A shop opening in New York’s Soho district always attracts a well-dressed, star-studded guest list. On Tuesday, Sandro was the place to be, as the Parisian fashion label brought its first standalone boutique stateside to Prince Street.
Twenty-somethings laced in leather boots, structured plaid blazers, and other Sandro signatures huddled outside the new location, with famous faces like Irina Shayk, Martha Hunt, and DeRay McKesson posing for photos, snacking on french fries, and mingling with fellow guests. But the real star of the night was Stranger Things’ Natalia Dyer.
Dyer, who co-hosted the launch with Sandro co-founders Evelyne and Ilan Chetrite, looked every bit the modern-day Nancy Drew in a print-on-print get up—a red plaid blazer layered over a blue striped poplin shirt and leather pants. It’s a fitting ensemble for the actress, whose Stranger Things character, Nancy Byers, channeled her inner Drew to investigate an ominous presence in Hawkins in season 3 of the Netflix series.
After surviving a series of traumas, including the death of her best friend Barb in season 1, the real Nancy—relentless, fearless, and “badass,” as Dyer puts it— emerges in season 3. For season 4, Dyer’s only wish is that Nancy keeps that same spunk.
“I see her as this person in pursuit of information and justice and I can’t see her putting that investigative nose down. so I hope she continues doing something along those lines,” Dyer tells ELLE.com. “She started to get a lot more confident. I loved seeing the sensitive side of Nancy and the badass side of Nancy. I hope she’s still going strong and her instincts and her passion remains intact.”
For Stranger Things fans, the end of season 3 left us with more questions than answers, and Dyer has a few of her own. “Obviously what happens to Hopper, but also the Byers move away—what’s that going to be like, especially since everyone is in a relationship? I feel like long-distance is hard nowadays, so imagine long-distance relationships back then.”
Dyer admits one loose end she hopes to tie up is Nancy and Steve’s relationship. “Stancy” shippers were heartbroken when the couple broke up in season 2, and although Nancy moved on to Jonathan, Dyer can’t help but wonder about the fate of their relationship.
“I’d love to see if her and Steve would ever get back together, or at least if they get closure. Will their chapter ever close? I’m very curious,” she says. “Also, I want her to get a female friend. RIP Barb.”