In 2021, Angelina Jolie Redefined Movie Star Style 

Angelina Jolie looks good in anything. Over the years, the 46-year-old Oscar winner has had fun doing just that, moving from rebellious leather pants loving 20 something to the queen of the red carpet leg-reveal with one great ensemble after another. While images of Jolie’s ’90s fashion now populate a million Pinterest boards and her 2000s looks were among the best of the era, there is always room for improvement. In 2021 Jolie took it upon herself to shake things up, refreshing her wardrobe with high drama couture pieces and sustainable designs. 

With two projects to promote—the neo-western thriller Those Who Wish Me Dead and the Marvel blockbuster Eternals—Jolie had plenty to prepare for, and she wanted to make the most of each event. Enter Jason Bolden, the superstar stylist whose work with clients like Cynthia Erivo, Yara Shahidi, and Alicia Keys has resulted in some of the most memorable celebrity fashion in recent memory. While Jolie has established favorite brands like Ryan Roche, Valentino, and Gabriela Hearst, Bolden introduced her (and the world) to new labels and concepts. Case in point: at Variety’s Power of Women event in October, the star dazzled in a silk gown from Iraqi-Lebanese designer Harith Hashim, a Vogue Fashion Prize finalist whose romantic aesthetic meshed perfectly with Jolie’s current tastes. 

Hashim’s ethereal gown with its tiers coffee-hued fabric was phenomenal, as was the flowing olive Balmain resort set chosen for Eternals’ Los Angeles premiere. Still, Jolie and Bolden value variety, and their next showstopper was revealed at the Rome Film Festival premiere of Eternals was a complete 180. The silver chainmail custom gown from Atelier Versace was sexy, strong, and impossible to ignore. Bolden had the Versace team unearth deadstock from its archives to make the piece. Anyone suggesting that movie stars aren’t viable in the age of the influencer need only see the ecstatic crowd’s reaction when Jolie hit the carpet at Auditorium Parco della Musica. The fact that she was flanked by daughters Shiloh and Zahara, each in outfits they’d picked from her closet, only served to make the moment sweeter. 

Clearly, Jolie knows how to dress while on a promotional tour, but as one of the world’s most photographed women, every outfit she chooses is given added prominence. Aware that the media will dissect everything she wears, she managed to sneak a little eco-friendly fashion into each paparazzi picture. Whether that means being among the first to test-drive Gabriela Hearst’s sustainable take on Chloé via a tailored tan suit or running errands while toting Salvatore Ferragamo’s limited edition “earth bag,” which was created from low impact materials like cork and is one of the few accessories to receive the ISO 14067 carbon footprint certification for being manufactured in a way that offsets emissions. The result is an off-duty wardrobe that feels effortless, chic, and connected to the star’s principles.