The organisers of Cannes Film Festival have made the controversial decision to ban several types of gowns from the red carpet in the name of “decency” and “efficiency”, according to the festival-goers’ charter.
The affected garments include voluminous dresses and dresses with particularly long trains. According to the charter, these long and overly capacious dresses “hinder the proper flow of traffic of guests and complicate seating in the theatre”
The festival-goers’ charter also appears to ban naked dresses, stating that nudity is prohibited on the red carpet for “decency reasons”. This will come as bad news to Bella Hadid, the belle of Cannes’ red carpet, who has delivered not one but three showstopping nearly-nude looks at the festival over recent years.
In 2024, the model arrived wearing a vintage Versace black gown with sheer, gathered fabric at the chest. Earlier that week, she walked the red carpet wearing a sheer dress by Saint Laurent, which clearly showed her breasts. And in 2021, she made red carpet history with an entirely chestless black gown by Schiaparelli, her breasts instead covered by an elaborate gold necklace that resembled the bronchioles within the human lungs.
The latest dress code update may also come as a shock to stylists ahead of the events commencing in just 24 hours’ time.
But the new Cannes dress code is clear cut and extremely specific. According to the festival-goers’ charter: “For the Grand Théâtre Lumière gala screenings taking place around 7 and 10pm, which are attended by the artistic teams, evening wear (long dress, tuxedo) is required. Alternatively, you may also wear “a little black dress,” a cocktail dress, a dark-colored pantsuit, a dressy top with black pants [...] a black or navy-blue suit with bow-tie.
It continues: “Tote bags, backpacks or large bags are prohibited during gala screenings [...] For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the Red Carpet, as well as in any other area of the Festival. Voluminous outfits, in particular those with a large train, that hinder the proper flow of traffic of guests and complicate seating in the theater are not permitted. The Festival welcoming teams will be obligated to prohibit Red Carpet access to anyone not respecting these rules.”
This is hardly the first time Cannes’ red carpet rules have made headlines. In 2015, the BBC reported that Cannes was “turning away women in flat shoes” from its premieres, including the premiere of Cate Blanchett-fronted film, Carol. At the time, organisers told the BBC: “Rules have not changed throughout the years (tuxedo, formal dress for gala screenings) and there is no specific mention about the height of the women's heels as well as for men's."
Cate Blanchett appeared to make a statement about this “unwritten” rule at Cannes 2023, when she kicked off her heels on the red carpet and proceeded to walk barefoot around the event. Meanwhile, others thought Jennifer Lawrence’s choice of flip-flops that same year was a pointed message towards the organisers, though Lawrence never confirmed this.
The rules have since been clarified to specify that “elegant shoes and sandals with or without a heel” are allowed, but trainers are specifically forbidden.
