The red carpet that made Elizabeth Hurley an overnight star was in London – she famously wore a Versace LBD held together with safety pins to join her then boyfriend Hugh Grant at the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral. But the British bombshell concocted a glamazon look to rival it not long after. The year was 1997, and Hurley was on Grant’s arm at a screening in Cannes, wearing a leopard-print gown that was strapless, clinging, and – decades before the naked dress craze – almost entirely sheer.
Cannes was the perfect place for it. Even the most minimalist stars tend to turn the volume up a notch for the most glamorous film festival on the circuit, seeking out the most extravagant trains (Jodie Turner-Smith in yellow Gucci feathers), the most expensive diamonds (Rihanna in her own Chopard collection), or the rarest archive fashion (Bella Hadid in Tom Ford-era Gucci).
In the ’50s and ’60s, screen sirens Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and Grace Kelly helped to establish Cannes’ reputation as the home of megawatt glamour, and it was further burnished in 1987 when Princess Diana walked the red carpet with Prince Charles. “Shy Di” wore a baby-blue tulle gown by one of her favourite designers, Catherine Walker.
Decades on, the likes of Elle Fanning, Deepika Padukone and Timothée Chalamet ensure that Cannes remains among the most-watched red carpets in the world. Revisit some past red-carpet highlights below ahead of this year’s festival.
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Carla Bruni
In 1998, Bruni accessorised her impeccably cut jersey gown with a diamond necklace.
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Sheila Atim
One of the most exciting new faces on the scene, Sheila Atim chose burnt orange Prada velvet in 2022.
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Tina Kunakey
All eyes were on Tina – and her colour block Valentino couture – in 2021.
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Isabelle Huppert
Huppert chose dazzling Armani Privé for the premiere of Frankie in 2019.
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Elizabeth Hurley
Elizabeth Hurley wore a strapless, form-fitting leopard-print gown at the 1997 film festival.
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Glenda Jackson and Faye Dunaway
Jackson wore a pink oversized gown befitting the era, while Dunaway opted for a relaxed soft white suit for the 1976 festival.
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Jane Birkin
English actor and musician Jane Birkin arrived at the 1974 festival wearing a sequined tiered gown and carrying her signature wicker basket bag, alongside Serge Gainsbourg.
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Rihanna
Rihanna wore a white Dior gown with Chopard jewels and micro shades in 2017.
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Viola Davis
Viola was like a walking ray of sunshine in her Alexander McQueen dress.
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Amal Clooney
Amal opted for Atelier Versace in a soft lemon shade.
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Jodie Turner-Smith
Jodie took the maximalist route in Gucci.
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Julianne Moore
Julianne was a vision in Chanel feathers in 2014.
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Claudia Schiffer
Claudia Schiffer chose a shimmering gold dress with a low-cut front in 2000.
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Meg Ryan
In 1994, Ryan wore a floor-length cream dress with chunky black boots to promote French Kiss during the film festival.
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Isabelle Adjani
Adjani walked the red carpet in 1997 wearing a brocade suit by John Galliano for Christian Dior and carried a Miss Dior handbag.
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Liya Kebede
The model wore a cream gown by The Row on the red carpet in 2022.
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Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz wore a Louis Vuitton look to the Shrek 2 premiere at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.
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Angelina Jolie
Jolie wore a flowing Max Azria gown whilst pregnant with twins, Knox Léon and Vivienne Marcheline in 2008.
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Sienna Miller
In the early months of Alessandro Michele’s Gucci tenure, Miller wore a gown of his design at the 2015 film festival.
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Kirsten Dunst
For the 2016 closing ceremony, Dunst chose a Valentino Couture gown.
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Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett wore a custom Armani Privé dress with earrings from Rihanna’s Chopard collaboration during her time as jury president at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
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Jeanne Cadieu
Jake Gyllenhaal was well and truly upstaged by his date Jeanne Cadieu in 2022, thanks to her hot-pink Loewe lips dress.
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Amanda Lear
In 1979, French artist Lear arrived in Cannes wearing a white suit with a pink bralette and layers of costume jewellery.
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Sharon Stone
A classic Cannes moment in 1995, when Sharon Stone revealed her Valentino gown incorporated beaded hot pants underneath.
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Princess Diana
Then the world’s most famous woman, “Shy Di” chose Catherine Walker for Cannes.
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Deepika Padukone
There was no missing Deepika in her custom Louis Vuitton gown.
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Jennifer Aniston
Jen An’s sparkling Versace halter-neck was just right for Cannes.
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Chloë Sevigny
Chloë can always be relied on to deliver at Cannes. Here, she does so in Chanel Haute Couture.
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Timothée Chalamet
Giving the girls a run for their money in metallic Tom Ford tailoring in 2021.
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Tilda Swinton
The classic white shirt, but make it an Alaïa red-carpet dress.
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Veronica Webb
The Vogue cover girl wore a white diaphanous dress with appliqué flower detail at the 1998 festival.
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Kate Moss
In 1998 Kate chose her favourite silhouette – the slip dress – to walk the red carpet with her fellow super, Claudia Schiffer.
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Anne Hathaway
A vision in white Armani Privé in 2022.
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Kaia Gerber
Kaia’s red Celine dress was simple and striking.
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Andie MacDowell and Helen Mirren
Andie (in Dior) and Helen (in Dolce & Gabbana) danced their way along the red carpet in 2022. What the French might call un instant.
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Bella Hadid
Fashion girls everywhere gasped when Bella walked the red carpet in a rare white dress from Tom Ford’s autumn/winter 1996 Gucci collection.
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Naomi Campbell
Some things – like Naomi wearing Alaïa in Cannes – just feel right.
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Elle Fanning
Radiating glamour in Gucci in 2019.
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Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu
The Emily in Paris fan favourite’s sex appeal was in full effect in 2003.
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Monica Bellucci
Ever the bombshell, Monica turned it on for the cameras in 1997.
Originally published in vogue.co.uk
