From “Oakland Booty” to Frilly Flop: Cannes Fashion Bests and Worsts

By Henry Walsh

Arts Reporter

Every year, the Cannes film festival is a chance for stars to flex their acting muscles and to show the world what they have to offer, both in their craft and in their fashion sense. Under this pressure, some rise to the top and show off some well-made, perfectly timed fashions, whether for daytime or nighttime.

Best

  1. Julia Roberts in Pamella Roland
Photo courtesy of vanityfair.com
Photo courtesy of vanityfair.com

Who says black can’t be enough?

Roberts shines with her smile on her worst day, but this simple black dress by designer Pamella Roland accentuates her bright features and her clear, happy demeanor. The details go together, from the freeing length to the off-the-shoulder draped sleeve. All these things complete this look as much as the surprising lack of shoes did.

  1. Chanel Iman in KaufmanFranco
Photo courtesy of poshandglamour.com
Photo courtesy of poshandglamour.com

To describe this outfit accurately, one must go to the top of the empire state building, scatter 20 pounds of glitter off the side, and then watch as the rain of fabulous falls on the unsuspecting New Yorkers.

Iman showed off her natural beauty turned up to 11 in this look. Her hair was pulled back, she had very natural makeup on, if any, and her dress showed off all her best attributes. This glamorous cutout dress made her into a Greek goddess all on her own.

  1. Kristen Stewart in Unknown
Photo courtesy of laineygossip.com
Photo courtesy of laineygossip.com

A lot of the time, the daylight looks at Cannes are not as revered or as scrutinized as the nighttime looks. This was no exception, for she did not land on most best-dressed lists immediately after the weekend was over. However, upon looking deeper into the more intriguing, flattering fashions of the festival, this look stands out.

A drawstring dress, simple, short and flattering, goes well with Stewart’s new hair and her surprising new lack of a surly demeanor. The pattern reflects well in the sunlight, allowing her to somehow sparkle in the daytime, similar to a certain fanged creature from a popular series.

  1. Jessica Chastain in Givenchy
Photo courtesy of pinterest.com
Photo courtesy of pinterest.com

Old Hollywood done exactly right.

This bumblebee yellow strapless dress by fashion giant Givenchy looks like it belongs on best dressed lists from 30 years ago. It especially compliments Chastain’s red hair, giving the whole look a warm colored vibe of comfort. The way the dress is made, the waist cinched just so, the arms completely bare, showing off lots of her flawless skin, Chastain made one of the smartest fashion choices all weekend.

  1. Blake Lively in Atelier Versace
Photo courtesy of etonline.com
Photo courtesy of etonline.com

Ever since her career started with the premiere of Gossip Girl, Blake Lively has topped best-dressed lists too many times to count. Here, she shines in a gown that manages to juggle having sequins, cutouts, and mesh beaded with crystals. Only Lively would be able to juggle all that detail and still look more stunning than anyone else in the room.

There promoting her two new movies, Cafe Society and The Shallows, she grabs the eye and doesn’t let it go until she’s finished with you. Not only does one’s eye focus in on her dress, but the baby bump that has sprouted as well.

Worst

  1. Laetitia Casta in Atelier Versace
Photo courtesy of lexpress.fr
Photo courtesy of lexpress.fr

For a lot of celebrities, sheer fabric is a good idea and can become a triumph on the red carpet. The problem is, they have to know exactly what to pair it with. Casta had a fairly good idea, but the black underneath her sheer dress was so close and yet so far.

The strip of fabric between her top and bottom parts of the bikini-esque outfit was a mistake, ending up cutting her off and making her look shorter. Most of the time, Casta makes fairly good fashion choices, actually having a similar look that was without the band in the center from earlier on in her career. However, the combo of her unflattering black underneath the uneven sheer fabric that fluctuates in color was not a great choice. Overall, this was a misstep.  

  1. Elena Lenina in I Don’t Want to Know
Photo courtesy of ibtimes.co.uk
Photo courtesy of ibtimes.co.uk

This Barbie doll experiment gone wrong is courtesy of Russian reality TV star and author, Elena Lenina. Throughout the entire weekend, Lenina took fashion risks with Lady Gaga inspired big hair and big, wacky outfits. She took a couple of steps that could have gone well like the colors on their own. The pink ruffles might have just been safe, but overall this look just feels disjointed and confusing.

  1. Lottie Moss in Balmain
Photo courtesy of justjaredjr.com
Photo courtesy of justjaredjr.com

Have you ever looked at a Victorian-style overdramatic curtain and just thought, “wow, that would look good as a dress”? Me neither.

But from the looks of the dress, worn by Kate Moss’s sister, that’s exactly what the designers thought. With the un-flattering vertical stripes, unnecessary cutouts, and a bottom that actually makes it look the piece could double as a curtain, a mistake was made somewhere down the line.

  1. Riley Keough in Victoriana
Photo courtesy of tomandlorenzo.com
Photo courtesy of tomandlorenzo.com

For up and coming actors and actresses, the best thing you can do in film festivals like this is to keep it simple, play it safe. Obviously, Keough did not get the memo with her vomit-green and flowery purple paper-maché dress. She looks like she knows it’s bad, and the saving grace of some awful dresses is either using them ironically or rocking them with confidence.

She does neither, choosing instead to sullenly resign herself to her fate and keep herself expressionless. That, in and of itself, is the final nail in the coffin of this dress.

  1. Chloë Sevigny in Chanel
Photo courtesy of tomandlorenzo.com
Photo courtesy of tomandlorenzo.com

Now, this is how you rock a dress with confidence!

I mean, it’s an awful dress, with an awkward length, a scattered pattern, an unnecessary pink belt, and shoes that make zero sense with the outfit at all. Despite that, Sevigny rocks this dress with a smile and seems to brush off the impending worst-dressed lists and embrace the event for what it is; a celebration of the talent of so many new and experienced actors and actresses. It doesn’t save the dress, but it does remove the dress from her legacy. There are many dresses here on the worst dressed that are better, but the celebs wearing them won’t escape them for years to come.