Nicole Kidman may have arrived at a Practical Magic 2 screening in Sydney without a broomstick, but her wardrobe still appeared to have been pulled straight from the Owens family spell book.
The actress surprised fans at a special screening of the long-awaited sequel wearing an ivory Erdem Resort 2027 satin-and-lace dress embroidered with sprawling red flowers. She finished the romantic look with matching red pumps, letting the vivid embroidery do the talking.
Considering Kidman's return as Gillian Owens, those flowers couldn't have been more fitting. Florals have become a recurring motif throughout the Practical Magic 2 press tour, but red roses in particular carry some rather fictionally sinister baggage from the original film.
Nicole Kidman's Erdem Gown Brings the Garden to Sydney
Kidman's Erdem dress combined draped ivory satin with sheer lace panels covered in red floral embroidery, creating an aesthetic plucked from an enchanted garden.
The red pumps were a particularly clever finishing touch, picking up the colour of the embroidery without competing with the intricate dress. Styled by Jason Bolden, Kidman's latest look also continued the floral theme surrounding the film's promotional tour. Flowers, herbs, and plants have long been woven into the visual world of Practical Magic, from the Owens family's garden to the ingredients behind their spells and potions.
However, anyone who remembers what happened beneath a certain rose bush in 1998 may look at Kidman's red blooms a little differently.
Red Roses Have a Dark 'Practical Magic' History
In the original Practical Magic film, Gillian and Sally Owens, played by Kidman and Sandra Bullock, find themselves dealing with the body of Gillian's abusive boyfriend, Jimmy Angelov, after a disastrous attempt to escape him.
The Owens sisters eventually bury him in the garden beneath a rose bush. After an equally disastrous attempt to resurrect him, his restless spirit begins haunting the Owens family, with the suddenly flourishing roses becoming one of the earliest supernatural signs that Jimmy isn't quite finished with them.
At one point, Sally even desperately attempts to hack away at the overgrown roses as an investigator closes in on Jimmy's disappearance.
So, whether Kidman's embroidered blooms were deliberately intended as a nod to that particular piece of cinematic lore or simply a beautifully convenient coincidence, the dress certainly rose to the occasion.
Nicole Kidman Returns as Gillian Owens
Kidman's appearance in Sydney comes as she reunites with Bullock nearly three decades after the pair first played witchy sisters Gillian and Sally Owens in the 1998 cult favourite.
Practical Magic 2 once again follows the Owens family as the sisters confront the dark curse threatening their magical bloodline, with Kidman and Bullock also serving as producers. This time, the OG cast is joined by Maisie Williams and Joey King, shining a light on the new generation of Owens women.
While Gillian may have learned the hard way that nothing good happens when Jimmy and the rose garden occupy the same postcode, Nicole Kidman has evidently decided those flowers deserve another spell in the spotlight.
This time, thankfully, the only thing buried beneath those florals is some very good embroidery.
