People.com Lifestyle Style 45 of the Most Memorable Style Moments in Cannes Film Festival History From old school icons (Grace Kelly, Sophia Loren) to modern day muses (Lupita Nyong'o, Blake Lively) see some of our favorite showstopping style moments to ever hit the Cannes red carpet By Colleen Kratofil Updated on May 17, 2022 09:49 AM Share Tweet Pin Email 01 of 45 GRACE KELLY — 1955 Getty The future princess of Monaco met the prince she'd marry one year later during her first outing on the French Riviera — and who can blame him for falling in love with her in this full-skirted ball gown, luxe fur stole, elegant bucket bag and sparkling earrings. 02 of 45 SOPHIA LOREN — 1955 Getty The Italian actress's corseted ball gown could be in the dictionary next to "classic movie star style" with its sweetheart neckline, elbow-high gloves, statement and fur wrap. 03 of 45 NATALIE WOOD — 1962 Getty The perfect accessory for the movie star's elegant styled updo and chic circle coat with white gloves? A date as good-looking as Warren Beatty. 04 of 45 CATHERINE DENEUVE — 1966 Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty If you couldn't tell by the column glittery striped gown, large hoop earrings and flippy hairstyle tied off with a bow headband, it was the height of '60s mod (and she was the very French standard-bearer for the look). 05 of 45 PRINCESS DIANA — 1987 Anwar Hussein/Getty Her pleated strapless gown with elegant scarf and matching drop earrings was so timeless, you'd never know she wore it in 1987. 06 of 45 ELIZABETH TAYLOR — 1987 Getty Elizabeth on the other hand, went full-out "Joan Collins on Dynasty" (no, seriously: Alexis Carrington Colby wore a nearly identical gown on the show) with a puffy-sleeve ball gown, spiky teased do and chandelier earrings. 07 of 45 MADONNA — 1991 Dave Hogan/Getty The singer arrived to the premiere of her film, In Bed with Madonna, in a cone-shaped bra, high-waisted underwear and a cover-up that very fittingly gave off bedsheet vibes. 08 of 45 SANDRA BULLOCK — 2002 Corbis The only thing more attention-grabbing than her ruffled, floral-print dress with sheer bodice was her date for the screening of Murder by Numbers — her then-boyfriend Ryan Gosling! 09 of 45 JENNIFER ANISTON & BRAD PITT — 2004 Lionel Cironneau/AP The then-couple were equally chic (Jennifer in a halter body-skimming Versace gown and Brad in a dapper tux) and equally gorgeous-looking at the Troy premiere. 10 of 45 NATALIE PORTMAN — 2005 Phil Loftus / Capital Pictures / Retna Her standard black dress may qualify as "most memorable," but her hair (or lack thereof!) at the Kiss Kiss Bang Bang premiere was an unforgettable style statement. 11 of 45 CATE BLANCHETT — 2006 Lily Palmberger/Celebrity Photo Cate's kimono-style gown at the Babel premiere in 2006 was so unexpected and cool, it served as a great precursor of more Cannes hits to come. 12 of 45 BEYONCÉ — 2006 Richard Lewis/WireImage Post-Destiny's Child and pre-Sasha Fierce, Bey channeled her movie star side in a sweetheart-neckline print gown at the Dreamgirls screening. 13 of 45 Angelina Jolie — 2008 Tony Barson/WireImage The memorable moss-green gown the star wore while pregnant with twins Knox and Vivienne was courtesy Max Azria Atelier. 14 of 45 ANGELINA JOLIE & BRAD PITT — 2009 Dominique Charriau/WireImage The couple's Inglourious Basterds premiere looks were both sexy and classic, making them the reigning Cannes couple. 15 of 45 JENNIFER LOPEZ — 2010 Le Segretain/Getty J.Lo doesn't often go fully covered-up, but her head-to-toe feathered look at amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS Gala proves that she still manages to look crazy-sexy regardless of how much material she's wearing. 16 of 45 PENÉLOPE CRUZ — 2011 Bauer-Griffin She's the unofficial princess of the Cannes red carpet – she goes nearly every year and always wears something bold, like this sheer, pouffy, beaded gown at the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides premiere. 17 of 45 Zoë Saldana — 2011 Venturelli/WireImage With minimal accessories and killer confidence, the actress made this perfectly-fitted red-and-white confection of a dress look as refreshing as an actual peppermint. 18 of 45 Kirsten Dunst — 2011 This frothy, flirty sequin-and-tulle gown by Chanel is party-perfect and oh-so-chic. 19 of 45 DIANE KRUGER — 2012 Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Diane's closing ceremony Dior Haute Couture gown is actually more memorable for what happened behind the scenes. She told PEOPLE she had to remove the huge bodice every time she went to the bathroom and after eating dinner it became so tight she couldn't breathe, which required her then-boyfriend Joshua Jackson to come to her rescue: he "had to come with me to the ladies' room and cut me out of it. It was crazy!" 20 of 45 BLAKE LIVELY — 2014 Tony Barson/FilmMagic We voted Blake's Gucci Première gown at The Captive premiere one of her best Cannes moments yet, and she agreed, telling PEOPLE, "It might be my favorite look I've ever worn. I just love that old school glamour." 21 of 45 JESSICA CHASTAIN — 2014 EPA With a little help from a Mother Nature, Jessica's violet Elie Saab gown's wind-blown cape took the look to the next level. 22 of 45 Blake Lively — 2014 Pascal Le Segretain/WireImage The star makes multiple appearances on this list, and for good reason: She truly shines (in this case, literally, in iridescent Chanel sequins) on an over-the-top red carpet like Cannes. 