FASHION

WE TALK STYLE W/ THE CAST OF NETFLIX'S 'THE STRAYS'

By Jazmin Duribe, 15 March 2023

What do you get when you cross an idyllic British town with two strangers and a mysterious secret? A Netflix HIT, that’s what! Inspired by a true story, The Strays has had the internet gripped by its creepy horror plot and underlying theme of colourism. (NGL, it's *intense*) You can't help noticing there's something about the 'drobe that hits different in this film, too – from boiler suits to chic leather gloves, the characters all channel some serious retro NRG. To get the BTS tea ☕️, we chatted with two of the film's stars – Ashley Madekwe (who plays the main character, Cheryl/Neve) and Jorden Myrie (Marvin – one of the strangers) – about their character's wardrobe and their own personal style. Keep reading for the deets...

Picture: Netflix

Hi Ashley and Jordan! How would you describe your character's clothes?
AM: Neve’s wardrobe is very stylised – she doesn't dress like a modern-day person. She's almost created this idea of what the perfect housewife or the perfect Deputy Head is, and her choices are slightly off-kilter.

JM: For Marvin, he almost has a uniform. You'll see it with the jacket he wears [a v distinctive two-tone leather Harrington style] – it represents him and it also represents his father, and the past.

What was the fave outfit your character wore?
AM: None of them! Neve’s outfits aren't particularly comfortable, but I think that's on purpose – she is never really relaxed. But that green gala dress [above] is really striking – the pinnacle of Neve. It's all downhill from there!

Yikes! Jordan, did you see any similarities between your style and your character's style?
JM: This one jacket he wore was really cool (I've got a double, but not the holy-grail version – I'm hunting it down 👀). A lot of the time he was just very simple and that was on purpose. We didn't want Marvin wearing something super-branded or too expensive because of his backstory.

Neve in gloves in The Strays | ASOS Style Feed

Picture: Netflix

Throughout the film, Neve has an ~interesting~ collection of wigs. Have you ever felt like you've had to wear something or change your natural look to conform?
AM: There’s pressure to wear your hair a certain way and what's deemed as 'professional' hair. But, you know, luckily, we're moving further and further away from that. I used to have a real thing about never wearing my own textured hair at work, but I do it all the time now – I feel like I have the freedom to do both.

We love some natural curls and coils! So Ashley, we know you had a style blog called Ring My Bell, right? What’s your No.1 styling tip?

AM: Oh no, I’m a lil rusty… Try everything on, don't be afraid to experiment and don't feel locked into one particular thing. That's something I've learned from being on different sets or working with stylists for red-carpet events. Sometimes you think you know, but you don't know! You'd be surprised.

JM: For me, it would be to work out what your size is and what frames you. Back in the day, I used to wear things that were too oversized and didn’t actually fit me. Since then, I've started wearing things that accentuate my best bits.

AM: Yeah, tailoring is v important!

The cast of The Strays on red carpet | ASOS Style Feed

Picture: Getty

(L-R:) Samuel Small, Maria Almeida, Ashley Madekwe, Jorden Myrie and Justin Salinger.

Noted. Whose style do you admire?
JM: There's a lot of people! Keith Powers is very fashionable. I think Giveon's is great as well, and Jonathan Majors too! He's quite classic but still modern – I like that.

AM: I love women that look effortless. I think red-carpet style is beautiful, but I'm more interested in what people look like in their day-to-day life. Zoë Kravitz always looks good, and I'm also quite partial to a bit of the Olsen twins. I love relaxed, glamour or grungey luxury.