In Cannes, a look is not created on the red carpet. It is prepared months in advance between sketches, fittings and negotiations with fashion houses. What the audience sees in a few seconds is the result of a precise mechanism where every detail counts.
Clothes, accessories, hairstyles and make-up: nothing is left to chance. Each element is selected with millimeter precision. At the forefront of this process are the stylists, true architects of the image. They are responsible for giving each ensemble coherence and character.
“Sometimes we think for two or three months and everything is decided in ten seconds on the red carpet,” Frenchman Ilya Vanzato tells AFP. He is the creator of some of the legendary competition’s most talked-about looks.
The creative process begins with a consideration between the stylist and the customer. “We ask ourselves: What are we looking for this Cannes? Something simple and elegant? Or more of a ‘wow’ look that will turn heads?” he adds.
Vanzato trained in the haute couture ateliers of Dior and later with Zac Posen in New York. He’s behind the looks of supermodels like Coco Rocha and Natasha Poly. He emphasizes that an unforgettable outfit is not just aesthetics, but tells a story.
The Cannes red carpet has always been a stage for calculated messages. Examples include Madonna, who unveiled Jean Paul Gaultier’s famous cone corset, or Cate Blanchett, who showed off the colors of the Palestinian flag with the lining of her Heider Ackermann dress.
“There are many very beautiful pieces, but you have to find one that tells a story and fits the image of the celebrity,” adds Alexandra Pavlova.
The Russian stylist, who has been present in Cannes for six years, sums up the real challenge: finding a piece that goes beyond pure beauty.
Fashion and strategy
But fashion is also negotiated in Cannes. There are strategies and alliances behind every outfit. These are forged long before a celebrity steps onto the red carpet.
“A stylist not only suggests looks, but also builds bridges between an artist and the design houses and gradually raises their status in the fashion world,” explains the French Coline Bach. She has already dressed the likes of Christina Aguilera, Angèle and DJ Snake.
A successful appearance can open the door to advertising campaigns and collaborations with big brands.
“There is a real strategy behind what brand you wear and what relationship you want to build for the future,” adds Ilya Vanzato.
During the festival, brands set up private showrooms in major luxury hotels. There, between jewels, clothing racks and PR teams, exclusive pieces are tried on. These are rarely seen again outside of these salons.
The pressure has increased with social media, which multiplies the visibility of every appearance. A look can generate millions of views and become a global trend in minutes.
“Any piece worn in Cannes receives enormous media attention,” assures Pavlova.
The big day: glamor and chaos
The red carpet day begins hours beforehand in a hotel room that has been converted into an operations center. “We start the glamor program three hours beforehand: hairstyle and make-up,” explains Bach.
But even after months of preparation, everything can change in an instant.
There are countless stories of dresses being held up by customs in Cannes. There are stories about impossible shoes or fabrics that look bad in the Mediterranean light.
Pavlova remembers an occasion when she had to intervene quickly. Minutes before setting off for the red carpet, an accident occurred with one of her clients’ suit in the lobby of the famous Hotel Martinez: someone stepped on the fabric and tore it.
“You have to be very responsive, which is why I never leave the house without my sewing kit,” says the stylist.
Right there, between tourists, cameras and the murmur of the lobby, Pavlova sewed the piece by hand. Meanwhile, her client, already done up with hair and makeup, waited ready for the cameras.
As he crossed the Croisette, no one suspected that his look had been saved at the last minute.
“People think coming to Cannes is about enjoying the good life and drinking cocktails, but in reality we spend all day putting out fires,” Bach concludes.
This article was created using digital tools translated.
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