Summer '23 Style Inspo; Jenna Ortega's Goth Wardrobe

With goth fashion a trend for summer 2023, let's take inspiration from the current queen of all-black style, Jenna Ortega

Goth fashion has remained on the radar since its inception in the 1970s. Originally inspired as a subculture by the goth rock music scene, it has repeatedly reappeared at the forefront of fashion. As well as the music scene, cinema has strongly influenced and strengthened the dark fashion trend. Tim Burton's 1988 movie 'Beetlejuice' features a teenage Winona Ryder in all-black outfits including lace and a black veil. 1999's 'The Matrix' infused goth fashion with the 90's cyberpunk genre.

In the 2020s, the success of Tim Burton's 'Wednesday' has refuelled the allure of gothic fashion. In terms of screen depictions, 'Wednesday' traces its origins to the 1964 black and white television sitcom, 'The Addams Family'. Carolyn Jones as the mother figure, Morticia Addams, can easily be seen as the original queen of goth fashion.

A promotional image of actress Carolyn Jones in her Morticia Addams garb for the 1964 'The Addams Family' television sitcom. (Image via travsd.wordpress.com)

Jenna Ortega, a 20 year old Californian actress, plays the central role of Wednesday Addams in Burton's Netflix reimagining. With her large, ultra-dark eyes and collected disposition, she makes for the perfect model of goth fashion. Below is a selection of her edgiest goth inspired outfits to date:

Jenna Ortega wearing a black dress with lace details and a black veil (both from the Versace spring 2023 ready-to-wear collection) at the 'Wednesday' season 1 premiere in November of 2022. (Image via glamour.com)

Jenna Ortega wearing a black cut-out, lace dress by Dion Lee and black peep toe platforms for her 15th November 2022 appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'. (Image via footwearnews.com)

Wearing a sheer one sleeved black Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello dress, to the Critics Choice Association's 2nd annual celebration of Latin Cinema & Television, on 13th November 2022. (Image via popsuar.co.uk)

Ortega wearing a black lace Valentino dress, a black leather trench coat, black platforms and Bulgari jewels to the S/S '23 Valentino show at Paris Fashion Week. 2nd October 2022. (Image via popsugar.co.uk)

The height of style. Jenna Ortega wearing a black backless hooded gown, from Saint Laurent's 2023 ready-to-wear collection, in Paris for the Saint Laurent menswear show on the 17th January 2023. I also included this image in my post 'The Origin and Glamour of the Hooded Dress'. (Image via popsugar.co.uk).

This dress is my favourite of her looks so far. This asymmetric black leather dress is from the Versace autumn/winter 1994 collection. At the 2023 SAG Awards in February 2023. (Image via elle.com)

Jenna Ortega at the 2023 Karl Lagerfeld inspired Met Gala in a predominantly black outfit featuring a black corset. The outfit was designed by Thom Browne. (Image via vogue.co.uk)

While, in many people's minds, goth fashion may be associated most strongly with the Halloween period, it is showing its strength and trending for summer 2023. In the July 2023 edition of British Vogue, the "dark glamour" of goth fashion is singled out as making "a rebellious statement". (British Vogue magazine, July 2023 edition). Vogue also signalled goth style as a key resort 2023 trend, with numerous leading brands including Gucci, Chloé, Max Mara, Anna Sui and Balenciaga including atmospheric all-black ensembles in their collections. (vogue.com, December 2022) On top of this, the goth trend is set to continue further into the decade as, it is estimated that the second season of Netflix's 'Wednesday' will premier in the autumn of 2024. (decider.com)

With the current summer '23 goth trend and Jenna Ortega's inspiring style in mind, let's look at the standout goth inspired fashion available right now:

Run the World black sweetheart neckline ruffle maxi dress from Club L London. £85. Still available in UK sizes 10 to 16. Also available in 3 other colours. Click image for link.

Rodarte lace trimmed silk/satin maxi dress. £1565. Click image for link.

ASOS Design lace midaxi dress with bra and pant insert in black. Available in sizes UK 4 to 18. £50. Click image for link.

Jessica formal lace slit long dress from Windsor. £45.90. Also available in navy. Click image for link.

Mango lace midi dress. Reduced from £89.99 to £39.99. Still available in UK sizes 6 to 12. Click image for link.

Zara strappy platform heel sandals in black. Also available in other colours. Reduced from £49.99 to £29.99. Click image for link.

Steve Madden Skyrise Pump in black patent. Available in a range of colours. Reduced to £65 from £130.

In the comments below, let me know which of Jenna Ortega's all-black ensembles you like the most and why. Thank you for viewing, Gina.

