‘Diva of Divas’: How Iconic Opera Singer Maria Callas Forever Influenced Fashion and Inspired Angelina Jolie’s Role in ‘Maria’

Leonard Bernstein called her “The Bible of Opera.” Yves Saint Laurent once said she was the “Diva of Divas.” The critics gave her the nickname of “La Divina” or “The Divine One.” But in the new film by Pablo Larraín starring Angelina Jolie, Maria Callas is simply “Maria.”

Known as one of the greatest opera singers in history, Callas was born in New York City to Greek immigrant parents in 1923. She made her professional debut in 1941 in Athens. By 1951, she had performed in nearly all of Italy’s major opera houses. Some of her most famous works include Giacomo Puccini’s “Tosca,” Vincenzo Bellini’s “Norma” and Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata.”

With a tumultuous personal life and a refined sense of style, Callas’ fame reached beyond opera houses, awakening the interest of new audiences worldwide and fashion designers. While often appearing on tabloids due to a highly publicized affair in the late 1950s — Callas had a relationship with Greek business magnate Aristotle Onassis while still married to her husband, Giovanni Battista Meneghini — the singer would always be photographed in exquisitely tailored dresses, glamorous evening gowns and eye-catching jewelry.

Callas had a long partnership with Madame Biki, a Milanese dressmaker who is credited for the singer’s status as a style icon. Biki numbered the clothes and accessories so Callas would know how to style them together.

Christian Dior and Yves Saint-Laurent were also fans and collaborators of Callas. Saint Laurent became a close friend of hers, as they both moved in similar high-society circles in the late ’50s. The designer was one of her guests at Callas’s first recital in Paris at the Opéra Garnier in 1958.

One of Saint Laurent’s creations for Callas was worn by Monica Bellucci, who starred as the soprano in Tom Volf’s production of “Maria Callas: Letters and Memoirs” between 2019 and 2023.

“I couldn’t believe it was just perfect,” Bellucci told WWD. “To put this dress on gave me the sensation that I was in touch with her in some way. I could feel the ’60s. I could feel her.”

Jolie nodded to Callas’ partnership with Saint Laurent, wearing a look from his fashion house during her arrival at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, where the film debuted on Thursday.

In many ways, Callas’ style was the definition of Old Hollywood glamour. The singer would often wear gloves, feathered fans, fur coats and dramatic hats, adding to her diva persona. Over the years, she has been referenced in works by Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, Stéphane Rolland, Burberry and John Galliano, who once named Callas as his favorite singer in an interview with the Corriere Italiano.

In 2007, the soprano was the theme of a Swarovski exhibit that celebrated her relationship with her jewelry. “She was a very superstitious person,” Markus Langes-Swarovski, a member of Swarovski’s executive board, said of Callas. “She felt much more secure and safe with her talisman.”

In 2020, Riccardo Tisci, still the creative director of Burberry, created costumes inspired by Callas for Marina Abramović’s opera project, “7 Deaths of Maria Callas.” In 2023, the Victoria & Albert Museum featured Callas in the “Diva” exhibition.

Erdem was one of the latest fashion houses to channel Callas’ fashion essence with its fall 2024 ready-to-wear collection, notably titled “Viva la Diva.” “For his pre-fall collection he imagined the American-born Greek diva’s private and public life, and for fall he took a deeper dive,” WWD reported in February.

Callas’ diva persona is explored by Larraín in “Maria,” which he described as a “creative imagining and psychological portrait of Maria Callas.” The film focuses on a period in her life when she had lost her voice. “Maria” debuted on Thursday during the Venice Film Festival and will be released by Netflix at a future date yet to be announced.