Game of Thrones season 8: The significance of Sansa Stark’s finale look

The sartorial choices of the eldest Stark daughter have marked pivotal moments throughout her storyline

*Spoilers ahead for the season eight finale of Game of Thrones*

The eight-year run of the fantasy epic that is Game of Thrones has finally come to an end, with the culmination of its eighth season.

The finale saw Sansa Stark crowned Queen in the North in Winterfell, the ruler of a northern kingdom independent of the other six realms of Westeros.

Throughout Game of Thrones, Sansa's choice of attire has marked pivotal moments of her storyline.

Take season four, for example, when she dyed her hair dark brown and donned a gothic, raven-esque gown as a demonstration of her newly found confidence and power.

The last ever episode of the television show was no different, with Sansa opting for a look which symbolised a new chapter in her life as a noble and revered monarch.

Here's a breakdown of the significance of Sansa's finale look:

Tree branch breast plate

Sansa's breast plate features a tree branch design, which could symbolise the Weirwood tree in Winterfell (HBO)

Sansa's breast plate features a tree branch design, which likely pays homage to the Weirwood tree.

In Game of Thrones folklore, the Weirwood is a sacred species of tree which is connected to the ancient religion of the Old Gods of the Forest.

A Weirwood tree lies in the godswood of Winterfell, the ancestral home of the noble House Stark.

The tree is characterised by white bark and red leaves.

It may also be noted that Sansa's gown is far lighter in colour than any dress she's worn for several seasons, which may symbolise the period of peace she hopes to promote as Queen in the North.

Fish scale sleeves

Sansa's sleeves pay tribute to the House of her mother, Catelyn Stark (HBO)

While Sansa is a member of House Stark, her lineage can also be traced to House Tully through her mother, Catelyn Stark.

Catelyn Stark was born Catelyn Tully, a member of House Tully of Riverrun.

The sigil of House Tully is a silver trout.

As such, the fish scale design of Sansa's sleeves pays tribute to her late mother and her ancestry.

Weirwood leaves on inside of sleeves

The interior of Sansa's sleeves are embellished with Weirwood leaves (HBO)

While the exterior of Sansa's sleeves pay homage to House Tully, the interior of the sleeves reference the sacred and scarce Weirwood trees.

In Game of Thrones, the Weirwood tree at the centre of a godswood is called a "heart tree".

Heart trees have faces carved into them, which weep red tree sap from their eyes.

Red stitching links the leaves on the fabric of Sansa's trees, which could be in reference to the red tree sap.

Wearing her hair down

Sansa no longer bases her hairstyle on another female character (HBO)

Throughout Sansa's journey on Game of Thrones, she has frequently adapted her hairstyle depending on the other female characters she's keeping company with at the time.

In season one, when she travelled to King's Landing, she donned over-the-top hairstyles similar to that of the queen, Cersei Lannister.

Later on when Sansa fosters a friendship with Margaery Tyrell, she adapts her hairstyle to copy her new companion by opting for a half-up, half-down do with loose plaits.

In season eight, despite there being friction between Sansa and Daenerys Targaryen, the eldest Stark daughter copies the Mother of Dragons by donning a hairstyle with a tightly plaited bun design at the back.

Finally, as Sansa is crowned Queen in the North in Winterfell, she stops mimicking the hairstyles of other female characters, instead choosing to wear her hair completely down as a representation of her powerful new identity.

The coronation crown

Sansa's ornate coronation crown (HBO)

Sansa's coronation crown (HBO)

Sansa's coronation crown bears similarities with the crown placed on the head of Cersei Lannister, when she is named queen at the end of season six.

However, while Cersei's crown featured an abstract design of a lion at the front, in reference to the sigil of House Lannister, Sansa's features two intertwined direwolves, the animal featured on the sigil of House Stark.

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