Laura Dern Suits Up With Daughter Jaya Harper For Armani Privé Show
For Laura Dern, a relationship with a fashion house is inextricably tied to her own film history. And her connection to Armani—which began in the 1990s and has stretched all the way to July 4, 2023, when Dern attended the Privé runway show in Paris with her daughter, Jaya Harper—is no different.
When asked about her history with 88-year-old designer Giorgio Armani and the haute couture arm of his storied label, every answer Dern gives is linked to a movie she worked on, a red carpet she walked, or one of the many awards she’s received after more than 45 years in showbiz. Her first memory of the Armani brand? “I first had the gift of wearing a Giorgio Armani gown in 1992 for the films Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose,” Dern says via e-mail one day after the designer’s show, which featured high glam fit for the silver screen, all centered around themes of red roses and Far East fashion. (That Rambling Rose gown, by the way, is Dern’s favorite she’s ever worn on a carpet: “Mr. Armani allowed me to wear his finale dress from the Giorgio Armani 1991 collection the year I was nominated for Rambling Rose,” she adds. “It had pearls hand-sewn into it—a true masterpiece.”) When did Dern first meet Mr. Armani in the flesh? “At the 1990 Cannes Film Festival with David Lynch for Wild at Heart.” The most prized possession in her closet? “I got the rare privilege of keeping my first Armani Oscar dress, and Mr. Armani gifted the gown I was wearing when I won the Oscar [in 1992] to the Academy Museum. Both things mean the world to me.”
The Armani Privé show was far from Dern’s first time in Paris during couture week, but it was her debut at a runway presentation for the brand. Along with Harper, Dern sat front row with Kate Hudson and Sydney Sweeney—and while the latter two stars opted for gowns of the more slinky variety, Dern went with a classic Armani silhouette (a finely tailored black suit with velvet accents) for her show day look. Harper, meanwhile, donned a cobalt dress with tasseled zipper pulls. “Seeing Mr. Armani last night alongside my daughter was such a thrill,” Dern adds of the show. “We discussed the Oscar dress he made me when I won in 2020, which was so beautiful. It was wonderful to share the moment with the amazing Roberta Armani, who was also with us.”
While in Paris, Dern’s son and stepchildren had some major work on the docket: performing alongside their father, Ben Harper, at L’Olympia. For her part, Dern has been hard at work as well—she just finished producing and starring in Palm Royale for Apple TV+, a comedy series also featuring Kristen Wiig and Kaia Gerber. (“I’m looking to dive into what’s next once the writers’ strike is resolved,” Dern adds.) But she’s also made time for fun, having recently attended a Taylor Swift concert on the musician’s “Eras” tour. “The set design of the house and her on the roof was absolutely beautiful, as was her lavender gown,” Dern recalls of the concert. “But the most memorable part for all of us lucky to see this tour is to watch an artist give us that many songs in a set—with a grace and ease that I have only seen from Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. She makes it look easy, with talent and discipline.”
As for what’s next, Dern is working on the Netflix film Lonely Planet with costar Liam Hemsworth. But what about her current dream role—what might it be? “Honest, raw vulnerability is the goal in whomever I am lucky to play next.”
