by It’s impossible to predict what a celebrity might wear at the Cannes Film Festival because, to maximize the drama, the details of their finery are always kept secret until all is revealed on the red carpet. But as the 77th annual event begins on Tuesday, one thing is certain; a protest is likely to begin.
The #MeToo movement could emerge, as a result Middle part, a French online investigative newspaper, has threatened to publish the names of 10 actors and directors accused of sexual abuse, including some whose films are set to begin in the first place. A group of festival workers are also calling for a general strike because of the “uncertainty” of their independent staff. With the wars between Israel and Hamas and Russia and Ukraine winding down, activists could use Cannes as a stage.
Cannes is used to protest – from the powerful #MeToo demonstration of 2018, following the arrest of film mogul Harvey Weinstein for rape, to last year, when Ukrainian influencer Ilona Chernobai drenched herself in fake blood on the Cannes steps. Palace. Who could also forget #Flatgate 2015 – some women attending its premiere Carol was fired for wearing flats instead of high heels, which made global headlines.
Certainly, no act will stop the business of glamor at this event. Key players in all areas of luxury (fashion, jewelery and watches, cosmetics, footwear and accessories) make use of all areas of the festival – from the red carpet to its press conferences, as well as the parties held at beach clubs and on board yachts – as backdrops to show the actors, models and influencers of the scene their spring-summer collections.
Cannes is “the biggest media event after the World Cup in football,” according to Caroline Scheufele, co-president and artistic director of Chopard, who designed the unique name. Palme d’Or prize, he adds.
Another reason why Cannes is important in the fashion calendar is that the films screened there often receive Oscar nominations. Cannes usually kicks off the Oscar campaign for the coming year, and the festival is a vital place for top luxury people to work with celebrities who are contractually obligated to wear their clothes (known as “brand ambassadors”) and also scout around for fresh talent that obliges them. charm and charisma can attract “tomorrow’s clients” to shop. After Gaël Morel Farewell, mourir, renaître (To live, to die, to live again)made the cut for the festival’s Official Selection, for example, Chanel signed Lou Lampros, the 22-year-old French actress who starred in the romantic drama.
“You see almost all the fashion brands fighting to get actors to wear their clothes in Cannes,” explains Carine Roitfeld, the company’s former editor. Vogue France. “With Instagram today, the red carpet is a phenomenon and can generate huge profits for brands.”
Due to great glamour, some say that the Met Gala is now a rival to Cannes – although the first night only, and the second can offer some key red carpet moments. Among these is the exciting start of the festival for his film on the opening night – when an international group of actresses and models, who are ambassadors for L’Oréal Paris, the official sponsor of the festival – are preparing for the paparazzi, and on the Cinema Against AIDS event.
The annual charity auction raises money for the Foundation for Aids Research. Roitfeld has been curating his style components since 2012, casting models that appear on the red carpet outside the event’s fabled venue, Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. She also curates the runway show that gets the crowd going before the bidding starts.
Considering whether the Met Gala and Cannes are fighting each other, Roitfeld says diplomatically: “It’s not a competition. But it is, a little. The models [for the Foundation for Aids Research] wanting to present themselves as their most beautiful selves and have great pictures.”
Objections aside, staging red carpet photos and video footage at any film festival is more complicated than ever because, with social media, everyone is a critic, says Cameron Silver. The retailer, which consults Balmain and Dolce & Gabbana, admits that publicity from major red carpet events like Cannes “sells perfume and small items like accessories and handbags. [for brands]. A beautiful piece of jewelery worn by a modern icon, such as Cate Blanchett, may look very attractive to a discriminating client.
“But we are in a very difficult time where everything is analyzed – what people say and do – so there can be liabilities on both sides,” he says.
During an interview on the red carpet at Cannes in 2008, Dior ambassador Sharon Stone stated that an earthquake that recently hit China’s Sichuan Province was “a result of ‘bad karma’ for Beijing’s occupation of Tibet….” She later explained that her views were in support of the Dalai Lama, the leader of Tibetan Buddhism. For Dior, the Chinese luxury market was too important to interfere with… the brand was soon far from stardom.
More and more, actors are appearing on the red carpet in looks inspired by films they are promoting – known as “mode dressing”. Although he dreamed in Old Hollywood, trips to advance for a series of recent films – including Barbie, Challengers, sand dunes and Bad news – that “method dressing” is a red carpet fashion phenomenon. It’s a lot of fun to watch and since it’s about film promotion, it’s a safe stylistic choice for Cannes this year and it’s appropriate, since the festival operates one of the financial markets and film sales biggest annual.
For the first performance of Furiosa: A Mad Max SagaAnya Taylor-Joy should do another tour in the “post-apocalyptic press tour style” that “image architect” Law Roach has fronted her.
Celebrity stylist Jessica Paster explains that the first look she’s creating for her clients, Aubrey Plaza and Maria Bakalova, will reference their competition films. Bakalova shows Ivana Trump i The Apprentice, Ali Abbasi’s biographical drama about the former president of the United States in 1980s New York as a real estate mogul. “For Maria, it will be about power dressing,” says Paster.
Plaza has a supporting role in one of the most anticipated films of the festival, ie. Megapolis. Francis Ford Coppola’s “passion project,” a sci-fi Roman epic, features a masterful wardrobe by Oscar-winning costume designer Milena Canonero. “For Aubrey I’m referring to the past and the future,” Paster says.
BarbieCannes director Greta Gerwig heads the Cannes jury, which includes Lily Gladstone, Eva Green and Lebanese-Canadian filmmaker Nadine Labaki as members. Given the current uneasy mood, the female jurors may wear a black suit or trousers for the first premieres. In formal situations, the low-key mode of dress symbolizes loyalty to #MeToo – although it goes against the sartorial spirit of Cannes.
“[Gerwig] he has a lot of options,” a source tells me.
