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Millie Bobby Brown has wowed fans with her ever-evolving fashion sense throughout the years, but her Stranger Things character on Netflix has rocked quite a few memorable outfits herself.
Brown plays Eleven, a young girl with telekinetic powers and possibly the key to the whole Hawkins mystery. While she may be the only one who can stop mega villain Vecna, Eleven is also on a quest to establish her own identity. Just like in any other coming-of-age story, in Stranger Things’ 1980s nostalgia-imbued, flamboyant world fashion is a means of self-expression, and that rings especially true for Eleven.
Covering several years in the life of pre-teens and teens automatically means that exploring different fashion options gets to be an integral part of their journey. However, most characters’ styles seem consistent across the show’s four seasons, while Eleven doesn’t appear to have found her sweet fashion spot just yet. This may be a deliberate choice from the show’s costume department to mirror the character’s unique background and fragmented growth.
Spoilers for all four seasons of Stranger Things follow
Eleven Goes Pretty In Pink Season One Of Stranger Things
When we meet Eleven in season one, she’s just fled Papa Brenner’s (Matthew Modine) laboratory. Wearing a hospital gown and a buzzcut, the character isn’t exactly one who would go unnoticed.
Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) and the rest of the gang immediately realize that and give El a makeover that will help her blend in. At this point, as secret agents are attempting to track her down, fitting in means surviving for Eleven.
She gladly goes along with the twee outfit Mike has found for her, seeing herself as being conventionally pretty for the first time. On the surface — putting on a pink collar dress, a blue windbreaker, and a blonde wig — Eleven could be any popular girl in any school teen drama.
The character agrees to play the part, adhering to an extra feminine image that Mike has created for her. She doesn’t know better at this point: she hasn’t discovered who she is or what she likes just yet, and this uncertainty is visible in the way she presents herself to the world.
Eleven Has A Punk Moment In Season Two
In season two of the sci-fi show, Eleven once again needs to go below the radar. Living with police chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour), the girl often wears her newly found father figure’s hand-me-down clothes.
These are baggy garments in neutral colors and tell us nothing about who Eleven is as a person. This may be seen as yet another instance where others make decisions to restrain this immensely powerful character, but there’s also an element of tenderness to this choice. Eleven is experiencing what having a family, and, specifically, an adult who cares for her and doesn’t wish to take advantage of her abilities, means. Wearing Hopper’s clothes reinforces that bond and gives her a sense of belonging.
There’s one clear departure from this normcore aesthetic in the season. In chapter seven, ‘The Lost Sister,’ Eleven goes to Chicago to find her long-lost sister Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), another girl experimented on by Brenner and has a similar tattoo to her. Joining her group, Brown’s character has the freedom to try on a bolder style, or b**ching, as Eleven puts it.
Inspired by the punk and new wave movements, Eleven now wears her hair slicked back, smoky eyes, and darker colors to emulate Kali and her friends. While this is the first time we get to see Eleven making more daring, personal choices when it comes to fashion, this, too, is but a phase. Eleven understands she’d rather return to her everyday clothes and to Hawkins, where she attends prom in a polka dot, belted dress.
The Outfit Montage In Season Three Is A Joyous Fashion Moment For Eleven
It’s in season three that we witness one of Eleven’s biggest moments of self-discovery, prompted by her friendship with Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink).
The two girls hit the mall together as an antidote to El’s frustration with her boyfriend Mike. Max encourages her to try different styles and pick things she truly likes, rather than conforming to anyone else’s appearance. This fashion montage is a coming-of-age segment in its purest form: seeing El’s face lighting up as she tries things on and just having fun with Max after struggling with her female friendships is heartwarming.
She eventually chooses a black romper with a colorful pattern. Unlike her punk phase, this predilection for flashy patterns continues throughout the season, a sign that Eleven may have found what she was looking for.
Eleven As A Mini Joyce In Season Four Of Stranger Things
One of the show’s most traumatic events has had an impact on Eleven’s style as well. Following Hopper’s death, Eleven trades her bright style for more neutral colors.
It’s significant that Eleven’s style doesn’t change drastically in season four. Now living with Joyce (Winona Ryder) in California, Eleven is done trying to fit in. Uninterested in what other girls are rocking in school, she continues wearing clothes that remind her of her dad. Flannels are a staple, though she tries to mix things up with some muted pattern.
She also unconsciously emulates Joyce, now her legal guardian. El does this for the same reasons she was wearing Hopper’s clothes in season two, but also as a way to look up to a positive female model. The two women sport the same haircut and a similar, casual style: relaxed-fit jeans and, again, flannels.
What To Expect From Eleven In Season Five
At the end of season four, Eleven is reunited with Hopper, who is revealed to be alive, and gets back to Hawkins, via a traumatic laboratory stay courtesy of Brenner and Owens (Paul Reiser).
After breaking free from the lab and having some closure with a dying Papa, Eleven is now fully conscious of her powers and how she is pivotal in the fight against Vecna.
We don’t know much about the fifth and final season at this stage, but, given Eleven’s more self-assured demeanor, we’d love for her fashion choices to reflect that.
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