Book Club / Culture

This ‘Euphoria’ fashion book details all of the shows looks

Euphoria Fashion book

Ever since Euphoria aired in 2019, part of what had everyone transfixed by the show, was the almost impossible sense of style that Heidi Bivens gave the teenagers of East Highland. It became a near-overnight phenomenon, putting characters like Maddy Perez on the map as a style icon, and officially welcoming the return of glitter eye makeup. While we patiently gird our loins (and our heads, hearts, and souls) for season three, Bivens has been working on a project in the background that immortalises her costume direction in the form of a coffee table book.

Utilising the production’s collection of over 8,000 images, Bivens is collating the best examples of her groundbreaking costume work for Euphoria Fashion, a new book from A24. Bivens has lead the wardrobe department for iconic films previously, Such as Spring BreakersThe Beach Bum, and David Lynch’s Inland Empire, and now, in-between seasons of one of HBO's most-watched shows in history, Bivens is creative directing the book that catalogues, partly, how they got there in the first place.

Euphoria Fashion book

She has reportedly broken the book down into different sections for each character, taking the reader through each detail of her considerations that lead her to give each character their distinct styles. The edition is a large coffee table book that offers information, photographs, and artworks that reflect the costumes, hair direction, and makeup direction, even including interviews with the cast, and a conversation with head makeup Doniella Davy. There are also essays, including one from William Van Meter that explores the ways that Nate and Cal’s normcore style reflects their sexual aggression and confusion.

Bivens gives rationale's for each characters looks in the pages, too, explaining that Rue's baggy t-shirts and slouchy pants were intended to reflect “A kind of slacker vibe that references rave and skater culture,” She writes. “Ultimately it was about Rue wanting to be comfortable in her clothes as that is key for her.” For Jules, a tennis skirt was going to be important for the way she was percieved. For Maddy, the word “vamp” was front of mind, especially for Season 2, meanwhile Cassie’s style is based on “a cross section of references from social media ‘It girls’ who are focused on looking attractive,” she writes.

Jeremy Scott wrote the foreword, which describes Bivens as a "dual citizen in the world of fashion, but she’s also a citizen in the world of costume design.

“The fact that these characters feel so real to us is not solely because of the acting (though it is excellent) it’s also about how Heidi makes very exacting choices in how these characters adorn themselves,” Scott writes. “There’s a skill very few people have. I mean, the fact that glitter is now synonymous with Euphoria – well that’s exactly what I’m describing.”

Euphoria Fashion is available from A24 now.

Stay inspired, follow us.