Natalie Portman Shines In Revival Of 1949 Christian Dior Dress At Cannes Film Festival

May 23, 2023

Natalie Portman is an accomplished actress who has appeared in a variety of films over the course of her career. She began acting when she was just 12 years old and starred in the action film “Léon: The Professional” in 1994. In high school, Portman made her Broadway debut with the production of “The Diary of a Young Girl,” leading her to gain more popularity in the entertainment industry.

In 1999, Portman starred as Padme Amidala in “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace,” and her career began to take off. While attending Harvard University, Portman reeled back on acting a bit but quickly regained her footing thanks to the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy.

Portman has since gone on to star in several different film genres in movies like “Black Swan,” “No Strings Attached,” “Where the Heart Is” and as Jane Foster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s superhero films “Thor: The Dark World” and “Thor: Love and Thunder.”

Of course, with so many films have come several movie premieres and award shows. Portman’s red carpet outfits are never not in the spotlight. For the 2020 Oscars, she decided to use her style to raise awareness about the state of Hollywood. At the event, she was dressed in a Maria Grazia Chiuri gown, with the names of the female directors of some 2020’s best films embroidered on the lapel of a custom Dior cloak. She was stunning in black and gold.

And in May 2023, Portman sparkled once again in a gorgeous recreation of a 1949 Christian Dior gown at the Cannes Film Festival.

Back in 2020, Portman used her outfit at the Academy Awards to raise awareness about the state of how women were perceived and treated in Hollywood. The gown featured the names of directors Lorene Scafaria (“Hustlers”), Lulu Wang (“The Farewell”), Greta Gerwig (“Little Women”), Marielle Heller (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”), Melina Matsoukas (“Queen & Slim”), Alma Har’el (“Honey Boy”), Céline Sciamma (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”), and Mati Diop (“Atlantics”).

These women were overlooked by the Academy for their work, as every nominee in the directing category were men for the second year in a row. This prompted backlash on social media about the lack of inclusivity and diversity at major awards shows such as the Oscars.

The awards show in 2020 also marked a decade since Kathryn Bigelow’s milestone win for Best Director with “The Hurt Locker,” and up until then, she was the only female director winner. Fortunately, the awards in 2021 brought new momentum to the women of Hollywood as filmmaker Chloé Zhao became the first woman of color to win Best Director and the second woman overall to win the award.

As a director herself, Natalie is well aware of the struggles women face within the film industry and has been known to point out gender inequality at previous awards shows. When she presented the best director category at the 2018 Golden Globes, she said, “And here are the all-male nominees.”

While Portman has clearly used her platform to bring awareness to important causes, she has also used her platform for a more lighthearted nature as well. According to Footwear News, Portman made quite the entrance at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023 in a dazzling gown for the premiere of “May December.” 

The movie was directed by Todd Haynes and featured Portman alongside Julianne Moore and Charles Melton. Portman and her co-stars, as well as the film’s director, were all in attendance at the film festival.

Portman wore a Christian Dior couture gown which has a rich history as it was a recreation of Dior’s Junon dress from 1949. The original white dress is currently housed at The Met. According to the Met Museum, Dior’s Venus and Junon dresses from 1949 were some of his most coveted designs. The Junon dress has been described as having a “magnificent skirt of ombréed petals, like abstractions of peacock feathers without their ‘eyes.’”

Portman’s recreation of the iconic gown was designed by creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri, according to Footwear News. The dress featured the statement strapless silhouette with a layered slit skirt which was adorned with fabric shaped like flower petals. To top it off, the gown was also embroidered with ombre blue sequins.

While Portman accessorized with diamond drop earrings and a beautiful pair of platform heels, they did not distract from the revived dress, allowing the Dior recreation to truly shine in all its glory.

Portman has worked with Dior as a global ambassador since 2011. Stylist Nolan Meader told Footwear News:

“Natalie Portman has been a face of Dior for over a decade, and it seems fitting that for her return to the red carpet in Cannes she not only wore Dior — she chose a recreation of (one of) Dior’s most famous and important dresses. This is the first time Dior has made a reproduction for the red carpet, and for it to be worn by Natalie — who is so close to the house — made it a significant and powerful red carpet moment.”

Are you a fan of Natalie Portman? What do you think about the designer dress she wore? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family, friends and any movie lovers you know!