Jenna Ortega Sweeps the Emmys Red Carpet in Givenchy Look Straight Out of “Death Becomes Her”
Jenna Ortega knows how to make an entrance. On Sunday night, the Wednesday star shut down the 2025 Emmys red carpet in Los Angeles wearing a top made entirely of multi-colored jewels and pearls. The Givenchy by Sarah Burton piece was styled with a sleek black slit skirt and Pomellato jewelry. The ensemble created a moment that had everyone drawing comparisons to Isabella Rossellini’s Lisle von Rhuman in the 1992 cult-classic film Death Becomes Her.
The ensemble even arrived “in a box shaped much like a coffin,” as style journalist Zanna Roberts Rassi revealed on Live From E! That detail only added to Ortega’s gothic glam reputation.
Jenna Ortega’s daring look had echoes of cinema history
The jewel-encrusted top felt like a direct nod to Rossellini’s character in Death Becomes Her, who famously wore a similarly adorned, barely-there piece. The film, which also starred Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn, remains a touchstone for darkly glamorous camp. Ortega’s choice to channel the enchantress on one of TV’s biggest nights confirmed her reputation for method dressing.
As Cosmopolitan reported, Ortega’s stylist, Enrique Melendez, sourced the Givenchy Fall 2025 look, originally seen in a campaign on Kaia Gerber. While Gerber wore it with trousers, Ortega elevated the piece with a floor-length skirt and thigh-high slit. She leaned into a dramatic silhouette that matched the Emmys stage.
Jenna Ortega keeps weaving Wednesday into her fashion
This wasn’t Ortega’s first time leaning into cinematic references for red carpet fashion. She has made method dressing something of a signature since the release of Wednesday. From her Thom Browne recreation of Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice to her snakeskin gown resembling a serpent shedding its skin, Ortega consistently ties her fashion to the spooky, surreal worlds she inhabits onscreen.
Speaking with Harper’s Bazaar earlier this year, Ortega admitted her style has shifted since playing Wednesday Addams. “I definitely feel like I have a bit more Gothic taste than I did when I was a teenager,” she said. “I’ve always been into dark things or been fascinated by them. But I was a Disney kid, and the whole thing is being bubbly and kind and overly sweet.”
Jenna Ortega cements her Emmys status
Ortega presented during the ceremony alongside stars like Sofía Vergara, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Sydney Sweeney. While she wasn’t nominated this year, her red carpet appearance sparked as much conversation as the winners. At last year’s Emmys, Ortega wore a Dior ballgown that leaned softer, but this year she doubled down on gothic glam and risk-taking fashion.
As InStyle put it, “If looks could kill, Jenna Ortega’s 2025 Emmy Awards dress would have us all dead.” By channeling Death Becomes Her with a modern twist, Ortega proved she remains one of the most exciting young stars to watch—on screen and on the carpet.
