The Art of Fashion and Storytelling: Costume Symbolism In Euphoria

Sunday sadly marked the end of the popular, and captivating season two of Euphoria. Not only has season two been a major hit in regards to viewership and fan reactions, but the fashion alone has cemented its own influences in youth culture today.

In addition to incorporating the latest fashion trends, Heidi Bivens knows exactly how to reflect each character’s personal journey and emotional state through their clothing. There are clear differences in each character’s wardrobe from season one to season two demonstrating their unique story progression.

Euphoria which stars Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, Sydney Sweeney and others follows the lives of high schoolers navigating friendships, love, identity, and drugs. The show’s second season elevated their fashion choices by utilizing high fashion brands, and nostalgic pieces taking a more fantastical approach to the story.

Costume designer, Heidi Bivens explains, “The first season, it was my intention to keep it feeling grounded enough that it felt like these characters could really wear the clothes, whereas the second season verges more into fantasy. I wasn’t intent on keeping all of the brands cheap enough that all of these characters could afford them. I threw that out and just let myself have free reign for whatever and anything that we wanted to put on the screen.”

The costumes reflect the more sinful, and serious themes of the show as a lot of characters went darker this season exploring their mature side, and constantly flunctuating identities.

Maddy Perez

There is no denying that Maddy is Euphoria’s it girl, and her outfits always stay true to her confident, and vocal personality. Because of this it is easy to gloss over just how much Maddy has been through. Her clothes act as an armor and shield from her trauma and the external factors she can’t control like her relationship with Nate, and her family dynamic. In the second season, there is a clear shift in Maddy’s wardrobe. We see her experimenting with darker, and more mature silhouettes. She is outgrowing her town and her past. There is much more in store for Maddy outside of high school, and she gets a glimpse of that lifestyle while babysitting for suburban mom and vintage collector, Samantha.

Cassie Howard

We see Cassie hit rock bottom when she puts all of her worth and value into the hands of Nate Jacobs, her best friend’s ex boyfriend. Cassie struggles to see her own self-worth outside of the male gaze. She loses herself, her friends, and her dignity when she chooses to engulf her life with Nate’s. Longing for acceptance and love, Cassie’s wardrobe reflects her need to appease to Nate. She opts for brighter colors, crop tops, and dresses - waking up at 4 am everyday before school to get ready putting so much emphasis in her appearance just for Nate to ignore her every time. The only time Nate gives her a small amount of attention, she wears an outfit almost identical to Maddy’s demonstrating Cassie’s struggle with her own identity. We do not know Cassie outside of her longing for male attention. Her outfits are a mere reflection of her struggles with her self-worth and misogyny.

Lexi Howard

Lexi Howard has a new found independent, and confident energy this season. We see her tap into her passions as a writer and director which makes her realize that she is the star of her life. Lexi has always had a conservative, and sophisticated aesthetic, but this season we see more of a stern, and elegant side to her. No longer succumbing to the background of her sister’s shadow, we see Lexi explore her own identity through theatre. There is an additional effort in her appearance, and a main character energy that was never displayed before.

Jules Vaughn

First introduced as the new girl in town, Jules brought a refreshing, and airy vibe initially wearing a lot of pastels, and feminine ensembles. In season two, Jules wardrobe takes a darker turn. She is still exploring her femininity, but in a way that she identifies with internally. We see Jules struggle with her own femininity as a trans woman however as she gets more comfortable with herself and finds acceptance within her friend group she loses the overly delicate facade. We see Jules play around with mesh tops, edgy makeup, baby tees, and oversized band tees. Jules has realized that there are no rules in terms of femininity; it can be defined in her own way.

Kat Hernandez

Kat swaps out the heavy metal chokers, and platform boots for more mature and personable ensembles. Kat has clearly matured since last season, and her wardrobe reflects that. We see Kat ponder over her relationship with Ethan, and her own idea of beauty. She is taking the time to figure out what it is that she wants for herself. Even though we didn’t get to see much of Kat this season, her outfits overall signify her unique individualism and taste.

All Photos Courtesy of HBO & Eddy Chen