The unique aesthetics of HBO’s teen drama Euphoria not only make the show stand out from others of its genre but also serve specific narrative purposes to encapsulate and deliver certain themes and messages. The trendy, glitzy outfits and iconic make-up looks that its predominantly female cast don throughout the show’s first season managed to take the world by storm. Across the globe, fans of the series began adapting similar aesthetics into their own looks and showcasing them across a vast range of social media platforms. From countless TikTok trends to YouTube tutorials, it seems as though fans can’t get enough of the Euphoria style.
The talent behind these looks is a great one, with an impressive costume and make-up department, the series continues to deliver striking aesthetics. With season 2 having premiered back in early January 2022, the series took a turn as the difference from its first season was particularly notable. The cast of the show have spoken up about this as they opened up about what it had been like to return to the show for season 2. But what does it mean for the visual aesthetics of the show, and how will this impact the costume and make-up of season 2? Here’s everything that the cast and creatives behind Euphoria have to say.
6 The Difference Between The Season 1 And 2 Costumes On 'Euphoria'
One specific aspect of the show’s look and aesthetic through which deeper themes are translated is its use of costume. The vast range of styles and looks that the different characters develop through seasons 1 and 2 have far deeper meanings than showcasing each character's style.
5 Zendaya Says The Change In The Style Of The Costumes Reflected The Development Of The Show’s Storyline
During a deep-dive into Euphoria’s season 1 and 2 costumes, leading lady Zendaya highlighted how the change in the style of the season 1 and 2 costumes reflected the development of the show’s storyline. She stated, “Last season was a lot more colorful, a lot more blues and purples and that kind of thing and I think that this season is all black and gold,” before adding that the meaning behind it was to deal with darker “darks.”
4 This Character Had The Most Costume Changes On 'Euphoria'
Later on in the video, the series’ costumer Heidi Bivens, highlighted the specific character who had the most style and costume changes in the series’ second season. Bivens highlighted how Sydney Sweeney’s Cassie Howard had the opportunity to explore different looks more than any character in the season due to her specific story arc.
Bivens stated, “Sydney’s so fun to dress. I think she definitely had the most changes this season. She starts out sort of in a depressed place because of what’s going on with Nate, so we see her go through this series of looks where she’s frantically trying to get his attention.”
3 This 'Euphoria' Character’s Journey Through Gender Expression Was Reflected Through Her Costume
Another character whose costume massively reflected their character development was Hunter Schafer’s Jules Vaughn. In season 1 of the series, one of Schafer’s main character arcs, aside from her budding relationship with Zendya’s Rue Bennett, was her journey through gender expression. As a transgender girl, her character navigated through what it meant to be feminine and her own conceptions of femininity. Because of this, she would often dress in hyper-feminine clothing and make-up. However, as we see in season 2, Schafer’s Jules is beginning to explore different styles as she becomes comfortable in herself and her feminine identity.
Schafer herself highlighted this in the costume deep-dive as she stated, “We’ve seen Jules move from this hyper-feminine baby doll aesthetic to something slightly in between by the end of season 1,” before stating that in Season 2, “It’s something more androgynous, and it’s as she’s sort of released this need to appease men and to honor how she feels on the inside.”
2 The Characters On 'Euphoria' Use Make-Up For Different Purposes
Another crucial component to the characters’ looks and aesthetics is their make-up. With the success of the first season, the iconic make-up looks went viral across all social media platforms. Fans from all over the world began experimenting with Euphoria-themed makeup from rhinestone-decorated eyes to bright-colored lip shades and shadows. According to the show’s head of make-up, Doniella Davy, the characters’ make-up choices all served different purposes which were reflective of different aspects of those characters. For example, she highlighted that for Zendaya’s Rue, her haphazard, messy make-up was used to signify her state of chaos as she struggles with her addiction. However, for Alexa Demie’s Maddy Perez, makeup was used with an entirely different purpose.
Davy stated, “Maddy uses make-up as armor, it really helps her with her tough exterior. Her background story of growing up and being a pageant girl when she was little, you just see how deeply ingrained this idea of using make-up to present this confident sense of herself to the world.”
1 This Is Who The 'Euphoria' Cast Said Had The Best Looks In Season 2
It's undeniable that the costume and make-up team behind Euphoria are wildly talented. With the incredible array of looks they have created and continue to create, it’s difficult to pinpoint who exactly has the best look of the series. However, the cast themselves seemed to have no trouble in picking favorites. During an interview with IMDb, the cast of season 2 was asked who they had thought had the best looks of season 2. Almost every cast member answered rapidly and without hesitation, claiming that Demie’s Maddy was the clear winner. However, leading lady and producer, Zendaya, had a slightly different answer as she believed that all the female characters, apart from herself, had “shown up and shown out.”
