There are recent images that seem pulled from another era, such as Kendall Jenner and Jacob Elordi leaving the after party of the premiere of The Dog’s Constellation (2026) in London. Although they did not pose together on the red carpet, this scene transports us to another moment that is very familiar. More precisely, to Kate Moss and Johnny Depp at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997, where the 90s top model wore a straight gray dress by Narciso Rodríguez, very similar to the one chosen by the American.
The resemblance between the two photographs is nothing more than pure coincidence, but the simple act of relating them takes us directly to the concept of power couples. The Cambridge Dictionary defines powerful couples as two people with successful professional careers who maintain a romantic relationship, whether they are public figures or personalities from the world of entertainment.
The true meaning of power couples
Celebrity couples continue to occupy a space in the popular imagination. But in reality, the magic of power couples goes beyond red-carpet poses and the instant street-style images captured by paparazzi. It lies in the fact that those who make them up, even when they operate separately, generate a narrative and an aesthetics of their own when they appear together.
Kate Moss and Johnny Depp at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997.
From kings and queens, to singers, actors and actresses, athletes or politicians. The spectrum they cover is wide. Although Hollywood and the red carpets, without a doubt, are the greatest showcase of these duos. Couples like Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Victoria and David Beckham, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky or Beyoncé and Jay-Z have left us unforgettable poses, sometimes even with coordinated looks.
A new generation
In recent years, new couples have joined this history of powerful relationships. Beyond Jenner and Elordi, one of the most recent, others such as Zendaya and Tom Holland have been captivating us for years. Although they keep part of their relationship private (such as details of their wedding in the English countryside), their affectionate gestures and red-carpet interactions grab all the attention.
Callum Turner and Dua Lipa at the exit of their civil wedding in London.
Dua Lipa and Callum Turner are also part of this new generation. The singer and the actor, who began their relationship by chance after both reading the same book, Fortuna, by Argentine Hernán Díaz, have been photographed by paparazzi on numerous occasions. At festivals like Glastonbury, on the streets of London, at the airport, or at the exit of their civil wedding.
The singer’s first bridal look, a suit designed by Schiaparelli paired with jewelry by Bulgari and a fascinator, was inspired by Bianca’s at her wedding to Mick Jagger. Another of those duos that, in the 70s, already defined the meaning of power couples.
If we talk about couples who steal moments on red carpets, Barbara Palvin and Dylan Sprouse, they are always on top. They even confirmed their pregnancy during the last edition of the Cannes Film Festival. The actor, moreover, has staged tender gestures such as when he carried supportive signs with images of his pets to cheer on the model during one of Victoria’s Secret fashion shows. Or when he waited for her outside one of these shows with fast food.
Although their romantic history is recent and they have not yet posed together on red carpets, Rosalía and Loli Bahía also exude style in their appearances. They met at a Dior show in Paris and have been seen both on the streets of the French capital and in Madrid, strolling through Casa de Campo.
Those who have debuted this very year in the realm of the red carpet are Gracie Abrams and Paul Mescal, at the BAFTA Film Awards. The couple, who began their relationship in 2024, maintain a discreet relationship that we have been able to perceive through street-style images and moments they have shared on their social networks.
Powerful couples in history
All these couples belong to the most immediate contemporary moment, but the truth is that the concept of power couples has been present for decades and even centuries. Not far back, we can recall the images left by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in the early 2000s, but also go back to the 1990s, when John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette became one of the most media-savvy couples. The miniseries about their romance that Disney Plus released earlier this year, Love Story, keeps them present in popular culture.
In 1962, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton starred in Cleopatra and, also, their own love story that transcended the big screen. But as said, although the greatest showcase of power couples is the world of show business, there are also in other disciplines. In the world of fashion, for instance, the relationship of Yves Saint Laurent with businessman Pierre Bergé gave rise to one of the industry’s most successful alliances, while Marie and Pierre Curie were pioneers in modern science.
Power couples even trace back to ancient Egypt, with Nefertiti and Akhenaten, because their influence on popular culture knows no eras. Perhaps for the same reason, the image of Jacob Elordi and Kendall Jenner transports us to another very similar one. More than a new version of Kate Moss and Johnny Depp, we recognize in them an alluring mystery in the search to connect, in some way, with the love stories we see through paparazzi and red carpets.
