Much has been made of the influx of so-called “method dressing” over the last couple of years. For those unaware, the term refers to when an actor is promoting a film – usually a tentpole, studio movie – and dresses to mirror that film’s aesthetic. Obvious examples include Margot Robbie, who spent the entirety of the Barbie press tour looking like, well, Barbie, and Zendaya, whose Dune and Challengers looks seemed to drum up the majority of press surrounding those films.
Though the practice dates back to the 90s, things have come to a head in recent times, with everyone from Anya Taylor-Joy to Daisy Edgar-Jones getting a piece of the method-dressing pie. So, when Jenna Ortega stepped out in a gothic striped twin set to promote her upcoming Beetlejuice sequel, one particular old adage sprung to mind – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Method dressing has worked countless times in the recent past, so why not again, now? As they say in Hollywood, let’s stick to the script and get this thing done!
What makes this recent bout of method dressing particularly effective, though, is that Ortega’s striped mini and cropped jacket is a clear nod to the film, but still encapsulates the actor’s own personal style (i.e. it’s not a costume). Now that method dressing is so ubiquitous, there’s newfound criticism that it veers into the costumey, so the trick is not to be too on the nose with it, which is true for this instance as you could definitely imagine Ortega wearing this outfit anyway. Elsewhere on the tour, the actor and her stylist Enrique Melendez have lent into Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s gothic themes in pinstripe Dolce and Gabbana and archival Vivienne Westwood, looks that interpret the aesthetic of the film without going overboard, or losing any of Ortega’s trademark cool. Even the actor’s off-duty looks have banked on the film’s black-and-white aesthetic, with Ortega darting from paps in monochromatic looks and face-swamping sunnies. Maybe it’s the fact that the Beetlejuice canvas already matched the actor’s style, or that Ortega and Melendez know when to reign in the references, but this press tour is a prime example of method dressing done exactly right.
