Angelina Jolie's Legacy Lives On: How Jennifer Lawrence's Daring Slit Redefines Red Carpet Fashion

The air was crisp, holding the distant, metallic scent of winter rain before it truly broke. It was a silence broken only by the sharp, rhythmic clicks of flashbulbs—a familiar sound that sometimes feels like static electricity gathering force. Years ago, the world learned that a single exposed limb could halt the collective consciousness.

Angelina Jolie, shrouded in dark velvet Versace in 2012, made a statement with a slit so audacious it seemed to defy the very architecture of the gown. That particular moment. A leg becoming a verifiable phenomenon, commanding its own digital presence. An absurdity, perhaps, but a glorious, deeply felt absurdity that changed the dynamics of red carpet dressing forever.

The sheer height of a slit is often overlooked now, normalized by the years since The Jolie Effect.

The Unanticipated Return

Jennifer Lawrence, ever the embodiment of effortless control, arrived at the annual Gotham Film Awards embracing tailored precision. As a Dior ambassador, her choice to wear the brand was expected, but the specific execution by Jonathan Anderson was a critical pivot.

A fitted, tailored jacket provided structure. Predictable elegance? Hardly. She chose to deviate wildly from the quintessential Dior ideal, avoiding the traditional pencil skirt or the safe, structured midi. Instead, she introduced an asymmetrical cascade of fabric, a skirt determined to tell a layered story.

Gravity Defiance and Generational Cycles

The slit itself is now standard fare on the carpet.

So much so that a sky-high cut barely merits a second glance. Lawrence's approach, however, injected necessary drama through the resurrection of a divisive trend. Welcome back, the high-low hem. This was a millennial staple, formerly relegated to the dusty attic of fashion along with the often-ridiculed peplum. Gen Z deemed the high-low passé, perhaps too earnest or too reflective of a forgotten era.

But true style cycles insist on resurrection, don’t they? This specific iteration was both daring and unique: a massive thigh-high cut paired with a dramatic, floor-length train. It required deliberate movement. The asymmetric line provided the blueprint for spicy dressing aficionados, demonstrating that a discarded trend can be refined into something magnificent and commanding.

Emily Ratajkowski, Kylie Jenner, Julia Fox—they were already signaling this resurgence, recognizing the unique momentum an asymmetrical skirt provides.

The contrast was truly stark. While the skirt embraced theatrical movement and risk, her overall presentation was intensely contained. Sleek center-parted hair. Approved by the discerning youth.

Makeup, intensely simple—barely there lipstick, the faintest suggestion of eyeshadow. This created a tension between pure structure above the waist and utter, fluid freedom below. It takes a certain confidence to pull a dismissed trend back into the spotlight, demanding its relevancy again. A powerful, quiet statement.

Lawrence walked, and the fabric followed the movement of the air. It was a beautiful, disruptive choice.