Angelina Jolie Looks That Have Caused A Stir

Angelina Jolie has so much going on that it's tough to remember she's also a leading face in Hollywood fashion. She's a mother to six children, three of whom she shares biologically with Brad Pitt and three she adopted with him, according to People. They share Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne, and Knox Jolie-Pitt. She and Pitt made headlines in 2016 when they decided to split, and they've created even more of a stir since then for their messy custody battle.

Besides motherhood, relationships, and divorce, Jolie has worked as an activist for years, and she served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 2001-2012. In May 2022, she visited Ukraine, according to the Daily Mail, and the visit was an intense one because sirens went off while she was there for a potential air raid.

With all of this filling up her days, we can forget that Jolie also slays on the red carpet and has shown up serving look after look for decades. What makes her aesthetic so interesting is how intensely it has changed over the years. We've seen her go from head-to-toe leather and blood vials to ultra-glam, and it's not our job to question. We just have to keep up. And since Jolie has been famous for so many decades, there's a huge portfolio of looks to choose from, but some have created more of a sensation than others — and for good reason.

Back in the aughts, Angelina Jolie was no stranger to low-rise pants, thickly studded belts, and other travesties that rang in the fashion of the new millennium. For a perfect example, we need look no further than the 2001 Los Angeles premiere of "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider." As Yahoo! Movies reminds us, Jolie walked the red carpet in a black, sleeveless crop top, low-rise black, leather pants, and a thick, black belt. She rocked a middle part and minimal makeup. Does it get any more iconic than that?

What made Jolie's look the most memorable was the fact that we could see the tattoos on her lower abdomen. Jolie was sporting a thick, black cross on her hip that she got right before her marriage to Jonny Lee Miller, Hello! Magazine notes. The cross actually served double duty, covering a dragon tattoo that she had previously gotten in Amsterdam. The couple was married from 1996 to 1999, according to the Daily Mail. In the center of her abdomen, Jolie had another tattoo in Latin script that read: "Quod me nutrut me destruit," that translated to: "What nourishes me, destroys me." Ah yes, her major punk phase. 

Jolie's look at the premiere seemed more of a case of clothing revolving around tattoos, rather than clothing creating a statement itself, and it showcased what we would see for decades to come: Jolie loves strutting the red carpet in head-to-toe black.

Can we talk about Angelina Jolie without mentioning her blood vial necklace? Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton were married from 2000 to 2003, according to Vanity Fair. They were a Hollywood sensation at the time, largely because of the rumors and stories circulating about their relationship. But, years later, when Thornton spoke at Loyola Marymount University's School of Film & Television in 2014, he explained how the curious jewelry really came into existence. "Angie came home one day with a kit she bought which is a... You know those lockets you buy that are clear and you put a picture of your grannie in it or something like that and wear it around your neck? That's what it was," he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"She bought two of those," he went on. "We were apart a lot because she's off making 'Tomb Raider' and I'm making 'Monster's Ball.' We were on opposite ends, we see each other for two weeks and whatever. She thought it would be interesting and romantic if we took a little razor-blade and sliced our fingers, smeared a little blood on these lockets and you wear it around your neck just like you wear your son or daughter's baby hair in one. Same thing." 

But Thornton also joked that their vials sparked outrageous rumors that they were vampires and lived dark and sinister lives. What started as something unique and personal became a tabloid sensation that got blown way out of proportion.

In 2004, at the 76th Academy Awards, Angelina Jolie presented the Oscar for Art Direction and welcomed the winners onstage for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." For her Oscar look, Jolie turned to designer Marc Bouwer, who dressed her in a white gown with a deep neckline and a matching wrap. She paired this with a decadent, layered diamond necklace and pulled her hair away from her face in a half-up style. Typical of her vibe, she kept her makeup simple and minimal.

The dress became so popular that it spawned its own Wikipedia page where fashion fans can return to pay homage to the iconic look and keep the conversation going; clearly, after all these years, the dress still sparks a certain something in viewers. As W Magazine pointed out, Jolie's made an ongoing name for herself on red carpets thanks to her penchant for minimalism.

Jolie's choice in designer is a key one. Bouwer is still creating sensational looks and his team explained his aesthetic on the brand's official website. "The Marc Bouwer aesthetic is the very definition of timeless elegance, touched by his love of cinema ... The look is distinct—lush colors, plunging necklines, and daring up-to-there slits are undeniably sexy, yet kept in check by an appreciation for classic silver-screen glamor," the site reads. If that doesn't sum up Jolie's dress, we don't know what does!

