Wardrobe Secrets From 'Stranger Things'

Eleven's style changed much since Season 1; that makes sense for her. When Millie Bobby Brown and costume designer Amy Parris built a new look for Eleven in Season 3, they had no idea what to aim for. Parris said picking a look involved much trial and error.

I leaned on Millie's opinion for that. We both lacked an idea for [Eleven's new style]. She has played the character for two seasons, so I used her input. She told me how it felt. If it felt like Eleven, we kept that style or shape. If not, we moved on.

As Brown tried on different outfits for her character, they did not throw away the ones that failed. Instead, the rejected clothes appeared on screen during theshopping montage.At the mall, as Max and Eleven sought a new style, many of Eleven's discarded outfits appeared before she chose a colorful dress.

The kids inStranger Thingscome from different economic groups. Creators wanted this difference to show in many ways. Costume designer Kimberly Adams, for example, had to think about where or how the characters got their clothes. The costume crew thenaged the clothesto add to each character's story. Adams stated:

All clothing needed to look used, not new. So, they aged items based on how long they seemed to have been worn. Will’s clothes, being 'hand-me-down' items, got more aging than Mike’s, whose clothes Mom bought him new for school.

They also had to age specific outfits based on how long the characters wore them on the show. Eleven's pink dress from Season 1 undergoes a lot. It starts fine, but the longer she wears it, the older it must look. Adams made the dress look old and worn after Eleven wore it for a long time.

At the start of the series, Will, Dustin, Mike, and Lucas shared the same age and similar interests. Finding unique looks for the four boys who spent all their time together proved hard. For Season 1, costume designer Adams told the actors toshare inputon their wardrobes to help make each boy look unique:

I have good memories of the kids and their reactions in the mirror as they saw their charactercoming to life.! As the actors became the characters, the closets changed and became unique to each person. They were cast perfectly; the change felt natural!

Adams sought input from all actors. Besides Eleven, she focused on Nancy, Hopper, and other main characters. She also looked at outfits for minor characters like Barb and some extras.

Adams designed Season 1 styles, wanting characters to look like real '80s people. She made mood boards for main and minor characters.The boards included sketches of the characters.The boards also featured clothing collages from that time period.

I had to assign patterns and colors to characters so each got a unique look. Reflecting the kids' characters in their closets mattered a lot.

Characters change styles across seasons. Mood boards helped creators pick the right outfits for each one.

Viewers loved Steve's new Scoops Ahoy job in Season 3; the Duffer brothers did too. Creating perfect work uniforms for Steve and Robin took serious thought.Costume designer Parris saidthe Duffers took the look of the outfits seriously.

The Duffers wanted the uniform to be embarrassing in the '80s mall—especially for Steve trying to date—but still appealing enough for viewers to watch the whole season.

The Duffers avoided making Steve and Robin's uniforms too similar. Robin's uniform featured a vest and blue striped shirt, making their looks both embarrassing and cute.

Adolescents inStranger Thingsare at a growth spurt age. This changes characters and greatly affects wardrobes. Kids grew fast in the first three seasons, so they outgrew clothes quickly. If an outfit needed multiple uses, designers sometimes orderedmore than oneversion.

Consider Eleven's pink dress. She wore it in many scenes from Season 1. She wore it again in scenes from Season 2 showing what she did before living with Hopper. The Season 1 dress likely did not fit her in Season 2. So, they duplicated and aged it for that scene.

Some outfits used vintage 1980s items, but others were custom. Creators had a vision, but '80s styles were hard to find, so they adapted modern clothes. The boys' shorts are a good example.short shorts"Some of the boys' shorts are from Target, and then we shortened them so they feel more like the '80s," said costume designer Parris.

Eleven's Season 3 outfit, featuring the bold yellow and black patterned shirt, was another custom item.

The first two seasons ofStranger ThingsThe clothing featured simple patterns, often in brown shades.Season 3 used the bright colors of the mid-'80s.Costume designer Parris said producer Shawn Levy asked her to change the autumnal 1970s look.

No more brown or plaid. The first few seasons take place in the fall, leaning toward the early '80s, so we removed much of the brown and dusty, rusty colors, and took out the plaid for brighter tones.

Max and Eleven shopping shows this style shift. All the new outfits Eleven tries on feature bright colors, a big contrast to the dull clothes Hopper made her wear earlier. The boys' clothing is also more colorful in Season 3.

The boys' clothes show their family's money status. Will's family is less fortunate than the other boys', and Mike's family seems the richest. Clothing quality reflects their status.Halloween costumes relate to the boys' family situations.Costume designer Kim Wilcox said they thought about whose costume would look more 'together' and whose would look less, and whose mom made it from scratch and whose mom did not.

Mike, Dustin, and Lucas have costumes that look new. Will's outfit looks like something his mom quickly put together to save money.

Many outfits in Stranger Things were vintage '80s finds.Some clothes in Stranger Things needed alterations or custom-making to fit the time period; others were true '80s fashions, like some of Nancy's outfits. Designers used vintage, custom, and rented pieces.Nancy's purple dress was a favorite find in Season 3.

Nancy'spurple dressIn Season 3, some clothes were favorite finds. Parris said, "Nancy has that Molly Ringwald-type vibe, so it was nice to update her look to feel like a young woman in the workforce, who's going to be tough and get stuff done."

The fabric for Hopper's Hawaiian shirt was another popular vintage item. Parris bought 20 yards of '80s fabric to create the perfect look for Hopper outside his police uniform.

When Lucas and Max started dating, he worked harder to impress her.In Season 3Lucas suddenly wore tank tops and floral prints to look 'cooler' for Max.

One of Lucas's outfits includes a Karate Kid shirt.Karate KidThe shirt has the movie title in Japanese, referencing Max's crush on Ralph Macchio. Costume designer Parris said Lucas might wear it to show, 'look, I can be like him, too.'

Steve told Dustin the secret to his amazing hair in Season 3: Farrah Fawcett hairspray.Fawcett-branded hair products filled the '80s, but they are nearly impossible to find now.Fawcett-branded hair products filled the '80s, but they are nearly impossible to find now.Costume designers bought only the packaging for the scene. They lacked the real hairspray.Without the real hairspray, costume designers purchased only the packaging for the scene.Stranger ThingsHairstylist Sarah Hindsgaul used modern products to style Steve's hair.

Hindsgaul told Vulture Steve would not mind using women's hairspray. Steve is so vain he does not care it is a woman’s spray.

Many outfits in Stranger Things are from the '80s.The pink dress Eleven wears is supposed to be older.One of Nancy's old dresses is the source for the pink dress.Nancy's old dresses date back to when she was a young girl in the '70s.The dress came from when Nancy was a young girl in the '70s.

Costume designer Adams said the dress found in the attic needed to be special, like something Nancy saved. Adams tried various '70s girls' dresses to find the right shape.