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Friday, January 28, 2022
Euphoria's Costume Designer on Dressing Maddy, Cassie, Jules, Kat
Variety: The second episode of “Euphoria” Season 2 begins with a dreamy sequence in a luxurious walk-in closet as Maddy Perez (Alexa Demie) — the alpha of the show’s many catty, mean girls — plays dress up with a wealthy mom’s clothes while babysitting.
Wow this was an amazing article. I love Euphoria, and the costumes are always stunning and seem to fit the person, but I’ve never really thought about it too much. There is so much thought that goes into each person's costumes. I say costumes, but I like how it seems like they are building each character a wardrobe, as if they are real people with closets which I really like. I do find it interesting that some of the price tags on these clothes are so high when it seems like many of these characters likely wouldn’t purchase clothing in that price range. I also found it interesting that they are using garments that are actually available in stores rather than making them. I don’t know much about costumes or how often that is done but I do think that adds to the feeling of this being teens in real life, and the marketability of these clothes because someone could like an outfit from the show and go out and buy it.
The technical design elements of Euphoria have proven to be almost always intentional, with costume design playing a key role in foreshadowing and providing insight into the show’s enigmatic characters. The opening scene of Maddy trying on all these luxurious outfits described in the introduction of this article is a fantastic example of this; Maddy’s literal transition from normal to glamour then back to normal provides a clear message to the audience of not only her own desires, but also alludes to what the future of her relationship with her rich employer might entail. I saw a video the other day that pointed out that Cassie, Maddy’s best friend on the show, has been desperately trying to mimic Maddy’s style in order to attract the attention of Maddy’s ex-boyfriend. This makes so much sense and is executed very well by the costume designers of the show; Cassie’s outfits shown in the most recent episodes are clearly not of her own style and expresses a very strong desire to change herself.
By far one of the most characteristic elements of Euphoria is it's costuming. Very much how the article mentions, I have seen a plethora of jokes being shared through Tiktok poking fun at the exaggerated and edgy outfits the show has to offer. Costumes can help the story if used appropriately, and this is a great example of it. There was a moment recently on season two of the show when one of the characters dresses exactly like another one and I was very surprised. That is an example of good costume design. I do think the clothes are trendy but I do not think are necessarily attainable or realistic for the average high school student, both from a financial standpoint and considering the ins and outs of normal school dress codes. In a way, however, I think that benefits the show. Because it is so bold, it is immediately recognizable when thinking about the show. It helps solidify the idea of it to the audience and this is certainly a very clever tactic to accomplish that.
So, I finally jumped on the Euphoria bandwagon this month and started watching season 1 with one of my roommates. Immediately, it was very clear that the costume design for the show was very meticulously done and had been devoted a lot of time. I loved reading this article (though it is more based around the new season 2 episodes coming out, I did understand the choices they were discussing): I think it showcases the effort Heidi Bivens put into every outfit we have seen on screen. Even down to the designer choices and how that represents the character and where they are with themselves at that point in the story. Even in the portion of season 1 that I’ve watched thus far, Kat’s character arc is very evident in the outfits she wears. I also loved to hear that Bivens worked with the actors to make sure that the costumes matched their own thoughts and feelings about where their characters are in their lives.
One of the best parts of the article was its discussion of characters evolving over the course of multiple seasons, a luxury that we don’t always get. For us it does get narrowed down by the timing of the show and the budget, and from the shows that I watch it frequently remains the same for anyone but the most prevalent characters. For some reason the discussion of how people mix clothes to create unique looks stuck out to me, how if you have enough clothes from different brands the chance that you re wearing the same thing as someone else is virtually zero and that kinda aligns with how I look at fashion and clothing choice were clothes and accessories very quickly become something that I identify with a person once I’ve seen them wear it. I love how they pushed the characters to the limits within their costumes, making them a bit exaggerated even if they became ever so slightly more likely to not be real.
