Answers to Your Burning Questions about Hair and Costumes on HBO’s ‘Euphoria’

Awards Daily talks to the hair and costume designer behind HBO’s Euphoria to find out how some of the season’s most talked-about scenes came together.

If the Emmy’s could give an award for Outstanding Meme-able Drama Series of 2022, it would have to go to HBO’s Euphoria. On any given Sunday night, Sam Levinson’s high school drama was trending on Twitter for moments like Cassie’s Oklahoma look, Rue running from house to house causing mayhem, and of course Lexi’s “Our Life” play which rehashed many iconic scenes from the series,

I got to e-chat with Euphoria hair lead Kim Kimble and costume designer Heidi Bivens about the thought and consideration that went into the characters and scenes in Season 2 that had everyone buzzing.

How did Cassie’s iconic “Oklahoma” look come together? 

“The director wrote in the script ‘She had country western hair,’ so we created the look at the camera test and the director loved it,” says hair lead Kim Kimble. “We showed her beginning to try to impress Nate Jacobs and manic behavior with her hair. That had everyone talking on Twitter the next day.”

“I laughed out loud when I read the scene Sam Levinson wrote and set in the school bathroom with all the cross conversation between the girls misunderstanding each other,” says costume designer Heidi Bivens. “It’s like a Euphoria ‘Who’s on First?’. It was scripted that Cassie is asked ‘Why are you dressed like that?’ and that Rue thinks she’s auditioning for Oklahoma, which is even funnier because Rue doesn’t know what Oklahoma is and at first thinks it’s the production Lexi is putting on. I’m familiar with the film version of Oklahoma, released in 1955, and the goal with Cassie’s costume was to find a way to take inspiration from the look of the film but in a modern way that is ambiguous enough that it would be a coincidence that she’s dressed in a look that the girls could mistake as a costume in the play. I looked to Dolly Parton’s style for ideas, as most of what she wears for stage and public appearances are custom-made for her, and referenced several pieces she’s worn through the years and created a mashup for Cassie, leaning into the comedy knowing gingham and lace-up granny style boots would help land the joke.”

Cassie tries to get Nate’s attention by dressing like Maddy. How did you make Cassie look exactly like Maddy? 

Kimble: “We did the Maddy baby hair half up, half down. We did a look that is definitely a popular style Maddy would wear.”

Bivens: “There is a succession of looks which Cassie wears when vying for Nate’s attention. I knew for the comedy to ensue, there needed to be a crescendo with her outfits, the final one being the “Oklahoma” look. The first three we barely see on camera because of the framing, but the audience understands because they see her early morning beauty routine and the hair and makeup sell the idea that she is experimenting with her look out of desperation for Nate’s attention. Knowing Maddy was in the same scene, I pitched to Sam how funny would it be if Cassie was wearing a similar matching outfit, because by this point, the audience would probably visually associate Maddy with owning this type of look (a nod to the purple look she wears in the Carnival episode Season 1). Then I set out to build the looks to make the most impact and thankfully that joke landed and has since become one of my favorite memes from the show.”

The play episodes had to be a huge undertaking. How much were you both doing that day?

Kimble: “I did five characters plus we had doubles to match.”

Bivens: “The exact number, I’m not quite sure, but it was the most fun episode(s) to design as the approach was more cerebral for me than most. To get inside Lexi’s head as the director of the play and wonder ‘What would Rue be wearing in the scene where they sit together on the roof of Fez’s convenient store?’ for example. What is her quick impression of all the girl’s personal style on school photo day? Then, there were times where the lines of reality and memory blurred for scripted moments, where I had to consult Sam to find out if we were seeing an actual flashback, or Lexi’s memory of the flashback—omnipresent or specific to a character’s memory. The funeral scene is an example where Sam said all our characters we see at the actual funeral ceremony in Lexi’s memory should be wearing the exact same costume as the students who are portraying them in the play. This was a conscious choice and one that added to the dream logic and overall tone of Season 2 Episodes 7 and 8.”

I love Martha Kelly on the show. Did you have to do anything specific to achieve her particular look?

