Trick of the eye! From far away, Amal Clooney‘s white, patterned dress seemed to be the perfect fall floral outfit, with its heavier fabric and longer length. But upon closer inspection, the human rights lawyer’s Alexander McQueen Obsession Dress ($2,895, net-a-porter.com) actually featured designs that were bolder than we thought.
The British barrister, 38, stunned in the button-down frock, which included festive prints of lipstick, butterflies, pocket-watches and cat-eyes while out in NYC with husband George Clooney on Tuesday, September 20. She paired the style with red heels, a thin belt, dangling earrings and a beige tote. George, 55, was equally dapper in a charcoal suit and tie.
While the pattern on her dress was lighthearted, the issue on her mind is grave. Both Amal and George were in town to push the United Nations to prosecute ISIS for genocide.
“This is something I discussed with my husband before I would take on something like this,” she explained in an interview with NBC News the day before. “We did discuss it. And we are aware of some of the risks involved.”
Both saw the importance of the case after meeting survivor and activist Nadia Murad, an Iraqi Yazidi girl who was captured by ISIS in 2014 but escaped after being tortured and raped for three months. “[George] met Nadia too, and I think he was moved for the same reasons and he understood, I mean, this is my work,” she said.
She went on to explain that while she’s received praise for her bravery, Murad is the real hero. “I don’t think anyone can feel that they’re being courageous compared to what Nadia is doing,” she shared. “You know, it’s no joke. This is ISIS. They have sent her very specific threats, saying we will get you back. We’ll do everything to you.”
While some hope to bomb ISIS out of existence entirely, Clooney argues that you can’t “Kill an idea that way … [You have] to expose [ISIS’] brutality and corruption, and partly you can do that through trial.”