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Jenna Ortega wore a one-of-one corset dress by emerging designer Elias Matso to a New York screening of Klara and the Sun. Matso told Marie Claire the look took about 300 hours to construct, with thousands of steel pieces and 6,500 crystals, and required repairs before Ortega wore it.
Jenna Ortega wore a custom corset dress by designer Elias Matso at a New York screening of Klara and the Sun, bringing a labor-intensive look from Matso’s Polimoda thesis collection to the film’s press events. In an interview with Marie Claire, Matso said the garment took about 300 hours to make and was assembled from steel elements and 6,500 crystals.
Matso described the dress as part of “Melt with Me,” his final collection for Italy’s Polimoda fashion school. He told Marie Claire that he began making it in late November 2025, turning what he called the “guts of a corset” into visible decoration. The design combines a beige bodysuit shell with steel boning and a fringe skirt, with painted metal details and blue, pink and clear crystals supplied by Czech brand Preciosa.
The metalwork required Matso to cut spiral and flat steel boning into thousands of small pieces, paint some of them and crimp each piece with boning caps. He said friends, freelancers and family members helped with the work, including over Christmas. Matso estimated that the process took about 300 hours; the source does not provide an independent measurement of the time.
Matso said the dress was difficult to transport because of its weight and delicate construction, and that he repaired it repeatedly. He was present when Ortega wore it, carrying needle-nose pliers and glue for last-minute fixes. Ortega’s longtime stylist, Enrique Melendez, connected with Matso in May 2026, according to the designer. Matso said Ortega saw the design later and met him in person at a fitting the day before the screening, after which he made alterations.
A Student Collection Reaches the Red Carpet
The appearance brought a fashion-school thesis design into a high-profile film event and showed how a young designer’s work can reach a major actor through stylist relationships. Matso told Marie Claire that he had previously designed for performers including Lizzo, Tyla, Sarah Paulson and Shay Mitchell, but Ortega’s screening look placed his detailed metalwork before a wider audience.
The dress also carried a practical cost behind its visual effect: its weight and fragile construction meant repeated repairs and hands-on support at the event. That detail helps explain why the look was not simply a finished garment delivered to a red carpet, but a piece requiring close coordination among designer, stylist and wearer. The account does not establish how the dress will be used or displayed after the screening.
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From Polimoda Thesis to Film Screening
Matso’s collection was inspired in part by Canadian painter Mark Ranger, whose color and movement he said informed the painted metal pieces. He also cited the late costume designer Bob Mackie as an influence on the skirt’s dramatic fringe. According to Matso, the design’s shifting light and movement were important parts of the embellishment.
Ortega plays Klara, an artificial friend, in the film adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s dystopian science-fiction novel. Matso connected the look’s handmade construction to the film’s questions about technology, while noting that online platforms and algorithms helped bring attention to the work. Melendez reportedly compared the steel details to computer chips. These are the designer’s interpretations of the dress and its relationship to the film, rather than claims about the film’s production.
““I chopped it into thousands of pieces and painted some of them.””
— Elias Matso, speaking to Marie Claire
What the Report Does Not Establish
The account is based on Marie Claire’s interview with Matso and statements attributed to Ortega; it does not independently verify the 300-hour estimate or provide a separate technical assessment of the materials. The source also does not state the dress’s final weight, its cost, or whether it was made to be worn more than once. It describes the screening as taking place on October 19, but does not specify the year in that sentence, while separately referring to styling contacts in May 2026 and work beginning in late November 2025.
It is also unclear whether the dress will be shown publicly again, stored as part of Matso’s collection, or altered for future use. The article reports the designer’s account of the garment’s construction and condition; no further statement about its next destination is included.
Further Wear or Display Is Unconfirmed
No next appearance or exhibition for the dress was announced in the source material. For now, the confirmed development is its use at Ortega’s New York screening, alongside Matso’s account of the making and final fitting. Any later use, repair, sale or display would require confirmation from the designer, Ortega’s stylist or another identified source.
Key Questions
Who designed Jenna Ortega’s corset dress?
Elias Matso designed the one-off dress as part of “Melt with Me,” his 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. That figure is his estimate as reported by the magazine.
What materials and details were used?
The dress included a beige bodysuit shell, steel boning cut into small pieces, painted metal elements, fringe and 6,500 blue, pink and clear crystals supplied by Preciosa.
Why did the dress need repairs?
Matso said the garment was heavy and delicate, making it vulnerable during shipping. He said he repaired it repeatedly and attended Ortega’s appearance with tools and glue.
Will Ortega wear the dress again?
The source does not report any plans for another appearance. Whether the dress will be worn again, displayed or stored remains unclear.
Source: rss
