I've always been drawn to the power of the characters’ costumes – what they symbolize and often foreshadow in the show – and none is more powerful than Daenerys Targaryen's.

We’ve seen her wardrobe evolve over the series in a way that uniquely aligns with the development of her character. In the beginning, she doesn’t even have the power to choose a dress: her sinister brother forces the gown on her as he simultaneously sells her into marital slavery for the price of a larger army. The fabric is thin-skinned, see-through in most places, draping so loosely that it could fall off at any moment. Like her, it is merely a fragile ornament.

As Dany grows accustomed to her Dothraki culture, we see her begin to choose rough, structured fabrics, as she transforms into a leader of the strongest warriors in the Game of Thrones world.

After losing her family and subsequently birthing a new one, her three dragons, she goes back to softer fabrics, but always with a structured waistline, shoulders, and neck, most often framed with metal. This new look underlines that Dany is starting to choose her own identity. Her Targaryen and Dothraki past is mixed into the fabrics and the woman she will become that season: a freer of slaves, breaker of chains.

Fast-forwarding to this season, we only see her in heavy, hard leather costumes, the tops of which resemble armor, which cover her head to toe. These foreshadow the war to come. The pieces are all black with small hints of red – symbolic of her Targaryen namesake – as she finally reaches her birth home of Dragonstone.

In this last episode, we see her change her image completely as she reveals an unusual weakness, the feelings for Jon that motivate her to rush to his aid. Further enhancing this moment – as she ignores Tyrion's pleas and storms towards Drogon – was her white fur dress, as symbolic as it was striking, and something we've never seen from her before. There are obvious parallels, of course, including snow white as a symbol of winter, and her realization that winter is, in fact, real and it is here. But it goes beyond that. I think it’s the first representation of her allegiance to the North through Jon Snow. Did this ensemble remind anyone else of his dire wolf, Ghost? We know there are no coincidences in Game of Thrones.

This is a pivotal moment in the series – the joining of Jon and Dany – alluding to the book's name: A Song of Ice and Fire. Looking forward to what the finale brings us on Sunday.