Stranger Things look: dressing like the characters, the show's 80s style decoded
Guide · Style · The 80s
The show made 1985 clothes desirable in 2025: Hopper's Hawaiian shirt, Max's denim jacket, the Scoops Ahoy sailor uniform, Eddie's patched jacket. Here is each character's style, and how to wear it without a costume.
The essentials
- The key pieces: denim vest, patterned shirt, logo T-shirt, bandana
- The colors: faded, khaki, red, sky blue
- The most copied character: Eddie, for the vest; Max, for everyday wear
- The rule: one period piece, the rest current
Contents
The boys' Stranger Things look: Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will
The 1983 group dresses like Indiana middle schoolers: striped polos, striped T-shirts, canvas jackets, straight jeans, white sneakers. Mike wears polos and shirts buttoned to the collar; Dustin caps and graphic T-shirts, including the famous dinosaur print; Lucas a camo bandana and a khaki jacket, like a little soldier; Will plaid shirts that are too big and a bowl cut. Season 4 grows them up: Mike switches to a rock T-shirt, Dustin keeps his cap, Lucas to a basketball jersey.
The clothes from the show, for the statement piece.
In the shopHellfire Club T-shirt and overshirt set49,90 €See the product
The girls: Eleven, Max, Nancy, Robin
Eleven is the character who changes the most: the hospital gown, then the pink dress and blond wig of 1983, the punk look of Chicago in 1984, the overalls and patterned shirts of 1985 chosen with Max, and the California style of 1986. Max, for her part, does not change: jeans, denim jacket, T-shirt, skate sneakers, red hair in the wind, the girl you copy most easily. Nancy is the 80s preppy, Peter Pan collars and pastel sweaters, until season 4 gives her a bomber jacket. Robin, the open shirts over a T-shirt and the baggy pants.
| Character | The play | How to wear it today |
|---|---|---|
| Hopper | The 1985 Hawaiian shirt | Open over a plain T-shirt, with jeans |
| Max | The denim jacket and the T-shirt | As is: it is a current look |
| Eddie | The Hellfire patch jacket | On a black T-shirt, with ripped jeans |
| Steve | The Scoops Ahoy uniform, or the polo | The polo, collar up; the uniform stays a costume |
| Eleven | The 1985 overalls | With a patterned shirt, as at the mall |
| Nancy | The pastel sweater and the collar | With straight-leg jeans, for a preppy look |
| Dustin | The cap and the printed T-shirt | The cap is enough |
| Robin | The shirt worn open over a T-shirt | The easiest look on the show |
The adults: Hopper, Joyce, Steve, Eddie
Hopper has two styles: the beige police uniform of 1983, and the red and yellow Hawaiian shirt of 1985, which became a cult object, worn open over a T-shirt. Joyce, the working mother, wears flannel shirts and sweaters that are too big, a working-class look that fashion later picked up. Steve is the handsome one: polos, popped collars, the haircut, and the sailor uniform from Scoops Ahoy, blue and white, with the little hat. Eddie is the metalhead: patch denim jacket over a leather jacket, Hellfire T-shirt, ripped jeans, rings, long hair.
The vest of EddieThe most copied piece in the show: a sleeveless denim vest covered in metal-band patches, worn over a leather jacket. Fans remake it themselves, patch by patch. It is also the vest Dustin wears in the last season.
The everyday style
The secret is a single period piece: a Hawaiian shirt, a denim jacket, a logo T-shirt, a bandana, over current clothes. Two pieces, and it is a nod; three, and it is a costume. The show's colors, the fade, khaki, red, sky blue, mix with any wardrobe.
Where to find the pieces
T-shirts and sweatshirts in the characters' and logo's image, for the centerpiece; thrift stores, for denim jackets and period-print shirts; and homemade, for Eddie's patch jacket. The Scoops Ahoy uniforms and the full outfits exist as costumes, for parties.
The Max Mayfield T-shirt, the everyday look.
In the shopLego Mike Wheeler Hellfire Club mini figure14,90 €See the product
The last season's outfits
| Character | The 1987 outfit | The room to copy |
|---|---|---|
| Eleven | Dark sweaters, mid-length hair, then a military outfit stolen in the Upside Down | The crewneck sweater, plain, over straight pants |
| Max | In a hospital gown for six episodes, then a sweatshirt and jeans | The oversized sweatshirt, back to 1984 Max |
| Robin | Striped sweaters, headphones, radio-station jackets | The multicolored striped sweater, mock neck |
| Steve | Open shirts over T-shirts, a jacket, and the same hair | The faded denim jacket |
| Dustin | The Hellfire Club T-shirt, a cap, a field jacket | The black T-shirt with white sleeves, of course |
| Nancy | Tucked blouses, pleated pants, a leather jacket | The button-collar blouse |
| Holly | Kids' dresses with Peter Pan collars, cardigans, a book under the arm | The pastel cardigan |
| Dr. Kay | White coat over fatigues, badge, glasses | The lab coat, if you dare |
The evolution of the looks, from 1983 to 1987
The show follows 80s fashion through the seasons, and that is a choice of the costume designers. In 1983, the boys wear striped T-shirts, letterman jackets, and straight jeans, Nancy sensible blouses and sweaters, Joyce worn vests. In 1984, Max brings the skateboard and the caps, Billy the leather and the open shirts. In 1985, Starcourt imposes bright colors, floral shirts, and shorts; it is the most “80s” season visually.
In 1986, high school and metal: Eddie's patch jackets, Lucas's basketball outfits, Will's plaid shirts in California. In 1987, the quarantine darkens everything: sweaters, military jackets, late-autumn colors. Following the group's outfits is following five years of fashion, and five years of their lives.
How to take inspiration without dressing up
The show's style can be worn every day if you pick one piece, not a costume. A striped Robin sweater, a Steve denim jacket, a Nancy button-collar blouse, a Hopper floral shirt in summer: each of those clothes exists in thrift stores and in current collections, because 80s fashion came back at the same time as the show.
The rule of the show's costume designers holds for the street: period fabrics, thick cotton, corduroy, faded denim, and bold colors, with no visible logo. The Hellfire Club T-shirt is the exception: worn alone with jeans, it stays a fan piece, not a costume, and that is what Dustin does all of the last season.
The Hellfire sweatshirt, for Eddie's jacket.
In the shopHellfire Club tapestry24,90 €See the product
TakeawayOne period piece, the rest current. Max and Robin: the easiest looks. Hopper and Eddie: the cult pieces. Faded, khaki, red, sky blue.
Frequently asked questions
How to dress like in Stranger Things?
A period piece, denim jacket, Hawaiian shirt, logo T-shirt or bandana, over current clothes. Two pieces is a wink; three, a costume.
What is the easiest look to copy?
Max's: jeans, denim jacket, T-shirt, sneakers. It is a current look. Robin's, open shirt over a T-shirt, too.
What is the most cult piece of the show?
Hopper's Hawaiian shirt in 1985, and Eddie's patch jacket in 1986.
Where to find the clothes from the show?
T-shirts and sweatshirts in the characters' image for the centerpiece, thrift stores for period jackets and shirts, homemade for Eddie's jacket.
What is the easiest outfit to copy in the last season?
Robin's striped sweater or Dustin's Hellfire Club T-shirt: a single piece, worn with jeans, that says the show at once.
Which season has the most 80s style?
Season 3, in the summer of 1985: bright colors, floral shirts, shorts, and Starcourt neons. The last season, under quarantine, is the darkest.