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 were always bound to surface on the boat-access-only red carpet. But this year, Chanel, Dior, and Versace's new designers have treated fans to sneak peeks of their next eras, while longtime favorites like Armani Privé and Schiaparelli brought exquisite twists on their signatures. Ahead, catch up on all the best red carpet moments from the Venice Film Festival updated daily with bellissima fashion from Amal Clooney, Julia Roberts, and more.
Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt made the whole place shimmer when she landed at the Venice Film Festival. The light-refracting credit was equally split between her Schiaparelli strapless gown and her Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Myha'la Herrold
“I can't walk in a space and be like, ‘I'm not feeling super confident today,’” Myha'la Herrold previously told Marie Claire. It's clear she was feeling her best in this halter-neck Miu Miu dress, set with tiny sequin flowers.
Greta Lee
Dior is by and large the most frequent new-era designer present on the Venice Film Festival circuit. Keep reading for even more examples—but first, take in Greta Lee's custom drop-waist gown.
Kaia Gerber
First Kaia Gerber modeled in Givenchy's fall 2025 campaign. Now, she's wearing creative director Sarah Burton's designs to the Venice Film Festival. In her red carpet debut with boyfriend Lewis Pullman, the actress chose a semi-sheer Givenchy gown dotted with sparkling embellishments. She looked like an Old Hollywood classic wearing oversize sunglasses and black pumps, with Pullman by her side in a sharp tuxedo.
Cate Blanchett
For Father Mother Sister Brother's August 31 premiere, Cate Blanchett helped another work of art make its red carpet debut. Specifically, she tapped Glenn Martens ' first Maison Margiela Couture collection for a high-flying feathered gown. The irregular plumage allowed a peek at her acrylic wedge boots from beneath the skirt—and an unexpected wave of texture in a sea of pretty sequin and satin gowns.
Jessica Williams
Jessica Williams—who is styled by Sarah Slutsky—attended the premiere of Frankenstein at the Venice Film Festival on August 30. The Shrinking star wore an oversize Giorgio Armani suit, complete with a crisp white shirt and blue tie. It all its CEO energy, it's a refreshing break from the usually gown-heavy carpet.
Gemma Chan
For the Frankenstein premiere, Gemma Chan tapped an Armani Privé Spring '25 Couture gown. The one-shoulder dress—which made waves on the runway back in January—gave the appearance of shimmering liquid cascading to the floor, and featured glittering red gem accents at the shoulder and waist.
Mia Goth
Mia Goth, who is styled by Jamie Mizrahi, wore an elegant brown silk gown from Jonathan Anderson's Dior to the Frankenstein premiere. Exquisitely draped with a ruched waist and a delicate train, Goth's dress was accessorized with Aquazzura So Nude sandals and a diamond and emerald necklace from the Tiffany & Co. archives.
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.
Kaitlyn Dever
Kaitlyn Dever's Armani gown (and Armani Beauty red lip) weren't just her refined take on an all-time red carpet classic. The Last of Us star teamed up with her sister, Jane Dever, as her stylist, and explained the red carpet look is her way of channeling her mother, Kathy. "I feel like I always have her voice in my head whenever I'm thinking about these looks," Dever explained, and Armani was one of her favorites.
Chloë Sevigny
The ultimate fashion girl has arrived in Venice. Chloë Sevigny changed out of her press conference Simone Rocha look into a Saint Laurent gothic confection, featuring a lace long-sleeve bodysuit underneath a structured black ballon skirt. It's not as safe as a standard gown—and that's exactly why I love it.
Julia Roberts
In another nod to fashion's changing guard, Julia Roberts and stylist Elizabeth Stewart tapped Versace's incoming creative director, Dario Vitale, for one of his first red carpet looks. The harlequin diamond print winding around her dress is a clever reference to the Renaissance-era tiles and architecture defining Venice.
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.
