What Are People Wearing at Euphoria High?

By Jamai Miller ’22 and Elle Dorrian ’22
(This article contains spoilers up to  Season 2, Episode 4.)
Unless you’ve been living completely under a rock since the beginning of 2022, you know it’s Euphoria season. Our TikTok feeds are flooded with theories and our Sephora carts are filled with glitter eyeshadow. Apart from raging over Fez and Lexi’s unexpected relationship, many are wondering how Maddie goes to school dressed to the nines with only her trendy minuscule purse, incapable of holding a pencil (much less textbooks…)

But the way the creators treat high school like a runway, often in a bold, colorful and edgy manner, has piqued our interests (and honestly, we’re taking notes).
 
The new season is more or less about maturing, and the series uses colors and fashion as a tool to follow characters on their journey. In the first season, each character was introduced with their own personal and distinct sense of style. But in season 2, we get to see a visual representation of how their characters have grown and shifted, in terms of mood, personal struggles and identity. Season 1 had an overall colorful palette, while the theme of season 2 is more often darker and simpler. This stylistic transformation mimics both the characters’ emotional maturity and the dark themes explored in season 2. Let’s take a look at few:
 
Jules, previously dressed feminine in a youthful attempt to achieve what she defined as femininity. Before, her long blonde hair was essentially a closet staple, adding in colors that become bolder as she learns more about herself as season 1 progresses. We see it go from light pink, to red, to black over the course of eight episodes. In season 2, she takes on a more androgynous tone, as she rejects the way she dressed previously for men, but now for her. We can see how she becomes more confident in herself, rather than striving for the perfect image of what “feminine” means.
 
Kats’ storyline is one that has not gotten justice this season, but that is a separate complaint. In season one, she unlocks a confidence in herself through illegal means and takes on a dominatrix persona, dressing in strappy reds and blacks. We see a clear turning point in this attitude at the school dance, and she cools it with the bold outfits, calming them down to flattering jewel tones.
 
Lexi didn’t get nearly as much screen time last season as she does now. But leaving season 1, we were made to understand her as a sort of pseudo-side character, almost in the shadows of her sister and distant friendships. But after exploring her character in season 2, we realize she isn’t the typical dormant side character, but an observer. Lexi Howard often receives a lot of information from her friends, either personally or just by observing, almost as if she studies them. That’s why her style is charmingly like a proper English student — collard dresses, simple but elegant blouses, plaid dresses and pants, etc.
 
Fez is many fans’ favorite character due to his humor and juxtaposing hard backstory, but many are also drawn to his distinct style. Maybe you could describe it as sort of suburban streetwear…that, but in the context of a young, charming drug dealer. We see an impressive array of vintage jeans, graphic polos, Cuban rings, knitted sweaters and gold chains.
 
Although we think of Cassie’s aesthetic to be feminine, and colorful but minimal, her style is one that’s become a bit hard to define as we see it take so many jarring turns over the course of a few episodes. Striving to portray herself as innocent and sweet, she is almost never not wearing light shades of blue or pink. We’ve seen her dress ethereal-like, have 70’s bangs, dress like Maddy, then like a “country music star.” (Apparently, she wasn’t joking with that one). Chasing after the validation of her best friend's ex, she cycles through outfits that are true to her, that mimics Jules, that carbon copies Maddy’s own outfit that same day just to get his attention.
 
That being said, here’s a few of our favorite looks so far.