The Wheel of Time's costume designer explains that the women in the series have important hands-on roles in society, and their wardrobe reflects this.
The women of Amazon Prime Video's The Wheel of Time have important roles in their society, and new images from the series revealed that the clothes they wear will reflect this.
Four photos were released on EW, showing key characters like Nynaeve and Egwene dressed for the journey they'll be taking together. The costume designer for the series, Isis Mussenden, explained how the frequently matriarchal cultures described in the source books influence the way the women dress. "These are not just a bunch of princesses swanning around in pretty dresses," she said. "These are women doing jobs. They're taking care of the governance; they're taking care of healing."
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The most prominent example of women holding power in the world of The Wheel of Time is the Aes Sedai, an elite organization of women from the White Tower who have the ability to wield magic. Aes Sedai are divided into seven Ajahs, each of which is named with a color, and the first look at them in the new stills show that this will affect their costumes, too. Rosamund Pike's Moiraine, who leads the travelers, is of the Blue Ajah and wears a blue cloak, while the Aes Sedai guarding the prisoner Logain have red cloaks to symbolize the Red Ajah.
However, the White Tower isn't the only place where women are in charge. As Mussenden noted, governance and healing also tend to be handled by women, with Nynaeve representing both in her status as the "Wisdom" of her village. A respected local authority, she also serves as a medical practitioner -- and as a mentor to the younger Egwene.
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Although Nynaeve and Egwene don't display their occupations through their clothing as obviously as the Aes Sedai do, it's clear that both are dressed for traveling and unpredictable weather. Since much of their journey throughout the first season will be on horseback, future images may answer a question that readers of The Wheel of Time have long been asking: How do the "skirts divided for riding" described in the narrative actually work?
Amazon's The Wheel of Time is based on the fantasy book series by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. The show does not yet have an exact release date, although it was announced that the premiere will air in November.
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Mira Jacobs was bitten by a radioactive Oxford comma which transformed her into a writer and junior news editor for CBR. She lives in Colorado with a man and a dog and a cat and a bird and a miniature void with eyes. If you choose to, you can drop her a note at mira.j@cbr.com.
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