On Sunday, March 10 at the 2024 Oscar Awards, Angelia Jolie made her designer debut on the red carpet, although she was not the one walking in her original design.
Jolie created a gown for journalist Suleika Jaouad, singer Jon Batiste’s wife and the star of his documentary, American Symphony, which received a Best Original Song Oscar nomination.
Jaouad is the first to wear one of Jolie’s custom pieces from her line, Atelier Jolie. Jolie announced the high-end clothing brand and storefront back in May 2023.
The intricately pleated gown was made from a champagne-gold fabric. It featured a matching cape that Jaouad wore over her shoulders.
The back of the dress includes a sketch drawn by artist Chaz Guest.
“This dress was designed by the one-and-only Angelina Jolie,” Jaouad told Canadian entertainment outlet Etalk on the red carpet. “Her first time designing a dress for the red carpet, and she invited the amazing artist Chaz Guest to paint a symphony on the back of it.”
“So, we have Mr. Batiste right here,” she said, pointing at the painted conductor on her gown.
On Sunday, Jolie talked to Vogue about designing the gown for the writer.
“I have such deep admiration for Suleika and the way she lives her life—how she meets difficulty with strength and grace,” she shared. “[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.”
Atelier Jolie launched online on May 18, 2023. In early December, Jolie opened up the doors to her New York City shop. It is in in the historic SoHo building where renowned painter Jean-Michel Basquiat lived and worked in the ’80s. He rented it from fellow artist Andy Warhol, who owned the home.
