Natalie Portman’s Gladiator Princess Dress Is Ready For Battle

Natalie Portman’s latest dress could be perfect for a glamorous red carpet, an elegant night out, or a medieval quarrel. Over the weekend in France, Portman edged up the classic black dress considerably to receive the 2024 Talent Award at the Deauville American Film Festival. Perhaps she’s ready to follow Chappell Roan into battle?

Portman looked gladiator-esque in a chainmail look from Maria Grazia Chiuri’s resort 2025 collection for Dior. Instead of traditional, rugged armor details, though, Portman’s dress was punctuated by dramatic puff sleeves and delicate embroidery placed along the bodice. The actress cinched her dress with a slick belt for some added edge. Portman’s black undergarments were ever-so slightly visible from underneath her dress, too. The actress accessorized with a pearl-trimmed collar necklace, pin-straight hair, and dramatic black eyeliner.

It’s fitting that Portman, a Dior girl through and through, would gravitate towards this specific collection in which Chiuri was inspired by medieval tapestries, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Scottish plaids and tartans. Portman, of course, has always blended overtly elegant details with dramatic edge, putting this metal stunner right in her wheelhouse. Medieval-inspired wears seem to be having a moment, too, with Roan leading the way in war-ready looks during last week’s MTV Video Music Awards.

Portman satisfied the other end of her personal style spectrum earlier in the day, wearing a two-piece set that was more typically “French Girl,” less “Gladiator Princess.” She paired a navy pleated skirt with a matching Dior bar jacket. The actress finished off her daytime look with classic Dior sling backs and a casual hair and makeup look.

As it turns out, Portman has taken a liking to Dior’s grunge resort 2025 collection since its debut back in June. During the premiere of her latest project Lady in the Lake, Portman nodded to her role in Black Swan by wearing black hot pants and a structured mini dress designed in the same chainmail fabric as her latest outfit.

Portman may be tasked with appearing on red carpets—among many other things—but her black Dior dresses are more than ready for fashion battle.