Writing Sources

British Vogue magazine, July 2023 edition. Pages 46-47.

https://decider.com/2023/07/01/when-will-season-two-of-wednesday-come-out/

https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/resort-2023-trend-goth?redirectURL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vogue.com%2Fslideshow%2Fresort-2023-trend-goth

https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/jenna-ortega-sag-awards

Non-Linked Image Sources

https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a43083096/jenna-ortega-dress-sag-awards-2023/

https://footwearnews.com/fashion/celebrity-style/jenna-ortega-jimmy-kimmel-live-wednesday-1203370282/

https://www.glamour.com/story/jenna-ortega-actors-interview-elle-fanning?epik=dj0yJnU9Zk82VFFXbF9wbWtPRGhSRHVZUUJSdFY3RkFtWEMxWkcmcD0wJm49QWlIMHRlS3g0UVpPbGJoeEk1OUNtUSZ0PUFBQUFBR1NpNTNv

https://www.popsugar.co.uk/fashion/jenna-ortega-style-49028068?utm_medium=redirect&utm_campaign=US:GB&utm_source=www.google.com#photo-49028058

https://www.popsugar.co.uk/fashion/jenna-ortega-saint-laurent-hooded-dress-paris-fashion-week-49064721

https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/jenna-ortega-met-gala-2023

https://travsd.wordpress.com/2018/04/28/carolyn-jones-more-than-morticia/

Why You Should Try These Cruelty-Free Perfumes

Luxurious, sweet & cruelty-free options for your wish list

For a number of years now I've been searching for my dream cruelty-free perfume. Unfortunately, many popular brands aren't cruelty-free as they sell in mainland China where animal testing still takes place. In my teens and early twenties, I wore non cruelty-free perfumes including Armani Diamonds, Marc Jacobs Dot, Diesel Fuel for Life and Dior's Miss Dior. As much as I loved these scents, I felt unease that I was contributing to the success of animal tested products. I understand completely that when buying these products, there is the tendency to block the realities of how they are tested from your mind. Perfume is one of many products that we buy to feel more glamorous and attractive and to boost our confidence. It can be tempting to choose these mood and confidence boosting feelings over the sad reality.

However, more and more cruelty-free perfume options are becoming available. These options allow you the excitement of choosing a new perfume, a variety of choice, the pretty packaging and the confidence boost, without any unease or guilt. Also, unlike viewing shelves in a physical department store, with the internet we have the ability to research and check how a product is created and tested. This knowledge and understanding is something to take advantage of.

Below, I've shared a variety of appealing cruelty-free perfumes. It's worth noting that all perfumes will respond differently depending on the wearer's skin. Therefore, you may have a very positive experience with a perfume that another person has described as not appealing /long lasting. With perfumes it's valuable to be open minded and to try a perfume on your own skin.

1. Glossier- You

Glossier 'You' eau de parfum. £49, Click image for link.

You by Glossier is designed to be a skin-smell enhancer, and it is therefore a subtle and individual scent. It is made up mostly of base notes in order to be long lasting and to shape to your natural scent. It includes the base notes of ambrette, ambrox and musk and higher notes of earthy green iris and spicy pink pepper. Due to it's subtlety and freshness it makes for an ideal day scent. Another element of this perfume that really impresses me is the variety of application options. As well as in spray form, you can purchase it in rollerball and solid form. The solid form can even be bought as a refill in order to save on packaging and limit environmental impact. A non spray version is a kinder option for those who suffer from health issues such as breathing difficulties and headaches.

2. Stella McCartney- Pop

Stella McCartney 'Pop' eau de parfum. Now only £23.95 for 50ml. Click image for link.

Stella McCartney as a brand is famous for it's experimental, open-minded design, high quality and ethical considerations. Pop is one of a number of perfumes released by Stella McCartney and all of them are unsurprisingly cruelty-free. Pop is a multifaceted scent with fruit and flower top notes and base notes of musk, sandalwood and cedar.

3. Penhaligons- The Coveted Duchess Rose

The Coveted Duchess Rose by Penhaligons. £220 for 75ml. Click image for link.

Penhaligons, a British perfume company, was founded in London in 1870. Their perfume's are pricey, but they are the result of many decades of experience and high quality. They offer a wide range of scents, including unisex, to suit different tastes and occasions. The Coveted Duchess Rose is a classic floral scent, and the musky wood element makes it suitable for evening wear. Penhaligons provide a simple scent profiling questionnaire (click the image link below) to determine which scents are suited to your taste and personality type. They also offer a range of discovery scents and scent libraries for if you want a collection of smaller samples.

Click for link to Penhaligons' scent profiling.

4. Bon Parfumeur- 101

Bon Parfumeur bestselling perfume in 101/ rose, sweet pea and white cedar. £40 for 30ml. Click image for link.

French company Bon Parfumeur produce a vast, varied selection of cruelty-free scents ranging from simple favourites like vanilla to more unusual, multi-layered creations. They also use their perfume scents in the production other body and home products such as candles, hand creams and soap bars. They really do have a scent for everyone and a number of their perfumes are unisex.

Let me know in the comments if you have a cruelty-free signature scent, if you opt for cruelty free products and why/why not, and which of the suggested perfumes you'd be interested to try. I'm hoping that with time all companies will be completely cruelty-free. Thank you for viewing, Gina.

Upcycled Denim Should Be a 21st Century Style Staple

With denim a wardrobe staple, how can we alter our buying habits to lessen negative environmental impact?

