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Cannes 2016: Forget films, it’s all about fashion

Sandra Halliday
16 May 2016

Cannes is as much a fashion festival as a film one whether celebs are treading the red carpet, arriving at Nice Airport or strolling down the Croisette.

Red carpet events are a gold mine for the fashion industry, bringing together the looks that may have been seen on runways and at showroom presentations in the weeks and months before but somehow making them more real.

The assorted celebs (or more precisely, their hardworking stylists) have the knack of picking the dress/look that’s likely to resonate with the wider public, rather than the one that fashion journalists often swoon over.

And each red carpet gives us something different, whether it’s the stately perfection of the Oscars, the often-quirky edge of the Met Gala or the excess of most music industry-linked awards.

My favourite though is Cannes. Because celebs have to decamp to the South of France for at least a few days, we get treated to a succession of red carpet dresses mixed in with cocktail looks and some understated (but always careful thought out) ‘off-duty’ fashion statements.

Plus there’s the impact of the event’s profile itself. Controversies over high heels aside, Cannes has an intellectual edge, thus presenting the extra challenge of how to dazzle on the red carpet while also coming across as 'serious' and are really looking forward to the impenetrable art movie you're about to endure… I mean watch. There’s a get-out from this approach of course with the grand Cannes tradition of bombshell starlets just there to make an impact and ignoring the intellectual element.

So what has 2016 given us so far?

Dress to Impress

Cannes is all about glamour and for full-on glamour, the red carpet is the place to look. Dresses with trains made a major statement this year with plenty of bridal inspiration from layers of tulle, sweeping satin skirts or hi-lo hems. But pattern and embellishment also looked powerful. A beaded top above a satin skirt offered in-your-face glam on Eva Longoria but my favourites were the placement flowers on Liu Yifei’s Dior strapless dress and Kirsten Dunst’s stunning Gucci.

Cannes 3

Kristen Dunst in Gucci, Bianca Balti in Alberta Ferretti, Li Bing Bing in Stephan Rolland, Julianne Moore in Givenchy, Anna Kendrick, Liu Yifei in Dior, Eva Longoria in Pamela Roland

Body Conscious

The red carpet is the place to show off a perfectly toned body with strategic flesh flashing a favourite way to do it. Some of the most impressive dresses combine transparency and embellishment with understated colour to put the silhouette at the heart of the look. Roberto Cavalli did this superbly for both Bella Hadid and Gong Li. Strapless, which was big last year but didn’t make such an impact at the Met Gala recently, made a powerful comeback. Strapless dresses were kept simple though with colour or embellishment making the strongest statement. Key colours are nude, lilac, silver and intense yellow.

Cannes 1

Bella Hadid in Roberto Cavalli, Jessica Chastain in Armani Privé, Gong Li in Roberto Cavalli, Naomi Watts in Armani Privé, Blake Lively, Doutzen Kroes in Brandon Maxwell

Trouser Dressing

Jumpsuits, tuxedos, bustier and trouser combos all made waves both on the red carpet and off it. This is a look that works for almost everyone and can be surprisingly easy to pull together. Just look at Vanessa Paradis - what we have here is a shrunken jacket over a silk blouse, a pussy bow, some skinny jeans and a shoulder bag. Nothing to it really.

Cannes 5

Victoria Beckham in her own label, George Clooney and Julia Roberts, Vanessa Paradis, Blake Lively in Juan Carlos Obando, Victoria Beckham, Susan Sarandon

Off-Duty

Keep it dressed down but chic… unless you’re Victoria Beckham. Current must-have pieces include striped tops with red the key colour, as well as cropped top and jeans. Skinnies are still strong but distressed boyfriend cuts are also making an impact. The accessory nobody can do without? Sunglasses. OK, it’s sunny in Cannes but even if it wasn’t, those shades would have been firmly in place. Frames stay big with an understated cat’s eye flick at the outer edge the favourite shape.

Cannes 4

Susan Sarandon and Naomi Watts, Victoria Beckham, Doutzen Kroes, Doutzen Kroes in Roland Van Der Kemp top, Bella Hadid

Cocktail Hour

Every hour is cocktail hour in Cannes but before dark is when cocktail length dresses come into their own. There’s a retro feel that blends influences from the 1940s and 50s with the waist as a focal point. The shirt dress or wrap dress is ultra-effective with a “just something I had in my wardrobe” edge while looking extra-smart (and a great inspiration for the career wear and occasion sectors).

Cannes 2

Anna Kendrick in Marc Jacobs, Kirsten Dunst in Dior, Bella Hadid in Dior

 

 

 

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