TO Cannes everyone knows it. The red carpet has always been a playground where the strict rules of the dress code clash with the most daring creativity. Because historically, in addition to the big names in cinema, the Croisette welcomes glamorous and unexpected presences. Remembering, year after year, that the film competition is an eternal open conversation with pop culture at 360 degrees. A roundup of the best and ugliest looks in the history of the Cannes Film Festival.
Give her star international ai directors more conceptual, up to supermodels which embody the spirit of the various eras, the event in French Riviera it remains a magical place. Where every fold of fabric is analyzed as part of a larger narrative. In an event that can be simultaneously a temple of the seventh art and an avant-garde catwalk. Here are the most memorable looks, for better or for worse.
The rules on the red carpet
Despite the support offered by famous stylists, dressing well in Cannes is not as easy as it seems. On the Festival website the rules are clear. For them gala screenings at 7pm and 10pmthe protocol requires the mandatory tuxedo with bow tie or dark tie, long dresses and high fashion cocktail dresses. The new Festival guidelines open to dark trouser suits or an elegant top combined with black trousers, finally admitting the flat shoes as long as they are elegant. But backpacks, tote bags and, above all, excessively bulky outfits or outfits with long trains that could hinder the flow of guests are banned. Finally, a note of decorum explicitly prohibits naked dressingunder penalty of not having access to the room.
Kristen Stewart in 2018 at the “BlacKkKlansman” premiere. (Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP)
Yet, it is precisely among these tight knits that the most memorable looks were born. From the freedom of Jane Birkin in a lurex mini dress with a pannier bag in 1974, al Robe Lanterns by the Macedonian designer Marjan Pejoski worn by Bjork in 2000. Until Kristen Stewart who in 2018 climbed the steps barefoot. And of course Demi Moorewhich in fact has already won the Palme d’Or for style in 2026.
The best and worst of 2025
Last year’s edition confirmed how simplicity can be the pinnacle of authority. The queen of this philosophy is Angelina Jolie in a champagne-colored flared long dress by Brunello Cucinelli. The strapless model studded with tone on tone embroidery and transparent sequinsis the quintessence of whispered luxury.
On the contrary, the participation of Eva Longoria. Her dress by Tamara Ralph, despite being a haute couture creationit’s too loaded. The arched neckline emphasizes the platinum-colored baguette armor, in an excess of decoration that ends up hiding the protagonist instead of enhancing her. As if that wasn’t enough, the rigid look itself is accompanied by a train and a mega bow on the back (already eye-catching due to the corset closure that reaches up to the derrière). The result is a long goodbye to necessary fluidity to shine in the spotlight.
Cannes Film Festival 2026: the most beautiful looks and the first flops
This year, the first lines of the 79th Festival suggest a return to a more calibrated sophistication, with a certain regard to the red color of the curtain. The juror confirms this Demi Moore which – even if we would prefer it not so thin – compares well with the great icons of the past. After the sidereal white of Opening Ceremony and the ethereal wisteria of the second evening, the 63-year-old star chooses the fiery red by Gucci for his third appearance on the Croisette.
Cannes, 14 May 2026. Demi Moore at the premiere of “Fatherland”. (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
The column dress in crispy fabriccrumpled like hand-folded paper, abandons the usual silk slips to become a living sculpture. The fulcrum is it oversized asymmetric necklinea powerful reference to the experimentation of the Eighties. Where volume and structure dominate the classic line, and theatrical red literally merges with the red carpet. Au contraireas they would say beyond the Alps, the debut of Heidi Klum raised some concerns.
Cannes, 12 May 2026. Heidi Klum at the Opening Ceremony. (Photo by Marc Piasecki/FilmMagic)
Her butter yellow look by Elie Saab, with maxi pink on the chest and all-over drapesseeks absolute protagonism. But, primarily in the game of volumes, it is redundant. Furthermore, there is a lack of that chromatic harmony capable of making a creation a work of art.
In an edition that focuses everything on nonchalance luxurious, the excess of fabric and construction risks becoming an obstacle, rather than an added value. Unless the real goal is not elegance, but just being seen.
