Examining the Sartorial Codes of Stranger Things

Unless you crossed over into an entirely otherworldly dimension this summer, you’ll have binge watched – or at least nibbled upon – the supernatural Netflix series Stranger Things. And it is not difficult to see why the eight-episode long, palpably nostalgic homage to 1980s adolescent culture and scientifically questionable phenomena garnered such a cult following upon its release. Set in a small Indiana town during 1983, Will Byers (a young and vulnerable Dungeons & Dragons fanatic) mysteriously vanishes into thin air from the community in which he resides. What follows is a cryptic documentation of the events that surround his disappearance, with parallel universes; governmental laboratories, ‘Demogorgons’, goo, telekinesis and turbulent teenage romance all invited to the synth soaked soirée. It’s a formulaic narrative we’re all well acquainted with and creators of the show the Duffer Brothers – heavily influenced by the work of Spielberg and Stephen King – have played upon this familiarity to their advantage, yanking on the heartstrings of viewers pining for the films of yesteryear. Naturally, in order to create such a mood, the aesthetic of each episode is carefully constructed; and it’s not difficult to be envious of the costume department’s job above anyone else’s on set – here we examine how to channel their prowess.

1. Brave a buzz cut
The stand out performance of the series comes courtesy of Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven. Born with psychokinetic abilities, Eleven is taken from her mother and held captive at a top-secret governmental experimentation lab as part of ‘Project MK Ulta’, where her otherworldly powers of the mind are exploited as Cold War weaponry against the Russian enemy. Upon fleeing the laboratory, Eleven is discovered by a group of young boys all searching for their missing friend and decide she may hold the key to his whereabouts. However, Eleven is currently channeling ‘Ripley from Alien’ and the boys do not feel that a Sinead O’Connor look is going to be popular in their school community. Eleven is subsequently transformed during a makeover scene into what would be deemed ‘socially acceptable’ in ‘80s Indiana; a blonde wig, baby doll-like dress and a slick of lip-gloss all finalising her new look. However, she certainly comes into her own when she rebels; the wig is shed and the buzz cut meets with a pink dress to serve her new friends pure telekinetic Riot Grrrl.

2. Everyone loves an underdog
Despite only a brief appearance in the first few episodes before becoming lost to the dank parallel horrors of The Upside Down, the character of Barbara Holland seems to have made quite a lasting impression on viewers of Stranger Things. Barb is a quietly cautious outsider, shunned by Nancy’s preppy boyfriend Steve for not being laid back enough whilst attending his pool party. When Barb injures herself with a knife opening a can of beer, blood seeps into the pool attracting the ominous ‘Demogorgon’, who whisks her away to certain doom. A classic metaphorical trope used within the genre of teenage horror, is that the target of bullying and peer pressure also usually falls victim to the wrath of the antagonist; and who doesn’t relate to an underdog? Or perhaps, everyone fell so in love with Barb due to her distinguished aesthetic; printed pussy-bow blouse and a turquoise jacket complete with puff sleeves and peter pan collar; an ensemble that Alessandro Michele would definitely approve of (plus, those glasses are very Lotta Volkova). 

3. Develop a passion for typography
From Maria Grazia Chuiri’s recent debut at Christian Dior where t-shirts were emblazoned with ‘Dio(r)evolutionary’ slogans, to the ‘Antwerpen’ hoodies and diamanté Juicy Couture logos on sleeves at Vetements, statements were being made on clothing for S/S17 and a lot of it typographically. The Duffer Brothers are clearly ahead of their time on this, as their inclination towards strong and considered signage is completely evident in the now ubiquitous title sequencing of their 8-part series. Soundtracked by synths and inspired by the paperback covers of Stephen King novels, blood red script illuminated from within looms out of the darkness on the screen, creating an atmosphere that is both eerie and flawlessly retro.

4. Dress like an off-duty Princess Diana
The 1980s preppy look is evocative of countless iconic moments in fashion history; early Ralph Lauren, Molly Ringwald and even a little off-duty Princess Diana have all clearly been influencing the sartorial choices of character Nancy Wheeler. Her gaudy sweaters and saccharine cardigans are accented with pearl buttons; sleeves of pastel oxford shirts are rolled up to reveal an androgynous wristwatch; high waisted jeans also make way for white tights and black leather court shoes. The costume department’s finest moment, however, is the exquisite detail of Nancy’s gold ballet slipper pendant. Reminiscent of a trinket out of a JC Penney catalogue, the necklace represents a synchronisation of two era-defining codes: ‘horribly tacky’ and ‘wonderfully chic’.

5. Conceptualise light bulbs
In his book Toward an Architecture, Le Corbusier writes, “our eyes are made to see forms in light: light and shade reveal these forms.” The Christmas lights in Stranger Things have become a unique symbol of the series and are an oddly emotional gesture of desperation from Joyce Byers, who uses some serious creative licencing to string up coloured bulbs like a festive Ouija board in a frantic attempt to reveal the whereabouts of her son (he’s seemingly floating about in a disembodied electrical space, that we later discover to be a parallel world). There are likely few instances when architectural theory and supernatural horror meet, but unbeknownst to us, perhaps Joyce had on this occasion, been splitting her time between The Upside Down and the library.