Dressing yourself like Wednesday Addams

«Please excuse Wednesday», says mellifluous Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams. «She's allergic to color». Gothic elements, pointy white collars, long raven braids and Dark Academia influences, all strictly in black and white: these are the key words that have distinguished the imagery of Wednesday Addams since 1938, when the character came to life from the pencil of The New Yorker cartoonist Charles Addams. Today, played by actress Jenna Ortega, the sinister teenager knows a new guise in the Netflix series of the same name, clothed in the suggestions of Tim Burton, the director best suited to the feat of repurposing an iconic character from our adolescence to contemporary times.

If the Wednesday of the 1960s played by Lisa Loring or Christina Ricci's Wednesday of the 1990s (who appears in the reboot as Professor Marilyn Thornhill) relied on monochromatic dresses and contrasting white collars, in Burton's imagery the preppy outfits are enriched with new details, curated by costume designer and longtime Burton collaborator Colleen Atwood. From the characteristically fixed, eerie stare recreated through violet eyeshadow tutorials under the hashtag #deadeyes (35.5M views on TikTok) to the soft bangs and marble complexion: Wednesday's look is already viral, as is the clip of her epileptic dance at the school dance, when enveloped in a cloud of tulle she launches into convulsive dance moves. «I particularly love Wednesday», said the director during the presentation of the series, «because she shares my worldview». 

Wednesday Addams

Wednesday Addams

Wednesday Addams by Christina Ricci

Wednesday Addams

Wednesday Addams

Wednesday Addams

Wednesday Addams

Wednesday Addams

Wednesday Addams by Christina Ricci

The monotony of Wednesday's classic wardrobe comes alive with new Gen Z-friendly choices, still true to the character and her spooky outfits, but with a touch of contrasting patterns and materials, stripes or checks, leather and organza. «Besides using black that was semi-reflective, I used black with white. There’s almost no solid black that’s used. If a character is in a black jacket, for instance, I pair it with a white shirt underneath so you can see the sleeve peek out at the cuff, so it’s not just a blob of black on the screen» explained Atwood to Harper's Bazaar. Within the walls of Nevermore Academy the iconic preppy "doll guillotine," fades into the goth nuances of the Dark Academia aesthetic, tagged on 3.2 billion videos on TikTok. Some of Wednesday's outfits are custom-made, some are by Zara, and some come from vintage stores.

Wednesday's daily outfit consists of Prada Monolith derby shoes, Dr. Martnes Jadon or chunky sneakers from Naked Wolfe; sweaters, strictly black and white, striped or checked, range from Miu Miu to Urban Outfitters; backpacks are strictly from The Cambridge Satchel & Co.; and outwear includes minimalist 90's-style leather jackets by LK. Benett or Zara sleeveless puffers. As for Alaïa's iconic ruffled black chiffon dress, Atwood was lucky enough to see the dress on a mannequin in London, later deciding to pair it with a pair of Christian Loubotin Mary Janes. Speaking of her inspirations for Wednesday's style in the new series, Jenna revealed that she included Billie Eilish in her personal moodboard: «We weren't making her like every other teenage girl» she told USA Today.

The Face emphasizes that homicidal maniac look has already had its first effects and not only on TikTok. Fashion's renewed passion for all things black or goth has been reinforced by giving new luster to established designers, such as Rick Owens and Ann Demeulemeester, with a focus on emerging brands, such as The Vampire's Wife, founded by Nick Cave's partner, Dilara Findikoglu, Nensi Dojaka, and Edward Crutchley, who was inspired by the idea of a "gothic, queer god" for his fall collection. Celebrities in the meantime, attempt to borrow from Wednesday's wardrobe welcome their darker side: Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Baker, but also Kylie Jenner's recent looks, from the Mugler dress to the JPG x Glenn Martens "Frankesteinian mummy" style costume.

Indeed, fashion has repeatedly drawn from Wednesday's character itself as in the case of Prada's FW2020 collection, a manifest homage to America's gothiest teenager. Anyone who has grappled with preppy style in its darkest declinations cannot have failed to think of her at least once: from Vivienne Westwood to Thom Browne, via Tod's, Saint Laurent and Celine. If the very concept of Dark Academia exists we owe it, in part, to Wednesday.