Bonjour from the train to Cannes, where I’m running on 45 minutes of sleep, three espressos, and the emotional fallout of my cat Miu Miu shitting himself in his travel bag (love you, baby, but why?). While I’m scrubbing that out of my psyche and the bag, stylists headed to the festival are dealing with a different kind of mess becauseeeee
Cannes just declared war on drama. Yesterday, 24 hours before the festival kicks off, they rolled out a new dress code for the red carpet. No nudity. No oversized gowns. No excess. Translation: cover your tits, shrink your train, and keep it cute, or keep it moving. Literally a full-on vibe shift, saying: Cannes is done with your antics, and they’re ready to gatekeep with force.
I’ve been doing Cannes for 14 years, and trust me, it’s always been aggressively allergic to fun. I once wore a dress that got me stopped. Apparently, it was “inappropriate.” for a male presenting person. The only reason I didn’t get kicked off was because I had a major sponsor behind me (thanks, Instagram!). If I’d been solo? Bye. They’ve only gotten more uptight since. No flats for women. No selfies. And now, no fashion risk-taking? Seriously?
But, okay, I get it. A little.
Not to beat a deceased zombified horse but it’s…..influencers, the ones showing up in outfits so big they could block traffic (cough Leonie Hanne). The ones who treat the red carpet like their personal TikTok set. These people are not there for the films. They’re there for one photo, one moment. They pose like they’ve just won Best Actress, finesse a look, hijack the moment, and bounce. The carpet clogs, screenings stall, and organizers lose their minds.
Last year? A circus. First, the Kelly Rowland situation. Then, Massiel Tavares unrolling a full-length Jesus tapestry like it was a gallery opening. She wasn’t even supposed to be there long, but hey, she got her shot and made her exit…. by force.
The festival clearly had enough. BUT…. I don’t think this rule is about policing Bella Hadid’s gowns. It’s about stopping Instagram models from turning the Croisette into their personal fashion week complete with paid for Daily Mail coverage.
Still, the rollout’s a hot ass mess.
I was texting a stylist friend literally on her way to Cannes, panicking over her clients’ looks. How do you announce bans on sheer fabrics and big silhouettes the night before the red carpet? People plan these looks months in advance. Tailors fly in. Jewelry is loaned. Gowns are sewn by hand. And now they’re expected to pivot overnight? Very chaotic . V Disrespectful. It’s sabotage for stylists.
I asked stylist Liam Derouiche, who dresses Drag Race France winner Keiona, who made her Cannes debut last year (train included) how he felt.
“It’s a pity and honestly quite hypocritical. They probably just wanted to restrict anything too naked, but to avoid backlash, they threw in the voluminous outfits too. Just another reflection of how patriarchy operates in France: whenever women, female figures, or queer people shine, we find a way to impose limits. And announcing it one day before the festival? Lowkey homophobic.”
He’s not wrong. This rule hits harder if you’re queer, femme, or outside the traditional mold. “Decency” has always been code for respectability, and Cannes loves nothing more than policing that line.
While the stylists are getting whiplash. Agencies with showrooms on the Croisette are getting a second wind. Expect a stampede of desperate fashion teams sprinting to find last-minute options that won’t get their clients turned away at the door.
Alexandra Pavlova, who styles Miss France alum Flora Coquerel for Cannes echoed the logistical mess:
“I understand this from the organizers’ perspective, the flow should flow. But culturally, the festival is as much a fashion moment as it is about the films. Cannes is about the red carpet as much as the Oscars.”
“I think a reasonable dress code is fine, but ‘too voluminous’? Who decides that? A security guard at the door? Will a huge movie star really be turned away in a dramatic gown? I’m not sure. As a stylist, I’m sad. If they start moderating looks, it’s the beginning of the end.”
And that’s the real risk. If Cannes loses its fashion edge, if it becomes just another beige red carpet, what’s left? The films? Please. People go to Venice for cinema. They go to Cannes for the drama.
Model Leomie Anderson ( and Cannes carpet Diva ) DM’d me this:
“Honestly, it makes sense lmao because we never stay and watch the film because of the dresses 😭.”
It’s funny because it’s true. Most people on that carpet never even see the movie. The dress is the story. The premiere is the backdrop.
So, what’s really going on here?
The rule will probably be enforced selectively, like everything at Cannes. The A-listers? They’ll get a pass. The unknowns and influencers? Side-eye. If you’re famous enough, the rules don’t apply. If not, they suddenly matter a lot.
Yes, the red carpet has been abused. Yes, some people go too far. But that’s what makes Cannes Cannes. The chaos. The costumes. The ego. Strip all that away, and it’s just another over-managed awards show with French subtitles.
Cannes can say it’s about “decency” all they want. But let’s not pretend this isn’t also about reminding people who’s in charge. Who gets to be seen. Who gets to take up space.
Because at the end of the day, nobody flies to Cannes to sit in a theater. They go to be looked at. And no last-minute dress code is going to stop that.
They ban nipples but not a billionaire pulling in in their half a billion illegally built yatch to honor his wife who is a "environmental activist" but her body has more plastic than the ocean
Cannot wait for when the red carpet will turn beige and Cannes will be again a film festival. By the way, who are these people?