Heels and Yachts: Cannes' Most Perfect Pairing

It wouldn’t be the French Riviera’s incredibly glam film festival without giant boats and sky-high heels, now would it?
By Alex Apatoff
Updated May 17, 2018 04:52 PM

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JESSICA CHASTAIN, PENELOPE CRUZ & LUPITA NYONG'O

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The trio stars in a the new spy thriller 355, but even International women of mystery need to sometimes ditch the sky-high heels for a boat ride.

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KENDALL JENNER AND BELLA HADID

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When you walk as many runways as these two supermodels, a slippery steep ramp is practically a walk in the park.

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HAILEY BALDWIN

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Between the ultra-short hem of her Philosophy dress and the skinny heel on her Casadei pumps, Hailey's handling the windy, precarious walk from the boat to the dock like a pro.

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ELLE FANNING

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The actress doesn't let her mode of transportation ruin her '70s boho vibe, keeping her mules on to match her billowy dress and tinted frames.

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MARY J. BLIGE

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When you're dripping in diamonds like Mary J. Blige, going barefoot just isn't an option.

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HEIDI KLUM

Credit: AKM-GSI

The supermodel has strutted in heels from Berlin to Beverly Hills, but she's not going to take any chances while boarding a boat: She hands off her sky-high stilettos before stepping in.

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KENDALL JENNER

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Kendall may be a more newly-minted supermodel, but the Jimmy Choo-clad star still handles the dock-to-boat transition like a pro, getting multiple assists and smiling all the while.

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ANNA KENDRICK

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It's not just the move from dock to boat that's tricky; Anna expertly maneuvers the reverse transition in her Soebedar heels.

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DITA VON TEESE

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The burlesque star is rarely seen out of her signature red-soled shoes, but she took a “safety first” approach to disembarking her boat (while making sure that her pedi was perfectly-matched to her dress and lips, of course!).

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JULIANNE MOORE

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As a face of “official Cannes partner” L'Oréal Paris and an incredibly accomplished actress, Julianne's a festival regular – and thus gets more practice than most when it comes to walking gangplanks in teetery stilettos. 

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EVA LONGORIA

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Julianne’s fellow L’Oréal Paris ambassador, Eva, knows that a great heels-and-boat shot is as much about the exit as the entrance.

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ROSIE HUNTINGTON-WHITELEY

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Of course, once you board the boat, you're faced with the dilemma of how to elegantly slip your sandals back on.

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MARIAH CAREY

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When the word “flats” is practically a dirty word in your vocabulary, you’d be wise to travel with a team of (literal and figurative) support staff.

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KENDALL JENNER

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One of the major supermodel rites of passage is navigating a slippery walkway in five-inch heels.

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ADRIANA LIMA

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And when you're advanced enough, you don't even need the walkway: You can descend directly from the dock to the boat in your ridiculously skinny spike heels.

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OLIVIA PALERMO

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The grate on that gangplank looks treacherous, but we can’t blame Olivia for not wanting to take off her oh-so-pretty feather-trimmed Aquazzura heels no matter how much easier it might make things.

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KIRSTEN DUNST

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Silver Mary Janes aren’t just for Dorothy when she gets to Oz: Kirsten knows they also help provide stability on the narrow yacht walk.

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KELLY PRESTON

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When all else fails, it helps to have a tux-clad gentleman to assist in the precarious walk from the yacht to shore.

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