Seven style lessons from Cannes you can try now
The gowns, the glitz, the jewellery – Cannes Film Festival is a 12-day glamour feast with all eyes on the red carpet as actors, models and industry names line up on the Croisette in their black tie best. This year we’ve seen Michelle Yeoh in a draped green Balenciaga creation, Jennifer Lawrence in an elegant red ballgown with flip-flops hidden beneath and Natalie Portman wearing a recreation of the “Junon”, one of Dior’s most famous dresses from the 1949 Haute Couture collection.
These are the dazzling moments we expect to see at Cannes, but off the red carpet there is real-life sartorial inspiration galore coming from the Cote d’Azur. Photocalls, arrivals at Nice airport and after-parties call for a more casual – and wearable – dress code, but this doesn’t mean that stars scrimp on their outfits.
There have been linens, jeans and versatile dresses which have stood out as excellent options for us to recreate this summer, especially for holidays and events.
Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes has summer dressing nailed. Wide-leg trousers, loose linens, jackets that can be added when the temperature cools and heavy cotton T-shirts that could still look smart in an office environment.
Mix and match these pieces all season and you’re halfway to a capsule wardrobe. Glowing skin and a light tan are the cherry on top of Holmes’s outfits.
Her subtle make-up has a stroke of blush, which gives the just-got-back-from-holiday flush, particularly when paired with a similar shade of lip gloss.
Alexa Chung
High-low dressing is what Alexa Chung does best. Combining a classic grey crew neck knit with a white embellished skirt, her look for the Vanity Fair x Prada party seemed like it would prompt a “This old thing?” response when asked where it came from.
Her jumper is the sort of staple we probably all have in the back of our wardrobes (though hers is from the latest Prada collection) and the nonchalant styling with an almost bridal skirt takes a smart-casual dress code very literally.
Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman’s sophisticated style serves as a how-to rule book for mid-life dressing. At Cannes, she arrived in a perfectly tailored Toteme suit with a tie waist and a sun-shading straw hat.
This chic tone of beige-grey could be worn to a wedding or the office and won’t look out of place in spring, summer or autumn. Thurman pairs it with a plain white tee and rolled up sleeves, a masterclass in casual tailoring.
Alicia Vikander
Working with long time stylist Victoria Sekrier, Alicia Vikander’s off-red carpet looks have been sleek and elegant, choosing cult stealth-wealth favourite brands Khaite and Toteme. Khaite’s off-the-shoulder bodysuit is also a favourite of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Meghan Markle.
Vikander paired it with the brand’s studded high waist jeans. Keeping it simple with minimal jewellery and colour-matching sandals, Vikander’s pared-back looks are as polished as her red carpet ones.
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson’s chunky platforms balanced out the bold stripe of the 2011 Prada dress she wore for the Asteroid City photocall.
With a flirty frill and bright pink and orange stripes, this style of bodycon dress and colour blocking was the height of fashion in the 2010s, but Johansson makes it relevant for today with a flick of eyeliner and slicked back hair.
Julia Garner
Travelling in style is no mean feat, but Julia Garner’s “does everything” dress might just be the answer. Low maintenance, a loose fit but with structural panels and an elbow-hitting sleeve length, this is the kind of dress that can be worn to all manner of summer events.
BBQ? Check. Packed into a suitcase? Check. Cannes? Double check. And it will also go with every kind of summer shoe, trainer, sandal or platform.
Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore proves that straight-leg white jeans are always chic. Hers may be by Louis Vuitton, but you can pick up your own pair on the high street (M&S and Jigsaw have plenty of options) for the summer update to your jeans wardrobe.
A looser fit in a heavier-weight denim is more flattering with white, and Moore pairs hers with an asymmetric take on the Peter Pan collared blouse.
