Angelina Jolie made an emotional appearance at the premiere of her latest project Couture on Sunday, September 7 at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. The drama centers around an American filmmaker named Maxine Walker (played by Angelina) whose paths cross with a South Sudanese model and a French make-up artist while at Paris Fashion Week, simultaneously dealing with ongoing divorce proceedings and a breast cancer diagnosis. And it's not just the film's deeply personal subject matter that's drawing the public's attention either.
The Oscar-winning actress, 50, took to the carpet dressed in a floor-length double breasted chocolate brown coat dress, with buttons stopping at her waist and opening out to accentuate a leggier silhouette. The look was styled with sheer tights and a black pointed toe stiletto heel, with a pose through the slit reminiscent of her 2012 Academy Awards appearance.
Over a decade prior, for her Oscars appearance with then-husband Brad Pitt, Angelina wore a gorgeous strapless black velvet Versace dress, with her leg hitting the carpet in a dramatic pose that instantly shot to the top of "Best Dressed" lists and became the face of a thousand memes. But as a fashion expert exclusively tells HELLO!, it's no coincidence we so clearly can see the parallels between the two styles.
"Angelina Jolie is one of those rare stars whose style feels instantly recognizable… Her looks are always pared back, powerful and clearly highly considered," Megan Watkins, Head Stylist at online fashion destination SilkFred, shared with us, pointing to her TIFF moment that not only served as pointed (pun intended) recreation, but also an exhibition of her changing tastes.
"Her chocolate-brown gown at TIFF is a clear nod to her 2012 Oscars look, which became a cultural moment in itself, but it also shows how she's refined her aesthetic over the years," she continued. "Today, her style is less about shock factor and more about quiet confidence – we're talking clean lines, subtle sensuality, and a color palette that exudes sophistication."
The star once known for creating headlines by wearing vials of blood around her neck with ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton, or kissing her brother James Haven at the Oscars, has embraced a sophisticated and more ethereal outlook on not only her public image, but also her style. A large part of that can be attributed to her increased work as a humanitarian and activist, plus becoming a mother. Although, the individuality still remains.
"What makes her fashion evolution so compelling is that she hasn't chased trends, she's built a wardrobe language that's entirely her own," Megan added. "When Angelina steps onto a red carpet, you're not just seeing a beautiful dress, you're seeing consistency, control and a woman completely in command of her image."
Couture, originally titled Stitches, premiered at TIFF on September 7, although a release date beyond the festival has not yet been revealed. Writer-director Alice Winocour's French-English drama also stars Louis Garrel, Ella Rumpf, Garance Marillier, Anyier Anei and Finnegan Oldfield.