Jenna Ortega ’s two most recent press tours have been like night and day – quite literally. The last time we saw the 24-year-old actress on a major press run was over a year ago, for the second season of her hit Netflix series Wednesday .
On it, she dressed appropriately for the show’s macabre themes , gloomy and gothic in Ann Demeulemeester, Ashi Studio, Vivienne Westwood and more. Now, Ortega is back from her self-imposed fashion hiatus, and her new movie Klara and the Sun sees her back on the method dressing bandwagon.
In the Taika Waititi film – an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel – Ortega plays a solar-powered android named Klara who sits in her shop window longingly staring at the sun all day, and has allowed that radiance to seep into her real-life wardrobe.
At first, Ortega couldn’t quite let the goth guise go straight away, and slowly edged into her new palette. A photocall at London’s Corinthia Hotel saw her in a colour-blocked look from Calvin Klein ’s most recent runway collection, consisting of a black satin skirt and a white top with yellow arms.
But it was at the BFI premiere of the film a few days later that she fully let the light in, wearing a golden yellow slip dress from the Nigerian lingerie brand Torlowei, and accessorising it with a matching lace cap.
Over to Italy, and for the film’s Rome Film Festival photocall, Ortega mined the fashion archives for a standout vintage piece, donning a 1966 Pierre Cardin shift dress featuring the French designer’s iconic bullseye motif. Later that evening for the proper red carpet premiere, Ortega switched into an ivory coloured dress from Robert Cavalli’s recent SS27 runway that faded into a moss green fishtail and was adorned with floral accents.
This was then followed by Ortega’s latest look on the tour, a corset gown inlaid with chains and beads for the film’s New York premiere last night (September 19). Made by rising designer Elias Matso , the former Polimoda fashion student teased the creation back on Instagram in April, which we assume was quickly snapped up by Ortega and her stylist Enrique Melendez.
And while the Waititi film is unfortunately suffering from not-the-best reviews, at least the fashion duo still have the red carpet dressing on lock.
Scroll through the gallery at the top of the page for Ortega’s looks from the tour
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The American actress lets the light in on the press tour for new film Klara and the Sun