Typically, Angelina Jolie walks the Oscars red carpet as an A-list nominee, or serves as a presenter for the evening. But this year, the actor took on a more behind-the-scenes role at the 96th annual ceremony: She designed a red carpet dress for it.
Under her new fashion label Atelier Jolie, which launched last year with a focus on sustainability and upcycling, Jolie created a custom dress for writer and artist Suleika Jaouad; Jaouad stars in the documentary film American Symphony alongside husband Jon Batiste, which is nominated in the best original song category this evening. “I have such deep admiration for Suleika and the way she lives her life—how she meets difficulty with strength and grace,” Jolie tells Vogue. “[She’s a] brilliant creative force who inspires everyone who knows her. 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.”
The American Symphony documentary follows musician Batiste as he sets out to compose a symphony while his partner, Jaouad, learns that her leukemia is back after a decade in remission. “There were many weeks when we couldn’t see each other, because he had to be out in the world for work, and the exposure risk was too high,” Jaouad tells Vogue. “Lullabies became his way of enveloping me with care, love, and presence from a distance. To see that lullaby become a full-fledged song [titled “It Never Went Away”], become a part of a film, and then go on to be nominated at the Oscars, shows how much things can change in two years.”
Given the film centers around themes of resiliency, and the healing role that music can play within that, Jolie wanted to create a look that nodded to Jaouad’s own artistic roots. “I wanted a look inspired by Suleika’s creativity and her love,” says Jolie. “She is a painter, and so it felt right to have her gown used as a canvas.” To do so, Jolie collaborated with American artist Chaz Guest to treat her red carpet dress as a form of wearable art. “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,” says Jolie.
Jolie wanted the dress to incorporate hand-drawn print work reflective of Jaouad’s American Symphony film. The design features an illustration of Batiste conducting an orchestra. “I used a technique of painting that is quite known in Japan: It's called sumi-e, and it's an ancient way of drawing, with sumi ink,” says Guest. Reflecting Atelier Jolie's commitment to sustainability, Guest then applied the drawings onto upcycled, 100-percent silk fabric. “It was an exercise in what could be found and used, and for us to be creative,” says Jolie, who then worked with Guest to drape the fabric on the form in an elegant way. “We laid out the panels and discussed where they would fall on her body,” says Jolie. “Like all projects within the atelier, the goal is to make clothing personal and to be bold and creative together.”
For Guest, this was a fun challenge and approach to his work: The artist is used to drawing on canvases, not garments. “I was not familiar with painting on silk, and I was nervous because I didn't want to mess up,” he says. “But I put on Jon's music, and didn't think, and went with the full inspiration and moved as fast as I could.”
For Jaouad, seeing the end result of the look worn on herself felt both empowering and meaningful. “I was absolutely amazed by the amount of research that went into the design, and how collaborative the process was,” she says. “Angelina wanted this to be not just a visually stunning garment, but one imbued with soul and meaning. It was such a unique approach to fashion.” Even her accessories for the night—vintage Neil Lane jewelry pieces, from the 1870s to the 1970s—were intentional and sourced by Jolie herself. “Everything down to the jewelry was an in-the-moment collaborative creative decision,” Jaouad says.
While it certainly made for one of the night’s most poignant fashion moments, Jolie and the team attest that the look only serves an extension of the the beautiful sentiments found in Jaouad and Batiste’s new documentary. “American Symphony shows one of the great artist pairings and love stories of our time,” Jolie says. “We can all learn from them about how to approach love, art, and the challenges life brings. They say in the film, ‘freedom and family.’ There really isn’t anything more important.”
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