I loved reading this article because, as a costume designer myself, I’m always interested in how my favorite media uses costume design to tell a story. I got into Euphoria very recently and I felt like it was serendipity for it to be the first article I saw when I opened news quiz this morning! I think that Kat’s style in euphoria is very interesting because of their use of layering and graphic tee shirts with words. Tee shirts that include text are famously juvenile and looked down upon in the current fashion trends. The fact that kat’s clothes are meant to illustrate her drastic change from the beginning of season one to season two makes so much sense considering how her style evolved from graphic tees and basic bottoms to layering and accessorizing with expensive pieces. She definitely grows into dressing more like her mean girl counterparts within the series and I can easily see her surpassing them as she finds more confidence in herself.
I have heard a lot of good things about the technical aspects on the show Eurporia. I think with more contemporary pieces such as these types of “high school life” shows, the amount of work and thought that goes into them are often dismissed. However, I am glad that people are looking at Euphoria and seeing that creativity does not only have to be shown in historical pieces or completely futuristic ones. Especially now in my generation, clothes are becoming less of a marker of class and wealth and more of a marker of your personality and values to the world. I think this show does a really good job of showing this kind of generational difference in building the wardrobe of each of these characters. I think in past contemporary shows, they often neglect this aspect of this generation, it goes beyond graphic tees from Forever 21. Are they kind of showy and unrealistic for a high school setting? Maybe. But they do look so damn good.
Euphoria is such an experiment of a show, not just technically but socially. Even though as the article states, many people make fun of the idea that high schoolers don’t dress like that, there is still a bit of truth in it. At its original debut, the makeup and fashion of the show became immediate trends that many people tried to emulate in everyday life. Being a person who had a very unique fashion sense in high school and continues to have one, it's interesting to see the styles of each character and how it relates to their role. I think the most notable is Jules, she has a complex queer identity and definitely has the most unique and self expressive style. Fashion is just such a staple of growing up queer, it helps you express yourself in a way that can be completely induvidualized. I think her style is extremely realistic to how many high schoolers dress. On the other hand characters like Maddie and Cassie who have less of a sense of self, dress far more unrealistically, which is interesting to observe.
8 comments:
Wow this was an amazing article. I love Euphoria, and the costumes are always stunning and seem to fit the person, but I’ve never really thought about it too much. There is so much thought that goes into each person's costumes. I say costumes, but I like how it seems like they are building each character a wardrobe, as if they are real people with closets which I really like. I do find it interesting that some of the price tags on these clothes are so high when it seems like many of these characters likely wouldn’t purchase clothing in that price range. I also found it interesting that they are using garments that are actually available in stores rather than making them. I don’t know much about costumes or how often that is done but I do think that adds to the feeling of this being teens in real life, and the marketability of these clothes because someone could like an outfit from the show and go out and buy it.
The technical design elements of Euphoria have proven to be almost always intentional, with costume design playing a key role in foreshadowing and providing insight into the show’s enigmatic characters. The opening scene of Maddy trying on all these luxurious outfits described in the introduction of this article is a fantastic example of this; Maddy’s literal transition from normal to glamour then back to normal provides a clear message to the audience of not only her own desires, but also alludes to what the future of her relationship with her rich employer might entail. I saw a video the other day that pointed out that Cassie, Maddy’s best friend on the show, has been desperately trying to mimic Maddy’s style in order to attract the attention of Maddy’s ex-boyfriend. This makes so much sense and is executed very well by the costume designers of the show; Cassie’s outfits shown in the most recent episodes are clearly not of her own style and expresses a very strong desire to change herself.
