Dark, Daring and Unforgettable: Jenna Ortega’s Style Evolution

Both on screen and on the red carpet, Jenna Ortega continues to prove that performance and fashion are inextricably linked. First gaining recognition as the younger version of the titular character on Jane the Virgin, Ortega has since emerged as one of Hollywood's most enigmatic–and stylish–young stars.

Ortega’s early red carpet style leaned toward playful looks befitting a young actress, marked by bright colors, bold prints and trend-driven silhouettes that reflected her teen star roots. Since taking on the role of Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s Wednesday, Ortega has leaned into her darker sartorial side. But her affinity for gothic glamour doesn’t stop at the soundstage. On the red carpet, she’s transformed into a modern-day Morticia, with a meticulously constructed wardrobe that’s both romantic and macabre.

Corsetry, lace, tulle, latex, veils and vintage slips have defined Ortega’s new fashion era, each look more daring than the last. Working alongside longtime stylist Enrique Melendez, she’s curated a red carpet identity that’s both youthful and subversive, pulling from Versace and Mugler archives while championing emerging designers.

The actress has become the face of what the internet has dubbed “Wednesdaycore”: a moody, high-fashion take on goth that fuses Victorian silhouettes with baroque textures and deconstructed tailoring. 

Ortega’s fashion language is full of tension—light and dark, hard and soft, classic and disruptive–all in the same breath. She bends genre the way she bends character: with cool defiance and a witchy wink.

Her sartorial performances, while visually arresting, are never empty spectacle. They’re rich with symbolism and narrative depth. At the 2023 Golden Globes, she delivered in a sheer, draped Gucci gown and chestnut-tinted shag haircut—a nod both to ‘70s punk and Wednesday’s sepia-toned palette. A few months later, she arrived at the Met Gala in a Thom Browne ensemble that fused corpse bride couture with classic tailoring. 

Even off-duty, Ortega remains committed to the narrative. Oversized jackets, low-rise trousers, distressed tees, and haunted-doll layering carry the story forward.

More than just a celebrity with good taste, Ortega is crafting an aesthetic narrative that mirrors her evolution on screen. Like her characters, her style thrives in the tension between light in shadow.

Ortega carries these theatrical looks with the gravitas of someone far beyond her years. Her fashion evolution reflects her broader creative ethos: controlled, eerie, intimate. In doing so, she’s redefining what it means to be a Gen Z fashion icon. And we’re watching, spellbound.