4 days ago
Angelina turns 50: A look at her most stylish moments
Angelina Jolie is one of those rarities in Hollywood: an actress who doesn't work with a stylist. Speaking to Vogue in 2023, she said: 'There are more books than clothes in my closet. I'm not someone who likes clothes to consume her life. And I don't love the idea of being 'influenced'.' Yet there's no denying that her own look has been influential throughout her three-decades-long time in the spotlight. After all, who doesn't remember those Lara Croft hot pants and plaits? Or that much-memed right leg?
A nepo-baby before the term was coined, Jolie's reputation for having a devil-may-care approach to fashion was evident from her first-ever red carpet appearance. Joining her father, the actor Jon Voight, at the 1986 Academy Awards, the 10 year old wore a white lace dress with oversized shoulders, which she accessorised with lots of pearl necklaces – a clear nod to the pop star of the moment, Madonna.
But it would be her gothic approach to fashion in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when she first started making waves in her acting career, that would really cement her fame as well as her reputation as the 'bad girl' of Hollywood – something that would endure right up until she got together with her now ex-husband Brad Pitt on the set of 2004's Mr and Mrs Smith.
In 2000, she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Girl, Interrupted, a coming of age story set in a women's mental institution in the 1960s which was inspired by real events. Her character, Lisa, is very much the scene-stealing antagonist of the film, which cast her opposite Winona Ryder (who herself sports a very iconic pixie crop). To collect her award, she chose a Morticia Addams-esque long-sleeve black dress by Marc Bouwer, with her long hair dyed matching black. Not very Oscars glam.
Off-camera and off the red carpet, she continued to play up that gothic appeal, most famously perhaps during her 2000 wedding to fellow actor Billy Bob Thornton. Rather than an ivory dress, she wore a simple tank top, jeans and boots – casual, but not overly shocking. But that's before you factor in her choice of jewellery: a necklace with a vial of her husband's blood.
Then came her undisputed bombshell era: kickstarted of course by her Amazonian appearance in 2001's Lara Croft, when she became the fantasy for teenage boys around the world thanks to her short-shorts, vest top and holsters – not to mention that epic plait.
By the early 2010s, and perhaps as a way to mitigate the bad press she had surrounding being potentially the 'other woman' in Pitt and ex-wife Jennifer Aniston's relationship, Jolie's style undoubtedly became more refined – and PC. Case in point was the Atelier Versace dress she chose for their 2014 wedding, which featured hand-embroidered drawings done by their six children.
On the red carpet, she began to reference Old Hollywood more and more, often turning to her wedding dress designer, Atelier Versace. Of particular note was the ivory satin gown from the fashion house that she wore to the 2012 Golden Globes, which featured a gathered waist and red accents. In many ways, it is symbolic of the signature glamazon Jolie look from the period. Of course, one of her most famous red carpet moments occurred the same year, when she posed at the 2012 Academy Awards wearing a black velvet Versace gown with a thigh-high split, showcasing the entirety of her right leg. Cue endless memes.
In the mid 2010s, Jolie had refined her signature style further, entering her elder stateswoman mode. Case in point was the elegant Ralph and Russo skirt suit she wore to collect her Honorary Dame Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George from the late Queen in 2014.
In many ways, it was a foreshadowing of the wardrobe she would wear to play opera singer Maria Callas, in Maria, released at the beginning of this year. Another influential fashion moment, the film's costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini painstakingly created over 60 looks for the actress, with the influence being felt on the high street too, in what Vogue dubbed 'Callas-core'.
As a 50-year-old mother of six, Jolie has now honed a signature pulled-together off-duty look, one that firmly puts her in the 'quiet luxury' camp. Staples of her wardrobe today include sophisticated coats, coordinated trouser suits and statement tote bags, usually by Yves Saint Laurent. She's also got a penchant for oversized sunglasses and elegant heeled pumps, with Christian Louboutin Dolly 75s a regular in her wardrobe. She's even launched her own fashion brand, Atelier Jolie, which makes quiet luxury separates. What does the future hold? Undoubtedly more glamour, more elegance, and hopefully a glimpse of that gothic past…
