Celebrity Style
Jenna Ortega Wore A Distressed Shirt Dress From Gap To A Red Carpet
She took a page out of Anne Hathaway’s playbook.
The true measure of a fashion icon goes far beyond access to designer wares. After all, a great stylist and near-unlimited budget unlock all sorts of luxury pieces, including the rarest archival designs. What’s more impressive, however, is when a style star elevates a brand that’s high-street and turns it into high-fashion.
One such fashionista is Anne Hathaway, who went viral for wearing a white poplin shirtdress from Gap to attend a luxurious Bulgari event. Styled by Erin Walsh, Hathaway wore her $158 outfit with eye-watering jewelry. Over Labor Day weekend, another maven pulled a page straight out of Hathaway’s playbook, wearing custom GapStudio to a red carpet: Jenna Ortega.
Jenna’s Distressed Jersey Dress
Since the second half of Wednesday’s second season is slated to drop on Netflix on Sept. 3, the cast has been back on the press tour circuit, promoting the show. On Aug. 28, Ortega joined her colleagues (including surprise guest Lady Gaga) at an event in New York. While guests had their eyes glued to the “Judas” songstress, my attention was fully held by Ortega’s look, styled by Enrique Melendez.
Ortega, aka the personification of gothcore, gave the aesthetic a nostalgic twist. Crafted in a gray acid-wash-style cotton jersey, the floor-length number featured sleeveless straps with an additional halter detail along the middle. Her décolletage was framed by a knotted detail while a sliver of her black lace bra peered out.
For a grunge vibe, the dress was extremely distressed. It featured multiple cutouts — nay, slashes — throughout. The back was particularly “naked.” Shredded, braided, and knotted, it had all the trappings of distressed shirts of yore (like the ones that grew popular in the ’90s, then again in the late 2010s, when retailers like Topshop sold the style en masse).
The design lent itself to countless cutouts that dipped low and nearly exposed Ortega’s posterior. The floor-length train even had macrame fringe, for good measure. Like Hathaway’s number, this too was designed by Zac Posen, Gap Inc.’s Executive Vice President and Creative Director.
Her Braids Matched Her Dress
Like a pro, Ortega’s beauty matched her dress. The smoky eye, for one, had shades of charcoal. Meanwhile, she wore her hair in a wispy, wet-look that featured subtle thin braids throughout.
An icon.
