CANNES, July 8 — The long awaited day has finally arrived. The Cannes Film Festival — with its famous Croisette strip and its luxury hotels — welcomed French and international stars for its 74th edition, where glamour so far seems to be back with a vengeance. After falling victim to the pandemic in 2020, Cannes is back, oozing the kind of French chic that’s envied the world over, but also a certain glamorous extravagance, seen in the lashings of glitter, sequins and vibrant colours, sorely missing since the beginning of the pandemic.
What a difference a year makes. It was virtually impossible to hold back a smile (rather than a tear) when watching the red carpet parade at this year’s Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony. It was a joy to see showstopping dresses, each more glamorous than the next, on the red carpet of the Palais des Festivals. A joy to see the happiness, the thrill of being back, on radiant faces. A joy to experience, once again, the buzz of such an extraordinary event. And a joy to see that we’re simply starting to live again.
And it has to be said that stars attending the event pulled out all the stops for this opening ceremony. Some may say that it’s appropriate, given the current context, but a good dose of glamour, extravagance and folly could be just what we all need. It’s precisely what us mere mortals are likely to be looking for all summer long — pursuing this need to put some sparkle back into our lives.
And that’s exactly what Carla Bruni, Candice Swanepoel and Melanie Laurent did, stepping out in sumptuous ensembles covered entirely with shimmering, glittering details — the height of glamour. Farhana Bodi lit up the red carpet in a spectacular yellow dress with a seemingly endless train. Marion Cotillard and Lou Doillon opted for iridescence, with one in silver and the other in gold, while Spike Lee stood out from his counterparts in a vibrant pink suit, matching glasses and sneakers on his feet, proving that glamour, creativity and comfort can well and truly coexist. The actress Iris Berben, meanwhile, made the bold choice with a message dress, reading “Plus forts ensemble,” which means “Stronger together.”
And even when styles took a more subtle, understated turn, they were no less glamorous. Jessica Chastain shone on the Cannes red carpet in a black, almost spiderweb-effect dress, while Leila Bekhti turned heads in a white suit with a plunge neckline. It was a real pleasure to see the movie world’s beautiful people back again and dressed up to the nines for a red carpet parade that hopefully signals the return of a kind of glamour that we’ve really missed. — ETX Studio
