Courtesy of Akna
Opinion
‘Euphoria’ Costume Designer Heidi Bivens on Dressing Maddy, Cassie, Jules and Kat
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The second episode of “Euphoria” Season 2 begins with a dreamy sequence in an expensive walk-in closet as Maddy Perez (Alexa Demie) — the alpha of the present’s many catty, imply ladies — performs gown up with a rich mother’s garments whereas babysitting.
She slinks into designer silk attire and slides lavish jewels onto her fingers, all whereas dreamily gazing her richer, extra subtle reflection within the mirror. The fantasy involves a sudden halt when the mother comes residence sooner than anticipated, and she or he’s pressured to swiftly change again into her denim mini skirt and halter high.
However actually, this act of dressing up and sartorial reinvention is a pronounced theme all through the whole present, and for each character in it. The present’s costume design grew to become one of many buzziest speaking factors on-line after the second season premiered earlier this month, with TikTok and Twitter shortly flooded with memes recreating the over-the-top seems to be worn at “Euphoria Excessive.”
“I’m all the time searching for a technique to talk the story by way of costume,” says costume designer Heidi Bivens, who says she took benefit of this season’s fantastical components to push the bounds on the characters’ clothes. “After I learn the scripts, I’m attempting to empathize with the characters and put myself of their place and picture what it will be prefer to really feel what these characters really feel.”
Beneath, Bivens talks about discovering the best seems to be for Maddy, Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), Kat (Barbie Ferreira) and Jules (Hunter Schafer) — a few of “Euphoria’s” stand-out seems to be this season.
Maddy
Maddy’s outfits are a transparent reflection of her abrasive and callous demeanor; solely she may get away with carrying a two-piece rave set within the faculty hallways or a slinky tube high whereas babysitting. For a lot of the primary season, Maddy virtually lives in an array of body-hugging sweatsuits by Akna, a high-school imply lady staple. Her first scene within the second season sees her carrying an attractive cut-out gown by the Mexican label on the notorious New Yr’s Eve get together, whereas fashionable designers equivalent to I.AM.GIA, Dion Lee, Jacquemus and Balenciaga make appearances in a while.
Bivens says she and Demie usually collaborate on Maddy’s costumes. “She understands the concept that this character will be iconic,” she says. “I believe she understands that there’s actual alternative there.”
Akna Black Damien Mini Costume
Amina Muaddi Mirror Wraparound Gladiator Sandals
Courtesy of Bergdorf Goodman
I.AM.GIA Lucid Set
Courtesy of I.AM.GIA
Cassie
Sydney Sweeney
Eddy Chen/HBO Max
“For Cassie, it’s vital for me that the style is absolutely accessible as a result of I believe she’s somebody who’s attempting to determine who she is and who she needs to be — she needs folks to understand her as she’s presenting herself,” Bivens says. She gravitates in the direction of “social media-heavy manufacturers” like Home of CB, who made the blue mini gown Cassie dons on the New Years Eve get together, and different fashionable labels like Wayf and Realisation Par, items you’d doubtless discover at large department shops like Bloomingdale’s. “She’s a whole lot of different folks on the earth, whether or not it’s on social media or different folks.”
Bershka Ballerina Prime
Courtesy of Bershka
Home of CB ‘Ella’ Costume
Courtesy of Home of CB
Kat
Barbie Ferreira
Eddy Chen/HBO
Whereas Maddy and Cassie clearly look to social media to hop onto tendencies, Bivens says characters equivalent to Kat have a extra absolutely realized type. As an alternative of buying “mall manufacturers,” as Bivens calls them, Kat’s seems to be are an amalgamation of thrifted finds, equivalent to her “Cramps” tee from the document label Useless by Mono, paired with items from cult manufacturers like O-Mighty and extra modern labels like Danielle Guizio.
Like all of the characters, Bivens says Kat’s type has developed along with her personal growth, explaining why her garments this season look extra subtle and polished than earlier episodes. “Kat grows up very quick over these two seasons,” Bivens says. “She’s mild years away from once we first met her, in order that was vital to ascertain in some way along with her costumes.”
Danielle Guizio Inexperienced Mohair Cardigan
Courtesy of Ssense
O-May OG One Love Skirt
Courtesy of O-Mighty
Jules
Hunter Schafer
Eddy Chen/HBO
Garments play an much more vital function for Jules, who begins this season in a reckoning over her gender id. Bivens says she and Schafer agreed that her character would spend extra time in pants than skirts this season, as she toys with the concept of de-transitioning. An exception was made for the primary episode, which sees her in a beautiful Orseund Iris skirt, paired with a sheer beaded halter from Nihl.
Her seems to be are an eclectic mixture of classic finds layered on high of one another, a technique to communicate to her character’s evident individuality. “That’s how we will create an authentic look,” Bivens says, including that she additionally sources from smaller designers equivalent to Lazoschmidl and Perks and Mini for her many graphic tees. “You’re taking three totally different items from three totally different designers and pairing them collectively — the probabilities of another person already having created that look are fairly slim.”
Orseund Iris Gamine Skirt
Courtesy of Orseund Iris
Nihl Sheer Beaded Halter
Courtesy of Nihl