Kimble: “She had a look that was an every day ‘I blend in’ look. She was a drug dealer, but you never expect her to be, and her look played a big part in that.”

Bivens: “I am a huge fan of Martha Kelly. I knew she would probably deliver Laurie to the audience with her unforgettable dead-pan demeanor. The comedy, albeit very dark with Laurie, is lingering just under the surface. I loved the idea of dressing her only in pajama sets, as if she never actually leaves her house. The sleep shirt she wears that says “It’s a jungle out there” is a nod to the idea that she could be paranoid about the world outside of the one she has constructed for herself. I then decided it would be interesting to introduce what I thought of as vacation wear for Laurie as if she travels to places in her mind without leaving her house. Tropical prints with sequin details and a black beaded top with animal motifs also help create a tableau in the house interior where she is perfectly at home with her birds in cages.”

There are flashback scenes with Lexi and Cassie, showing them younger. How did you create younger looks for them via their hair and costumes?

Kimble: “We used their real hair with ponytails and scrunchies to make them look adolescent and young, no extensions.”

Bivens: “In imagining the looks for the younger versions of the characters, I tried to create a visual thread that would feel familiar to the audience. Working with similar colors, silhouettes and clothing details, the goal was to present a quick read which hopefully feels like a less mature version of the characters in present-day teenage selves.”

What kind of hair and costume choices do you make for the guys like Nate, Fez, and Elliot? How do you achieve their distinct looks?

Kimble: “It’s always based on what was written and the inspiration of who the character is and what he does. Each of these guys is different. Nate is an athlete/jock. Fez is kind of an around-the-way boy. Elliot is artistic and a musician.”

Bivens: “The guy characters on the show tend to be less adventurous with the way they dress, but all have their own distinct style rules. Nate is the quintessential high school jock and Sam thought it’s important to not deviate from that kind of stock character look for him. Fez is a low-key hype beast, although actual hype beasts will probably have a lot of judgmental things to say about how he was dressed (because that’s what they do). Elliot, I saw as kind of a male take on Rue’s personal style. How could I make their looks kind of interchangeable at times, even just in silhouette? If they happened to share clothes, would the audience notice? I was interested in some fluidity there. Dominic [Fike] is also very inspiring in the way he dresses in his life and contributed personal pieces from his closet to Elliot’s, including the black and white mohair striped sweater he wears for the scene where Rue and Jules are interrogating him in his bedroom. The shaggy oversized mohair knit felt right after I learned that the production designer Jason Stewart had looked at photographs of Kurt Cobain’s teen bedroom for inspiration for Elliot’s room.”

How do you style Rue’s hair? She seems pretty low maintenance, but her hair always looks gorgeous, even in Episode 5 “Stand Still Like the Hummingbird.”

Kimble: “Rue’s hair is natural curly and sometimes perfect when she sleeps on it and wakes up to come to set. It’s never coiffed.”

Bivens: “Rue is easy because Zendaya is easy. There is a trust that has been built between her and me which is a great gift an actor can give to a costume designer and vice versa. If you break down her looks, they are very specific. I’m currently writing a book about the costumes of Euphoria that A24 is publishing that will come out later this fall, and through the book, I hope to get into some of the details about why even with a character like Rue, who may seemingly be a non-brainer for design, there was a great deal of contemplation put into choosing each piece for her. The look she wears in the ‘Intervention’ Episode 5 came together through a collaboration with Sam. There were a lot of stunts involved for that episode, and when that is the case, it is usually requested the actor/actress have long sleeves and pants to cover stunt pads. I preemptively made the decision to give her long sleeves and a jacket (also knowing we would be shooting at night and worried about Zendaya’s comfort). On the first afternoon we started shooting the sequence of her on the run, we were establishing the costume for the first time on camera and Sam called for me and said he wanted Rue to have no jacket and short sleeves. He wanted Rue to appear more vulnerable and with all the desperate running, hiding in a trashcan, passing out on the street that she would be doing, this was a visual way to help accomplish that.”

All seasons of Euphoria are available on HBO Max.