Entertainment
Forget ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2,’ Angelina Jolie’s New Fashion Drama Goes Much Darker
The high-stress world of the fashion industry, and the people who work within it, often makes for great entertainment or the perfect backdrop for film. 2026 has already seen the modern state of fashion journalism explored in the absolutely groundbreaking return of Runway and its staff in The Devil Wears Prada 2, as Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) and Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) fight to secure their place in an industry that has moved on from print magazines. This week, Boots Riley explores another angle with I Love Boosters, following Keke Palmer and her group of shoplifters as they target the high-powered fashion maven who stole their designs. However, one of the most dramatic and emotional explorations of the people who try to live in this world is yet to come next month.
Following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, Vertical is gearing up to release the drama Couture in theaters on June 26 in the U.S. Directed by César Award-winning director Alice Winocour, the film stars Oscar winner Angelina Jolie as an American filmmaker named Maxine as she heads to Paris to cover one of the world’s premier designer presentations — Fashion Week. Amid the hustle and bustle, her path intertwines with those of other women of varying ages and cultural backgrounds trying to carve out their own destinies within this cutthroat industry, all while she falls into a personal story of love and self-discovery that forces her to reflect on the choices that got her here. With one month left until release, a new trailer has arrived to tease the emotional twists Maxine’s journey is about to take in her trip to the City of Love.
Maxine’s whole purpose at Fashion Week is to direct the video that will kick off the event, capturing the styles, hopes, and dreams that will flourish under the Paris lights. As the trailer shows, though, she doesn’t think that highly of fashion and sees it more as a lucrative opportunity at a time when she could use the money. Her journey takes an unexpected turn, however, when she’s given a serious medical diagnosis that makes her contemplate her future, her family, and whether her choices have somehow caused all this. Navigating the world in tandem with her is a young pharmacy student named Ada (Anyier Anei), who was discovered as a model in Nairobi and given the opportunity of a lifetime, though she struggles with the pressures the industry places on her and the ridicule she feels from her colleagues. Finally, there’s Angèle (Ella Rumpf), a veteran makeup artist turning her years of experience into a work of fiction that nobody seems to quite understand. Together, they navigate a world of elegance, full of constant choices, small and life-changing.
Who Else Is Involved in ‘Couture’?
Winocour both wrote and directed Couture, with Jolie helping to produce alongside Charles Gillibert, Zhang Xin, and William Horberg. The French production also features Louis Garrel, Garance Marillier, and Vincent Lindon among its cast. The film was a return for Winocour to TIFF after debuting her previous effort, Paris Memories, at the festival back in 2022. Critics weren’t entirely sold on her deep-cutting, high-fashion-exposing new project, however, despite all the award-worthy talent involved. It currently owns a 59% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but Jolie’s emotionally complex performance as Maxine did earn high praise across the board for helping to ground the story.
Couture hits the runway on June 26. Check out the trailer in the player above.
- Release Date
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June 26, 2026
- Runtime
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106 minutes
- Director
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Alice Winocour
- Writers
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Alice Winocour
- Producers
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Charles Gillibert, William Horberg
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Sean Gullette
Ray (voice)
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