23 of 45 JANE FONDA — 2015 George Pimentel/WireImage The then-77-year-old pulled off cutouts — cutouts! – on her sexy royal blue gown at The Sea Of Trees screening. Enough said. 24 of 45 CHARLIZE THERON — 2015 Pascal Le Segretain/Getty With two attention-grabbing features (that sunshine yellow hue and long, flowy train) there's no way her Dior gown to the Mad Max: Fury Road premiere could be missed — or forgotten. 25 of 45 LUPITA NYONG'O — 2015 George Pimentel/WireImage No one has mastered the red carpet twirl quite like Lupita (see every spin here), but one that still tops them all is her "grasshopper green" Gucci gown at the opening ceremony premiere of La Tête Haute. 26 of 45 KENDALL JENNER — 2015 Gisela Schober/amfAR15/Getty Who could ever forget Kendall's amfAR Cinema Against AIDS Gala Calvin Klein Collection gown that sparked the twirl-off of the decade? 27 of 45 JULIA ROBERTS - 2016 David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock Yes, Julia looks stunning in her black Giorgio Armani Privé gown and sparkling 52-carat emerald pendant by Chopard. But what we'll never forget is the fact that she walked the carpet sans shoes. At an event that is known to turn women away for wearing flats, this was very revolutionary. Bravo. 28 of 45 BLAKE LIVELY - 2016 Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment/PA Images/Startraks It's almost impossible to pick a favorite red carpet moment from Blake's 2016 visit to Cannes. She dressed up like Cinderella and wore a cutout skin-tight gown (while pregnant!) but it was her bright blue Atelier Versace gown that took our top marks due to its jaw-dropping high slit and dramatic train. 29 of 45 George Clooney & Amal Clooney — 2016 Mike Marsland/Mike Marsland/WireImage The couple doesn't often hit the red carpet together, but when they do, they make the most of it. They were the picture of classic Old Hollywood elegance at the premiere of Money Monster in a classic tux and ethereal lemon chiffon Atelier Versace gown. 30 of 45 Diane Kruger — 2017 Gisela Schober/Getty Another contender for the title of Queen of Cannes, the actress always brings major looks every time she attends, and this head-turning Jason Wu number was no exception. 31 of 45 Uma Thurman — 2017 Venturelli/WireImage In this glittering gold fringe gown, Thurman (who served on the jury that year) looked every inch the movie star. 32 of 45 Elle Fanning — 2017 Dominique Charriau/WireImage Those Cannes steps mean that all eyes are on your train — and the actress took advantage of the moment by donning a completely custom, hand-painted Vivienne Westwood creation. As Fanning told Teen Vogue, Westwood's team "did this incredible design and painted it on there and my name is on the back in two places, and a unicorn, which I specifically requested. And I just thank her so much because it's the most magical dress I've ever worn." 33 of 45 Helen Mirren — 2019 Samir Hussein/WireImage No one mixes movie star glamour with a little insouciance quite like Dame Helen, and the pink hair she paired with this glittering Elie Saab gown is proof of that. 34 of 45 Cate Blanchett — 2018 SEBASTIEN NOGIER/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock How good was this riotously colorful and fun Mary Katrantzou moment on Blanchett? The designer cried when she saw it hit the carpet. 35 of 45 Naomi Campbell — 2018 Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty This was the perfect match of dress (custom Poiret) to wearer (supermodel and possible superhuman Naomi Campbell). 36 of 45 Sara Sampaio — 2018 Venturelli/WireImage Her Zuhair Murad Couture gown was just plain pretty. 37 of 45 Kendall Jenner — 2018 Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty Models at Cannes are there to hit the red carpet in glam, head-turning style, and no one can say Jenner didn't deliver in her sheer, ruffled ensemble. 38 of 45 Elle Fanning — 2019 Daniele Venturelli/WireImage And Fanning also knows when to transition from "punk rock" to pure princess, as seen in this dreamy, light-as-a-feather Reem Acra gown with glittering embroidery and tulle cape. 39 of 45 Priyanka Chopra & Nick Jonas — 2019 Daniele Venturelli/WireImage Then newlyweds, the couple delivered pure high-fashion bride and groom fantasy in her tiered tulle gown and knockout jewels and his white tux. 40 of 45 Aja Naomi King — 2019 Pascal Le Segretain/Getty As you've probably guessed by now, we're suckers for a gown with a major twirl moment. 41 of 45 Spike Lee — 2021 Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty Arriving in a hot pink Virgil Abloh design for Louis Vuitton (complete with matching shades), Lee made it clear that he was there to see and be seen. 42 of 45 Timothée Chalamet — 2021 Getty The man looks good in a silver suit (his is Tom Ford), what can we say? 43 of 45 Bella Hadid — 2021 P. Lehman/Future Publishing via Getty The supermodel's lungs-inspired Schiaparelli design took our breath away (sorry, we had to). 44 of 45 Sharon Stone — 2021 Samir Hussein/WireImage In her voluminous sky-blue gown adorned with dozens of floral appliqués, the star gave new meaning to the term "flower power." 45 of 45 Gemma Chan — 2021 Arnold Jerocki/FilmMagic The contrast of the delicate leaf-and-flower appliqués with the knockout glamour of the gold sequins on her Oscar de la Renta gown — plus that perfect red lip, courtesy L'Oréal Paris' Colour Riche in 125 Maison Marais — made the star's debut year at Cannes one to remember.