Forget diamonds — the most captivating accessory that Angelina Jolie wore to the Couture premiere was ink.
The actress stunned in a backless gown that unveiled her intricate back tattoos on Saturday, October 18, while stepping out in style for the red carpet at Rome’s Auditorium Parco Della Musica.
Among her tattoos is a large Bengal tiger, sacred Buddhist prayers and symbols of love and peace.
Jolie wore a caped dress from the Alberta Ferretti FW25 collection, a high-fashion number that offered a sleek and modest silhouette while blending elegance with bold minimalism. When she turned around, it featured a dramatically open design. She completed her outfit with patent leather stilettos and sheer black pantyhose.
Scarlett Johansson’s Back Tattoos Steal the Spotlight on TIFF Red Carpet
The film also holds a special place in Jolie’s heart as she portrays a mother and filmmaker who is working on a Paris Fashion Week runway film while getting divorced and discovering her breast cancer diagnosis. (Jolie underwent a preventive double mastectomy in 2013 because she carried the BRCA1 gene. Her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died of ovarian and breast cancer in 2007.)
As cameras flashed and fashion headlines followed during the Couture red carpet premiere, Jolie’s body art once again took center stage, sparking a fresh wave of interest in the meaning behind her various designs.
“It was one of many things I did in my life that was separate from film and being on camera — that was me and not a character,” she told Backstage about her ink in February. “So I wasn’t just staying a blank slate, even literally. To have a self is very important when a lot of your job is to transform into other selves.”
Us Weekly takes a closer look at each of her intricate back tattoos and the story behind them:
Angelina Jolie’s Bengal Tattoo
The actress received a traditional Sak Yant tattoo from acclaimed Thai artist Sompong Kanphai when she visited Bangkok in 2004, opting for a 12-inch-long and 8-inch-wide Bengal tiger on her lower back.
Jolie was seen in a seated position as the artist worked on her design using manual needles during a session that lasted over two hours. The ink was in honor of obtaining her Cambodian citizenship.
Angelina Jolie’s Tattoo for Maddox
Jolie has a Buddhist prayer tattoo in Khmer script on her left shoulder blade as a tribute to her son Maddox, whom she adopted in 2002.
The ink symbolizes protection and good fortune and translates to: “May your enemies run far away from you. If you acquire riches, may they remain yours always. Your beauty will be that of Aspara. Wherever you may go, many will attend, serve and protect you, surrounding you on all sides,” according to Hello! Magazine.
Angelina Jolie’s Tattoo With a Nod to the Elements
The three designs on the middle of her back symbolize four continents and the classical elements of earth, water, air and fire.
Angelina Jolie’s Tattoo for Protection, Luck, Virtue and Success
Her upper right shoulder tattoo is a Yant Kraw Petch tattoo, a sacred Thai Sak Yant design created by master Ajarn Noo Kanpai. Anyone who receives this Yant is protected from failure in life, according to the website Sak Yang Chiang Mai, which notes it helps ensure luck, virtue, wealth and success in business.
Angelina Jolie Gets Choked Up Honoring Late Mom Marcheline Bertrand
Angelina Jolie’s Clash-Inspired Ink
At the top of her back is a message that clearly reads, “Know your rights.” It’s said to be a nod to the 1982 song from The Clash, which was released as a single prior to the drop of the group’s Combat Rock album.
