The Witcher S3: Why The Colors At The Conclave Ball Mean More Than You Think

"The Witcher" Season 3, Volume 1 only contains five episodes, but it leaves viewers wanting more with its final outing before Volume 2 drops. Episode 5, "The Art of Illusion," includes the Conclave Ball, which is a wonderful set piece to end the latest installment. Geralt (Henry Cavill) and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) infiltrate the event to acquire information and discover some shocking details along the way. However, it's easy to get lost in the plot when there are so many gorgeous costumes around. 

"The Witcher" costume designer Lucinda Wright spoke with Mashable about designing the clothing for the event, basically summing it up as "I want it to be the Met Gala, it's medieval time." But it was more than just making costumes that looked lovely. It was about creating pieces that helped inform viewers about characters' personalities or powers. For instance, Philippa Eilhart (Cassie Claire) has a lot of feathers topped with sequins in an owl-like design, which makes sense seeing as how she can turn into an owl. Wright explained, "[Philippa] is kind of fluffy but there's a rod of steel in that character...For me, she was trying to be [the Aretuzan sorcerers'] equal if not stronger."

And that same mindset naturally had to go into designing the outfits for the two most important characters of the sequence — Geralt and Yennefer.

While there are many extras sporting garish outfits, Geralt and Yennefer wear articles of clothing that hold special significance for how far they've come. Yennefer looks positively stunning in her gown, but viewers will want to pay close attention to the precise location of her amulet. She's worn this throughout "The Witcher," but for the Conclave Ball, it's moved around ever so slightly. Lucinda Wright spoke about how they moved it closer to her heart for one important reason: "She always has her necklace, always every single shot, so when we did the dress for the ball, we removed it from her neck and we put it near her heart...That to me was her true love for Geralt. That is the moment."

Yennefer's amulet shows just how far the character has come, but as for Geralt, his costuming was designed to show just how uncomfortable he is at such events. Geralt is more at home fighting monsters and looking grimy, so it's safe to say a ball isn't really his thing. His Conclave Ball outfit is arguably the fanciest thing he's worn throughout "The Witcher" series, and once again, the design team wanted to emphasize that fact. Wright later elaborated, "We wanted it to be slightly too tight. It was meant to be slightly uncomfortable, so we brought it in as tight as we could — but he still had to dance, of course."

There's a true art to costume design, and it's thrilling to see the world of the Continent come to life with the Conclave Ball scene. Developments there are bound to impact the series once Season 3, Volume 2 comes out on July 27.