Ciao from Venice! The final international film festival of summer 2025 is finally underway. Each August, stars guide their boats to the Lido di Venezia to premiere some of the year's most anticipated movies at the Venice Film Festival. Their best red carpet looks also return from a summer hiatus, swapping flip-flops and straw bags for over-the-top (and often bespoke) gowns by Armani, Chanel, Prada, and more.
Unlike this year's contentious Cannes Film Festival red carpet, the Venice Film Festival has a simple dress code: "A formal attire is recommended," the official site reads. As the event kicked off on August 27, it seemed guests were excited to push that straightforward suggestion to its max. Take Cate Blanchett for example, who shut down the opening red carpet in a plunging Armani Privé gown—which she'd debuted three years ago, in 2022. Or Amal Clooney, who shut down the Jay Kelly premiere on August 28 in a resplendent fuchsia gown with a bubble-like train.
The Venice Film Festival runs until September 7. With films like Guillermo del Toro’'s Frankenstein and Kathryn Bigelow's A House of Dynamite on the premiere lineup, dozens of big names and bigger designer looks are bound to surface on the boat-access-only red carpet. Ahead, catch up on all the best red carpet moments from Venice, updated daily with bellissima fashion from Amal Clooney, Julia Roberts, and more.
Ayo Edebiri
Ayo Edebiri and stylist Danielle Goldberg scored an all-access pass to Chanel's next chapter for their trip to the Venice Film Festival. Incoming creative director Matthieu Blazy won't reveal his first collection until October, but Edebiri's red carpet gown is dropping plenty of hints. The direction? Modern yet elegant, as proven by her strapless red gown with a puffy layered overskirt and buttons along the bodice.
Chloë Sevigny
Julia Roberts
Monica Barbaro
Monica Barbaro has been a Dior girl for months now, wearing everything from a fiery red gown at the 2025 SAG Awards to a princess-like pink confection at the Oscars. She showed the house's range—and perhaps a sneak-peek at Jonathan Anderson's debut as womenswear creative director in Paris next month—in her high-neck, pleated gown for After the Fall's August 29 premiere.
Riley Keough
Riley Keough and stylist Jamie Mizrahi sampled one of 2025 buzziest runways for the actress's Venice Film Festival arrival. Chloé, the birthplace of this year's boho-chic renaissance, supplied her ruffled-all-over crop top and slightly sheer maxi skirt. The look met the night's formal dress code—her diamond necklace guaranteed it—but it also felt like a breath of fresh air.
Amal Clooney
Amal Clooney, the queen of the Venice Film Festival herself, graced the August 28 Jay Kelly red carpet in a regal high-low gown. Clooney famously self-styles her looks with an array of vintage pieces, and this was no exception: Here, she sourced a Jean-Louis Scherrer piece from the Fall 1995 collection. Golden Aquazzura heels and a matching minaudière brightly contrasted her fuchsia taffeta dress and Harry Winston diamonds. It's a little retro compared to Clooney's usual red carpet looks—but even as she samples different decades, she still stays true to her rich girl blowout.
Shailene Woodley
I first looked at Shailene Woodley's mini dress for the Jay Kelly premiere and thought her Big Little Lies sisterhood with Zoë Kravitz ran deep. The scoop-neck silhouette and ruched fabric feels like the gothic twin to Kravitz's Barbie-pink mini dress for a recent red carpet back in New York City. On a second glance, I was even more enamored with Woodley's serpentine diamond choker by Bulgari and the inherently edgy vibe of a mini dress on a major red carpet.
Emma Stone
Before Emma Stone stepped foot onto the Venice Film Festival red carpet, I knew she and stylist Petra Flannery would source Louis Vuitton for her look. They've been loyal to the house since 2017, when Stone signed on as an ambassador. She's tried all sorts of new directions in the past eight years, ranging from mermaid pailette gowns at the Oscars to popcorn-adorned dresses for the SNL50 special. Back at Venice, she went in a demure direction. Her silver, dress gathered in a bubble hem before cascading into a flowing skirt, all coated in sequins that reflected like starlight. What a way to start the circuit.
Alicia Silverstone
Thought you'd seen how far a white shirt dress can go? Think again. Alicia Silverstone gave the all-time classic a breezy update for the Venice Film Festival by way of Prada, complete with a flowing shoulder scarf and a stately chiffon skirt.
Tilda Swinton
I'm a sucker for a white top tucked into a black ballgown skirt. It works every time, whether it's Anne Hathaway in Carolina Herrera for the Met Gala or Tilda Swinton in this custom Chanel look for the 2025 Venice Film Festival. It's crisp and clean, but it still has a touch of whimsy: See the little bows wrapped around her trumpet sleeves for proof.
Cate Blanchett
All Cate Blanchett needs to prep for the 2025 Venice Film Festival red carpet is a lap through her own closet. She kicked off the annual event in an Armani Privé gown she debuted in 2022. Three years later, its plunge, gemstone-embellished neckline and pockets looked good as new.
