How to Make an Eleven from Stranger Things DIY Costume
Since Netflix's Stranger Things came out in July, everything relating to the 1980s - from toys to novelty items, classic science fiction and horror films and yes, fashion - has become huge. Stranger Things is on its way to becoming the biggest thing in pop culture of 2016, and costumes will reflect that.
Search analytics have shown that clothes likes the ones the characters wear have spiked. Many people will dress as Eleven for Halloween; the great thing is that Eleven has different iconic looks throughout the show, so you can still dress up as her without being just another Eleven in the crowd.
Stay with us at OneHowTo to learn how to make an Eleven from Stranger Things DIY costume - it's easy, affordable, and doesn't require actual telekinesis.
Steps to follow:
Eleven's most recognizable look - what we might call classic Eleven - is by far the most popular. You can easily dress like Eleven from Stranger Things by looking through an older sibling's boxes or going to a thrift shop. Thankfully, her clothes are not difficult to find even in current fashion stores, since retro is all the rage. You'll need:
- A light pink collared dress. Eleven's collar is of the Peter Pan kind (rounded), but any other sort of collar will do. Similarly, you can wear a white, beige, cream or light peach dress and it will still be recognizable.
- White tube socks. If the dress is the most basic element, it's the tube socks up to mid-calf that will tell who you're dressing up as. Eleven's tube socks have green, yellow and green stripes, but other sports socks might do the trick.
- Navy blue bomber jacket. Oversized is better.
- White Converse shoes. They've never actually gone out of fashion.
Those are the key elements of the costume, but it's the details that will make your DIY Eleven costume way better. To Eleven's outfit, you can add:
- An Eggo box. You can carry all sorts of things inside!
- Fake blood around your nose.
- A very 80s calculator watch.
- A killer scowl. It looks scarier if you tuck your chin in and don't blink.
One of the big dilemmas you'll have when dressing up as Eleven from Stranger Things is what to do with your hair. The actress was convinced to shave it when she saw how awesome Charlize Theron looked as Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road, but you might want not to change your look so radically.
Consider a pixie cut wig, or a long wavy blond wig like the one Eleven wears in the show. The good thing is that it doesn't really matter if it looks really fake.
It's very likely that the previous Eleven outfit will be way too popular in Halloween and fancy dress parties. You might want to put together her other iconic looks. In fact, a great idea is to dress up with your friends as different versions of Eleven - give your squad costume a creepy twist!
One of the first things Eleven wears in Stranger Things is simply an oversized yellow t-shirt. How easy is that?
The bad thing is that a yellow t-shirt might not be so recognizable if you don't have Eleven's hair or attitude. A more specific Eleven look that's also quite easy to make is Upside-Down Eleven.
When she's used in experiments, Eleven wears a taupe playsuit with rectangular plates. You can easily make that costume yourself with:
- Cardboard, scissors and glue.
- A gray or taupe tank top.
- Gray or taupe shorts.
Finally, Eleven also wears a hospital gown. The hospital / lab scenes in Stranger Things are some of the creepiest, most chilling ones, so you should really get the attitude right.
Eleven's hospital gown is white with small blue patterned flowers. For the full look, make an electrode cap with a thin black headband or string, white strings or thread, and red masking tape.
This is how to make an Eleven from Stranger Things DIY costume. Of course, don't forget to check out our guide on how to make Stranger Things costumes for the rest of the characters!
You can also plan a TV-themed Halloween party with other great costumes from your favorite series characters such as A Handmaid's Tale, Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks, Pikachu or Jon Snow.
If you have any more ideas or tips, please tell us in the comments section.
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