Besides debuting genre-bending movies and award-worthy performances, the Cannes Film Festival offers up nearly two weeks of epic style inspo. But it seems each year — for 68 years and counting — we seem to get a whole lot more out of the red carpet than just major princess moments. Whether it’s because of the extended, ‘round-the-clock schedule that has stars hopping from daytime photoshoot to evening premiere to off-the-charts after party or the fairy tale seaside locale that spurs on starlets to live out their French girl style dreams, we can also count on Cannes to produce some of the best sartorial scene stealers and OMG-worthy looks we’ll see all year. So to mark the end of the festival over this past Memorial Day weekend, we decided to pour through pics of our fave celebs’ wardrobes to see which of them nailed — and failed — the art of the Cannes outfit change. Scroll through to see which looks came out on top and which totally flopped.
1. Sienna Miller: A fashion girl through and through, Sienna nailed every single look she wore at Cannes, including those that were major style risks. From her over-the-top-in-all-the-right-ways Valentino Haute Couture kite dress from The Sea of Trees premiere (those primary colors, that diamond neckline!) to the vintage-feeling, custom-made tiered Gucci gown she wore to the Macbeth premiere that’s actually more on the pulse than you might think (after all, prairie girls are the new boho babes), the Cannes juror was in her element the more non-traditional her looks got. Both outfits get gold stars in our book. (Photos via Pascal Le Segretain/Getty)
2. Eva Longoria: Eva’s ultra glamorous rotation of gowns helped show that it doesn’t matter how luxe your dress is unless it fits your body type. There’s no denying that the silk halter dress by Gabriela Cadena she wore at the Champ’Seed party was stunning, not to mention totally on board with the ’70s revival trend, but it just didn’t have that same wow-factor of the silver mermaid-style gown she wore at the Inside Out premiere by the same designer. Why? The latter fits like a glove over her hourglass figure and helps to highlight flaunt those va-va-voom curves. (Photos via Alex B. Huckle, Pascal Le Segretain/Getty)
3. Emma Stone: By now we expect Emma Stone to turn heads in an elegant yet peppy ensemble like the lace and tulle Oscar de la Renta cocktail dress she wore at the Irrational Man photocall. That’s why we love her white Dior gown from the movie’s premiere more — because it wasn’t so safe. With out-of-the-box details like a ’90s-style neckline (+ crystal choaker to boot!) and a spider web-style lace overlay, Emma left us crossing our fingers that she keeps tapping her grungy side for red carpets to come. (Photos via Samir Hussein, Pascal Le Segretain/Getty)
4. Emily Blunt: There’s no doubt that Emily looked stunning in her studded Stella McCartney dress at the Sicario after party — and right on trend too: Eva Longoria, Naomi Watts and Karlie Kloss were also spotted in head-to-toe metallic frocks this year. But in her quirky tea-length Peter Pilotto patterned dress, Blunt looked cool, confident and in command. Throw in matching heeled sandals and a bold orange-red lip (plus an almost-matching hair color) and you’ve got the stuff that trendsetters are made of. (Photos via Tristan Fewings, Danny E. Martindale/Getty)
5. Rachel Weisz: Rachel Weisz epitomized elegance at this year’s Cannes, but in two completely polar opposite ways. First, in an ultra sleek Narciso Rodriguez jumpsuit at The Lobster photocall — the formal uniform of the modern #Girlboss — and next, in a bold silk teal Prada gown at the Youth premiere, which encapsulated Old Hollywood glam. (Photos via Ben A. Prunchie, Clemens Bilan/Getty)
6. Marion Cotillard: Well this is an interesting take on French girl stripes! Suited up in a lined Ulyana Sergeenko jumpsuit at the Macbeth photocall, Marion’s usual Parisian cool seems overwhelmed by her eclectic outfit of a rainbow-hued Ulyana Sergeenko onesie and undeniably fabulous metallic pink pumps (which would feel way more at home paired with a silver shift or next-level LBD). We’re way more enamored with her glitzy custom-made Dior mini dress at the Macbeth premiere that strikes a perfect balance between striking and chic. (Photos via Ian Gavan,Clemens BilanonCo/Getty)
7. Karlie Kloss: Karlie was the queen of awkward hemlines at Cannes, though if you ask us, one garment raised significantly more eyebrows than the other. Skorts are in, if you didn’t know, and just as much as cropped hemlines, but we took the fashion-forward bait of the not-quite-pants, not-really-a-dress Atelier Versace Couture jumpsuit she wore at the Opening Ceremony + La Tete Haute premiere over the shortened double-slit embellished Louis Vuitton gown from the Youth premiere. Any girl who’s ever tried to match her heel height with a maxi has to agree that the stiff, mid-foot length is an exceptionally tricky, and not particularly cute, look to pull off. (Photos via Andreas Rentz, Pascal Le Segretain/Getty)
8. Natalie Portman: When it comes down to it, would you rather have Natalie mimic the red carpet or dress like Black Swan IRL? The answer is obvious, even though her Dior Couture gown at the Opening Ceremony + La Tete Haute premiere was the twist on a classic we live for: her sheer Rodarte dress at the A Tale of Love And Darkness photocall showed that the actress can be dark and mysterious if she pleases. (Photo via Pascal Le Segretain, Andreas Rentz/Getty)
Which outfit outshined the other? You tell us which looks made your Best Dressed Lists in the comments below.
