Celebrity Style
Jenna Ortega’s Plunging Gown Was A Medieval Masterpiece
“Castlecore” at its finest.
After nearly three years of waiting, the first half of Wednesday’s second season is set to drop on Netflix on Aug. 6, finally answering questions fans have about the Hyde, Nevermore Academy’s students, and its titular Addams Family offspring, Wednesday. While I’m already blocking my calendar for uninterrupted screen time, I high-key don’t want the show’s press tour to end. Ever.
Ortega has always been a style icon, causing commotion in fashion group chats for her genius takes on method dressing or recreating fashion’s most iconic looks (her Carrie Bradshaw Dior newspaper dress sent the Internet into a tizzy). But no bout of outings has been as jaw-dropping as her recent Wednesday circuit, where she took gothcore and elevated it to spicy couture territory.
Jenna’s Plunging Medievalcore Number
After the London leg of the show’s buzzy press circuit, Ortega flew to Paris on Thursday, July 31, looking très chic, of course.
Her latest ensemble channeled TikTok’s medieval-inspired “castlecore” aesthetic, another “core” in the gothic wheelhouse. Wearing Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood, Ortega donned a brown long-sleeved gown with deconstructed ruffles that cascaded down the deep, deep plunging neckline. To add to the undone look, the dress featured a beige bustier overlay with visible boning.
Styled by Enrique Melendez, Ortega merchandised her ensemble with a grommet-clad belt around the waist and a massive cross pendant bedazzled with bling.
The cross motif gained popularity in the past couple of years, thanks to the likes of Doja Cat and Kim Kardashian. It only makes sense that the queen of goth would eventually embrace the iconic imagery.
An Archival Knockout
The night before, after turning heads in a hauntingly literal take on the year’s “snakeskin” trend, Ortega switched into a second outfit.
While she’s mostly been wearing looks fresh off Fall/Winter 2025 runways, the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice actor switched gears and dug from the fashion archives, particularly DKNY’s Resort 2004 collection.
That said, the champagne-colored dress did bear the essence of Y2K style, with its billowy bias-cut hem and subtle cowl neckline. She completed the look with a black minaudière from Kurt Geiger, similarly-hued peep-toe heels from Santoni, and a brilliant pendant necklace.
An icon.
