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Angelina Jolie just wore the most incredible cape and it’s giving us major Maleficent nostalgia

The actress has referred back to the cape for elegant evening layering since the mid 90s

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Lauren Ramsay
Online Writer
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Angelina Jolie never strays too far from her staple sartorial agenda: refined elegance. Perhaps she’ll swap the satin slip dress for a white maxi, or a classic beige trench coat for a luxurious wrap coat. But she’s never more than an accessory away from oozing sophistication.

On January 11 the 47-year-old spent the day in New York City with her daughter Zahara Jolie-Pitt, changing her outfits from daytime off-duty cool to evening opulence (and taking the same versatile clutch bag from day to night). Though she looked her ever-stunning self the whole time, her evening layering has blown us away – not just because of the classy elevation it adds to the outfit, but for giving us major nostalgia. The cape has long been a twilight staple for the Maleficent actress in various styles and silhouettes.

Angelina Jolie in NYC January 2023

Angelina spent time in NYC with daugher Zahara

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Angelina wore an ultra elegant champagne coloured silk maxi dress – the epitome of classy refinement, paired with tonal nude court shoes. She carried a black Saint Laurent Cassandre clutch bag with its signature quilted detailing and gold lettering. But the star of the show was her luxurious boucle cape. The black sleeveless jacket fastened with two parallel buttons at the neck, and the sophisticated maxi silhouette reached down to the hem of her dress. 

She wore her lucious brown tresses loose and softly waved, with fresh-faced makeup to match.

The cape took us back to 1997 – when Jolie also went through her pixie cut era – to an evening at the now defunct CableACE awards. Angelina wore the same style satin cami but in a silver-blue hue, and chose her red carpet coat a short length black velvet cape.

Angelina Jolie in 1997

Angelina Jolie wearing a cape in 1997

She also reverted back to this style in December 2014, but this time layering over black cigarette trousers and suede black court shoes. This cape was collared with three vertical buttons to add some structure.

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Angelina Jolie in 2014

She also wore one over a trouser suit in 2014

Before her elegant evening attire last night, Jolie was spotted in New York City with Zahar wearing another dreamy coat – a black maxi wrap coat that tied at the waist for a fitted silhouette. She paired it with grey straight leg trousers, black block heeled boots and perhaps her signature accessory - a pair of aviator sunglasses. Proving she’s getting her  money’s worth, she sported the same Saint Laurent clutch that she would later take to her evening soiree.

Not all heroes wear capes, but Angelina Jolie is in fact one of our heroes… a style hero (and of course philanthropic). And she most definitely wears a cape, or three.

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