The Fashion Politics of Nicole Kidman’s Pieter Mulier Versace Debut

By now, it is almost expected that a newly appointed designer’s first unveiling will take place not on the catwalk, but on the red carpet. Think back to 2025, when, weeks before “Super September”—the most consequential creative-director reshuffle in fashion history Jacob Elordi and Vicky Krieps arrived at the Venice Film Festival in Louise Trotter’s first Bottega Veneta looks; Julia Roberts in Dario Vitale’s Versace (only for Amanda Seyfried to appear in the exact same look the following day); Ayo Edebiri and Fernanda Torres in Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel; and Monica Barbaro, Andrew Garfield, Greta Lee, Mia Goth, and Alba Rohrwacher in Jonathan Anderson’s Dior. It generated all the headlines and online chatter those houses had hoped for.

There may be more of the same when the 2026 Venice Film Festival begins tomorrow morning, but it was at last night’s Los Angeles premiere of Practical Magic 2—of all places—that Versace’s newly installed designer, Pieter Mulier, chose to soft-launch his vision for the house on Nicole Kidman. The star wore an asymmetrically skirted black Atelier Versace gown in hand-intarsia lace, with a matching choker and Manolo Blahnik stilettos. As for what it told us about Mulier’s Versace? Almost nothing. The look was clearly tailored to the witching world she inhabits in the film, offering just enough to build anticipation without revealing Mulier’s full hand.

Two women pose together on a wooden backdrop in elegant evening gowns; the blonde wears a black lace dress and choker, the brunette wears a black velvet dress with a white collar.

But there could be another reason. Mulier’s appointment at Versace is bittersweet. Though Mulier is revered within the industry, Vitale’s first-and-last collection for the house proved hugely popular, over-indexing in editorials and being stockpiled by fashion fans. (See: the most fan-girled skirt of the summer.) The consensus is that it would have been thrilling to see how his work developed. Mulier’s first public statement, then—particularly given that he reportedly won’t make his runway debut until 2027, when Atelier Versace returns to the Paris haute couture calendar for the first time in more than a decade, with ready-to-wear expected to follow in February—feels like a flag planted in the sand. A power move that says: time to move on.

This article was originally published on Vogue.com.

Daniel Rodgers

Author

Daniel Rodgers is a digital fashion writer at British Vogue. He is also a contributor to other publications, including AnOther, More or Less, VICE, Highsnobiety, and The Face. Prior to his career at Condé Nast, Rodgers was a senior fashion writer at Dazed.

See more stories by Daniel Rodgers