Angelina Jolie Revives The Corporate Pencil Skirt While On The Red Carpet

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Since making her stellar return to the red carpet for her upcoming operatic biopic, Maria, Angelina Jolie has remained astutely minimal in her mode of dress.

During the film’s debut at the Venice Film Festival, the bona fide movie star wore a trifecta of tonal designs from Saint Laurent and Tom Ford, to name a few. At a screening in Los Angeles, she wore a champagne-coloured satin dress crafted by her eponymous label, Atelier Jolie. Now, back in Italy for the Torino Film Festival, Jolie has done the unthinkable by reviving a silhouette from her Hollywood heyday.

Taking a cue from her fellow 90s screen star, Pamela Anderson, Angelina Jolie embraced a more business casual ensemble in pieces you’ll find in a corporate women’s capsule wardrobe. Wearing an ultrasoft black cashmere sweater from Falconeri and matching ballet flats, Jolie’s look is something we’d sport while scurrying around a city highrise or see an extra in Nicole Kidman’s upcoming corporate erotic thriller Babygirl wear in the background.

However, the item that piqued our interest the most was her body-sculpting pencil skirt. Since its debut in the 1950s in collections from Chanel and Christian Dior, the fitting style was once a beacon of freedom before becoming relegated to an office cliché after extreme overuse. Yet, this calf-grazing piece feels rather contemporary when paired back with contrasting textures rather than a matching blazer or tailored shirt.

As many modern womenswear labels like Paris Georgia, Rue Sophie and Pave know through offering their own interpretations of a pencil skirt, the right ruching or wool fabric can elevate the shape from matronly to must-have. Hollywood has caught onto this too, with Margot Robbie even wearing a steel blue version with cummerbund belt detail and an exaggerated train from Christopher Esber while in Sydney to promote the 2022 epic, Babylon.

But as anyone who lived through the early 2000s can attest, it’s not the first time we’ve seen A-listers embrace professional codes on the red carpet. Yes, Angelina Jolie might be garnering Oscars buzz for her performance as the late iconic soprano, but when it comes to her public appearances, she’s not letting this style have its swan song.

Watch the trailer for Pablo Larraín’s Maria, below: