Angelina Jolie, who’s gearing up for the nationwide release of her biopic Maria, has mostly declined the opportunity to method dress as Maria Callas. But that didn’t stop the actress from channeling her version of operatic glamour last night.
Jolie, alongside Maria director Pablo Larraín, attended the Metropolitan Opera’s Tosca Gala in New York wearing an all-black look that she elevated with a few key details. The actress paired a plunging draped gown with a sumptuous velvet shawl that featured a textured paisley pattern. The piece, which wrapped around Jolie’s shoulders, felt like a more Callas-coded alternative to the slate of khaki trench coats she usually layers on top of evening dresses as of late. Jolie topped off her subdued look with a half-up, half-down hair style, megawatt diamond jewelry, and a glossy lip.
Jolie’s low-cut pleated gown bore a slight resemblance to the archival Madame Grès stunner she wore to the New York Film Festival back in September. But paired with her vintage-inspired shawl, this jet black gown perfectly merged the divide between Callas’s unbridled glamour and Jolie’s usual “Rich Mom” aesthetic.
Unlike many Hollywood stars these days, Jolie has largely flouted themed dressing during the Maria promotional cycle. She’s instead opted for elegant pairings like last night’s gown and shawl or even something like the faux fur-trimmed Tamara Ralph gown she wore to the Venice Film Festival.
It’s clear Jolie is intentional about the ways in which she references Callas on the red carpet. She’s doing things like wearing the late diva’s actual vintage Cartier jewelry rather than re-creating a famous look or two on her own. Luckily for Jolie, the line between where her personal style begins and Callas’s fashion sense ends is relatively faint. Callas, known as “La Divina” or the divine one, was almost always wearing some sort of statement fur paired with a dreamy ball gown and flashy costume jewelry. It’s a spirit that Jolie has brought to her Maria press tour without bordering on the cliché.
As for how Jolie fared in channeling Callas on the silver screen? Larraín said in a recent interview that he was “moved to tears” by the actress’s performance.
