The Cannes Film Festival has made headlines yet again — not for a film premiere, but for its newly clarified red carpet rules, released just 24 hours before the event began. This year, the festival has formally banned full nudity and “excessively voluminous” outfits on the red carpet, citing safety concerns, decorum, and compliance with French law. The festival is to be held from May 13-24 this year.
In a statement released ahead of the 2025 festival, organizers said the dress code updates were not entirely new but rather an effort to codify existing practices. “The aim is not to regulate attire per se, but to prohibit full nudity on the red carpet, per the institutional framework of the event and French law,” the statement read.
Cannes is also drawing a line when it comes to sprawling gowns and dramatic trains that pose logistical issues on the narrow Palais steps. The festival has noted that it “reserves the right to deny access to individuals whose attire could obstruct the movement of other guests or complicate seating arrangements in the screening rooms.”
Although it is unclear how precisely these rules would be enforced or what exactly qualifies as “excessively voluminous,” the decision calls into question recent design choices such as Greta Gerwig’s Barbie-pink dress with a large train. Even while these clothes are trendy, they can become a safety problem and cause traffic congestion on the red carpet.
This is not the first time that controversy around red carpet dress has arisen at Cannes. The festival was criticised in previous years for imposing “elegant” footwear regulations, which were frequently construed as mandating women to wear high heels. Low heels are now permitted under the more recent relaxation of previous regulations, though shoes are still not advised. However, enforcement has occasionally been uneven, as demonstrated in 2022 when an Indigenous producer was denied entry for donning traditional moccasins.
Bella Hadid had brought the drama to the red carpet, in one of the most stunning high-fashion looks of the 74th annual Cannes Film Festival. The model wore an avant-garde gown from the Schiaparelli Haute Couture Fall-Winter 2021/22 collection, designed by Daniel Roseberry, to the premiere of Tre Piani (Three Floors). The form-fitting black wool dress had a neckline that cut under Hadid’s chest, which was covered by a gold-dipped necklace in the shape of the bronchi passageway of the lungs, adorned with rhinestones.
Recent high-profile events seem to have prompted the clothing code to be tightened. A topless protester interrupted the red carpet in 2022, and more recently, Bianca Censori, Ye’s (formerly Kanye West) wife, dazzled at the Grammys in an entirely transparent gown that left little room for imagination. Although these incidents have made headlines, they have also raised questions about how much fashion freedom is acceptable at formal gatherings.
Cultural experts suggest the festival’s move reflects a broader shift in red carpet culture, where increasingly revealing outfits are now being reassessed. As one trend reaches its limits, perhaps a new wave of refined glamour is on the horizon — one that respects both personal expression and the practicalities of a historic event.
For now, Cannes seems intent on setting the tone: elegance, yes — but within reason. It remains to be seen how celebrities will adapt to this development, given Cannes has depended on luxury fashion houses and haute couture for its red carpet moments through all these years.
