The hit HBO Max show “Euphoria” took over social media with its season two premiere in January. Although there are differing opinions on this controversial show, everyone can agree: the fashion is unbeatable.
When season one of “Euphoria” released in 2019, everyone was obsessed with the makeup. The inclusion of vibrant colors, elaborate glitter and elusive crystals sent the world running to copy its looks. Now, everyone is obsessed with mimicking the show’s fashion.
This season’s stylist is Heidi Biven, and she has definitely made a name for herself, as she was nominated for Outstanding Contemporary Costumes Emmys in 2020 and 2021. Fans are constantly singing her praises on social media, and I think we all can see why.
A key takeaway from this season is the inspiration viewers can take from the characters they most resemble or want to be like.
Some of this season’s most iconic outfits come from Maddy Perez, played by Alexa Demie. If you resonate with bold, trendy and sexy fashion, then Maddy is your inspiration.
Maddy’s character is always dressed in the most eccentric, yet dignified outfits. Her insane sense of style seems to overshadow all the other characters’ attempts to shine in the fashion spotlight. To pull looks similar to hers, check out I.AM.GIA, Daniel Guizzio, House of CB, AKNA and Lucy in the Sky.
In addition to building her physical persona, Maddy’s wardrobe gives us a deeper insight into her internal desires and materialistic passions. In the second episode of season two, Maddy sneaks into the mother’s closet of the kid she babysits to try on her exquisite outfits. Her role as a wealthy family’s babysitter symbolizes her dream of rising through the social ranks and one day living a spoiled life of her own. Maddy gets a glimpse of her ideal life, one filled with elaborate clothes and little work. Her dream is initially exposed in season one when she reveals her secret longing to be taken care of like a princess.
I urge you to research the looks she tried on while in the mom’s closet. Maddy was draped in a gold sequin Dior gown, vintage Chanel set, Valentino gown and Mugler gown. These vintage clothes expose the extremity of luxury she wants to achieve.
Although I do not agree with this character’s actions in the recent season, I personally find the most fashion similarities with Cassie Howard, portrayed by Sydney Sweeney. Cassie’s style is defined as girly, simple and sweet.
While her style in season one was simple, the new season shows greater experimentation seen through her mimicking of Maddy’s fashion. Cassie is seen laying her edges, wearing two- piece matching sets and applying bold eyeliner, all three of which are trademarks of Maddy’s style. As viewers of the show know, Cassie covets more than just Maddy’s sense of style, inspiring the imitation.
A hallmark of Cassie’s outfits is that everyone can pull them off. Her pieces are the season’s most attainable as they are drastically more affordable than what other characters wear. The stores to find outfits similar to Cassie’s style are Princess Polly, Forever 21, Wayf, Brandy Melville, NA-KD and Urban Outfitters.
For everyday outfit inspiration, Rue Bennett is the perfect muse. Her choices are categorized as casual, comfortable and appealing. To obtain Rue’s looks, check out VANS, Champion, Converse, Urban Outfitters and Pacsun.
The majority of Rue’s outfits in season one are accompanied by her iconic burgundy Hanes sweatshirt. Season two reveals that this sweatshirt was her father’s through a hallucination in which he wears it as he hugs her. The burgundy sweatshirt became a symbol throughout the first season as Rue wore it to help sort through her feelings of grief.
Rue rarely wears the sweatshirt this season, as a result of her drifting away from her morals and relationships. With the progression of each episode, her character declines more and more.
Rue also experiments more with her style, leaning toward vintage and thrifted pieces. Rue rocks a patterned vest in episode one of season two, a different look from what her character gravitated to in season one.
Although some would call her style lazy for being mostly paired with sweatshirts and oversized clothing, comfort and ease is exactly how I want to dress 24/7.
Throughout Rue’s emotional and mental declination, her style seems to be inspiring, as she is able to improve fashionably throughout all her struggles. Of course, it may help that the wardrobe is presented on the most perfect model. Zendaya is gorgeous in everything she wears.
The show’s most unique sense of style is owned by Kat Hernandez, who is played by Barbie Ferreira. During Kat’s identity crisis last season, she began exploring herself more through fashion. She retired her big chunky glasses and unflattering silhouettes for outfits that inspired her own confidence.
Kat’s fashion is defined as dark, edgy and structured. Her clothes are a bit more daring than her friend’s fashion choices, largely centered around a corset or harness overlaying her clothes.
My favorite outfit of Kat’s this season is the party dress from the first episode. This Fairy Liquid Babydoll Dress from Mimi Wade embodies Kat’s edginess and risk-taking when it comes to fashion. Although I do not feel I could pull this dress off, I am in awe of how amazing Barbie looks and how it completely encompasses Kat’s fashion journey. Kat is finally in a place where she wears what suits her desire to be different and be genuinely confident in clothes.
Kat’s distinctive fashion choices directly mirror her adventurous life choices. While trying to figure out who she is and what she wants, she makes crazy decisions her old self never would have made. This involves actions that make her stand out instead of sinking behind her friends. If you find yourself wanting to copy Kat’s looks, check out Dolls Kill, Sundro and Nasty Gal.
This season included more screen time for Miss Lexi Howard, who is played by Maude Apatow. Lexi is the embodiment of clean, mature and conservative fashion on this show.
Although Lexi is normally seen in an overly professional, collared outfit, she has style. Not to mention, many of the most expensive looks are worn by Lexi this season.
Lexi’s pinup style showcases her heightened maturity compared to the other characters. Unlike her friends, Lexi is never seen inebriated. Lexi does not need to experiment with the childish activities of her peers because she already knows who she is.
Her increased screen time this season results in much more incredible fashion choices. Although unobtainable for most, Lexi is constantly spotted this season in Miu Miu pieces. To obtain a similar look without breaking the bank, browse Rag and Bone, H&M and Express.
Jules’s fashion is categorized as attention-grabbing, flattering and unique. Some of the coolest, most original outfits of both seasons were worn by Jules.
Jules’s fashion embodies her tendency to not care what anyone else thinks of here. Jules is living for herself and only herself. She doesn’t care if others enjoy her outfit or not, just that her outfits represent her well.
The prime example of Jules’ personable style this season is her outfit in the first episode’s party. The wardrobe department really showed out for this episode, keeping the audience satisfied after the high expectations created by season one. Jules is draped in independent designers such as Orseund Iris, NIHL and Maroske Peech.
To mimic some of her style choices, look at Topshop, Forever 21, Doc Martens and Shein. I know many of these options are on the lower-end side, but her pieces are extremely unique. I would shop first at these more affordable options to test out her style before fully committing your bank account to it.
The fashion in “Euphoria” made me confront my laziness in style choices recently. All winter, I opted for sweatshirts and sweatpants. I want to start being remembered for expressing myself visually through my clothes each day. Whether I dress as my search for self-identity like Kat, my “I dont give an f” attitude like Jules or my hot boss lady act like Maddy, I am going to take inspiration from this season.
And even if I do end up in sweats again, the least I can do is make it look stylish and cool like Rue does.
- The Fashion Impact of “Euphoria” - February 25, 2022