Since the creation of Levi 501's in the 1870's, denim has become unbeatable in terms of blending practicality and style. Denim was worn by American miners in the late 19th century due to its practicality and comfort. With the 1950's and 60's denim became fashionable. Countless images come to mind when considering 20th century style icons and denim attire. Western movies and musicians, including Elvis Presley, fuelled the popularity of denim as the comfortable and stylish go-to. Denim continues to be a versatile material that transcends class, gender and age barriers. It is comfortable, reliable and versatile. It can be dressed up or down.

Elvis wearing double denim in 'Jailhouse Rock'. 1957. (Image via habilitateblog.com)

A high quality item of denim clothing can be a well-loved item that we regularly wear for years. We even often judge our changing shape and health by the fit and feel of our jeans. With the reliability of denim in mind, its overproduction is clearly wasteful and unnecessary. However, it has been widely reported that the average woman owns seven pairs of jeans and the average man owns six. While we have this amount, the average person only wears four of the pairs in their wardrobe. (holebuttoncover.com, 2019) On top of this, it is expected that denim jean consumption will raise dramatically over the rest of the decade;

It is predicted that the "global market value of the denim jeans industry will be worth 95.2 billion dollars by 2030, up from 64.5 billion US dollars in 2022." (fashionunited.uk, 2023)

These dramatic figures only take into consideration the the production and purchase of denim jeans, excluding other items of denim fashion like jackets, shirts and shorts.

These immense, growing figures are highly concerning when we consider how environmentally damaging the production of denim is. The damaging impacts of denim production include high water and energy usage, fabric waste and the use of chemicals.

In terms of water usage alone, around 7,500 litres of water is required to make a single pair of jeans. This is equal to the amount that the average person drinks over the space of seven years. (news.un.org, 2019)

The purchasing of multiple denim products contributes to demand and therefore to increased production levels and negative environmental impact. However, there are a number of buying alterations that you can make to lessen this negative impact. One is to purchase second-hand denim items online, from charity shops and from vintage clothing stores. Buying from physical stores allows the advantage of trying on the clothing before purchase for fit and comfort. This method of buying benefits all, including the fashion conscious, as such a vast number of denim fashion items, in classic styles, have already been made. The purchasing of second-hand denim places emphasis on the importance of high quality. Denim items shouldn't be produced purely to satisfy a fleeting fashion trend. They should be produced to be long lasting and practical. With the equivalent of one garbage truck burned or landfilled every second (news.un.org), we need to embrace the long lasting potential of denim.

Another positive change to make when buying denim is to choose upcycled options. Upcycled clothing (also referred to a recycled or reformed) involves the turning of fabric from old pieces of clothing into new, re-styled items. Upcycling can also involve using scraps leftover during production to create new pieces of clothing. Due to the nature of its creation, upcycled denim tends to be patchwork in style. Patchwork clothing, including denim, has been a trend for several years now and continues to be widely available.

Patchwork at the Chloe F/W 2015/16 ready-to-wear runway show. (Image via fashionnetwork.com)

The upcycled denim patchwork look is in, as evidenced by this Philipp Plein trench coat at F/W 2023/24 Milan fashion week. (image via sourcingjournal.com)

It is worth noting that as upcycled denim clothing is created using repurposed materials, no two items are exactly the same. Below, I've chosen a selection of standout upcycled denim fashion options:

These eco-conscious jeans by Fanfare with flower embroidery are made of 69% organic cotton, 20% post consumer recycled cotton, 9% recycled plastic bottles, and 2% recycled polyester. £195.00. Fanfare create a variety of distinctive upcycled/eco-conscious jeans. (Click image for link)

Urban Renewal make a range of clothing made from 100% vintage fibres from old, unused clothing. Urban Renewal remade from vintage white patchwork corset. £45. Click image for link.

Grey and black contrast straight leg jean by E.L.V denim. £255. These jeans are available in a wide range of colours and are handcrafted from 100% upcycled denim in London. Click image for link.

Gallery Dept. 'Andy' upcycled distressed patchwork denim jacket. £1040. Gallery Dept. is a menswear brand but this jacket could be worn by either gender. Click image for link.

ASOS Marketplace has a vast selection of upcycled clothing available. This distinctive upcycled denim corset top is by Maria Jovrea and can be made to order in a range of sizes. £310.80. Click image for link.

What are your thoughts on the environmental impacts of denim, upcycled clothing and the patchwork trend? please let me know in the comments below. Also, are any of the shared upcycled denim pieces something that you would wear? Thank you for reading, Gina.

Writing Sources

https://fashionunited.uk/news/background/jeans-and-denim-everything-you-need-to-know-about-jeans/2023041268924

https://holebuttoncover.com/blogs/the-hole-story/how-many-pairs-of-jeans-is-too-many

https://www.makefashionbetter.com/blog/the-environmental-impact-of-the-denim-industry

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1035161

Non-Linked Image Sources

https://uk.fashionnetwork.com/news/Patchwork-is-a-major-ready-to-wear-trend-this-season,590690.html#jacquemus

https://habilitateblog.com/audiophile-style-elvis-presley/

https://sourcingjournal.com/gallery/denim/denim-brands/fall-winter-23-24-denim-milan-fashion-week-420425/philipp-plein-rwt-fw2023-002/