Jenna Ortega’s Latest Look Is a Labour of Love

Following the Rome premiere of Klara and the Sun, Jenna Ortega continued her press tour in New York, attending a screening at the Crosby Street Hotel in a look that took her method dressing in a fascinating new direction.

Having spent much of the tour chasing the sun through colour and golden accents, Jenna switched her focus to the film’s exploration of artificial intelligence, wearing a one-of-a-kind Elias Matso creation that celebrates something technology cannot replicate quite so easily: the human hand.

The aptly named Boned dress, from the designer’s Melt with Me collection, was constructed over a hidden corseted bodysuit using metres of linked flat and spiral steel boning, embellished with Preciosa crystal beads. Each piece of boning was individually cut and tipped, while the flat sections were hand-painted with colours inspired by Canadian artist Marc Ranger.

I love the contradiction here. At first glance, the metallic construction and cascading strands look almost futuristic, which makes perfect sense for a film about a humanoid robot. Yet the closer you look, the more you appreciate the extraordinary amount of handwork involved.

And while the front is already impressive, the back reveals the corset lacing that holds this intricate creation together. I also love how the rigid steel gives way to dangling strands below the hips, creating a completely different effect from the structured bodice.

This is the kind of method dressing I particularly enjoy. It doesn’t simply borrow a colour or motif from the film; it engages with the story itself. And with Jenna wearing something so technically ambitious from a young designer, this might be one of the most interesting looks of her Klara and the Sun press tour.

Christian Louboutin Pigalle Follies pumps completed her look.

Stylist: Enrique Melendez.

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