If you haven’t heard (which is almost impossible), Euphoria is back with season two after a two years break. The famous tv series follows the characters we have grown closer to over the past season in their new journey of growing up and maturing (hopefully). However, here we will not speculate on what will happen in season two. Today we will focus on the amazing costume designing that has been going on throughout season one, and as far as we can tell, season two.
Sam Levinson, the writer and producer of Euphoria, paid specific attention to clothes to an extent that he wrote outfit cues in the script. He let Heidi Bivens (the costume designer) do her magic, and to be honest, she nailed it successfully. A part of this success comes from the actors/actresses' opinions shaping the process too. Especially Hunter Schafer (Jules) and Alexa Demie (Maddy) have been working on their characters’ looks quite a lot.
Starting off with Rue, the main character, we can say that she is not the most fashionable girl out of the whole team. However, her clothes are sentimental. The burgundy hoodie that we see her with almost always belongs to her father. Her dressing up masculine could be a reference to her being the “man of the house”. Also, she has been involved in some illegal activities, so maybe not dressing so boldly could be a way of hiding her presence from the world. She feels uncomfortable showing skin as she mentions to Jules, she prefers oversize clothing that makes her feel safe. The tuxedo for halloween follows the masculine theme perfectly too. Also
less skin showing compared to most looks of the night.
Following up with Jules, the most feminine of them all. And there is a great reason for it too of course. She mentions to her psychiatrist that she wants to “conquer femininity”. She feels the need to get the approval of men. Which is why at the beginning we see her with the bright pink clothes, pink hair, candylike costumes, even pink panties. She is also a fan of anime, at least that’s how Sam thought of her. What we get out of this vision is a pink e-girl icon. However, this cute and sexy feminine look of Jules starts to change as she matures throughout season one. She starts moving towards orange tones, darker colors, pants rather than mini skirts. Season two starts with a way darker look too. She feels empowered by herself, leaving the seeking for approval season behind.
Next is the 90’s glam it-girl Maddy. Matching sets and cut-outs are musts for her. Shows off her immense confidence with body-con dresses, bold make-up and definitely some daring looks. I say daring with a meaning behind it due to the fact that she uses clothing to actually dare Nate. The carnival scene with Maddy’s “hooker” look is one of the most iconic looks in the show. She also wears princess-like Chanel-esque looks, reminding us of a bad girl version of Blair Waldorf sometimes. According to Heidi, her color is purple with jewels. Being the color of royalty, it makes the viewers think if it’s a way of Maddy making herself look important. Her make-up is also an essential part of the character. She never backs down and her looks are a great reminder of that.
Now we have Kat, who shows the viewers how important fashion is for expressing ourselves. She starts off with basic jeans and t-shirts. Probably actual looks that you can see in high school. But of course with Euphoria, we forgot what that was and so did Kat. As she goes through a drastic mindset change, she probably throws out everything from her wardrobe and replaces them with PVC fabrics, harnesses and leather pieces, preferably all of them in red. Her new journey on being a callgirl transmits to her style. Kinkier pieces, sexy nun costumes, fishnet stockings, whatever you think of, Kat is doing it and she is never ashamed of it. She challenges society's idea of a sexy woman shamelessly.
After Kat, we have our princess Cassie (not the second season though). With her baby pinks and blues, Cassie is the embodiment of “classic” beauty. She seems much more traditional and simple compared to her besties. Usually has minimal makeup (boldest look being the halloween costume), looks effortlessly pretty and seems to reflect her good girl persona to her looks. She is still figuring out how to present herself to the world, and her simpler looks are proof of that. Not giving big statements, but still has personality. Throughout the whole season one, she was almost never seen without pastel pink or blue. Maybe the second season will give her bolder looks, although does she need it? We don’t know.
Last but not least, we have the cute Lexi. She is very much smart looking. Not very catchy, goes to halloween as Bob Ross. However, just like others’ costumes, this says much about her too. She follows the idea before sexiness. Surprisingly starts the second season with a much bolder look, giving us a heads-up on what’s to come.
After a recap of season one costume design, we can say that costumes were an integral part in Euphoria. They were an essential part to characters and their development. According to Heidi, in season two they will focus less on being realistic (didn’t think it was in the first season anyways) and more on capturing the character persona. This season will be a bit more mature and maybe a bit darker. However, there wasn’t a huge time gap in the first episode so the development will be right in front of our eyes and we are very much excited to witness it.
Credits to: Haute le Mode and Variety Magazine. Photos: HBO
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