Cannes is about high fashion, high glamour and high star power. Here, the carpet’s most memorable moments.
Madonna: A
It’s 1991 and Madonna rules pop culture. A look that has become fashion history, this is yet another successful collaboration with Jean Paul Gaultier. She showed up with a new hair color and in more or less her skivvies, effectively starting the now well-known trend at Cannes of overtly provocative dressing on the red carpet.
Sharon Stone: A-
This was a few years after her star-making turn in “Basic Instinct,” but this play of peek-a-boo dressing feels like a smart wink to her character in the movie. The champagne-colored Valentino gown plays well with her complexion, and strikes just the right notes of elegance and cheekiness.
Angelina Jolie: B
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This is not her regular vampy black style, but choosing this Mother Earth goddess look worked here as she showcased her pregnancy on the red carpet. A flower crown would not feel out of place here.
Eva Herzigova: A-
Nothing is more iconic than taking over the red carpet in an S&M leather outfit — whip included — for an impromptu Helmut Newton fashion shoot. This moment made Herzigova a staple of the Cannes red carpet for years to come. When it comes to S&M, this outfit is right on point.
Elizabeth Taylor: A
Before Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Taylor ruled the red carpet for decades. This red, figure-hugging gown with puffy sleeves is the perfect definition of Eighties style. And when you add her personal collection of megawatt jewelry — and perennially tanned George Harrison as her escort — the result becomes iconic.
Linda Evangelista: A-
There’s a long history of models bringing high-fashion glamour to the red carpet at Cannes, and nothing screams high glamour like Linda Evangelista in a gold sequined toga dress by Lanvin. The original supermodel sleek hair and smoky eye are instant classics.
Rihanna: A
This feels very third wedding: you know it might not work out, but you’re just there for the party and the canapés. The white raver sunglasses and the way she carries herself turn this into a major fashion moment.
Nicole Kidman: C
This is a good example of when bad clothes happen to good people. The white tutu ballgown skirt is best left to Björk’s swan dress. Here, it reads more like a failed effort at a “Black Swan” sequel.