Video: How Emmy-winning designer Caroline McCall crafted costumes for House of the Dragon

Emmy-winning costume designer Caroline McCall offers an inside look into the costume department of HBO’s House of the Dragon, detailing the design process and production pipeline required to execute roughly 1,000 garments per episode.

The feature explores the specialized artisan workshops behind the series, spanning delicate embroidery, leatherwork, jewelry fabrication, and chain mail, as well as an armory where blacksmiths forge swords and etch battle-distressed armor using historical techniques. McCall outlines how the costume department established a distinct visual identity for the prequel series while maintaining thematic continuity with Game of Thrones. She also breaks down how silhouette, textile choices, and hidden garment details are leveraged to reflect character evolution and support narrative world-building.