Ah, the ’80s. The decade of shoulder pads, neons galore — and yes, mom jeans. Sure, the high-waisted denim may not have been as fabulous as, say, something Madonna might have worn at the time, but it’s one of the breakout stars of the obsessed-over Netflix series Stranger Things. (The tweets it’s inspired!) And Shannon Purser (i.e., Barb) and Natalia Dyer (her BFF Nancy) wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I thought the costumes were great for everybody,” Purser, who scored her first onscreen credit with Stranger Things, told Glamour. “That was one of my favorite parts of the show, just to see how these kids got transformed into the ’80s era. I loved Barb’s clothes.”
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In no small part because they reflected Barb as the confident everygirl — even when she wasn’t running with the cool crowd. “They’re cute and they’re dorky and they’re not the most flattering things in the world, but I love that she’s so unapologetically herself [in them],” the redheaded actress said. “Putting on costumes was one of the coolest, craziest things for me.”
Dyer, whose Nancy dates a conflicted jock while Barb watches her bestie’s back, couldn’t agree more. “That era has such a whimsy to it, and it was so fun to play around with,” she said. “Our costume department was great and very thorough and very precise about the time period. It all felt very real.”
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Every piece was a nostalgia addict’s dream, from the clothing to the tiniest accessory — including Barb’s oversize glasses. Unfortunately, after Purser’s character suffered a little, er, mishap in episode 2, her flawless frames went missing. “I wish I had gotten them, even [after filming],” she said. “They were so cute, so I kind of want to go buy some even though I don’t really need glasses. I just love them! I guess the prop department still has it.”
