Considered one of the flashiest red carpets in the entertainment industry, the Cannes Film Festival is ready to debut its 76th annual edition on Tuesday. Among all the movie stars, directors, musicians and influencers set to appear at this year’s soirée, Brazilian supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio is one to watch.
In her almost 30-year-long career, which includes 17 years as a Victoria’s Secret Angel, Ambrosio became a guaranteed presence at the film festival, always bringing high-fashion creations and spellbinding silhouettes to the red carpet.
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“It feels very glamorous at first because you’re walking on this beautiful red carpet and there’s like photographers on every side, and people are screaming your name, and you’re just being photographed…from every single angle possible,” Ambrosio said to WWD. “Every breath you take is getting photographed.”
Her debut at Cannes happened in 2013, during the premiere of “All Is Lost,” when she faced the festival’s intimidating wall of photographers wearing a mirrored Roberto Cavalli dress.
“It’s just a very glamorous dress that shows your curves,” she said, while revisiting some of her favorite looks she wore at the event over the years. “The thing is, when you’re on that carpet, you don’t have a lot of time to play around. And I think this was just a dress that I didn’t have to do too much.”
In 2018, for the premiere of “The Wild Pear Tree,” Ambrosio walked in one of her favorite looks; a strapless champagne dress with sequins all over by Zuhair Murad Couture. “I just felt really like a gorgeous Disney princess. I love that champagne color. The whole gown is just beautiful. It’s sexy, but not vulgar,” she said.
For the premiere of “Les Miserables” at the 2019 Cannes Festival, the mother of two ended up changing her dress at the last minute, while already doing her makeup. “I was about to wear a different look and this little box arrived in my room,” she revealed. The package held a red Julien Macdonald gown. “It looked like a tiny little dress and I was like, Let me just try and see if I like it.’ When I put it on, it just felt like a glove.”
In 2022, Ambrosio chose a bridal-inspired naked dress by Stephane Rolland to attend the “Armageddon Time” premiere during the festival. “I was so intrigued with the way this dress was done,” the model said. “It looks like there’s spheres or rocks attached to my body, and I love the princess skirt. I just thought it was a mix of classic with modern.”
The supermodel is used to working with different stylists when creating her looks, but she has a few rules to avoid possible regrets. “I need to feel comfortable and I need to like it. And it has to be from my taste,” she said. “I just got to keep it true to myself. So I definitely don’t want to regret especially when on a big red carpet like those.”
For the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Ambrosio, who always likes to have at least two options in hand before every event, confessed that she might choose her outfit again at the very last minute. “I’m wearing this beautiful jewelry from Pomellato. I have to try the jewelry and I think, you know…put everything together,” she said.
Red carpet tips and tricks
Leave it to the supermodel to give a masterclass on red carpet. Ambrosio shared a few of her secrets for when attending events like the coveted festival.
First, one must choose the perfect outfit. Ambrosio recommends analyzing the event first, to know “what kind of red carpet” it is, before dressing up.
“Like Cannes, I think this red carpet is definitely the most glamorous red carpet in the world. The whole world has their eyes on this red carpet,” she said. “It starts with that, and you can just go super glamorous to me, so you can kind of, you know…you can do a puffy dress, but you can also go with an hourglass-shaped dress, so you can play around with it.”
Comfort is also good to consider, but not crucial. “Sometimes the dresses are a little uncomfortable to sit down and watch a movie for two hours, but it’s worth the suffering,” she told WWD.
How to pose for photos like a supermodel
According to Ambrosio, the key to taking a good photo on the carpet is to “calm down” one’s “nerves.”
“Take a few deep breaths before you get in, because sometimes, when you get a little nervous it can be uncomfortable and you forget to breathe. So I think this is the most important….What I always tried to do is to take long breaths and just be in the moment,” she said.
When posing for the cameras, think about how to make the best out of the dress. “Posing depends on the cut of the dress, it depends on what you want to accentuate,” the Brazilian star said. “But definitely try having a good posture, like keeping your shoulders back and I think just try to be natural. If you feel like you want to smile, smile. If you feel like, you know…just be elegant. Just be yourself.”