The Strangers Are Back
- BEN WU -
Hate it, love it, it’s all around the internet. You know what I’m saying, the biggest hit of the year, “Stranger Things” is back with season two. The breaking of the Netflix Original Series catches audience attention with its compelling storyline and fascinating mysteries, but on top of that, it’s the recreation of the nostalgic 80’s sci-fi genre vibe and style that really makes it a tremendous hit. What draws you further into the story is the conjuring nostalgic vibe of style, much thanks to Kim Wilcox, the new costume designer for “Stranger Things.” Wilcox had recently costume designed for the 2013 Boston marathon bombing survivor movie “Stronger,” and the thrilling tv hit “Mr.Robot.” But how did Wilcox and her team go beyond and create the reminiscing 80’s style of the characters for season two?
From pink blouse and blue bomber, to dress and layered under a flannel, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) - a peculiar girl who struck between the upside down and the real world - had gone through some significant changes whether it's in personality, or in style. In season two, she walks in the scene with her intense emotion, nose bleeds, and putting her telekinetic energy to work while wearing her denim overalls and wool coat overlay, a perfect combination of vintage vibes. But instead much of the clothing was not only vintage styled, but many were brought from thrift stores or created by Wilcox herself. Wilcox also had multiple conversation with Millie Bobby Brown as in creating the look for Eleven. They came to a conclusion that much of Elven’s clothes would come from Hopper (David Harbour)- the man who gave Eleven a place to live - to put on whatever he can find on Eleven.
The Dungeons and Dragons crew - with the recent return of Will, who had brought back from the nerve-wracking Upside Down, cool-headed Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), de facto group leader Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), and everyone’s favorite Dustin Henderson - had continued their signature style from season one. But the subtle change hidden within each character is what makes the character more dynamic. Like Lucas, as a science geek, he is wearing a brontosaurus hoodie and a bright yellow tee with a periodic table on it in the opening of season two, continuing his custom-built ode to chemistry.
As Halloween coincides with “Stranger Things 2”, the Dungeons and Dragons crew dress up as the boys from “Ghostbusters,” adorably apropos to the reality of Hawkins. Take a closer look at the boy’s costume, and you’ll realize that Dustin, Mike, and Lucas are wearing matching onesies whereas Will is wearing a much more relaxed one. Of course, this is not a costume design mistake but rather a choice. As said by Wilcox, "We thought about whose costume would be more 'together' and whose would be less, and whose mom maybe made it from scratch and whose mom didn't," which is understandable as Joyce is going through a hard time. While the boys have fun trick-or-treating in the neighborhood of Hawkins, the Hawkins High teens are having some great fun (and nostalgic fun for costumer teen.) The costume design team had referenced a lot of the 1980s era’s movie. Such as Tom Cruise’s “Risky Business” look with blazers, black tee portraying on the seemingly-douchebag boyfriend of Nancy Wheeler, Steve Harrington (Joe Keery). The costume design team also look into the 1983 coming-of-age classic (and one of my personal favorite), “The Outsiders” (featuring Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, Tom Cruise and such) for inspiration. Like the previous costume designer for Stranger things, Wilcox also looks into real-life imagery, such as high-school yearbooks, magazines, publications of many kinds for the genuinely authentic looks of nerds and cool kids that would resemble the 80’s fashion.
Season two also brought in a couple of California transplants to bring the fast of coastal-elite style forward to the small town of Hawkins. Wild-oats sower Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) looks like he is ready to have some fun *wink wink* accurately portraying the 80’s double denim rebellious teenager. Wilcox admits that it was a dream to work with Montgomery, and said: Billy is "bringing all of this masculinity that we really hadn’t seen before.” Unlike Billy, his little sister, Max Hargrove (Sadie Sink) prefers a more of sporty look, with her stylish hoodie and zip-up track jacket, a look that’s back on trend this year. She is a more of a tomboy; she walks no roads, she skates. She wears lots of colors, especially bright colors, more boyish than the boys.
With the phenomenon of season one, season two had grown to be even bigger with of course a bigger Netflix budget for the team. Wilcox and her team had much more opportunities to build up a bigger archive for the cast’s clothing and had multiples of the same clothes, so they have the opportunities to trash or destroy if needed for a scene. Wilcox shopped in different thrift stores around the country and locally in Atlanta, and of course, online. For most of the parts, Wilcox relied on brand who still manufacture the same style they did back in the 80’s, such as Wrangler, Lee, and Levis. You can also shop for the “Stranger Things” look at such stores, or look around your nearby thrift store. “Stranger Things Season 2” is now on Netflix, watch it, and tell me if it lives up to season 1.