Questions around what to expect at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival have so far largely focused on two things: The Hollywood-shaped hole in the official selection and “The White Lotus.”
This year, the storied celebration of film held on the French Riviera will look a little less “Mission: Impossible,” which premiered on the Croisette in 2025, and a little more international as European and Asian directors such as Pedro Almodóvar, Nicholas Winding Refn and Ryusuke Hamaguchi take center stage. Out of 22 films in competition to win the Palme d’Or, just two are from US auteurs— Ira Sach’s “The Man I Love,” starring Remi Malek, and James Gray’s “Paper Tiger” with Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver and Miles Teller.
Big Style: Where culture meets clothing
CNN senior style reporter and advanced outfit anthropologist Rachel Tashjian excavates the stylish amusements and contextualizes the world of fashion – all in your inbox. Sign up for Big Style here.
But the opening night of the festival proved that the red carpet will not have that same Hollywood-shaped hole. The fashion is already as glittering as ever, with jury member Demi Moore, along with fellow actors Jane Fonda and Maika Monroe all arriving for opening night dripping in sequins.
Running parallel to the festival’s activities is the filming of season four of “The White Lotus,” TV writer and actor Mike White’s HBO show satirizing the lives of the uber rich — which this time is set at Cannes Film Festival. Though how close the cast will get to the historic red carpet, remains to be seen.
Below are the most distinct looks, as they happen, across the 12-day event.
Never the wallflower, Joan Collins brought a sense of drama to opening night with an orchid-inspired dress and black opera gloves by Stéphane Rolland. Aurore Marechal/Getty Images
Actor and Cannes jury member Ruth Negga wore custom Dior with Chopard jewelry at the opening ceremony on May 12. Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
Hamnet director and Cannes jury member Chloé Zhao wore Gabriela Hearst for the opening ceremony. Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty Images
Model, actor and dancer Alton Mason ditched the shirt and tie for an unbuttoned opening night look. Gisela Schober/German Select/Getty Images
During the day, jury member Demi Moore wore a polka dot Jacquemus dress with feather confetti that made her dots look 3D.JB Lacroix/FilmMagic/Getty Images
For the night, Moore slipped into another Jacquemus sequin gown for the Opening Ceremony and the screening of the film "La Venus electrique" (The Electric Kiss). Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images
Jane Fonda in black sequined Gucci for the opening ceremony on May 12. Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images
Also opting for full-length sequins was Maika Monroe in Ashi Studio. Kate Green/Getty Images
French actor and model Frédérique Bel's Pierre Cardin outfit fused beach vibes and Parisian chic with a double-brim and exposed midriff. Amy Sussman/Getty Images
British model and actor Poppy Delevingne wore vintage John Galliano, also at the opening ceremony and screening of the film, "The Electric Kiss." Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images
French actor Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu wore a dramatic ruffled Saint Laurent gown. REUTERS/Manon Cruz Manon Cruz/Reuters
