9 Years of ‘Stranger Things’ Premieres: An Uncanny Menswear Timeline
After nearly a decade of Stranger Things, we have landed in Hawkins for the last time. The Netflix juggernaut, which first premiered in 2016, will air the first four episodes of its fifth and final season on November 26, with two multi-episode drops to follow. In the show’s first season—when the streamer had initially billed it as a loving parody of ’80s sci-fi and horror movies, before it turned into a slogging blockbuster epic—its primary cast members, among them Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard, were in their tweenage years. Now, the Stranger Things kids are all in their early 20s and have moved onto other pursuits: acting in indie flicks, performing on Broadway, trying their own hand at filmmaking, even marriage and parenthood.
But one thing that has not changed in Stranger Things’s nine-year-long run? Its cast members’ outlandish fashion choices for the red-carpeted season premieres. Looking back over the years, the actors’ ensembles—the menswear in particular—present an uncanny timeline of the hit-or-miss trends of the mid-2010s through the mid-2020s. Even the older cast members, including Joe Keery, Charlie Heaton, and David Harbour, have not been immune to the wonky wiles of celebrity stylists.
Even on Thursday evening, when the whole gang gathered for the season five premiere in Los Angeles, their looks skewed gothic, gangsterish, militaristic—and generally like they’d all gotten slightly different memos.
Let’s take a look back at how the boys-to-men of Stranger Things have dressed over the years. It might feel a bit like you’re walking into the Upside Down.
Finn Wolfhard
In the show, Finn Wolfhard’s character, Mike Wheeler, dresses like an extra from The Goonies: ringer tees, anorak jackets, and rugby shirts in pastel tones. But in real life, between seasons two and three, Wolfhard became a face of Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent; he wore a black silk top and high-waisted trousers by the label to the 2022 premiere. Last night, he opted for a rose-festooned Alexander McQueen suit.
Caleb McLaughlin
Fan favorite Caleb McLaughlin plays Lucas Sinclair, whose season-four flat top haircut with a tight, high fade served as an unequivocal 1980s timestamp. On the red carpet, McLaughlin has experimented with a number of decade-blending styles, from a 1950s suit and bowtie to a ’70s-ish shearling jacket with matching flares. This time around, he wore a militaristic, gold-buttoned Wales Bonner kit.
Gaten Matarazzo
The sweetie of Stranger Things, Gaten Matarazzo (who plays Dustin Henderson) began his Stranger Things premiere journey with a gray suit, and he’s ending it with a gray suit. He wore a bunch of different things between then and now, but we dig the latest pinstripes.
Noah Schnapp
While Noah Schnapp’s Will Byers was saddled with an unfortunate bowl cut throughout the series, the actor took advantage of the sartorial freedom of the premieres to try out a variety of brightly hued trends. Like his costar Caleb McLaughlin, Schnapp went military-inspired for his final look: a belted, pinstriped Balmain suit.
Joe Keery
If Joe Keery began his time on Stranger Things by dressing like a GQ reader circa 2015, the actor (and musician known as Djo) is ending it by going full indie sleaze in biker-ready Gucci and a frosted faux hawk. To that last point: Thankfully Keery, like his character on the show, Steve Harrington, has maintained a spirited haircut throughout.
Charlie Heaton
The English actor, who portrays Will’s big brother, Jonathan Byers, on the show, didn’t attend a Stranger Things premiere until season three. In the three events he’s attended, he’s chosen a buttoned-to-the-top shirt and suit. This final go-around was no different; his mismatched-print suit and tie were from Saint Laurent.
David Harbour
It’s been an especially weird few weeks to be David Harbour, but the actor who plays Sheriff Jim Hopper nonetheless made an appearance at the season five premiere in a pinstriped suit and a painter’s brush mustache. He’s worn variations of dark suits over the years, the most outlandish being the Upside-Down-embroidered getup he wore to the season four premiere in 2022. Best he got that out of his system then, I reckon.
