Already a renowned actress and director, Angelina Jolie introduced yet another talent at the 2024 Academy Awards, debuting her first-ever red carpet dress design, worn by Suleika Jaouad, wife of Jon Batiste.
Even when she’s not winning at the Oscars, Angelina Jolie is winning at the Oscars. The renowned actress and director can now add stunning dress designer to her impressive resume after one of her gowns made its red carpet debut Sunday night.
“This dress was designed by the one and only Angelina Jolie,” Suleika Jaouad, wife of Oscar-winning musician Jon Batiste, told CTV Etalk. “Her first time designing a dress for the red carpet and she invited the amazing artist Chaz Guest to paint a symphony on the back of it.”
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Guest spotlighted the gown on his own Instagram page, too, which included a shot of Jolie laying out the train with the symphony — conducted by her husband — on full display. It’s not a one-off or anything, either, with Guest’s caption noting the dress was designed the new fashion label Atelier Jolie.
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The gown itself was made from upcycled silk, per People, as part of the label’s sustainability focus. And designing the dress for Jaouad, who stars alongside her husband in the documentary film American Symphony, was intentional for Jolie.
“I have such deep admiration for Suleika and the way she lives her life — how she meets difficulty with strength and grace,” Jolie told Vogue, adding that she’s a “brilliant creative force who inspires everyone who knows her.”
In fact, Jolie is so inspired by Jaouad she told the outlet, “I would have dressed her for anything she needed; It should never be about the dress, but how anything worn feels like an extension of the person.”
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In fact, the dress was designed specifically for Jaouad, with Jolie saying, “It was an exercise in what could be found and used, and for us to be creative. We laid out the panels and discussed where they would fall on her body.”
Guest then used a Japanese technique to paint directly on the upcycled silk. “It’s called sumi-e, and it’s an ancient way of drawing, with sumi ink,” he said of his first time creating directly on to silk.
“I was nervous because I didn’t want to mess up,” he said. “But I put on Jon’s music, and didn’t think, and went with the full inspiration and moved as fast as I could.”
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Her theme in the design was one of creative healing, she explained to Vogue, which she saw as a major theme also of Jaouad’s film with her husband that deals with the return of her leukemia.
She also took inspiration from the fact Jaouad is a painter to have the dress serve as a canvas, enlisting Guest to help bring the full vision to life.
“Chaz and I have known each other for years, and I knew he would approach this with the dedication and intention needed to feel right,” said Jolie.
