Venice film festival

Is Venice the most stylish film festival on the planet? Italian designer Valentino certainly thinks so - and he'll set his sidekick on anyone who says different. Photograph: Franco Origlia/Getty

Is George Clooney working the crowd, or are the crowd working him? One star, a thousand autograph hunters. They look as if they're about to eat him up, tuxedo and all. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty

It's that Valentino again, escorting his latest muse on a casual stroll of the red carpet. Later there will be champagne, a sunset - and perhaps an embarrassing romantic misunderstanding. Photograph: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty

What's the point of a festival if you can't bring your friends? Here's Brad Pitt, out and about with his all-time best mates - Clyde, Paco, Knuckles and Grunt. Photograph: Sipa Press/Rex Features

Fashion faux-pas! Eva Herzegova steps onto the red carpet without removing the sticker from her shoes. By sundown that humble sticker will be fetching thousands on eBay and will have acquired its own agent. Photograph: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP

Exit Eva, enter Claudia Cardinale. She looks like a million lira. Photograph: Joel Ryan/AP

A director's wife suffers a disorientating moment when she cuddles up to the Wim Wenders waxwork by mistake. Apparently she made the exact same error in Cannes. Photograph: Joel Ryan/AP

In a rush to make the screening, Tilda Swinton commits the cardinal sin of plumping herself down in George Clooney's place. Confusion reigns. Seconds later, George realises he is actually sitting on Valentino. Photograph: Andrew Medichini/AP