The A-list actress who Angelina Jolie upstaged at Cannes... desperate stars who exposed themselves... and a shocking new red carpet trend
Once upon a time it was all about the red-carpet rebels.
Think Madonna in Jean Paul Gaultier cone bra and garters in 1991. Or Ilona Staller, aka Cicciolina, the porn star, turned politician, turned muse to Jeff Koons, who turned up in 1988 in a decidedly clothing optional cut out 'dress' accessorized with a pink cuddly toy.
How times have changed. This year, the Cannes Film Festival has gone conventional.
Even before the first actress stepped onto the red carpet, it was clear we were in for something very different.
With a unilateral ban on nudity 'for decency reasons' – Bianca Censori take note – and over-the-top, too-long trains nixed, organizers at 2025's famed French film festival had clearly decided enough was enough.
Because, while American fashion has become increasingly dominated by the tawdry trade of shock over style – seen at its most dismal at the recent Met Gala – the French have turned their back on pastiche, parody and stunt-like dressing.
Think Madonna in Jean Paul Gaultier cone bra (L) and garters in 1991. Or Ilona Staller, aka Cicciolina, the porn star, turned politician, turned muse to Jeff Koons, who turned up in 1988 in a decidedly clothing optional cut out 'dress' accessorized with a pink cuddly toy (R).
With a unilateral ban on nudity 'for decency reasons' – Bianca Censori (pictured at the Grammy Awards) take note – and over-the-top, too long trains nixed, organizers at 2025's famed French film festival had clearly decided enough was enough.
Rejecting the flamboyance of past starlets whose sun-kissed skin reveled in sheer fabrics and provocative hemlines, this year's attendees, with the full force of French haute couture (old and new) behind them, gave us a masterclass in elegance.
With its unrivalled position in the history of twentieth century French fashion Dior, under the guidance of creator director Maria Grazia Chiuri, once more positioned itself as the de facto head of contemporary couture.
Nothing screamed this more loudly than the showstopping white silk crepe top with draped hood and matching trousers worn by President of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, Juliette Binoche.
Just a few hours earlier she had made her debut on the Côte d'Azur wearing a buttery yellow jacket and trouser set from relative newbie Jacquemus.
But it was the Dior ensemble she wore for the opening ceremony that screamed status. It was testament not only to Binoche's star power but to the savoir-faire of the French fashion house which proudly posted to social media that it had taken two seamstresses two hundred hours to complete the custom creation.
Binoche's look merged tradition with innovation, but many of the best dressed stars chose to stick with proven success rather than the challenge of unchartered waters.
Natalie Portman was one. A brand ambassador for Dior she wowed onlookers in 2023 with her recreation of the 1949 'Junon' dress which hailed from the 1949-1950 fall/winter collection, the original of which is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This time she wore a reimagined version of the iconic 'Mexique' gown from the house's 1951 fall collection. Oozing with opulence and romantic decadence, the black and white bow-accented gown with silver sequined petals cascading down its floor-length skirt was a showstopping extravaganza.
It almost outshone the multi-million dollar Tiffany collar, with its 90 carats worth of diamonds, that graced the actress's slender neck.
Nothing screamed this more loudly than the showstopping white silk crepe top with draped hood and matching trousers worn by President of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, Juliette Binoche (pictured).
Just a few hours earlier Juliette Binoche (pictured) had made her debut on the Côte d'Azur wearing a buttery yellow jacket and trouser set from relative newbie Jacquemus.
Natalie Portman, a brand ambassador for Dior, wowed onlookers in 2023 with her recreation of the 1949 'Junon' dress which hailed from the 1949-1950 fall/winter collection, the original of which is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This time, Portman wore a reimagined version of the iconic 'Mexique' gown. Oozing with opulence and romantic decadence, the black and white bow-accented gown with silver sequined petals cascading down its floor-length skirt was a showstopping extravaganza.
Jennifer Lawrence's white sculpted and scalloped ballgown marked a similar dip into the fashion archives. Her gown was a refreshed version of the 1949 'Poulenc' dress that had, again according to a not-so-subtle LVMH marketing machine, been crafted over a period of 250 hours.
In fact, nothing seemed more 'now' on this year's Cannes red carpet than the power of 'then,' with stars turning to vintage houses to galvanize their fashion game.
Noticeably devoid of American design talent, the international gathering showcased the power of European haute couture.
In a moment when these brands face an embattled future in a potentially tariff-ridden North American market, there could have been no more forceful statement for why France is still the couture capital of the world.
Rooney Mara was effortlessly chic in a subtle but stunning spring 1956 Givenchy gown that made her look every inch a modern Audrey Hepburn.
Meanwhile, Zoey Deutch decided that a reproduced Chanel 1956 dress, which fused a brown-white striped taffeta bodice with a beige dotted tulle skirt, was the best way to channel her upcoming portrayal of French acting legend Jean Seberg in Breathless.
Irina Shayk - not always known for understated silhouettes – brought the retro elegance of 1980s power dressing in a 1988 black velvet and taffeta Yves Saint Laurent gown.
Even Amal Clooney, in town for a screening of Bono: Stories of Surrender, retreated to past precedents in her sumptuous black satin off-the-shoulder gown. Complete with dress code acceptable train it was drawn from the archives of Christian Dior circa the era of fashion black sheep John Galliano.
Completing the look with jaw-dropping diamond earrings from Cartier, Clooney proved once more that sustainable fashion has the power to not only convey elegance but prove that the latest is not always the greatest.
Jennifer Lawrence's white sculpted and scalloped ballgown marked a similar dip into the fashion archives.
Zoey Deutch decided that a reproduced Chanel 1956 dress, which fused a brown-white striped taffeta bodice with a beige dotted tulle skirt, was the best way to channel her upcoming portrayal of French acting legend Jean Seberg in Breathless.
Not everyone got the memo. It's certainly a message that Emma Stone, in her custom white Louis Vuitton with its uncomfortable and unnecessary bib, seemed to have completely missed.
Angelina Jolie perhaps more than anyone mastered the art of parlaying vintage into contemporary dressing. Steps away from Natalie Portman in her costume-like Dior reproduction, Jolie literally glistened in a shimmering nude fabric gown by Brunello Cucinelli.
Despite the inevitable outliers and rule breakers (Heidi Klum in her candy-confection by Elie Saab was one), the most shocking thing about this year's most important French fashion show was that, without the usual acres of flesh on display it was, for once, all about the fashion.
Not everyone got the memo. It's certainly a message that Emma Stone, in her custom white Louis Vuitton with its uncomfortable and unnecessary bib, seemed to have completely missed.
But it was Angelina Jolie, who perhaps more than anyone mastered the art of parlaying vintage into contemporary dressing. Steps away from Natalie Portman in her costume-like Dior reproduction, Jolie literally glistened in a shimmering nude fabric gown by Brunello Cucinelli.
Known primarily for their luxurious knitwear, the 1950s style dress merged a timeless silhouette with the innovative use of cashmere which was woven throughout ensemble in an intricate and innovative pattern that demonstrated the ingenuity that still exists within the current fashion field.
Because the truth is that, despite the inevitable outliers and rule breakers (Heidi Klum in her candy-confection by Elie Saab was one), the most shocking thing about this year's most important French fashion show was that, without the usual acres of flesh on display it was, for once, all about the fashion.
