All the surprising, subversive and rule-breaking looks from Cannes Film Festival
Author: Leah Dolan, CNN
Source: CNN:::
May 23, 2025 at 10:16
A$AP Rocky and Rihanna arrived onto the red carpet decked out in Saint Laurent and Alaïa. Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty Images
CNN — The Cannes red carpet is officially in full swing, with stars flocking to the French Riviera for the annual Film Festival. Now in its 78th year, the event is a jewel in the calendar of both lofty cinephiles and polished fashionistas. Since last week, actors, directors, producers and influencers have been ascending the carpeted steps — not just to promote their latest feature film at the high temple of world cinema, but also to turn a look.
This year, the fashion stakes were upped before the festival even opened its doors — prompted by a change in the official dress code, announced just hours before kick-off. Nudity was explicitly banned (also prohibiting the current celebrity favorite ‘naked’ dress trend that has dominated the red carpet in recent years); as were “voluminous outfits” with large trains for the sake of traffic control.
Some stars, like Halle Berry, dutifully obeyed the restrictions. “I had an amazing dress by (Gaurav) Gupta that I cannot wear tonight because it’s too big of a train,” the actor said at a news conference. “I’m not going to break the rules.” Others brazenly persevered with their original wardrobe plans. Heidi Klum and Wan QianHui were the first rebels of the year, arriving in high-octane frocks with defiantly cascading trains.
Elsewhere at the festival, there were clever twists on tailoring, a strong case for the male thigh-high boot and dresses made from reconstructed denim.
Scroll down for the sartorial highlights, which will be updated throughout the festival.
Kristen Stewart opted for a daring twist on the tailored suit at the "Chronology of Water" premiere on 16 May. Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
For the "Eddington" screening 16 May, Emma Stone arrived in a Louis Vuitton silk crepe gown with a sculptural bib. Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty Images
Alexander Skarsgård's thigh-high Saint Laurent boots were the talk of the town on 18 May. Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters
On 19 May, A$AP Rocky and Rihanna greeted the cameras as a couple. Rihanna's bump-exposing cerulean dress was Alaïa, while Rocky stepped out in Saint Laurent. Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty Images
Dakota Johnson's pink sequin and fringed gown from Gucci was a highlight of the "Highest 2 Lowest" premiere. Manon Cruz/Reuters
Co-stars Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson arrive for the screening of their film "Die, My Love" on 17 May. Lawrence wore a custom Dior silk taffeta gown based on the label's Poulenc dress from 1949. Pattinson opted for a classic tux. Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP/Getty Images
Riz Ahmed arrived to the "The Phoenician Scheme" red carpet on 18 May in a Prada suit. Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters
On 16 May, Rawdah Mohamed wore a sculptural satin Cheney Chan couture gown. Kristy Sparow/Getty Images
On 14 May, Andie MacDowell wore a Mugler tuxedo and Santoni crystal heels to the "Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning" screening.
Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters
For the "Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning" red carpet on 14 May, Irina Shayk donned a vintage Yves Saint Laurent Fall-Winter 1988 dress. Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty Images
Harris Dickinson wore a black wool garbadine suit from Prada for the premiere of "Urchin" on 16 May. Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty Images
At the "Nouvelle Vague" (New Wave) red carpet on 17 May, Yseult opted for a Givenchy haute couture silk crepe dress — complete with a black cape. Daniele Venturelli/WireImage/Getty Images
On 16 May, Angelina Jolie arrived in a nude Brunello Cucinelli creation. Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP/Getty Images
For the red carpet event of "Highest 2 Lowest," Isabelle Huppert wore a custom-made reconstructed haute couture jean dress from Balenciaga. Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images
On 16 May, for Ari Aster's premiere of "Eddington", Natalie Portman donned a tulle and black velvet Dior gown inspired by the label's Fall-Winter 1951 couture collection. Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
On May 13, at the "Partir Un Jour" (Leave One Day) screening, Halle Berry opted for a striped Jacquemus dress after forgoing her original sculptural Gaurav Gupta gown for fear of breaking the dress code. To her right, Jeremy Strong arrived in a dusty rose tuxedo by Jacques Marie Mage and rose-gold shades. Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty Images
Chinese actor Wan QianHui was an early rulebreaker, in a voluminous Wang Feng couture tulle gown. Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Irina Shayk in Armani Privé couture. Daniele Venturelli/WireImage/Getty Images
Bella Hadid arrived at the same premiere in a slinky Saint Laurent gown that was a playful wink to the nudity ban with its exaggerated thigh-high slit. Mike Marsland/WireImage/Getty Images
Heidi Klum flouted dress code restrictions with a petal-inspired Elie Saab frock. Daniele Venturelli/WireImage/Getty Images
