Considered to be on par with the Oscars or Met Gala in terms of fashion influence, the Cannes Film Festival is currently in full swing.
The event, which takes place yearly in the French resort city, draws in the biggest and most glamorous celebrities from around the world – which means you can expect some fabulous red carpet dressing indeed.
This year is already proving to be quite an eye opener.
Malaysia’s Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh turned heads wearing a Balenciaga couture design. She was spotted attending the Firebrand (Le Jeu De La Reine) premiere.
The taffeta dress included an oversized cape, which Yeoh draped over her arms. She further accessorised with long black gloves, plus a glittering necklace and earrings.
At the Kering Women In Motion Dinner, which also took place during the Cannes Film Festival, Yeoh wore an elegant black gown paired with long white gloves.
She received the 2023 Women In Motion Award during the event. It celebrates women in cinema.
Previous honourees include Viola Davis, Jane Fonda, Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon, Isabelle Huppert, Patty Jenkins, Gong Li and Salma Hayek.
Yeoh appeared in a more dressed-down outfit for the Kering Women In Motion Talk. She wore a loose ensemble, with a leather trench coat hanging casually over her shoulders. She completed the look with sneakers and a sling bag.
Yeoh’s Cannes Film Festival appearance comes hot on the heels of her Met Gala attendance earlier this month.
She has also been seen actively making her rounds within the fashion circuit since last year. The biggest fashion houses – from Elie Saab to Balenciaga – roped her in as a front row guest for their runway shows.
Read more: Breaking down the red carpet look of Michelle Yeoh, Malaysia's first Oscar winner
The actor, who was previously embroiled in a dramatic legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, was the focus of cameras.
Jeanne Du Barry – in which Depp plays French King Louis XV, who fell in love with a prostitute – received a seven-minute standing ovation at the premiere of Cannes Film Festival’s opening night film.
On the red carpet, Depp cut a dashing figure wearing a custom made Dior double-breasted tuxedo. He paired it with a white cotton wing-tip collar shirt and jewellery buttons and a white silk pocket square.
His appearance has been dubbed as a “red carpet comeback”, where he signed autographs and took pictures with fans.
Jeanne Du Barry marks the controversial actor’s first major role since his high-profile defamation battle with Heard.
Fierce and loud
As much as Cannes Film Festival is a glamorous event, celebrities are not afraid to push the fashion boundaries with their bold dressing.
A good example is actress Fan Bingbing. She picked a Christopher Bu tiger print gown for the Jeanne Du Barry premiere and opening night. It was literally a “fierce” choice.
Fan is known for her brave looks for the festival. In the past, she has regularly made headlines for the dresses she wears.
Such is her commitment that she even sported three different looks in one night.
Fan wore a Miss Sohee couture design for one appearance, then switched to a Harvey Cenit gown, and finally rounded the night off in a Chung Thanh Phong dress. All three were standouts, either by being avant-garde or simply just breathtakingly chic.
Elle Fanning was another star who dared to go bold.
She chose a bejewelled Alexander McQueen gown for one outing, which she described as the “dress of dreams” and “a work of art” in an interview with Vogue.
“The time we shared and the artistry I witnessed from (Sarah Burton) in the McQueen London studio are a memory I will cherish forever,” remarked Fanning.
The actress is not all about playing it safe too. She wore a silver Paco Rabanne dress covered in metallic feathers for another night. This was a risque design, held up by just a metal necklace with attached pasties covering her nipples.
Other head-turning looks included the dramatic feathered coat worn by actress Davis, which she matched with a pristine white gown. The two are couture pieces from Valentino.
Model Sara Sampaoi worked her bright orange Zuhair Murad dress for the cameras. Amid the flashing lights, she twirled and spun the orange train.
Actress Gong Li was also seen enjoying the attention on the red carpet. Posing for the cameras, she put her Alaia outfit to full use.
While it was just a plain turtle neck on the top, the look somehow still dazzled. The large skirt that pooled around her provided drama. Of course, the huge Cartier necklace clinched the deal.
Actress Aishwarya Rai literally glittered in a hooded Sophie Couture gown. The futuristic design has even been described by some fashion commentators as a chic sci-fi dress.
The label has revealed that the metallic parts of it was put together with an elaborate aluminium chainmail and sprinkled with crystals.
Read more: How men are overshadowing women when it comes to red carpet fashion
When it comes to the men, Depp was not the only one who commanded attention. Other male stars were a fashion focus too.
Actor Ethan Hawke doubled down on stripes. He wore a casual striped suit with a striped shirt, which gave him an effortlessly debonair vibe.
That said, the trend is moving away from the usual tuxedos and suits. Red carpet dressing for gents has evolved into something more experimental.
Actor Manu Rios wore a Saint Laurent design. It comprised a satin shirt that showed off his chest, matched with black trousers and a diamond choker.
Fellow actor Jason Fernandez also chose Saint Laurent. Unlike Rios, he opted to show off his arms. The sleeveless top was topped off with a bow tied down the front.
Dressed by the same label, Jose Condessa exuded a similar vibe. The extreme V-opening follows a trend that shows men are no longer confined to just classic red carpet ensembles.
If the female stars can play around with imaginative cuts and silhouettes, so can the men.
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Viola Davis looked fabulously fluffed up in her feathered dress. Photo: AP
Elle Fanning’s Alexander McQueen gown came with architectural embellishments. Photo: AFP
Sara Sampaio had fun twirling with her dress on the red carpet. Photo: AFP
Gong Li looked beautiful in her ensemble. Photo: Reuters
Manu Rios did away with the usual men’s fashion look and chose something more daring instead. Photo: AP
Jason Fernandez was not afraid to go sleeveless for the red carpet. Photo: AFP
Jose Condessa bared his chest for his Cannes appearance. Photo: AFP
Ethan Hawke looked relaxed yet chic in his stripe-on-stripe outfit. Photo: AFP
