Diane Kruger in Dolce & Gabbana
Lights, camera, couture. The 78th annual Cannes Film Festival is underway, and if you thought this was just about cinema, you clearly haven’t been paying attention. Each May, the French Riviera becomes less about film and more about fabric, with a red carpet that functions as fashion’s most glamorous battleground. For the next two weeks, celebrities, stylists, and luxury maisons will engage in a delicate dance of statement-making and silhouette-spinning, all under the Mediterranean sun.
The opening ceremony on May 12th saw Robert De Niro receive an honorary Palme d’Or from Leonardo DiCaprio—a wholesome, if slightly predictable, moment of Hollywood reverence. But the real scene-stealers were below the stage: Julia Garner in metallic sculptural Lanvin, Eva Longoria giving textbook Cannes in a liquid silk column, and Bella Hadid, who appears contractually obligated to show up in something sheer, backless, or both.
Jennifer Lawrence wearing Dior Haute Couture
This year’s jury, which includes Halle Berry, Juliette Binoche, Jeremy Strong, and Leïla Slimani, will be judging more than just the competition films—they’ll also be supplying some of the festival’s most dissected red carpet moments. You can expect Berry to lean into bombshell glamour, Binoche to give French intellectual in black sequins, and Strong to wear something that somehow reads as both awkward and deeply expensive.
Cannes has always been a place where fashion has to mean something. It's not the Met Gala, where irony is allowed. It’s not the Oscars, where brand deals scream louder than silhouettes. Cannes is its own category: formality with a dash of defiance. Yes, the official dress code still insists on tuxedos, evening gowns, and elegant shoes—“no sneakers” reads the guidance with the rigidity of a Catholic school handbook—but Cannes wouldn’t be Cannes without the occasional ankle boot or rebellious red lip.
Alessandra Ambrosio wearing Zuhair Murad Couture
This year, the festival’s competition slate is packed with headline-grabbing projects: Amélie Bonnin’s Partir un Jour opened the festival with feather-light French charm, while the world premiere of Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning reminded everyone that yes, Tom Cruise still does his own stunts, and yes, he still wears sunglasses at night. Later in the week, Wes Anderson’s latest pastel fever dream, The Phoenician Scheme, will debut—complete with a breakout performance by Mia Threapleton (daughter of Kate Winslet, if you must know), alongside Michael Cera and Benicio Del Toro. Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, starring Denzel Washington as a troubled music mogul, is expected to be a highlight. And The History of Sound, with Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, is already generating hushed awards chatter—and louder fashion buzz.
But let’s be honest: this is Cannes. The narrative arc we’re really following involves which designer Bella will wear next, whether anyone will go full Old Hollywood with opera gloves, and who will attempt to smuggle sneakers past security. The Croisette isn’t just a promenade; it’s a runway. And the Grand Théâtre Lumière isn’t just a screening venue—it’s the set of fashion’s most high-stakes red carpet theatre.
So say bonjour to drama, décolletage, and diamonds. This is Cannes.
Angelina Jolie wearing Brunello Cucinelli (L), Heidi Klum in Elie Saab (R)
Angelina Jolie wearing Tom Ford (L), Wan QianHui in Wang Feng Couture (R)
Charli XCX in Saint Laurent (L), Halle Berry wearing Gaurav Gupta Couture (R)
Lucien Laviscount wearing Dolce & Gabbana (L), Bella Hadid in Saint Laurent (R)
Eva Longoria in Tamara Ralph (L), Irina Shayk wearing Elie Saab Haute Couture (R)
A$AP Rocky in Saint Laurent (L), Natalie Portman wearing Dior Haute Couture (R)
Karolína Kurková (L), Julianne Moore wearing Bottega Veneta (R)
Isabelle Huppert in Balenciaga (L), Halle Berry in Gucci (R)
Alex Consani wearing Schiaparelli Haute Couture (L), Alton Mason (R)
