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The 10 best looks of the Cannes Film Festival

From Madonna, iconic in Jean-Paul Gaultier, to Bella Hadid, queen of the 2021 edition in Schiaparelli

The 10 best looks of the Cannes Film Festival From Madonna, iconic in Jean-Paul Gaultier, to Bella Hadid, queen of the 2021 edition in Schiaparelli

At the Cannes Film Festival, Hollywood glamour meets French Riviera style. Once a year, the Croisette once again becomes the center of the world and the jet-set, as it was in the 1960s and 1970s when it was crowded with stars like Brigitte Bardot and Jean Birkin. Each celebrity carefully chooses the chicest, hottest and most original outfit to guarantee her paparazzi attention and Instagram feed hegemony. Do you remember Bella Hadid in Schiaparelli during the Festival's last edition or Elle Fanning in 2019 with her homage to Dior's New Look, a suit from the Maison from 1947? And what about Madonna in the 1990s in Jean-Paul Gaultier underwear or the iconic couple formed by Kate Moss and Johnny Depp? And how can we forget Kristen Stewart sporting a Chanel suit in 2016, worn on the red carpet with a pair of Louboutin stilettos, traded in a little later for some very comfortable Vans

Everyone has their favorite fashion moment, G-club has selected 10 of the most beautiful ones.

 

Madonna in Jean Paul Gaultier, 1991

The collaboration between Jean Paul Gaultier and Madonna is one of the most iconic ever. To quote Suzy Menkes, "the burgeoning sexual freedom of women, sown in the 1960s, reached its climax in Gaultier's costume design for Madonna's 1990 Blond Ambition world tour". One of the most famous looks created by the French designer was the one the singer sported on the Croisette in 1991 for the premier of her documentary In Bed with Madonna: under a hot pink cape, the star hid a cone bra, garter belts, satin shorts and a pair of sabots, all in white. Stunning!

In 2019 Selena Gomez, who was in Cannes to present the film The Dead Don't Die by Jim Jarmusch, reprised that legendary look in a longuette version designed by Nicolas Ghesquière for Louis Vuitton.

 

Sharon Stone in Valentino, 1995

Sharon Stone has starred at the Cannes Film Festival many times over the years, but one of her most memorable moments was in 1995. The actress was on the Croisette to present the western The Quick and the Dead with Leonardo di Caprio and wore Valentino every day of her stay in France. The outfit that went down in history was spotted on the red carpet of the premiere of the documentary Unzipped and was all silver. It consisted of a top with a sweetheart neckline and a corolla skirt, which the star deliberately unbuttoned for the paparazzi so that the shorts she wore underneath remained visible.

 

Milla Jovovich in John Galliano, 1997

In the 1990s, Milla Jovovich was known for her striking beauty, versitile talent, rebellious nature and bold style. Case in point? In 1997 she appeared at the Cannes Film Festival, hand in hand with her then-husband Luc Besson who had directed her in The Fifth Element, in a piece from John Galliano FW 1997 collection worthy of a true warrior goddess. Also beautiful was the silver chainmail dress worn for the daytime press conference. 

 

Kate Moss, 1998

When you say Kate Moss and Johnny Depp, a world of love and coolness opens up. Together they were amazing: young, rich, rebellious, in love. A certain nostalgia comes over comparing the many shots of the couple with images of Depp in court. Better to remember him in 1998, on the Cannes red carpet for the presentation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Next to him, in a dinner jacket, is Queen Kate, perfect in her essential vintage black sheath dress, decorated only with a line of marabou feathers on the neckline. A piece that Moss has worn many other times and which also inspired Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent.

 

Cameron Diaz, 2002 

In 2002, Cameron Diaz starred in Gangs of New York alongside Leonardo di Caprio. At the film's presentation in Cannes, the actress opted for a black one-shoulder sheer dress, teamed with a pair of sandals with ultra-thin straps, long blonde hair loose over her shoulders and glow make-up. A true Cal girl conquering the Croisette.

 

Angelina Jolie in Max Azria, 2008 

Rihanna is resetting the rules of mom-to-be style, but Angelina Jolie also looked beautiful and elegant when, pregnant with twins, she flaunted her baby bump on the Cannes red carpet. The actress had arrived in France with Brad Pitt for the premiere of Kung Fu Panda. Her look? Olive green Max Azria dress, Cole Haan shoes, Bulgari jewelry, loose hair, smokey eyes and peach lipstick. 

 

Charlize Theron in Dior, 2016 

Few human beings in the world always turn out as divine as Charlize Theron. No matter whether she is wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt or an haute couture creation. In 2016, the South African actress, who was in Cannes to present a film directed by ex-boyfriend Sean Penn, showed off one of her most beautiful outfits: a Christian Dior Couture dinner jacket, paired with black pumps by Christian Louboutin and illuminated by Cartier jewelry. The beauty? Ultra sleek chignon, smokey eyes and nude lips.

 

Rihanna in Dior, 2017 

In 2017, following her stylist Mel Ottenberg, Rihanna appeared on the red carpet of the Palais des Festivals as a true old-style diva in Dior Haute Couture. The star wore a fluffy white taffeta bustier dress with a matching coat created especially for her by Maria Grazia Chiuri. To give the look a twist Riri chose Manolo Blahnik shoes, diamond and emerald jewelry by Chopard and sunglasses by Andy Wolf

 

Bella Hadid in Schiaparelli, 2021 

Ever since she caused a scandal in a slip dress with a very deep slit in 216, Bella Hadid has become a true queen of the Cannes Film Festival. In the 2021 edition, however, she gave it her all by sporting two memorable looks. The coolest one was by Schiaparelli by Daniel Roseberry: a fitted black dress with padded shoulders, in wool crepe, with a golden brass sculpture jewel in the center that reproduced broncos. Also beautiful was the vintage black and white Jean Paul Gaultier, previously sported on the Naomi Campbell catwalk in 2002, which Bella chose for another evening of the Festival.

 

Anne Hathaway in Armani Privè, 2022 

At the 2022 edition of the festival, Anne Hathaway played the role of fashion princess, catching the eye of photographers with her outfits. Arriving in Cannes for the premiere of Armageddon Time, the star wore Gucci, Valentino, Louis Vuitton and Schiaparelli, but her most elegant look came from Armani Privé: a snow-white strapless lace gown, fully sequined. The dress was complemented by a dramatic stole in the same colour, a pair of silver sandals by Santoni and a Bulgari Mediterranean Reverie necklace with a 107.15-carat black sapphire.