Thursday, January 12, 2023
‘Wednesday’ Costume Designer Reveals How Jenna Ortega’s Alaïa Dress
www.therichest.com: American coming-of-age supernatural comedy horror television series based upon the character Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family. Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, it stars Jenna Ortega as the title character, with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, Isaac Ordonez, Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane, Fred Armisen, and Christina Ricci appearing in supporting roles.
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4 comments:
I watched the entirety of Wednesday over thanksgiving break and one of the stand out elements for me was the costume design. Like the designer intended, the entirety of Wednesday and especially the titular character herself seems to embody everything in the Addams family while tweaking the designs just enough to bring Wednesday into a modern era. The fact that the Raven Dress was bought and not custom made is a shocker to me as that dress seemed to be perfect for that scene and the character of Wednesday herself. Speaking as someone who wore their hair in two braids and had bangs for close to half a decade I agree with the consume designer and think that adding braids to Wednesdays character design softens her look creating a newer kinder, more modern look for Wednesday Addams through only changing a couple things and keeping the integrity behind Wednesdays character design intact.
Theo
I absolutely loved the costumes in Wednesday. I am not at all a costume designer and so I don't have the same trained eye that a designed would but I thought all the costumes were so well designed and fit the characters in such a perfect way. They really gave the characters depth, life, and spirit and brought a fullness to the show. Reading this behind the scenes is so exciting because it gives me a glimpse into the process and thoughts behind what I thought was such brilliant work. I love reading about the little details that I never even noticed. Now that I can think back on them, I love the attention to detail and perfection that was in every costume. It really adds so much to the story when you know the reasoning behind it. I also find it amazing how with all of the costumes in the show, the iconic dance scene was purchased in the same way that a real high schooler going to a dance would purchase a dress.
I really quite liked Wednesday and it’s use of colors and shape to tell story. It is hard to find a middle ground between, preserving the sincerity of the simplicity and cartoony, and making the outfits fit the real world. There are many ways to approach it, going fully camp, going midway, or toning down the original outfits to fit the current fashion trends. In Wednesday they opted for a healthy blend. The heavy inspiration of the cartoonish qualities of these characters is preserved while giving a modern twist. Not a superficial one though. One with reason and purpose. From the vintage inspired outfits that Wednesday is subtextually implied to thrift to the clever references to past looks in the franchise. I truly do think Wednesday nailed its costumes for its material. I as probably everyone particularly adored the dance dress. There is something so classically blissful about vintage dresses. They say a lot about a character. In ways it shows a character’s drive for studying history as well as a character’s allowance to delve into alternative fashion. The dress that Wednesday uses also has the historical reference of gothic periods which are quite on brand for this gothic character.
I really enjoyed Wednesday. And truly, one of the things that stood out to me the most in the series was, in fact, the costume design. I feel like the Addams Family is absolutely timeless. They are so classic that there’s endless opportunities to play with their aesthetic in different times. Since the show is set in the modern age, I found this article super interesting as they dissected how to make Wednesday feel real, because in my opinion, that was one of the series’ strongest elements; Wednesday felt like a real person, and not just a cartoon. The bangs made an enormous difference, especially because fringe/curtain bangs are very trendy at the moment. I saw Jenna Ortega speaking about Tim Burton fussing over her bangs, cutting them until they looked just right. The Gen Z version of Wednesday’s fashion felt right on the money to me. That’s INSANE that the iconic dress from the Raven’s dance was just bought off the street. In the show, it IS actually bought off the street. The dress is so fitting and perfect in the way it’s designed that it really must’ve been fate.
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