Old Hollywood glamour hits the Venice Film Festival red carpet

What year is it again? Some of the looks on the red carpet at the 81st Venice Film Festival could suggest the year was 1924, rather than 2024. Since the 11 day event began on August 28, attendees have given elegant nods to old Hollywood glamour: from time-honored dress silhouettes to vintage-inspired accessories.

Yesterday, Tilda Swinton was seen stepping out of a Venetian water taxi in a custom navy Delpozo silk set — complete with a pair of capris that would make Audrey Hepburn envious. While last week at the premiere for Pablo Larrian’s “Maria” — a biopic following the tumultuous life of 20th century soprano Maria Callas — leading lady Angelina Jolie seemed to channel her on-screen counterpart. Dressed in a nude-toned custom Tamara Ralph gown, Jolie finished off her look with a 1930s-style faux fur shrug, a golden rose-shaped brooch and a deep red lipstick. While Jolie’s piece is a dead ringer for the shrugs worn by the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo, Tamara Ralph’s faux reimagining brings the antiquated accessory into the modern day.

But Jolie wasn’t the only guest at the “Maria” screening taking cues from the starlets of yore. Taylor Russell floated across the carpet in a pale yellow silk crepon dress with a matching scarf attached to the train. The look, a custom creation from Loewe, had a distinct 1930’s feel thanks to the artfully draped evening scarf and conjured Marilyn Monroe in the 1953 film “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” — where Monroe wears a fiery bejeweled gown elevated by an orange chiffon scarf. Coco Chanel, too, in her Spring-Summer 1930 collection topped silk crepe dresses with an extra yard of fabric styled gracefully around the neck.

Isabelle Huppert, the festival’s jury president, fast-forwarded a couple of decades for her “Beetlejuice” premiere look. According to British Vogue, the “pope red” opera coat was inspired by 1950s theater goers. Lifted from Balenciaga’s 50th couture collection designed in 2021, Huppert paired the evening gown with white elbow gloves and a stack of Cartier bracelets on each wrist.

Chilean actor Mariana di Girolamo similarly resurrected a vintage silhouette for her Venice Film Festival appearance. Her black embellished Chanel cape dress, worn to the screening of “El Jockey” was a masterclass in harnessing fashion history — since the house has been designing dramatic evening capes for almost a century. Di Girolamo’s version was glamorous yet understated, with an outline of sparkle made from embroidered beads and sequins.

The lesson is simple, and applicable to both fashion and film: Sometimes old is gold.

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