Cannes Film Festival’s 2025 red carpet: high-fashion moments and nudity bans

Ritz and glamour, elegance and class: every year the Cannes film festival offers a swish scene for iconic high-fashion moments. From May 12 to 23 this year, film stars walked the fest’s red carpet and posed at photocalls, raising the sartorial to the status of cinematic event. As ever, old Hollywood references were abound and classic, sophisticated looks stood next to the avant-garde and future-facing. But altogether – with a stricter dress code in place – Cannes’ new limitations may have subdued potential serves.

Enter: a nudity ban and trail-size restrictions. At Grand Théâtre Lumière, evening premiers looks should be fleshless, conservative and – in the words of the deciding board – images of ‘decency’. A far cry from the revealing, sheer garments worn by Julia Fox, Bella Hadid or Hari Nef at the last two Cannes festivals, the new rules limit bodily expression in favour of a faster flowing, less distracted carpet. Fashion critics and high-fashion lovers have criticised this new dress code en masse, recognising what style limitations can say about how women are seen and judged in the public eye.

A red-hot topic and source of scrutiny, the carpet is a space that typically celebrates bodies and style, but becomes tinged when expression is policed rather than autonomous. How can a festival that centres the artistry behind international films decide that a different – and arguably more women-centric ­– art form is less deserving of full expression and attention? Placing the language of film over the language of clothes, fashion choices have the danger of being reduced to nothing more than photo-ops, rather than artistic statements. Well, if certain live flesh is denied to us, at least there will be plenty of male-directed female nudity when we reach the screen.

Just as one begins to weep over the sorry state of red carpet fashion, something else enters: the glittery allure of rebellion

Just as one begins to weep over the sorry state of red carpet fashion, something else enters: the glittery allure of rebellion. Extravagant, oversized dresses, low-cut necklines and teeteringly see-through fabric skirted the boundaries of the dress code, treating it more like a guide than a must. At The Phoenician Scheme’s premiere, Stella Maxwell sported a daring, lace, mesh look with diagonally adorned feathers cascading into a mermaid trail, designed by Cheney Chan. Julia Garner also teetered around the dress code in custom Gucci dresses. She wore a slick, black dress with sheer layers, cleverly embroidered with sequins to aid the rules and add a unique, wet-look texture. On another night, she wore a gorgeous burgundy gown with a sleeveless, confidently side-slit, sheer lace bodice.

During the opening ceremony, personality Heidi Klum disregarded the fest’s new sartorial conventions, dragging a bulky, excessive trail behind her. Designed by Elie Saab, her gown was a flourish of petal-esque shapes, light pink and blossoming along the carpet, part of a gracefully disruptive, rule-breaking energy that more often emanates from obviously experimental runway designs, rather than universally pretty, floral garments.

Some of the fest’s most standout looks were sported by Alexander Skarsgård, who daringly caressed uptight conservatism with his overtly seductive style. Risqué style was tied in with the queer and kinky thematics of biker drama Pillion, in which Skarsgård plays a lead. For the film’s photocall, he appeared brutish in biker boots, Loewe leather trousers and a Tom of Finland vintage tee. With sly references to kink culture, Skarsgård was equally seductive at Pillion’s premiere, wearing a Saint Laurent double-breasted suit paired with provocatively tall, leather boots.

Other eye-catching looks from the fest felt more like statements than simple formalwear. Elle Fanning amusingly made reference to Charli XCX’s declaration at Coachella for the Sentimental Value photocall, wearing a laid-back, white, Dylan’s T-Shirt Club top that read ‘Joachim Trier Summer’. We’ll expect, then, all the arsty, millennial angst of the Scandi directors oeuvre to seep in this season – following his Cannes Grand Prix award this year.

In bold red, with a plunging neckline, Atwell’s gown had fabric puffed out like sagging clouds from her waist and fishtail trail

Back to the carpet, Fanning wore a gorgeous, Armani Privé gown. Sequins and a floral appliqué design adorned a deep, corset neckline and fit-and-flare silhouette. Other elegant designs were worn by Emma Stone and Diane Kruger, respectively honouring Louis Vuitton and Dolce & Gabbana garments, both tiering white, frilly lace over long, black dresses. Dramatic volume and shape demanded attention, as Stone wore another Louis Vuitton design. Clean-cut and statuesque, the gown had an audacious, circular collar casting a shadow over her bust. Hayley Atwell and Naomi Campbell also understood the power of shape and volume. Campbell wore a Dolce & Gabbana gown at the Fuori premiere. Her huge net skirt was topped by a meticulously jewelled, golden, metal bodice. In bold red, with a plunging neckline, Atwell’s gown had fabric puffed out like sagging clouds from her waist and fishtail trail.

Of course, classic Hollywood silhouettes and French Riviera glam were never a small thing on the carpet. Opera gloves were a popular accessory, fashioned perfectly by Cara Delevingne in a black, sheer fabric, her tattoos darkened beneath. Flowy and fringed fabrications were also prolific. Dakota Johnson wore a strapless, Gucci gown with sparkling, pink layers. Scarlett Johansson posed in a floaty lavender, Prada dress – similar to the peachy, pleated, shell-like Christian Dior gown worn by Jennifer Lawrence. The queen of Cannes herself, Isabelle Huppert, also stunned in an excessively fringed, neon-green, Balenciaga design completed by colour-matched tights and heels.

New rules and regulations may have shifted Cannes’s sartorial mood this year, but stars still brought some deliciously lavish, noteworthy and memorable looks to the fest. We will undoubtedly be looking forward to more rule-breaking and, equally gorgeous, cinematic tradition in 2026.