Cannes 2023: From Jennifer Lawrence to Julia Fox, who were the best and worst dressed stars?

I have been vicariously transported to the Cannes Film Festival 2023 mainly from my colleague Benjamin Jackson’s excellent coverage of the event, but also because it is without question, from a fashion point of view, it one of my favourite annual film festivals.

Thankfully, this year it hasn’t underwhelmed me in terms of the choice of outfits on display. There have been some unquestionable triumphs. For the opening night of Cannes 2023, Elle Fanning walked the red carpet in a sensational Alexander McQueen gown. Harper’s Bazaar described it as a ‘magnificent dress’ which “ included an intricately beaded bodice designed in the shape of orchids, which topped off a voluminous blush-pink skirt embroidered with even more matching silver beads.”

Despite it being her Cannes debut, one star who showed no signs of first festival nerves was BLACKPINK’S Jennie Kim. She wore a stunning white lace dress from Chanel’s spring/summer 2020 collection that had originally been worn on the runway by supermodel Kaia Gerber, daughter of Cindy Crawford. 

Natalie Portman looked divine in a recreation of a 1949 Christian Dior ‘Junon’ dress. Loving things all floral always, and not just because it is the Chelsea Flower Show, I was particularly drawn to the skirt of the gown which looked like flower petals themselves. 

Another star who has made my best dressed list for Cannes 2023 is Jennifer Lawrence. She looked striking in another Dior dress, this time in red crepe silk, which she wore to the ‘Bread and Roses’ screening. 

Although the fashion headlines for Jennifer should have been just about the dress, it was actually for her swapping her heels for flip flops. It seems incredible in this day and age that women at the Cannes Film Festival are still expected to adhere to the rule of wearing heels on the red carpet, so I also admire Jennifer for throwing caution to the wind and in other words, breaking the rule.

Supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is another star who dazzled on the red carpet at Cannes 2023. And no, she wasn’t dressed in Dior. Rosie wore a Valentino SS23 Couture black evening gown with a thigh-high split. Although I am normally not a fan of dresses with high slits, this dress struck the perfect balance between looking elegant yet fashion forward. The white bow embellishment lifted the outfit and elevated it to something more special than just another ‘black dress.’

At the ‘Club Zero’ screening, Jasmine Tooks wore a stunning burnt orange Zhuair Murad dress that she accessorised with Chopard jewellery. The Victoria’s Secret vet, who gave birth to her daughter in March, simply trumped those around in terms of her dress. 

When it comes to the best dressed men on the red carpet at Cannes 2023, forget double denim, it was all about double stripes when it came to Ethan Hawke’s suit. GQ described it as “Ethan Hawke doubled down on doubled-up stripes in Saint Laurent and Piaget.”

Leonardo DiCaprio also dressed to impress in a black tie suit, but this wasn’t any black tie suit, no it was a sustainable-save-the-world suit from Alexander McQueen.

Now about the worst dressed on the red carpet? Well I can assure you, there were plenty to choose from!

The top award for worst dressed has to go to Ashley Graham. Now, for someone who loves ruffles, I can assure you that it is possible to choose a dress that is too ruffle heavy, and this couldn’t be more true when it comes to Ashley’s choice of gown. She chose a Dolce & Gabbana dress that was just, ghastly. The dress wore Ashley rather than Ashley wore the dress and I can assure you that it is never good!

Before you think supermodels always get it right, I can assure you that this is not the case. Cue Irina Shayk. She opted for a Mowalola crop top and matching skirt that she wore to the premiere of ‘Firebrand (Le Jeu De La Reine) premiere. Yes, we could all see her body and abs on display, but that is not what constitutes a stylish dress (in my humble opinion).

French actress Frederique Bel also made a fashion mistake in a sleeveless sheer dress. Her modesty was protected (just) by gold and silver panels and the overall look was just tacky. 

It is clear that some saw the red carpet as a way of attracting attention, not necessarily for the right reasons. Former Miss World winner Aishwarya Rai Bachchan opted for a silver and black dress with an oversized hood that was definitely wrong on so many levels.

Actress Araya Hargate also didn’t get the ‘elegant fashion memo’ as she opted for a completely see through red dress with striped tights. I am all for Grecian style gowns but German star Lily Krug unfortunately opted for a white and peach maxi dress and voluminous sheer sleeves that was far from chic.

Julia Fox has to take the crown though for the worst dressed at Cannes 2023. She opted for a clear breastplate that she paired with a white maxi skirt, featuring a tiered section. Julia wore it to the Art of Elysium ‘Paradis’ 25th anniversary party, and I can imagine it attracted attention, but for all the wrong reasons!