Every robe, no matter how extraordinary, has always had a single purpose: to draw attention to its wearer. Be it with as little fabric as possible (Cher), a dying swan on the neck (Björk) or decorative meat rags (Lady Gaga).
In this regard, Julia Roberts pulled off a real coup last Sunday. The 55-year-old arrived at the Kennedy Awards ceremony in Washington, DC, in a dress meant to draw attention not to her but to someone else: George Clooney, who Roberts is good friends with and who is tonight for his Lifetime work was honored.
The black Moschino gown, specially designed for Roberts, is something of a sophisticated version of a football fan’s frock – it’s dotted with images from the 61-year-old Hollywood star’s career. Both the dress and the wearer took a back seat to accommodate as much Clooney as possible. The simple A-line of the fan outfit came without flounces and greedy décolleté to make room for the important stages of Clooney’s career: as a young doctor in “Emergency Room”as crook boss Danny in “Ocean’s Eleven”with a Golden Globe for “The Descendants”or – in a completely dotted outfit in front of a dotted wall – on the cover of the US W Magazine.
The theatrical effect of the baroque gold frames around the photos is a little over the top, but quite intentional – an ironic reference to Clooney’s status as an eternal sex symbol that Roberts likes to tease her boyfriend about. That Julia Roberts really drew attention to herself with the fan girl dress? The woman is a professional.