ginaelisebradbury
- Jul 4, 2023
- 2 min read

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 black goth clothing for the 1964 'The Addams Family' television sitcom. — 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 looking goth wearing a black cut-out and lace dress by Dion Lee and black peep toe platforms for her 15th November 2022 appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'. — 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)

Jenna Ortega wearing a sheer one sleeved black goth Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello dress to the Critics Choice Association's 2nd annual celebration of Latin Cinema & Television on 13th November 2022. — 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)

Jenna Ortega wearing a black goth 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. — 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)

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. — 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).

Jenna Ortega wearing a Versace black leather goth inspired asymmetric dress from their autumn/winter 1994 collection at the 2023 SAG Awards. — 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: