I was Cersei without even trying. I was naked Daenerys walking around barefoot in a five-star hotel. Heck, I was even a gender-bent Night King.
How in Seven Kingdoms was I going to top all of those off?
I had backed myself into a corner. There really was nothing left to do than to be the damn Iron Throne.
So that’s exactly what happened.
People who know me enough know that I have a propensity for being a teeny weenie extra. I’m a staunch believer in dress codes, true, but also, I’m like—why stop at following them when I can stretch my creativity a bit more? Especially when cheese ensaimadas are at stake.
It helps to have a partner-in-crime who understands that mindset, is a DIY whiz, and can’t resist a good challenge when presented with an opportunity. #SanaAll So, about ten days before the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu’s Game of Thrones Series Finale Viewing Party, Antonio began putting my costume together.
What’s more un-killable and significant to the plot of Game of Thrones than the eponymous throne?
Antonio Java, HE KNEW NOTHING
He took inspiration from the Japanese sashimono— the banners that samurai wore on their backs to identify their allegiance in battle; literally also meaning “woodcraft”—and designed his own version based on the iconic pattern of the Iron Throne’s backrest.
We secured wood slats from AVIVA Wood Depot, which Anton then cut and shaped into various sizes, and spray-painted gray and silver to emulate the Iron Throne. In the midst of this process, it suddenly occurred to him that he could actually make it move, JUST LIKE IN THE INTRO SEQUENCE (caps lock his).
I was all for it. All four-feet-eleven-inches of me was sobbing internally at the thought of living out the dreams of being a Victoria’s Secret Angel that I’ve harbored since I was 16 years old. The moment Heidi Klum popped open her snowflake wings at the 2007 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is the definitive moment when I knew I wanted to be as extra as possible.
Anyway.
“I modified my design appropriately, adding lengths of cloth to make the swords movable and collapsible, then fixing them to a central axle-bolt,” Anton shared in a Facebook post tooting his own horn, rightfully so. “I purposely made my design look ‘rough around the edges’ with the swords and cloth looking tattered to better emulate the Iron Throne’s imperfections.”
The way the plot was moving so fast in season eight, you’d think the characters have a fleet of Mercedes-Benz cars at their disposal. Which wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility, considering a Starbucks cup made the final cut.
With all of Anton’s hard work and attention to detail, I only got to test the wings Iron Throne a mere two hours before the start of the viewing party. It came with some hitches, which he was able to troubleshoot using a shoelace from his own shoes (don’t ask).
I paired my Iron Throne with an ensemble from one of my favorite homegrown fashion brands, ATE by Tatah. It was a two-piece set of a high-necked and sleeveless blouse and matching palazzo pants in a silvery-gray fabric with electric pleats. My hair, which was already bleached blonde for a Game of Thrones hair campaign by MIRA Beauty by Design, was toned to achieve a cooler ash shade.
I humored Anton’s requests to save the reveal up until the very last minute for the parade of costumes. This resulted in some flabbergasted comments from people that I had not dressed up and who is she? Impostor! LMD! I did have to hide behind some well-placed columns and tried not to draw much attention to myself right before the costume parade.
And, well. You know what happened next. 😉
Honestly, the way I wrapped up that show with an epic costume is… way better than how the showrunners ended the show. Most of that credit goes out to Anton for making this happen for me, even at the expense of having to reuse his own costume. And, of course, love to Marco Polo Plaza Cebu for pandering to us nerds with events like these, which are especially missed in an era of social distancing and staying home measures.
For laughs though, one of the reasons I wanted to be the Iron Throne was because it was one ‘character’ that wouldn’t die, right?
Right?! 🙃🙃🙃
