As Jenna Ortega graced the red carpet of the Wednesday season 2 premiere in a black, sleek Ann Demeulemeester gown, cameras flashing, paparazzi screaming her name, it hit me like a truck that Ortega was in a league of her own.
At the end of May this year, the “Wednesday” season two press tour began. “Wednesday” is a spin-off of The Addams Family created by Netflix about the daughter of the infamous, eccentric and grotesque family. The show follows Wednesday Addams as she’s shipped off to a boarding school filled with supernatural students like herself, while navigating her own abilities and the weird wonders of Nevermore Academy. Wednesday is played by Jenna Ortega, a Latina actress popular for her roles on Disney and her performances throughout the TV and film industry.
For the past nine years, Ortega has been styled by Enrique Melendez, a Latinx stylist known for his work with many stars throughout the entertainment industry, including Bruno Mars and members of the Black Eyed Peas.
Press tours are essential to the branding of many artists when they market their products, services, or projects. Many musicians, actors and other artists act as spokespersons for their project. It’s an opportunity for the audience to get behind-the-scenes anecdotes and hints on what to expect from this upcoming release.
Recently, press tours have elevated in strategy, with red carpet method dressing being at the forefront of this evolution. This method is used to further market the show, adding depth to the actor’s role and bringing their character off-screen and into the real world.
Take “Wicked,” for example; Emily Burack of Town&Country said earlier this year, “Promoting their film ‘Wicked,’ Grande and Erivo channeled the pink and green costumes of their characters, Glinda and Elphaba, at every moment. Many of their looks explicitly referenced fashions from Wicked (the stage musical) or the Wizard of Oz film and they always are coordinating with each other.”
With every red carpet moment and press tour look, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo had a dramatic and iconic fashion ensemble that embodied their character, turning fashion into storytelling.
Ortega and Melendez are no strangers to red carpet method dressing and used this same strategy for their “Wednesday” press tours. However, their catalogue this year outdid itself from the first season. For the “Wednesday” premier press tour in 2022, the two opted for more traditional late 1990s-inspired gothic looks, with Ortega wearing many lace gowns and dresses like the Dion Lee Black Lace Inset Long Sleeve Maxi Dress she wore to The Wednesday Premiere Red Carpet, November 2022. They used classic punk aesthetics and experimented with androgynous silhouettes during this time. Oretga wore several plaid and formal ensembles, like the Veronica Beard Brown plaid suit she wore for her November 2022 New York Times feature.
For the season two press tour, Ortega and Melendez took their styling method to new heights and experimented with fabric, silhouettes, aesthetics, hair, etc. Taking notes and evolving from her previous looks, this year’s round of looks was one for the books. One that crowned her a Style Icon in the Making, according to British Vogue.
Ortega had three looks that stood out the most this past spring.
The first look was an Ashi Studio autumn/winter 2025 couture dress at the London premiere of Wednesday season two. It was a two-layered, eggshell colored snakeskin dress with burned fray at the edges of both layers.
The second look that stood out was “Jenna Ortega wearing a corseted Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood autumn/winter 2025 dress with Ghillie platforms at the Paris photo call,” as described by British Vogue.
The third and final look that stood out was her premier look. Ortega wore an autumn/winter 2025 Ann Demeulemeester dress with Miista corset stiletto boots.
Melendez has proven himself to be the perfect stylist for Ortega and the character Wednesday through his intimate understanding of subculture. The character of Wednesday is that of a troubled yet intelligent girl who clearly falls within alternative, punk cultures. Wednesday’s traits and ideologies are similar to those of someone who is goth, a subculture of punk.
Maggie Zhou of Refinery29 states it perfectly, “She is terrifying, but not in the way you’d expect; she’s terrifying because she denies social attitudes when it comes to what is expected of girls.” Wednesday rejects social norms, with her character being notably sarcastic, void of traditional connections with boys and brutally candid in how she expresses herself. “Wednesday isn’t afraid to dismiss rules, challenge authority and forego niceties,” Zhou writes.
In an interview, when talking about the Ashi Studio dress, Melendez stated, “This piece of art fell into my eyeline, but I didn’t know if she would like it. It’s not black, it’s not dark, but again, it still has this gothic feel to it. The fray and the snake skinny lates felt spooky and eerie in a way.”
As Melendez mentioned, that look in particular wasn’t something many would consider goth. It wasn’t an all black lace and an unrevealing gown, but instead a white, snakeskin, latex dress that emphasized Ortega’s curves.
Through this, Melendez explored a niche within goth, exposing the depth of the subculture. He showed that goth isn’t all monotonous black aesthetics, but a subculture about finding beauty in things that are dark, frightening and romantic in life. There’s nothing more frightening, yet riveting, about a snake.
Enrique Melendez’s styling is a masterclass on intentionality, love of art and an understanding of his clients. Melendez and Ortega have a close relationship, with him saying in the same interview that he has taken on the role of big brother on top of being her stylist. Within these nine years, he’s grown to understand Ortega. He says, “She’s a lover of art. I’ve always respected that and love that she steps into something for me and she’s like, ‘I understand what this piece means and it’s something we should take advantage of and platform.’”
Their mutual love and respect for art is what allows them to achieve these special, riveting moments. Melendez states, “We never really try to do the best-dressed thing. We do things that are interesting and exciting, as we have a love for the art. And when it ends up on the best dressed, it’s just an added plus.”
Ortega and Melendez’s mutual respect and love for the arts allow them to not just mimic the identities but also deeply explore the subcultures that coined them. Their approach to gothic and punk aesthetics is done intentionally to protect and preserve these identities while still platforming them. Thus providing depth and narrative to not only Wednesday, but the communities she represents.
In a time where it seems authentic subcultures are dying, Jenna Ortega and Enrique Melendez pump the runway to reinforce their presence.
