Natalia Dyer is perhaps best known for her role as Nancy Wheeler in Netflix's Stranger Things, but it’s her cutting-edge fashion sense that has established her as one of Gen Z’s biggest names.
The actress and burgeoning style icon celebrated the opening of Sandro Paris’s N.Y.C. flagship store on Tuesday in an outfit that made me whisper to myself, “Nancy would never.” Wearing head-to-toe Sandro, Dyer gushed about her “could sleep in them comfortable” leather pants. “My personal style is quite eclectic,” she told InStyle. “I really gravitate toward mixing feminine and androgynous elements, and I think [Sandro does] that so well.”
Though Dyer’s style is certainly different than her ‘80s onscreen counterpart, she admits to “taking characters’ style choices home” with her. “She’s got some really good looks,” Dyer said of Nancy, though, “not so much this season.”
One Nancy Wheeler piece she regrets not stealing for herself? One of the “most iconic Nancy looks,” of course, a dark pink shearling-lined jacket. “I now see people wear [it] and oh my gosh, I should have kept that jacket, it was so good,” she tells me.
Nancy and Natalia have more in common than a shared love of shearling, though. Dyer is dating her Stranger Things co-star Charlie Heaton both onscreen and off, and their couple’s style is an inspiration to stans and fashion editors alike. Their sartorial sensibilities complement each other so perfectly, it’s hard to imagine they don’t purposefully coordinate their outfits. But, according to Dyer herself, they do not. “No!” she says with a laugh. “That’s literally never on purpose. You do see articles, and no, we didn’t. I feel like we would naturally go out of our way to not, but it just happens. Kind of a thing.”
When it comes to both date night and dressing for the winter months, Dyer’s directive is “cozy.”
“I think the ideal is a cozy, candle-lit kind of restaurant, maybe a fun bar, just walking around. Somewhere where you can hear each other talk,” she says of her perfect night out.
As the temperature drops, Dyer relies on “Layers. So many layers.” She’s no martyr for fashion. “Eventually it gets to be like just marshmallow,” she says, “everything that I can possibly get on my body. I’m very cold sensitive.”
Next up for the actress? Stranger Things 4, which begins shooting at the beginning of next year. “We don’t know anything,” she says of the upcoming season.
VIDEO: 7 Things to Know About Stranger Things Star Natalia Dyer
One thing we do know? Nancy Wheeler will be wearing fewer flats — at least if Dyer has anything to say about it. “They were not very practical shoes for the activities she was doing,” she jokes.