For the 2005 premiere of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," Angelina Jolie chose a floor-length, black leather dress with a plunging neckline. The film, of course, was the reason she first started dating Brad Pitt, but they didn't attend the premiere together, as their relationship at the time was still hush-hush. Pitt was there at the event, but the two kept an awkward distance. While there was endless talk about Jolie and Pitt's relationship status, her dress really was the perfect ensemble for such a premiere. The film was about a married couple who discovers later that they're both secret assassins, so Jolie's choice in a tight, leather getup was on brand for the whole event.

But, as we've come to see, Jolie's running theme throughout her life in fashion has been black leather. In 2019, she told Harper's Bazaar about her history with these kinds of fashion choices. "At school I wasn't that popular person; I was a punk," Jolie began. "I loved leather, PVC, and fishnets. Those were my three favorite fabrics in my early 20s. I remember the first time I wore PVC pants. I was waiting for an audition, sitting in the sun in L.A. By the time it was my turn, my pants had fused together. I didn't get the part." Well, she certainly got the parts later on, enough to tell the tale and rock a leather halter dress in 2005.

At the 2009 Oscars, Angelina Jolie wore a pair of massive emerald earrings. Always seeking minimalism somewhere, Jolie paired the stunning Lorraine Schwartz jewelry with a sleek black gown by Elie Saab, per Vogue. What made the look so noteworthy for Jolie was that her usual aesthetic is minimal, including her jewelry. In fact, The Zoe Report published a piece all about Jolie's simple, understated taste in earrings and necklaces saying, "Jolie's jewelry staples all err on the side of subtlety." They certainly do, which is why her emerald earrings were so much fun.

The emeralds were sourced in Columbia and were a combined 115 carats, according to the Daily Mail. What were they worth? $2.5 million. What's less photographed from that same event is the 65-carat emerald ring Jolie also wore, worth over and above $1 million. The outlet also notes that we don't know if the jewelry was loaned to Jolie or if she purchased the items.

Jewelry came up again when Brad Pitt proposed with a stunning diamond ring by jeweler Robert Procop, according to a later publication by Vogue. The engagement ring garnered so much attention that Procop and Jolie decided to collaborate on a collection of jewelry called the Style of Jolie. Procop said, "The line is all about Angelina — very chic and very clean ... Angelina likes to dress in a monochromatic way — if she's wearing a green dress, she'll wear green jewels, for example — and the collection reflects this." All proceeds went to charity.

Art imitated life when it came to "The Tourist" and Angelina Jolie's style in the film. Jolie and Johnny Depp strutted their stuff around Venice and costume designer Colleen Atwood explained the process behind Jolie's glamorous looks. "My inspiration for [Jolie's character] Elise's costumes were the Hitchcock movies: minimal elegance," she told People. In one scene, Jolie wears a gown and diamond necklace, something that Atwood wanted to talk about. "The black gown was designed to evoke the grand life, and to frame Angelina Jolie's beauty," she said. "The necklace was created by Robert Procop from an antique tiara, and [the diamonds were] definitely real!" Atwood expanded on Jolie's aesthetic in "The Tourist" with Vogue, saying that it was, "Intuitive style; almost hereditary, never showy."

At the premiere for the film, Jolie looked every bit the part of her Venice character. She wore a cashmere Versace wrap dress, according to a later publication by Vogue. She paired this look with a pair of earrings by the same designer who worked on her look in the film: Robert Procop. The earrings were over 67 carats each, per Forbes, and were made of the mineral known as green beryl and were cut in a shape called tablet, meant to mimic ancient engravings. The earrings were part of her collaboration with Procop for the Style of Jolie collection. So, the jewelry served double-duty, as styling in the film and as the perfect red carpet accessories.

Angelina Jolie rocked glamorous maternity wear in 2008 when she was pregnant with twins Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Leon, whom she shares with ex-husband Brad Pitt, per Reuters. For the premiere of "Kung Fu Panda" at the Cannes Film Festival, she wore a green Max Azria Atelier gown, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and the look was glamorous and impressive. 

Jolie was all about being pregnant and told Vanity Fair in June 2008 how much she loved the experience. ​​"It makes me feel like a woman," she said. "It makes me feel that all the things about my body are suddenly there for a reason. It makes you feel round and supple, and to have a little life inside you is amazing."

