Cannes 2025 Red Carpet

Sufia Kiekbaeva

In Cannes, the red carpet has always been a performance in itself. But this year, beneath the filtered Riviera light and watchful cameras, a quiet shift unfolded. The 2025 edition of the Cannes Film Festival traded spectacle for precision. It wasn’t about being the loudest. It was about reading the moment and rewriting it in silk, structure, and self-awareness.

Jennifer Lawrence arrived early in the week, dressed in custom Dior. Silver-toned and asymmetrically cut, it wasn’t a dress that shouted. It moved with her, composed and editorial, a silhouette designed for both the lens and the woman. She has learned to wear couture with the kind of calm that only stars in full control can pull off.

Bella Hadid no stranger to Cannes and certainly no stranger to commanding the croisette, understood the new rhythm. Her Saint Laurent gown on opening night was pared back and immaculate: sharp shoulder line, high slit, no apology. In the days that followed, she alternated between soft archival pieces and sculptural black, as if walking through a curated exhibition on sensual minimalism.

Alexander Skarsgård did something unexpected. A tuxedo, yes but styled with sequin-flecked trousers. A small rebellion against formality, or perhaps just a nod to the evolution of menswear on the red carpet. He wasn’t the only one more than one actor chose to disrupt the uniform this year, trading traditional black for tone, sheen, or a softened lapel.

Halle Berry, serving on the jury, presented one of the most photographed narratives of the festival. Her first look a voluminous, heavily ruffled couture piece triggered debate around the festival’s recent reintroduction of stricter dress codes. Her next appearance, in a form-hugging Jacquemus with controlled ruffle detail, felt like a response. Balanced, edited, and yet still recognisably her.

At the amfAR Gala, the tone was looser, but not without definition. Lauren Sánchez wore Roberto Cavalli in metallic red, offset by slicked-back hair and restrained jewellery. Léna Mahfouf, in vintage Vivienne Westwood, carried the sharp draping and corseted waist with the confidence of someone who understands that red carpet fashion is as much about legacy as it is about freshness.

This year, Cannes offered a masterclass in how to say more with less. A red carpet that held its breath, then exhaled in quiet confidence. Under new restrictions, it was no longer about drama for its own sake, but about silhouette, intention, and identity. The best looks didn’t scream. They whispered with certainty.