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Jenna Ortega wore a one-of-one corset dress by designer Elias Matso to a New York screening of Klara and the Sun. Matso told Marie Claire the steel-and-crystal look took about 300 hours to make and required repeated repairs; he was on hand to make final fixes before Ortega wore it.
Jenna Ortega wore a one-of-one corset dress by emerging designer Elias Matso to a New York screening of Klara and the Sun, drawing attention to a garment built from steel, painted metal pieces and thousands of crystals. In an interview with Marie Claire, Matso said the look took about 300 hours to make, involved help from friends and family, and needed repeated repairs before the event.
Matso said he began making the dress in late November 2025, drawing on his “Melt with Me” thesis collection for Italy’s Polimoda fashion school. The collection took inspiration from Canadian painter Mark Ranger, while the skirt’s movement and drama paid homage to the late costume designer Bob Mackie. Matso described his approach as taking “the guts of a corset and turning it into the embellishment of the dress.”
The garment’s construction combined a beige bodysuit shell with steel boning and metal embellishment. Matso said he cut spiral and flat steel boning into thousands of small pieces, painted some of them, and crimped each with boning caps. The process required substantial physical effort, he said, and freelancers, friends and family members helped with the work over Christmas. The dress was then covered with 6,500 blue, pink and clear crystals supplied by Czech brand Preciosa.
Because the dress is heavy and delicate, Matso said shipping it between cities caused repeated damage, prompting repairs over several months. He was present before Ortega wore it and used needle-nose pliers and glue to secure metal and crystal details. Ortega met Matso for the first time at a fitting the day before the screening, according to his account to Marie Claire; he made alterations before the red carpet. The report identifies Ortega’s longtime stylist as Enrique Melendez and says he connected with Matso in May 2026, though it does not specify the year of the screening.
Handwork Behind the Red-Carpet Look
The dress makes the labor behind a high-profile red-carpet outfit unusually visible. Its steel construction, hand-crimped details and crystal coverage required hundreds of hours and ongoing maintenance, rather than relying only on the finished appearance. Matso’s account also shows the practical demands of dressing a star in a heavy, fragile piece: the designer had to be ready to repair it immediately before Ortega wore it.
The look also offered a connection to the film Ortega was promoting. Matso told Marie Claire that the movie’s questions about technology informed his thinking about the design. He said the metal pieces reminded Melendez of computer chips, while the dress’s handcrafted construction stood in contrast with the internet and algorithms that helped bring the work to public attention. That is the designer’s interpretation, not a stated theme from the film’s makers.
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From Thesis Collection to Screening
The dress came from Matso’s “Melt with Me” collection, created as part of his studies at Polimoda. The New York screening gave the emerging designer’s thesis work a prominent public appearance on Ortega, who plays Klara, an artificial friend, in the film adaptation of the dystopian science-fiction novel. The source describes the occasion as a screening, not a premiere.
Matso has also designed for performers including Lizzo, Tyla, Sarah Paulson and Shay Mitchell, according to the report. The route to Ortega’s look ran through stylist Enrique Melendez, who showed her the design. Matso said Ortega agreed to wear it and that they met in person only at the fitting the day before the event. The limited fitting window helps explain why Matso was still making alterations and repairs so close to the appearance.
“I chopped it into thousands of pieces and painted some of them.”
— Elias Matso, speaking to Marie Claire
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Event Date and Wear Details
The source says the dress debuted on October 19 but does not give the year for the screening. It also refers to Matso connecting with Melendez in May 2026 and to Ortega seeing the design “last month,” without establishing a clear publication date that would resolve the event timeline. The reported 300 hours is Matso’s estimate; the article does not provide an independent accounting of labor or production costs.
The available account does not state how many cities the dress traveled through, beyond saying Matso refined it in six cities, or identify the specific screening venue. It also does not detail the full alteration process or say whether Ortega will wear the dress again. Those details should not be assumed from the designer’s description of the look as one of a kind.
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No Further Dress Plans Reported
The source reports the dress’s appearance at the New York screening and Matso’s account of its construction, but gives no upcoming exhibition, sale or additional public appearance for the garment. Any future use of the look remains unreported. For now, the confirmed development is the screening appearance and the designer’s explanation of the work and repairs behind it.
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Key Questions
Who designed Jenna Ortega’s corset dress?
Elias Matso designed the one-of-one dress. It drew on his “Melt with Me” thesis collection for Polimoda fashion school.
How long did the dress take to make?
Matso told Marie Claire that the work took about 300 hours, with help from freelancers, friends and family members.
What materials and embellishments were used?
Matso described a beige bodysuit shell with steel boning and painted metal pieces, finished with 6,500 blue, pink and clear crystals supplied by Preciosa.
Why did the dress need repairs?
Matso said the heavy garment was delicate during shipping and repeatedly needed repairs. He made last-minute fixes with needle-nose pliers and glue before Ortega wore it.
When did Ortega wear the dress?
She wore it to a New York screening of Klara and the Sun on October 19, according to the report. The source does not specify the year of the screening.
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