Australian film royalty dominates Vogue’s annual fashion extravaganza
Nicole Kidman and Baz Luhrmann lead an Australian takeover at the star-studded Vogue World in Hollwyood.
The fourth edition of Vogue World may have been centred on Hollywood but there was an undeniable Australian presence on the runway this year. Opening the show was the Australian holy trinity of the silver screen: Nicole Kidman, Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin.
Kidman wore custom Chanel in a tribute to the black silk dress worn by Hollywood legend Rita Hayworth in the 1946 classic, Gilda. Seemingly marking her renaissance in the wake of filing for divorce from Keith Urban, Kidman was also announced as brand ambassador for the French label at Paris Fashion Week earlier this month.
The Oscar-winning actor was joined on the catwalk by fellow award winner Luhrmann, with whom she has previously collaborated on his films, Moulin Rouge! and Australia. Together, the pair introduced the evening’s first set of runway looks, a homage to Luhrmann’s wife, lauded costume designer Catherine Martin.
Beyond Martin’s Hollywood glamour-focused first act, the event paid tribute to the designers behind the cinema’s best looks in a further six distinct acts. Second act “The Renegades” was a nod to Colleen Atwood, the designer behind the surrealist style in Tim Burton’s gothic-esque classics.
Further acts were dedicated to designers Milena Canonero, Arianne Phillips, Ruth E. Carter, Jacqueline West, Sandy Powell and Shirley Kurata.
Each costume designer collaborated with fashion houses such as McQueen, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu and Valentino to create new ensembles that would evoke the spirit of their famous silver screen looks. Original costumes were presented alongside exclusive new pieces that reinterpreted classic movie looks.
This year’s Hollywood-themed Vogue World aptly took place at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. This marked the first time the annual event was held following the announcement that fashion stalwart Anna Wintour would be handing over the reins to new American Vogue editor Chloe Malle.
While the 2024 event – hosted at the Place Vendome in Paris to align with the Olympic Games – celebrated the 100-year history between fashion and sport, this year’s runway focused on the rich conversation between clothes and film.
Model Kendall Jenner took to the catwalk first in a Moulin Rouge! look while actor Julia Garner stormed the runway as Marie Antoinette from Sofia Coppola’s 2006 coming-of-age film of the same name.
There was also a thoughtful tribute to the late, great Diane Keaton, whose androgynous style in films such as Woody Allen’s Annie Hall became an influential fashion statement.
Other highlights included Golden Globe winner Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda in her Black Panther costume, Euphoria star Hunter Schafer in a Renaissance look fit for a court jester as well as actors including Kyle McLachlan, Greta Lee and Cynthia Erivo.
Musical performances from Gracie Abrams – herself a daughter of Hollywood royalty JJ Abrams and Katie McGrath – and Doja Cat were watched by front-row names such as Miley Cyrus, Gwyneth Paltrow and Viola Davis.
The Australian presence continued to be strong with runway appearances from actors Elizabeth Debicki, best known for her portrayal of Princess Diana in television series The Crown, and Kodi Smit-McPhee, who starred in Jane Campion’s 2021 award-circuit favourite, The Power of the Dog. Model Adut Akech also dazzled in a Martin-designed look.
Christine Centenera, editor-in-chief of Vogue Australia, also in attendance with actor-director partner Joel Edgerton, said the tone of the evening was “celebratory and the mood joyous”.
“Seeing our own Baz Luhrmann and Nicole Kidman open the show signalled just how significant a place Australia holds in world cinema, and the impact of our creatives on a global culture,” Centenera said. “Seeing the worlds combine underscored the closeness between different creative mediums, and exemplifies the power of Anna Wintour and Vogue to pull together the luminaries of fashion, film and music.”
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