Every sweater Nancy wears on 'Stranger Things', ranked
This post contains spoilers for Season 2 of Stranger Things. Proceed with caution.
Stranger Things's Nancy Wheeler is the queen of sweaters.
The pastels, the stripes, the audacity of wearing white to a Halloween party where the punch is bright red! Even when she's hard at work exposing a government cover-up, Nancy's sweater game is always on point.
CARD ID: 285107
But we understand it can be difficult to fully appreciate young Miss Wheeler's cardigans and pullovers when so much spying, gate-opening, and shadow monster-exorcising is going on. That's fair.
So we've compiled and ranked each of Nancy's sweaters here for your style inspo needs -- or, you know, if you're already planning next year's Halloween costume.
13. Nondescript crewneck sweater (Season 1, Episode 5)
It's not that this is a bad sweater. None of Nancy's sweaters are bad. It's just that this nondescript crewneck played second -- er, third -- fiddle to her plaid shirt and her iconic red shearling jacket. Plus, it might be a sweatshirt?
We will say this: It sure held up well in the Upside Down.
12. Pink makeout cardigan (Season 1, Episode 1)
CARD ID: 285127
This average millennial pink cardigan is only okay, so it's the perfect sweater to ruin against the grubby bathroom wall as you make out with Steve Harrington.
11. Turquoise argyle sweater (Season 2, Episode 4)
The bright, unmissable turquoise of this sweater is perfect for getting yourself noticed, then pursued by corrupt scientists. Luckily, that's exactly what Nancy was trying to do! Amazing work.
10. Camel Christmas sweater (Season 1, Episode 8)
Does this sweater scream "Reagan is president and my father trusts the government?" Yes. Is it a cozy yet refined holiday piece that looks bomb with Nancy's trademark ballet slipper necklace? Also yes.
9. Season 2 action sweater (Season 2, Episodes 5, 6, 8, 9)
The final episodes of Stranger Things's first season take place during the same action-packed day. That means Nancy wears the same sweater, which we like to call the "action sweater" for multiple episodes.
In Season 2, the same thing is kind of true, but it's multiple episodes over two days. (Remember, Nancy and Jonathan stay the night at Murray's.) And Nancy's Season 2 action sweater is a pleasant, jewel-tone selection that pairs nicely with her contrast Scrunchie.
8. Blue striped cable knit sweater (Season 2, Episode 1)
This sweater, criminally underused, is nonetheless the ideal sweater for debuting your new second-season haircut/chasing after your brother because he stole your piggy bank. Shoutout to Nancy for embodying the '80s and possessing a piggy bank.
7. Striped diamond cable knit sweater (Season 1, Episode 3)
Pastels, cable knit, stripes, ballet slipper necklace: this is a classic Nancy look.
6. Autumnal purple mockneck / Season 1 action sweater (Season 1, Episodes 6, 7, 8)
Nancy did a lot of badass stuff in her Season 1 action sweater. She shops for weapons, slaps her boyfriend, and slices open her own hand to attract an inter-dimensional monster.
5. Purple library cardigan (Season 2, Episode 2)
A vast improvement on her pink cardigan, Nancy's purple cardigan is studious and sweet. We could hand-sharpen pencils in this sweater forever.
4. Wintry Fair Isle sweater (Season 2, Episode 1)
Any sweater that can be layered over a pink turtleneck is a good sweater -- particularly this one, with its delicate palette, tiny details, and matching binder.
3. Ribbon neck sweater (Season 1, Episode 2)
CARD ID: 285132
The star of this ultra-feminine sweater is clearly the lavender ribbon at the neck (it's also reminiscent of what will be Nancy's future Halloween costume), but we think the Peter Pan collar is also a major player here.
2. Grey turtleneck sweater (Season 2, Episode 3)
By all accounts, Nancy should be wildly hung over after her behavior at Tina's Halloween party (which weirdly took place on a school night?). But instead, she looks incredibly dewy and not even tired. She even wears the perfect color -- grey -- to symbolize the ambivalence of her feelings for Steve! Wow.
1. Halloween sweater (Season 2, Episode 2)
Nancy's finest sweater is her Halloween sweater: the one Steve later spilled punch all over. The two were dressed as Joel and Lana from Risky Business, which came out in 1983 and continues to inspire Halloween looks to this day.
RIP, sweater: your bow-adorned mock-neck and elegant cuffs will stay with us forever.
Topics Stranger Things
Chloe was the shopping editor at Mashable. She was also previously a culture reporter. You can follow her on Twitter at @chloebryan.
