Demi Moore's giant bow and John Travolta's berets: fantasy settles in on the Cannes red carpet

BarcelonaFor a few years now, the excitement for red carpets has shifted to film festivals. Beyond the big awards ceremonies, venues like the Cannes Film Festival have become major fashion showcases. La Croisette closes its 79th edition this Saturday and, in terms of fashion, it will be remembered for its daring and, above all, for one name: Demi Moore. The American actress, who was part of the festival jury this year, has made her mark by showing herself to be playful with all the looks she has worn at the different premieres. Moore has demonstrated such aesthetic personality that it is difficult to choose just one of the dresses she has worn, but undoubtedly the voluminous pink Barbie dress with a giant bow at the neckline is very high on the ranking.

The design is one of the avant-garde proposals from the French Matières Fècales, who take a relatively classic concept like a dress with a certain princess style and twist it until it becomes a bold statement that exudes modernity. The key to the look – which is part of the Parisian house's autumn/winter 2026-2027 collection – lay in the frayed edges of both the giant bow and the skirt, which gave the appearance of a half-torn dress.

On the first day of the festival, Moore had already made it clear that she was ready to make a statement with her outfits. She demonstrated this with the fun Jacquemus dress of black, blue, yellow, and red pinstripes; a confetti effect that was enhanced by some pinstripes emerging from the dress thanks to small wires. It is not the only Jacquemus dress Moore has worn this edition: one of the most commented-on looks from her time at the festival was a sequined dress that gave rise to many comments on social media and in the press about the actress's slimness.

Moore's other look winner was a spectacular violet Gucci gown designed specifically for her and made with a chiffon that gave her an ethereal look. The romantic silhouette is highlighted by the draping at the hip and neckline, as well as the long sleeves.

Travolta goes viral

Beyond Moore, another attendee at the festival who has drawn attention is John Travolta, who was presenting his first film as director. The star of Greasethis is what I will do: I will pay tribute to being a director“this is what I'm going to do: I'm going to pay tribute to being a director”. I'm going to play the role of a director, and that way, when I look back, I'll know that the image is from when I presented Ven a volar conmigo at Cannes and won the Palme d'Or,'" he said in an interview with CNN.

If a Travolta in director debut mode has been one of the attractions of the red carpet, an already consolidated director like Chloé Zhao has taken the award for the most daring outfit. The director of Hamnet, who has also been a member of this year's jury, left the public stunned by choosing a dress from Schiaparelli that resembled a pufferfish. Designed by Daniel Roseberry for the spring 2026 collection, it is a two-piece model – midi skirt and short jacket – in an off-white background with black and transparent crystal inlays with a sfumato effect. The most striking part of the look are the black organza spikes on the shoulders.

Oriental inspiration

Among the best dressed at this edition of the Cannes Film Festival, Cate Blanchett also has a special place, almost always among the most elegant at any event. The Australian actress dazzled in a Givenchy dress reminiscent of a Manila shawl and inspired by the work of Filipino artist Olan Ventura. Designed by Sarah Burton for the autumn/winter 2026 collection, the dress features an open back, magnificent floral embroidery, and puffed sleeves from which very long fringes emerge.

The floral inspiration is also present in another of the winning dresses at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Sharon Stone opted for a dress from the British firm Miss Sohee that caught the eye with a hourglass-shaped bodice and a lower part with embroidery imitating lavender flowers. The same pattern was repeated on the cape that accompanied the dress.

Always on the list of the most alternative, Kristen Stewart has not disappointed and has once again broken the mold. Loyal to Chanel, a brand of which she is the image, the actress sported two looks that testified to her personality. In the morning, a semi-transparent tweed shirt and skirt –an emblem of Chanel– and a pair of black and white vintage Nike sneakers. The director and actress repeated the sporty footwear in the evening, when the dress code is, theoretically, formal. In this case, she combined black Kozak 72 sneakers with a long black and red crochet dress that formed an abstract pattern.

One of the great stars of this Cannes has been the French actress Adèle Exarchopoulos. Her styles both on and off the red carpet have been a topic of discussion. Upon arriving at the airport, the actress gave a nod to pop culture by wearing a t-shirt printed with a photograph of Léa Seydoux, her friend and co-star in Blue is the Warmest Colour, the film that won the Palme d'Or in 2013. The t-shirt also read the message Léa forever. For the premiere of Garance, Exarchopoulos opted for a style with reminiscences of gothic romanticism: a Fendi design of burgundy lace with long sleeves. The classicism was broken by a structure at the hip that gave volume to the dress. For her part, Léa Seydoux has been one of the few actresses to opt for a masculine look, a Louis Vuitton tuxedo suit that is as classic as it is elegant and effective.

The always elegant red is also the color that Aitana Sánchez-Gijón chose for the premiere of Amarga Navidad. The actress chose a Carolina Herrera dress with a ballerina silhouette: a fitted bodice and a tulle skirt. A not very daring option, but one that yielded good results.

All the white

Although on the Cannes red carpet there was an boldness that is often missed at Hollywood award galas, there was also room for classicism and the eternal black and white dresses. It is in this last category that more interesting proposals have been seen. It is the tone chosen, for example, by Alicia Vikander who, along with her husband Michael Fassbender, trod the carpet to present the film Hope"wearing a simple and clean dress finished in chiffon.

In the club of white and light colors, we also find names like Gillian Anderson, increasingly comfortable in her role as a fashion icon. After surprising by walking the Miu Miu runway at Paris Fashion Week, the actress has reaffirmed her collaboration with the Italian brand and chose a satin dress with crystal inlays on the upper part. The model was of such a pale pink that in photographs it looks white.

Anderson's castmate in the series Sex Education, Emma Mackey, has also been one of the standout actresses on the Cannes red carpet thanks, also, to a look in white and apparently minimalist. The actress wore a two-piece Louis Vuitton that surprised with a long-sleeved top with a front cut-out that left her stomach bare. Also from Louis Vuitton was the dress worn by Norwegian Renate Reinsve. In her case, it was an asymmetrical swan-neck dress, as on the right side it opens into a sort of V-neckline.

In this edition of Cannes, Victoria Luengo had to choose styling for a double bill, as she presented two films. If in the case of the premiere of El ser querido, Rodrigo Sorogoyen's film in which she shares the cast with Javier Bardem, she opted for black, at the presentation of Amarga Navidad, by Pedro Almodóvar, she went for immaculate white. A lingerie-style dress with a V-neckline and very thin straps. The dress is part of the autumn-winter 2026/2027 collection from Fendi, a brand that also dressed her for the rest of the festival events.

But of all the Almodóvar girls at the Cannes festival, it is Bárbara Lennie who deserves a special mention. Always demonstrating great personality, she opted for a Chanel look that mixed textures: sequins and feathers on the top and a pleated skirt. The feathers reappear at the hem of the skirt.

And on a red carpet where men have shown little intentionality when it comes to dressing, Colman Domingo always saves the day. His violet Valentino shirt with a back train is one of those pieces that remain etched in the retina.