Jenna Ortega Defies Fashion Norms in Dress Made of Steel Rods and 6,500 Crystals

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Jenna Ortega

Jenna Ortega is famous for her fierce fashion choices and her willingness to defy norms by wearing pieces that are made of unusual materials or constructed in unexpected ways. Just check out her revealing metallic leaf-like top and heavy stone-covered Emmys look.

Now, the style savvy star has created a buzz by wearing a one-of-a-kind dress that “blurs the line between fashion [and] technology — and took 300 hours to make,” according to Marie Claire.

Jenna Talked About the Fabulously Unique Dress

There’s no doubt that Ortega caught fans’ and photographers’ attention thanks to her techy dress by designer Elias Matso when she showed up to a screening of “Klara and the Sun” in New York City on Monday, Oct. 19.

With her long, dark hair worn straight down and one side pushed back over her shouler, her makeup was just strong enough to compete with the eye-catching dress and matched the flattering tones perfectly.

While the solid base of the piece made of steel bars and 6,500 crystals ended just under the star’s hips, flowing strands continued to stretch down to make it an ankle-length dress that allowed glimpses of her legs to peek through.

She paired the item with nude heels that were sure not to detract or distract from the dress which deserved to stand out on its own.

“I’ve just met the designer, and he’s so special and so cool,” Ortega told People while talking about her look at the industry event. “His name is Elias. He is incredible. This is a one-of-one dress. It’s made out of steel rods. So it’s handmade, human-made, a lot of effort.”

That’s putting it mildly!

The Dress Took Over 300 Hours to Make

During Elias Matso’s final year of college, the emerging designer decided to make a dress for Jenna Ortega. That decision and the following dedication was obviously worth the immense amount of effort that it took to bring the item to life.

Speaking to Marie Claire about the process behind the fasionable masterpiece, Matso explained that he was inspired by Canadian painter Mark Ranger — “If you zoom in on the painted metal pieces, they sort of evoke [his] color scheme and movement” — and Bob Mackie, saying, “The dress has drama.”

Embarking on an intense process to create what Matso had in mind, the designer had freelancers as well as friends and family help out. Yet, even with the extra hands, it still took 300 hours to bring the dress together.

Seemingly countless steel bands, wires and “6,500 blue, pink, and clear crystals, courtesy of Preciosa, a Czech Republic-based brand beloved by Céline Dion, Zendaya, and Jennifer Lopez, as well as designers like Tom Ford, Gucci, and Vivienne Westwood,” completed the epic item, according to Marie Claire.

Was it worth the effort? Absolutely! It fit Ortega like only a lovingly crafted custom-made item could, shone on the red carpet (or, in this case, blue carpet) and was perfectly suited for the event focusing on a film which sees the actress play an “artificial friend,” Marie Claire points out.

Matso added that “the movie challenges the capacity of technology,” while “the dress incorporates the irreplaceable quality of handcrafted [fashion] with how it’s made… [b]ut how it is being platformed only exists because of the internet, technology, and in some ways, the algorithm.”