On January 9th the second season of the HBO’s series Euphoria released its first episode. The show illustrates the struggle of a group of high schoolers with abusive relationships, toxic parents, social media, and drugs.
Throughout the episodes, the main character, Rue Bennett played by Zendeya, narrates the unique background stories of the other characters. Heidi Bivens, the fashion stylist behind Euphoria’s fashion, creates authentic outfits to match each character’s identity and past.
Cassie, played by Sidney Sweeney, is a great representation of Heidi’s amazing styling in the show. The character comes from a very hurtful past; her father abandoned her when she was young, which influenced her need for love. As the narrator, Rue, says “she fell in love with every guy she ever dated. Cassie looks to her boyfriends for the father figure she lacked in her childhood. All this drama influences Cassie’s character as she is portrayed as an extremely emotional and naive, almost childlike, figure.
Image credits: Euphoria HBO
Cassie’s characteristics influence her wardrobe as she often dresses feminine and childlike. More than that, Cassie often appears wearing blue and pink. In her fashion, the color blue represents not only sadness and depression but also loyalty and dependability. In her relationships, Cassie becomes extremely dependent on her boyfriends’ love. For instance, in season 2, she often wears full blue outfits to school in an attempt to impress her love interest.
Image credits: Euphoria, HBO
Finally, the color pink represents love, kindness and femininity. For instance, in season 2, her love interest fantasises about her in a pink costume to match his needs for a famine partner who will affirm his masculinity.
Image credits: Euphoria, HBO
In the first season, Bivens was not only inspired by the plot of the show but also by small details of the character’s reality. In an interview for Interview Magazine Bivens said, “(…) I really tried to be conscious of making it (style) realistic, so that the audience couldn’t really pick the story apart like, ‘Jules could never afford that purse’”.
However, on the newest season, Bivens worked along with the costume designer, Angelina Vitto, who changed her mind into including haute couture in the character’s closets, even in the ones that cannot afford it.
Nonetheless, the stylist skilfully portrays the character’s identity in both seasons. Heidi portrays changes in the characters’ lives and relationships as impactful in their clothing. For instance, Maddy, played by Alexa Demie, is portrayed as an extremely confident and fierce character. Maddie is pictured to know how to charm people with her charisma since she was a child. As the image of the “it girl” of the show, Maddie’s clothes seem to stay true to her character no matter what happens. For instance, even when she is fighting with her best friend she is still wearing clothes that relate to her confidence.
Image credit: Euphoria, HBO
However, as seen in the first season, the only character capable of changing Maddie’s style is her love interest. At the peak of her toxic relationship, Maddie is seen, for the first time, wearing comfortable and dark clothes, which is uncommon for her super confident character.
Image credits: Euphoria, HBO and https://zalrb.tumblr.com/post/628538162902351873/how-would-u-rank-the-euphoria-characters-based-on
Finally, it is noticeable that Euphoria uses fashion as a tool for characterisation. Here are more analyses of styles in the show:
Kat Hernendez, played by Barbie Ferreira :
Image credits: HBO, Euphoria
Kat was a shy, nerdy, teenager who was scared to show her true identity. As a child, Kat gained a lot of weight, making her naturally stand out from other girls her age. In the midst of season one, Kat embraces her body and wears daring clothes, specifically red and black. More than that, she wears various references to her name, such as the eye liner itself, making a reference to a cat’s eyes.
Jules Vaughn, played by Hunter Shafer:
Jules’ style is definitely the most colourful out of all the characters in the show. With her style, Jules redefines her femininity as a trans woman. In one of season two’s most beautiful scenes, Julkes is portrayed as a part of the painting “The birth of Venus”, which represents the birth of her divine femininity and love.
Makeup also plays an important role in the show. For instance, in a scene when her father questions if her love interest is a good influence, Jules is wearing 3 dots under her eyes as she does not know how to answer his question.
Image credits: HBO, Euphoria
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