Courtesy of HBO
When costume designer Natasha Newman-Thomas was enlisted for Euphoria season 3, she knew she was in for a major undertaking. Levinson's latest chapter of the dark, coming-of-age series is different from the previous ones: five years after high school, the kids are all grown up — kind of. The now twenty-somethings are adjusting to the turbulent realities of adulthood with drugs, crime, and sex all involved. “Those are big shoes to fill. Heidi [Bivens, Euphoria’s previous costume director] did such a phenomenal job in the first two seasons,” Newman-Thomas tells The FADER.
Newman-Thomas first got connected to Levinson while working on his 2023 pop star project The Idol where she styled The Weeknd and Lily Rose-Depp. In her new role, Newman-Thomas expands on the universe Bivens previously built. Dressing an arguably more mature crop of characters, she had the creative freedom to foray sartorially: exploring the aesthetics of a contemporary housewife, a stripper, or a Hollywood career climber.
Ahead, read a conversation with Newman-Thomas about dressing Euphoria season 3, how Rosalía’s neck brace came to be, and the Easter eggs you should look out for (like old Jules and Fezco shirts).
The FADER: Now that the Euphoria kids are all grown up, what did you keep in mind while building the wardrobe for each character?
NATASHA NEWMAN-THOMAS: This was a unique opportunity to embrace [a new] backstory. When building a character, you dive into a sociological or psychological exploration. You talk to the actors, the filmmaker, and the director about why a character dresses a certain way and what it signifies, and you have to give the audience some clues on [their evolution].
We had a five-year gap to fill in. It was so fun to think about what each character did in between high school and the present day. I spoke with Sam and all the actors about it, but I also created my own little narratives in my mind about what I thought the characters would wear.
What are some examples of the narratives you came up with?
In previous seasons, you see Lexi (Maude Apatow) getting interested in retro fashion through a more contemporary lens. I filled in the gap narrative that she attended a liberal arts college and met people who reject fast fashion because it’s detrimental to the environment. I assume she’d simultaneously realize that shopping vintage is sustainable and unique. She has such a strong identity that I think that would mean a lot to her.
That guided me in the direction of primarily putting her in vintage clothing, especially since she’s working in Hollywood. She’s working toward her dream career and trying to emulate some of the women in film like Diane Keaton and Shelley Duvall. But she also wants to be Hollywood-appropriate, so she’ll wear Gucci shoes she bought on The RealReal.
Courtesy of HBO
Speaking of thrifting, how did you go about sourcing outfits for the show?
It was a combination of so many things. We went vintage shopping, but we also visited costume houses in Los Angeles. The majority of Lexi’s costumes came from the Warner Brothers costume department. They’re true pieces from their vintage sections over the decades. The idea is that the items we used were things she could theoretically find at thrift stores like Squaresville, Wasteland, or other local L.A. shops.
They have a massive warehouse that’s probably hundreds, if not thousands, of square feet. It’s meticulously organized with every era you can think of. It’s a very wonderful resource. It’s one of my favorite costume houses.
How did you approach the wardrobe of someone like Rue, whose style is known to always be consistent?
For Rue (Zendaya), we wanted to emphasize that she’s still emotionally stagnant and hasn’t progressed that much emotionally. But she’s starting to blossom and move through these different worlds. She chameleons her way through it.
I’d think Rue finds her clothes wherever she is. As she starts working at the strip club, she finds things that got left in the lost and found. There may be a Western flair to her look over time because her costume reflects her surroundings. It has to be for her to pull off the façade of assimilating into that world.
Courtesy of HBO
Courtesy of HBO
Speaking of the strip club, we see in previews that Rosalía’s character, Magick, works there, and she wears this bedazzled neck brace. What went into her look?
Actually, the prop master [Joshua Bramer] had that neck brace made, and he did a phenomenal job on it. It looks great and complements her costume so well.
We were in conversation about [Rosalía’s outfit], and he showed me a bunch of neck braces for approval. I didn’t know which one to choose, they were all so good! We definitely wanted it to be bedazzled, and I think it’s hilarious. It’s very fitting. For the strip club aesthetic in general, we wanted it to straddle the line of burlesque and Western, while having contemporary items to feel more suspended in time.
Courtesy of HBO
How about Cassie’s style? We see she’s balancing a double life as a wannabe OnlyFans creator and a “housewife” for Nate. How did you try to capture her identity crisis in her wardrobe?
Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) is another character who hasn’t evolved a lot. She’s self-centered and wants all the attention. She sees Maddy (Alexa Demie) and is so jealous of what she’s projecting on the internet. Sam wanted to comment on that — what you see on the internet isn’t always the reality, but it worked on Cassie. She wants fame, but also wants to be the perfect little housewife and maintain Nate’s (Jacob Elordi) gaze singularly.
Actually, I think a lot of the characters this season play with performance, and for whom they’re performing. They’re just projecting differently.
What are some costume Easter eggs viewers should keep an eye out for this season?
We used a couple of Rue’s old shirts on Jules (Hunter Schafer) to bring in that nostalgic feel, and a couple of Fezco’s (Angus Cloud) shirts on Rue to keep [his character] alive. But there are a lot of details. So, keep your eyes peeled.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
