That said, though, there are some more changes you need to make. According to costume designer Michele Clapton, more work went into creating this look than just cutting a hole:
We cut and shaved them and then we added strong leather straps and then breakdown, which is a religion on Game Of Thrones. I wanted you to smell the costumes. Here, they were waxed and frosted so they belong with the landscape.
Don’t freak out yet: A big part of making this costume is dyeing the rung. It’s easy enough to dye your own clothes; just set aside a little time.
Here’s where it gets more difficult: You should distress the rug before you throw it in the dye; trim any spots you want shorter, and maybe throw it in a box of rocks, let the dog roll on it, or otherwise give it a quick beating. After the dye sets, give the rug another round of distress, and then give it a nice waxing. Don’t worry, a lot of clothing you own has wax in it already, and this will help waterpoof your cape. Ask anybody who’s been near a wet sheepskin — you want a waterproof cape.
You’ll also want to get some leather stitching supplies, if you want the full effect, and yes, that will require some hand sewing. Don’t worry, if that doesn’t appeal, you can just stitch some black straps to it, or even discreetly pin it closed with safety pins, although we might recommend some strong ones and that you paint the pins black so they blend into the cloak. As for growing the beard and rich flowing locks of Jon Snow, you’ll just have to grow it out and see what happens.
(Via Cosmopolitan)
