The HBO series ‘Euphoria’ first graced our lives in 2019, and it is fair to say that it has been one of the most impactful television series on our generation. Portraying themes of love and friendship to addiction and abuse, the writers were all but shy in creating these characters’ lives. From the flamboyant colour schemes to the vividly rich cinematography, one thing that stood out to me above all else was the fashion styling of the characters.
Maddy Perez
Possibly my favourite character of the show, Maddy is the definition of power. She dresses mostly in the colour purple, which is associated with wealth and status. Despite struggling with her toxic relationship with Nate Jacobs, Maddy dresses to portray a life of luxury and royalty. In season 2, we see her wearing brands such as Jacquemus and Amina Mauddi (for reference, a pair of heels from Amina Mauddi is a little over a grand), giving us the impression that this is a girl who gets what she wants. We also see her in a lot of Y2K, especially in some of her most iconic moments like the carnival drama, where she sports a dark purple co-ord set from I AM GIA.
Cassie Howard
Possibly my least favourite character, Cassie dresses in two main colours, soft pink and baby blue, signifying innocence, and naivety. The blue represents sadness and emotion, whilst pink represents romance and attraction. This perfectly reflects her personality, where we see her being easily controlled, manipulated, and victimised. Whilst the softer colour pallet compliments Cassie’s sweet and youthful nature, she simultaneously dresses in tight and form fitting outfits to highlight her cleavage, suggesting a constant battle between sexiness and purity.
Rue Bennett
Rue’s main colour is maroon, comprised of brown and red. This colour is seen as a more introverted and toned-down version of the colour red, signifying passion, love, and aggression. This colour perfectly embodies Rue’s character development as we see her struggle with the consequences of her battle with addiction. Aside from the colour maroon, we only see her in very plain and simple colours which reflect the darker times she has gone through.
Jules Vaughn
Jules has by far the most unique and interesting style, comprising of a mixture of lilac, light pinks, and light blues. Similar to Cassie, Jules dresses to express her femininity, which is central to her character. As the show goes on, we start to see her in more bold and electric colours, signifying her emotional intensity and passion. We also see her in some very daring makeup looks, which represent her care-free and creative nature.
Kat Hernandez
By far the most transformative colour change, Kat begins the series in floral and patterned tops, symbolising warmth, friendliness, and innocence. After only a couple of episodes, however, we see a dramatic change in her outfits altogether. In line with her growth in confidence, we begin to see her in bold statement colours such as red and black, representing aggression, power, and rage. She also wears a lot of leather, which represents rebellion.