The details of the Conclave Ball and costumes in the first episode of Season 3 of ‘The Witcher’ are really interesting. The work of costume designer Lucinda Wright and makeup/hair designer Deb Watson has created costumes that fit the characters and powers of the wizards in this scene.
For example, Philippa Eilhart wears a black dress with a fluffy, feathered skirt and sequins in an owl-like pattern. She also wears a headdress made of black feathers. These details are designed to symbolize the character’s ability to transform into an owl.
In addition, series producer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and Kelly Luegenbiehl, Netflix’s vice president of international originals, reportedly wanted the ball costumes to be “like a Met Gala in the Middle Ages”. This requires the costumes to be flashy, eye-catching and tailored to each wizard’s personality or power.
Costume designer Lucinda Wright says that they worked on this scene for four or five weeks and that the wizards’ costumes had to be both stylish and comfortable. Special details were added to reflect the personality of each witch, making the costumes unique and striking.
With this information, it is understood that in the Conclave Ball episode of season 3 of ‘The Witcher’ series, the costumes and accessories reflect the personalities and powers of the wizards and create an overall opulent atmosphere.
The political relationships conveyed through secret messages and costumes at the Conclave Ball in Season 3 of “The Witcher” seem quite interesting.
Yennefer’s sparkling halter-neck dress in dark shades of purple is said to be an adaptation of an amulet worn throughout the series. This amulet is said to have been moved for romantic reasons. The necklace is said to symbolize love for Yennefer and, by being placed next to her heart, expresses her true love for Geralt.
Geralt, on the other hand, was forced to take off his distinctive leather armor and wear a plush, elegantly patterned, silver and black outfit. Geralt’s costume was supposed to be tight and uncomfortable for him, but it was also noted that he had enough room to dance.
In the Conclave Ball, it is stated that hidden messages and political relations are expressed through colors. Costume designer Lucinda Wright states that colors are used to give clues and that these messages will become more obvious in the following episodes.
Especially after Geralt and Yennefer’s detective work, it is stated that Vilgefortz is the master of Rience. It is stated that Vilgefortz made a deal with Sigismund Dijkstra, a spy master from Redania. Dijkstra wore gold accessories and a black velvet costume, similar to Vilgefortz’s style and linked to the red lining of Redania.
Vilgefortz’s plans remain unclear, but for now we know that he is working with the Nilfgaard empire in the south. However, there are other wizards wearing black at the Conclave ball, such as Marti Södergren and Keira Metz. Following this logic, all of these wizards could be allied with Vilgefortz.
On the other hand, the powerful sorceress Tissaia de Vries (MyAnna Buring) wears her signature high-necked, bright emerald green dress. But we know that Tissaia de Vries is actually Vilgefortz’s partner. The green dress is also colored in black, which makes it unclear whether de Vries is part of the Vilgefortz-Dijkstra alliance.
The sorceress Sabrina Glevissig (Therica Wilson-Read) wears a light gold dress with emerald stars in her hair, while Margarita Laux-Antille (Rochelle Rose) wears a dark green dress. This could symbolize their allegiance to Vries and indirectly to Vilgefortz.
As fun as it is to speculate, we’ll have to wait for Part 2 to confirm the messages of this costume feast.