She added that her relationship with Pitt made the experience even better. "I'm fortunate," Jolie went on. "I think some women have a different experience depending on their partner. I think that affects it. I happen to be with somebody who finds pregnancy very sexy. So that makes me feel very sexy." Jolie gave birth to her twins in France in July at the Lenval Hospital in Nice, according to CBS News, via c-section. While it's great that their twins were born safely, it meant the end of maternity wear for Jolie, which was a bummer, in its own way.

With so many home runs, there's bound to be a few mistakes in the mix — even for Angelina Jolie. In 2014, she joined Brad Pitt at the premiere for his film, "The Normal Heart," in New York City at the Ziegfeld Theater, according to Us Weekly. Jolie looked amazing in a black, strapless dress. There was one problem, though. Her face was covered in white powder.

The Beauty Department of Glamour pointed out that what likely happened was that Jolie or her makeup artist used HD finishing powder, which works well on film sets because the white powder appears invisible. However, when camera flashes are involved, the powder is super obvious. Unfortunately, this was the case that night and Jolie's jawline, forehead, and chest were covered in the finishing powder.

It's obvious that the powder wasn't visible to the naked eye at the event because Jolie socialized the night away. According to Us Weekly, Anna Wintour was chatting with Valentino and when Jolie walked by, Wintour said to her, "I don't think you've ever met Valentino before?" a source said. The meetup was a success because the source added, "Valentino was clearly thrilled and was talking about how they had to get Angelina into one of his dresses." While the night was a success, the photos must be a little bit of a nightmare, at least for that poor makeup artist.

At the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, Angelina Jolie sported a brown satin gown by Atelier Versace, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Jolie was there to support the premiere of Brad Pitt's film "Tree of Life," a film that got mixed reviews when it played earlier in the day for the press. Metro joked that Jolie came to Pitt's rescue at the festival. Even The New York Times said that the movie doesn't totally make sense but, hey, you can't win them all.

Jolie, however, certainly seemed to wow the crowd in her gown. The look captured the quintessential Jolie look: elegant but simple at the same time. But this aesthetic is a theme in Jolie's fashion, both on the red carpet and in her everyday wardrobe. She likes simple things that never go out of style. "I invest in quality pieces, and then just wear them to death," she told Vogue in March 2021. "Boots, a favorite coat, a favorite purse, I don't change things often, you know? That's one of my things."

Obviously, on the red carpet, Jolie doesn't wear the same thing, but we can certainly see a consistency. She keeps things simple and understated, though Jolie described it a bit more harshly. "When I'm not all done up for some kind of — I'm boring. I'm very utilitarian. I like things that function," she told Fox News. "I like to travel a lot, I like to be busy, I have a lot of kids so I don't have a lot of extra time for other frills."

Angelina Jolie was given the insignia making her an honorary dame in the Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George, according to the BBC, in October 2014. Jolie visited Buckingham Palace and had a private audience with Queen Elizabeth II to honor the actor's long-running work to stop sexual violence in war torn areas. Her work included acting as envoy for the United Nations and she helped to create the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, according to the news source. She was also a chair on the End Sexual Violence in Conflict conference in London.

For the service of commemoration at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, Jolie chose a dove gray dress by Ralph & Russo, according to Elle, topped with a matching gray fascinator. Hey, when in England! She paired the look with matching gray gloves and a broach. The look was simple and reflected the fact that what she wore was hardly the most interesting thing about the event, unlike, for example, the glitz of the red carpet.

Upon earning this honor, Jolie said, (via Elle): "To receive an [honor] related to foreign policy means a great deal to me, as it is what I wish to dedicate my working life to. Working on PVSI and with survivors of [sexual assault] is an [honor] in itself. I know that succeeding in our goals will take a lifetime, and I am dedicated to it for all of mine."

Angelina Jolie was all about playing the wicked witch in Disney's "Maleficent," and admitted that the misunderstood antagonist was a favorite character of hers since childhood. "It was a little terrifying for me to bring her to life because I was such a fan of hers," Jolie told Rotten Tomatoes in May 2014. Jolie said that the turning point in her insecurity about playing Maleficent came when she tried on the character's horns. "I got my horns on for the first time and I got my staff and it was like living out some childhood fantasy to become somebody you've always been curious about," she explained. Jolie joked that she was so brokenhearted when the movie was over that she kept a pair of horns.

