Halloween Costume Guide
Alicent Hightower spends House of the Dragon watching her father and her own queenship pull her into a war she never actually wanted. The wig does most of the identification work, since her red-brown hair color is one of the clearest visual markers separating her from Rhaenyra’s black hair on screen. Season 3 is airing on HBO right now, so recognition is about as high as it will ever be this year (Deadline).
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The hair color is the first thing people clock, and if the wig looks orange or too bright instead of a proper red-brown, the whole costume reads as generic medieval instead of specifically Alicent. Layer the jewelry rather than picking one piece, since her outfits usually stack a necklace, a chain, and a brooch at once. Skip the wig and show up in a plain green or black dress with nothing else, and you’ll read as a Renaissance fair extra instead of a House of the Dragon character.
Alicent holds her composure through most of the show while everyone around her makes worse and worse decisions, then eventually tells her own father, flatly, that their bond was never real, that she was just a piece he moved around a board. That’s the kind of controlled, specific anger worth channeling if someone at the party tries to push you into overreacting.
Order the jewelry before the wig
Gold-toned chain sets like this often ship from overseas sellers with two to four week windows, while the wig usually arrives in a few days. If you order the week before Halloween, the wig will show up fine and the jewelry won’t. Plan around the slower item, not the obvious one.
Pin the hair vine down properly
It’s going to catch on a coat zipper or someone else’s costume by the second hour of the party if it’s not secured, and if it pulls loose it can take some real hair with it. Use bobby pins on both ends, or just leave it off. It’s the least essential piece in the build anyway.
Couples Idea
Excellent couple concept, since their marriage is central to the first two seasons and anyone who’s watched the show will place it instantly. Viserys skews older and more worn down as the show goes on, so lean into that age gap rather than trying to hide it.
Duo Idea
Excellent duo, arguably the best-known rivalry in the entire show. The green-versus-black color divide from the show itself does a lot of the visual work for you, so lean into the color choice more than matching hairstyles.
Group Idea: House of the Dragon Cast
Strong group for a crowd that’s actually watched the show, since it covers the core Targaryen and Hightower conflict across five distinct looks. People who haven’t seen it will just see five people in medieval dress with no obvious theme.
Group Idea: Strongest Women in Westeros
Might work, but mixing House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones characters means part of your group will need to explain which show they’re from. It holds together thematically as ambitious, scheming women in Westeros, but it’s a loose connection rather than a direct one.
The costume set and the wig are the two items worth buying specifically. Most of the jewelry can be found secondhand or swapped for what you already own.
Alicent holds her composure even when everyone around her is losing theirs, which is a genuinely useful trait to play at a loud party.
Wear the cosplay costume or the long sleeve swing dress as your base, then layer the black hairband, hair vine, and red-brown wig. Add the crystal flower brooches, gold chains, and one pair of earrings to finish it off.
Very relevant. House of the Dragon’s third season is airing on HBO through August 2026, and Alicent has been one of the show’s most-followed characters since season 1. This is about as timely as this costume will ever be.
“How sweetly the fox speaks when it’s been cornered by the hounds,” and “None of this is a game.”
Olivia Cooke plays the adult Alicent Hightower starting midway through season 1 (Wikipedia). Emily Carey played the teenage version in the show’s first five episodes.
Not exactly. She genuinely believes she’s protecting the realm and her children, even when her choices help cause the war she’s trying to prevent. Her son and her father steer her actions more than most viewers assume at first.
Green became her faction’s color, first shown at a tournament early in the show and later formalized when she wears it to signal she’s backing her son Aegon over Rhaenyra as heir. Green stands for the Hightowers, black and red for the Targaryens loyal to Rhaenyra.
Alicent’s looks lean muted and structured, with high necklines and restrained jewelry tied to House Hightower. Rhaenyra wears Targaryen red and black more openly, and her costumes read looser and more practical for a dragon rider.
Which color does Alicent’s faction use to signal support for Aegon as heir?
Who plays the teenage version of Alicent Hightower in season 1?
What season of House of the Dragon is airing as of this guide?