Jenna Ortega’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Looks Pay Homage to the Iconic Film

Her looks have been out of this (under)world.

Date September 4, 2024

In 1988, Beetlejuice heroine Lydia Deetz (played by a young Winona Ryder) brought her goth-punk looks to the sleepy town of Winter River, Connecticut. And 30 years later, Jenna Ortega is resurrecting the artful goth aesthetic. Ahead of the September 6 release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the sequel to the legendary 1980s movie, Ortega — who plays Lydia’s misunderstood daughter, Astrid Deetz — has been doing press for the movie in looks that would make her on-screen mom green with envy.

Like many a 2024 It girl, Ortega and her stylist Enrique Melendez have embraced method dressing, with the Wednesday actress stepping out in outfits that pay tribute to the world of Beetlejuice in everything from her sunnies to her custom Mary Janes.

Kicking off press for the movie on June 15, Ortega made it clear the theme of this media blitz — and the Jenna Ortega Beetlejuice style — is homage. Whether it’s paying tribute to a specific character in the Beetlejuice universe, Tim Burton’s spooky and surreal aesthetic or the elevated goth-chic trend as a whole, Ortega’s looks are steeped in references.

For her first ensemble of the tour, Ortega wore a black feathered skirt set from Alessandra Rich, giving fans the equivalent of goth quiet luxury.

On June 19, Ortega gave a subtle nod to co-star and ’90s It girl Winona Ryder when she stepped out in a red Alessandra Rich tartan set that was similar to an outfit Ryder wore in a vintage magazine shoot.

Kicking off the official press in Mexico City on August 13, Ortega wore an archival Vivienne Westwood midi with sheer and black pleather detailing and gauzy draping that was reminiscent of slithering eels — something you’d def see hanging around Beetlejuice in the underworld). According to a social media post from Melendez on the look, Ortega’s shoes, a pair of custom patent snakeskin Mary Jane platforms from Steve Madden, were specifically designed for the tour and were inspired by a snake in the OG movie.

Moving stateside to NYC, on August 17 Ortega channeled another goth queen familiar to the actress, The Addams Family’s Morticia Addams, in a black pinstriped skirt suit from Dolce & Gabbana with perfectly perched sunnies. Paired with her coffin-style blood red nails, it was giving mob wife in the underworld.

jenna ortega beetlejuice style — Photography by Getty Images

The same day, Ortega donned another Dolce & Gabbana look, this time a lace maxi skirt and cropped blazer (in black, of course).

The next day, Ortega kept pinstripes in the family, opting for a grey and black Vivienne Westwood corset skirt with sheer side panels and a matching cropped tuxedo jacket. For some added interest and a little ’80s flavour, the actress added striped tights.

And lest you assume the The Fallout actress’s gothic style is a daytime thing, be reassured that Ortega slays 24/7. On August 19, the actress showed that she can also get in on the intimates-as-outerwear trend, pairing a black and white Agent Provocateur corset with a black silk skirt from Gen Z-beloved (and super affordable!) brand Cider.

Arguably the most literal Beetlejuice homage was earlier that same day (August 19) when Ortega wore a plaid Thom Browne skirt with an asymmetrical hem, paired with a navy cardigan and cropped dress shirt. But it’s the accessories that really made the look, with Ortega carrying a custom purse from OZIAS made to look like a copy of Handbook for the Recently Deceased from Beetlejuice and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. (IYKYK).

The look is pretty much a direct copy and paste of Lydia’s school uniform in the first movie with a few 2024 updates. The nostalgia!

In addition to leaning into a black and white colour palette, Ortega and Melendez are also using texture to pay homage to the OG Beetlejuice universe. Just look to Ortega’s teal corset and matching skirt from Lurline, worn on August 20, for proof. As Melendez noted on his Instagram, the intricate stitching on the top was a direct nod to the shrunken heads in the original Beetlejuice movie.

But, of course, Ortega’s looks didn’t just slay stateside. If anything, the actress and her stylist only elevated their sartorial savviness internationally, with Ortega stepping out in a series of A+ — and on-theme — looks while promoting the movie at the Venice Film Festival. Kicking off the world-famous fest on August 28, Ortega and Melendez paid homage to Lydia Deetz’s iconic red dress from the first movie, with Ortega donning a red custom Dior gown with a heart-shaped bodice, complete with a matching red lip, of course.

Sticking to the same bloody theme, earlier that same day Ortega wore a custom Paul Smith suit in oxblood. Besides being a fabulous accent to the black and white looks that co-stars Ryder and Catherine O’Hara wore during the same photo op, her stylist revealed on Instagram that the ensemble was a direct nod to a suit worn by Beetlejuice in the original movie.

The following day, Ortega once again wowed while doing press, wearing a Giambattista Valli Paris gown with a keyhole cut-out in a soft floral print. If you’re not 100 per cent certain where the homage to the OG film is, as Menendez shared in an Instagram post about the look, it was subtle; with the dress referencing a much more casual floral dress worn by Barbara Maitland (played by Geena Davis). Ortega paired the gown with a repeat accessory, carrying her custom OZIAS book bag.

And finally, on September 1, Ortega stepped out in a custom Harris Reed gown, inspired in both colour and shape, by literal sculptures from the first movie. For accessories, Ortega and Menendez once more turned to OZIAS for a truly stunning replica of the Deetz house — in purse form!

The key to Ortega and Melendez’s genius really does lie in the details. From the almost all white and black colour palette, to the one-of-a-kind #BookTok purse, to the presence of stripes in Ortega’s outfits, which emulate aspects of character Beetlejuice’s iconic white and black striped suit, everything ties back to the aesthetic of the original movie and the world Tim Burton created.

And it’s a creepy, crawly world we can’t get enough of — at least sartorially speaking.