Nicole Kidman Says She ‘Begged’ to Wear That Ultra-Mini Miu Miu Skirt for Her ‘Vanity Fair’ Cover—See Pic

Nicole Kidman’s Vanity Fair cover outfit for February’s “Hollywood” issuea schoolgirl-inspired micro-miniskirt and matching bra top—may have drawn mixed reviews on social media, but at least we now know that nobody was forcing the Being the Ricardos actor into the divisive Miu Miu set. 

Whatever the feminist merits of those social media critiques (50-year-old woman unapologetically embracing her sexiness: Good. Excessive airbrushing promoting unrealistic beauty standards: Bad), all commentary should be directed at Kidman herself. As she told Baz Luhrmann in a Vogue: Australia interview, she chose the outfit over the look the stylist had already prepared for her. 

“I showed up and they had another outfit for me and I was like, ‘No, no, I like this one! Am I allowed to wear that?’” Kidman said. “And [the stylist] Katie Grand, who’s just fantastic, was on Zoom, and Katie was like, ‘You’re willing to wear that?!’ And I said, ‘Wear it?! I’m begging you to wear it!’” Perhaps anticipating the mixed reactions she’d get, Kidman then added, “I mean, I did walk away when I shot Vanity Fair thinking, ‘What was I thinking?! That was ridiculous! What were you doing, Nicole?!’ And then I went, ‘Eh, oh well!’” 

It may have garnered the biggest reaction, but Kidman’s Vanity Fair cover was hardly the only out-there feature in the package, for what it’s worth. Benedict Cumberbatch, for instance, was photographed in a wet tee-shirt flanked by swans, for some reason. Kristen Stewart appears to be lounging on a diving board in mid-air. Hyperrealism does not exactly seem to be the theme here.