While the classic ball gown works wonders on a red carpet (case in point: Jennifer Lawrence in Dior), one can always push the envelope at the Cannes Film Festival. Arab models Rawdah Mohamed and Ikram Abdi Omar, and Sweden’s Elsa Hosk were certainly of the same mind when they arrived at yesterday’s screening of La Passion De Dodin Bouffant in surreal fashion.
Photo: Getty
Day 9 of the festival’s 76th edition saw former Vogue Arabia cover star Rawdah Mohamed switch up from her first appearance’s minimalistic Lanvin dress to go for an extraordinary number by Robert Wun. The Hong Kong-born designer who made his Paris Couture Week debut this year lent his inaugural collection’s ‘Scorched Bride’ dress to the Somali model. As the name suggests, the creation is a satin gown with a silk mesh layer—both adorned with scorched marks made by techniques of prints, and dyes, and even carry actually burnt edges. Its accompanying silk organza bridal veil that covers the entire face comes with incense burnt holes, and was worn by Mohamed over a black headscarf.
Photo: Getty
As for her fellow hijab-wearing model Ikram Abdi Omar, she looked to celebrity favorite Harris Reed to go the extra mile for her red carpet look. Recently named creative director of Nina Ricci, the Central Saint Martin graduate’s designs are known for their dramatic silhouettes with oversized headpieces, one of which was worn by Abdi Omar yesterday. Styled by Siân Gabari, the piece was picked from the designers’ Fall 2023 ready-to-wear collection and featured a black and silver sequined diamond pattern on the front and sleeves of the modest dress, with its highlight being the large, asymmetrical hat.
Photo: Instagram.com/hoskelsa
Another model to make headlines for her choice of outfit at the event was Elsa Hosk, who turned heads in a Viktor & Rolf Spring 2023 Couture number. Beloved for its whimsical creations, the brand’s design favored by Hosk showcased a pastel blue princess gown slightly askew on top of a nude bodysuit. Sharing her look on Instagram, the model wrote, “When I saw this dress coming down their runway I was blown away by how when spinning and moving, the dress would look so surreal and beautiful and even ugly at times and not only was it breathtaking to me but also reminded me to not take fashion too seriously.”
As post-Covid red carpets continue to bring the return of joyful and maximalist style to the forefront, more stars can be expected to pick a topsy-turvy dress over one that agrees to the laws of gravity in the remaining days of the festival.
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