There have been some scroll-stopping fashion moments at Cannes 2025 – Rihanna in a knotted Alaïa bodycon, Kristen Stewart in an ultra-short Chanel suit, Jodie Foster in a shell-clasped Loewe gown – but this year’s red carpet has otherwise felt a little meek. Perhaps it was the last-minute dress code addendum (no nude dressing, no trains) that cast a more conservative-than-usual shadow over the event, or the sheer length of the festival itself (12 days) that makes it so difficult to sustain interest in.

But last night, in the medieval Palais des Papes fortress on the opposite side of the French coast, Louis Vuitton’s Resort 2026 presentation provided the antidote – Cate Blanchett in an epaulet-embellished, glam rock cape; Sophie Turner in a martial-shouldered short suit, emblazoned with chains of oversized gemstones; Chloë Grace Moretz in a so-wrong-it’s-right velvet blouse of ink-bleed florals and glossy technical trousers; and a glowing Saoirse Ronan in a boudoir-ish slip suspended from two thread-like straps. There were no sensible satin dresses to appease an outmoded idea of acceptable dress, but strange – “twisted,” as Nicolas Ghesquière said – clothes to stir the imagination.

The collection itself was, in Mark Holgate’s words, “a masterly meditation on everything from decorative ancient religious tracts to glammy rock stars, medieval heraldic costuming to the myth of Excalibur, with references galore to King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake.” That inspired tapestry played out in gilt-faced minidresses cut with the simplicity of drop-shouldered tees, Alma handbags with scrolling flowers taken from medieval religious texts and lavishly embroidered flat peep-toe boots. Holgate added: “Ghesquière has rightly intuited that fashion these days is both what we wear, with its own quotidian appeal and charm, and what performs as escapist spectacle.” He should speak to the committee at Cannes.

All The Best Looks From The Red Carpet In Cannes

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By Daniel Rodgers