Only Amal Clooney Could Make the Bandage Dress Trend Look This Elegant
1 min readTHE RUNDOWN
- Amal Clooney arrived with her husband George Clooney at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Venice Film Festival.
- The international human rights lawyer wore a jet-black Tom Ford dress by Haider Ackermann.
- The Clooneys arrived in Venice on Tuesday, with Amal sporting another Tom Ford look.
The bandage dress conjures some very specific images, mainly of early-aughts bombshells and blurry nightclub entrances. At the 2026 Venice Film Festival, Amal Clooney is making a case for its more sophisticated side.
Tonight, Amal attended the festival’s opening ceremony with her husband George Clooney in a red-carpet-appropriate take on the 2010s trend. The human rights lawyer stepped out in a custom Tom Ford by Haider Ackermann look, its panels and irregular pleating mimicking the second-skin dresses of yesteryear.
Amal and George Clooney at the George Clooney Golden Lion For Lifetime Achievement red carpet at the 2026 Venice Film Festival.
Of course, Amal’s floor-length version left the typical associations of the bandage dress in the past. It featured transparent georgette inserts on the side and a patent leather double-strap neckline.
She accessorized with a black evening clutch and knife-point high heels, both by Tom Ford, and Cartier jewels.
Amal and George Clooney at the George Clooney Golden Lion For Lifetime Achievement red carpet at the 2026 Venice Film Festival.
The bandage dress is slowly but surely working its way back into the fashion lexicon. Hervé Léger, who helped popularize the It girl staple, rereleased a collection of bandage dresses this year for its 40th anniversary, and the style continues to pop up on the runways of brands like Alaïa, Gucci, and Tom Ford.
And tonight in Venice, Amal Clooney gave the throwback look a grown-up, thoroughly elegant makeover.