While Rhaenyra’s hair is shifting from soft to shield-like, the opposite is true for Alicent Hightower and Helaena Targaryen (Olivia Cooke and Phia Saban), who are both experiencing a loss of power this season. ”There’s no trust in [The Red Keep] and it’s like they don’t want the handmaidens near them,” Culora says, adding that the styles were made to appear as though they’ve done their hair themselves. “You can tell that their hair isn’t as regal as previous seasons, and we do see a lot more hair down and a lot more disheveled,” she adds.
After all of these years in Westeros, Culora has a bit of fun weaving in her own subtle Easter eggs into some of the styles. In episodes one and two of this season, Culora braided a figure three in some character’s hair as a nod to the third season. She did the same at the end of season two, weaving an eight through hairstyles for the eighth and final episode. “I do these hidden things that no one really knows about in their hair,” Culora says. “I actually feature my initials at the end of the last episode, an ‘R’ and a ‘C’ hidden into their hair. It’s like a signature.”
Culora hints that there are other extreme changes when it comes to appearances this season, specifically for Baela and Rhaena Targaryen who are Daemon Targaryen’s twin daughters. Of course, she can’t give anything away just yet. “It’s almost like they’re losing part of their identity a little bit,” she hints.
Look closely, and you’ll spot an “R” and a “C” braided into Rhaenyra’s (right) hair.
HBO/Ollie Upton
What hairstyle would a dragon-rider have?
Besides braids and the intricate, armor-like weaving, Culora says the silhouettes of the hairstyles mimic the curve of the dragons that the Targaryens are riding. “It just creates this beautiful bit of cinema…and also it’s not distracting,” she says. It’s also why we see so many half-up, half-down styles in the show. “It’s a practicality, but it opens up the face and it just allows the cast to essentially act and not think about what’s going on on top of their head,” Culora says.