By far one of the most characteristic elements of Euphoria is it's costuming. Very much how the article mentions, I have seen a plethora of jokes being shared through Tiktok poking fun at the exaggerated and edgy outfits the show has to offer. Costumes can help the story if used appropriately, and this is a great example of it. There was a moment recently on season two of the show when one of the characters dresses exactly like another one and I was very surprised. That is an example of good costume design. I do think the clothes are trendy but I do not think are necessarily attainable or realistic for the average high school student, both from a financial standpoint and considering the ins and outs of normal school dress codes. In a way, however, I think that benefits the show. Because it is so bold, it is immediately recognizable when thinking about the show. It helps solidify the idea of it to the audience and this is certainly a very clever tactic to accomplish that.
So, I finally jumped on the Euphoria bandwagon this month and started watching season 1 with one of my roommates. Immediately, it was very clear that the costume design for the show was very meticulously done and had been devoted a lot of time. I loved reading this article (though it is more based around the new season 2 episodes coming out, I did understand the choices they were discussing): I think it showcases the effort Heidi Bivens put into every outfit we have seen on screen. Even down to the designer choices and how that represents the character and where they are with themselves at that point in the story. Even in the portion of season 1 that I’ve watched thus far, Kat’s character arc is very evident in the outfits she wears. I also loved to hear that Bivens worked with the actors to make sure that the costumes matched their own thoughts and feelings about where their characters are in their lives.
One of the best parts of the article was its discussion of characters evolving over the course of multiple seasons, a luxury that we don’t always get. For us it does get narrowed down by the timing of the show and the budget, and from the shows that I watch it frequently remains the same for anyone but the most prevalent characters. For some reason the discussion of how people mix clothes to create unique looks stuck out to me, how if you have enough clothes from different brands the chance that you re wearing the same thing as someone else is virtually zero and that kinda aligns with how I look at fashion and clothing choice were clothes and accessories very quickly become something that I identify with a person once I’ve seen them wear it. I love how they pushed the characters to the limits within their costumes, making them a bit exaggerated even if they became ever so slightly more likely to not be real.
I loved reading this article because, as a costume designer myself, I’m always interested in how my favorite media uses costume design to tell a story. I got into Euphoria very recently and I felt like it was serendipity for it to be the first article I saw when I opened news quiz this morning! I think that Kat’s style in euphoria is very interesting because of their use of layering and graphic tee shirts with words. Tee shirts that include text are famously juvenile and looked down upon in the current fashion trends. The fact that kat’s clothes are meant to illustrate her drastic change from the beginning of season one to season two makes so much sense considering how her style evolved from graphic tees and basic bottoms to layering and accessorizing with expensive pieces. She definitely grows into dressing more like her mean girl counterparts within the series and I can easily see her surpassing them as she finds more confidence in herself.
I have heard a lot of good things about the technical aspects on the show Eurporia. I think with more contemporary pieces such as these types of “high school life” shows, the amount of work and thought that goes into them are often dismissed. However, I am glad that people are looking at Euphoria and seeing that creativity does not only have to be shown in historical pieces or completely futuristic ones. Especially now in my generation, clothes are becoming less of a marker of class and wealth and more of a marker of your personality and values to the world. I think this show does a really good job of showing this kind of generational difference in building the wardrobe of each of these characters. I think in past contemporary shows, they often neglect this aspect of this generation, it goes beyond graphic tees from Forever 21. Are they kind of showy and unrealistic for a high school setting? Maybe. But they do look so damn good.
Euphoria is such an experiment of a show, not just technically but socially. Even though as the article states, many people make fun of the idea that high schoolers don’t dress like that, there is still a bit of truth in it. At its original debut, the makeup and fashion of the show became immediate trends that many people tried to emulate in everyday life. Being a person who had a very unique fashion sense in high school and continues to have one, it's interesting to see the styles of each character and how it relates to their role. I think the most notable is Jules, she has a complex queer identity and definitely has the most unique and self expressive style. Fashion is just such a staple of growing up queer, it helps you express yourself in a way that can be completely induvidualized. I think her style is extremely realistic to how many high schoolers dress. On the other hand characters like Maddie and Cassie who have less of a sense of self, dress far more unrealistically, which is interesting to observe.
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