So clearly, for "Maleficent," costume was everything. It makes sense then that Jolie followed a costume-like theme for the premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles, where she donned a black, strapless Atelier Versace gown that was "rubberized," according to the Los Angeles Times. The gown was gathered at the waist and looked like patent leather in some lights, so it was definitely a show-stopper look. Jolie paired the dress with spike earrings and attended the premiere with then-husband Brad Pitt. To keep the rest of the look minimal, Jolie sported a ponytail to keep the focus on her wild, on-theme getup.

People clearly couldn't get enough of "Maleficent" because Disney created its sequel, "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" in 2019. At the October premiere in London, Angelina Jolie wore a Ralph & Russo gown with an external, gold bustier-style front and a cape, according to The Sun. In keeping with Maleficent's dark theme, the dress featured embroidered, Swarovski crystal spiders. Even the makeup was consistent with the movie, though more understated. Jolie wore a red lip and sultry makeup.

Unlike the first premiere for the original film, Jolie had split up with Brad Pitt at this point and she attended the premiere for the second film with four of her children: Vivienne, Zahara, Shiloh, and Knox. Adorably, daughter Zahara also wore a Ralph & Russo gown, and hers was black with sparkles, The Sun notes.

For the second "Maleficent," Jolie and Elle Fanning were joined by Hollywood legend Michelle Pfeiffer. In a joint interview with Access, the three actors spoke about the different kinds of strengths that their characters brought to the screen and Jolie commented on wardrobe choices and its depiction of strength for Fanning. "[Fanning] may be the strongest in the film and she's the softest woman in the pink dress and all of that," Jolie said of her co-star. "She's the toughest, really." Clearly, when it came to recreating this fairytale, wardrobe was everything, both on camera and on the red carpet.

For the 2021 premiere of "The Eternals," Angelina Jolie showed up to the Rome Film Fest in a silver Atelier Versace gown, according to W Magazine. True to her minimalist flair, Jolie wore earrings by the Italian jewel house Vhernier and kept the rest of her look – including hair and makeup – minimal.

Silver and gold seemed to be the theme of Jolie's involvement with "The Eternals." She told Vogue about her experience with the film. "I love this cast, and that we all came together," Jolie said. "I signed up to support Chloé [Zhao]'s vision and Marvel's commitment to expand the way we see "superheroes". Running around in a gold bodysuit was not how I imagined my forties. But it's good crazy, I think."

While the look was stunning, it also had an interesting backstory. Jolie's Versace gown was made from heritage metal mesh, according to Vogue, which meant that its entire construction came from "cast-off silver micro paillettes" that were on hand in the Versace archives. The eco-conscious gown echos the theme of sustainability that Jolie has tried to implement now in her clothing. "We're all trying to figure out what the best way is, but I imagine there'll be more and more regulations, and I think that's the best thing that can happen," she told Vogue. "Because even a thoughtful consumer can be conned by a good promotion of something that is not in fact good, right?" So Jolie's effort is to lead by example and reuse or re-invent where possible.

While attending the premiere of "The Eternals' in Los Angeles in October 2021, Angelina Jolie went for a gold look, wearing a Balmain Resort gown, according to the Hollywood Life. What made the look particularly daring was Jolie's chin cuff, a piece of jewelry that connected from inside her lower lip to beneath her chin. The piece was created by Nina Berenato Jewelry and the designer jumped on Instagram to celebrate the moment. Talk about a publicity boost!

"I can't believe it!!!" she wrote. "We got to create one of my custom lip cuffs for [Angelina Jolie] to wear for the premiere of [Marvel Studios] 'Eternals' and I am losing it seeing this full look come together tonight. It's INSANE! ... Angelina looks incredible!"

While Jolie herself created headlines, some of her children joined her at the premiere and made headlines of their own. Daughter Zahara Jolie-Pitt wore one of her mom's Elie Saab gowns — one Jolie wore to the 2015 Academy Awards — while daughter Shiloh wore a Gabriela Hearst her mom had worn to another event, according to Vogue, while her other children wore previously-owned clothing. "My kids are all mixed with vintage, and in my old Oscars dress. We did all vintage and upcycled my old stuff," Jolie said that night. It was a fun way to show how eco-conscious fashion can create a family-bonding moment and bring back fond memories. Lord knows Jolie's looks have been too beautiful to only wear once.