The Croisette in Cannes is illuminated at night with 1,500 deep pink LED lights. It happens all year. But at the film festival, which ends this weekend, these lights turn the boulevard into a red carpet. This is where cord industry types line up for parties, fashion types scramble to be seen, and fans in blue chairs sit and watch, which explains why the festival has quickly become an informal fashion week. The Cannes film festival is no stranger to high fashion. Gowns and jewelery are almost mandatory at the entrance, especially after luxury jeweler Chopard redesigned the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, in 1998. But this year, miles away from the writers' strike that has stalled much of the film industry, it has sparked new levels of fashion hysteria. She hosted Chopard and Donatella Versace fashion shows, Naomi Campbell threw a model-heavy birthday party at the seafront Villa Julia, and former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter and fashion house Celine held starry nights at the exclusive Hotel du Cap-Eden. roc. The newly formed Saint Laurent Productions collaborated with Pedro Almodóvar on the costumes for the short film A Strange Way of Life. "People get the most out of the steps" Heidi Klum comes to the screening of La Passion de Dodin Bouffant. Valery HacheAFP Speaking before his show, Versace said "[Cannes] it's not just about the movie. It's about the culture - the actresses, the 60s, the glamor ... It makes sense for two things to sit together. "From a red carpet standpoint, this feels like the first proper post-pandemic comeback," said Emma Spedding, Vogue's surrogate fashion news and feature editor, who described the red carpet as "bolder than I remember seeing it during an awards season." Spedding said you don't need "the mass appeal of a classic ball gown or a beautiful princess dress" at a film festival. Cannes likes to focus on old world charm or "anti-viral fashion". First, it focuses on the film that changed the goalposts of what traditional red carpet wearing could be. Multiple costume changes come with multiple events. Wearing a "redesigned" Dior dress from 1949, Natalie Portman told Vogue "[Cannes fashion] seems to exist in this other era where you can go really crazy and extreme." Natalie Portman wears a "redesigned" Dior dress from 1949. Gisela Schober It's also about the weather. Mixed skies aside, this is the first major summer festival, and the red carpet outside the Palais des Festivals is wide and short, so there's more buzz. "People also get the most out of the steps by wearing oversized aprons that [take good pictures from the back] and tend to be more theatrical," Spedding said. The festival is not without controversy. Featured in a canceled ad campaign, one of several campaigns that caused a scandal for Balenciaga by apparently referring to children and sex, Isabelle Huppert wore two looks of the French brand. She's one of the biggest stars to wear something from her latest collection after the scandal . Meanwhile, few turned a blind eye to Chanel's decision to design the costumes for Johnny Depp's festival-opening comeback, Jeanne du Barry. A fashion expert who works for one of the most prominent brands on the Cannes red carpet said "I've noticed that the main awards in the US are more financially supported - with a $100,000+ fee for the red carpet look - so they're there. It's a lot more pressure. wants to ensure a return on investment by focusing on glamorous looks rather than good looks.” While red carpets gravitate towards stylist-led predictability and, at best, calculated risk - think of Kim Kardashian in a dress by Marilyn Monroe at the Met Gala - "There's less obligation [to wear certain brands and certain things] at Cannes". Skip the promotion for the Fashion Statement Free weekly Concise style what's really trending this week, the best fashion journalism, and a summary of your wardrobe dilemmas Privacy Statement Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements, and content funded by outside parties. For more information, see our Newsletters, which may contain information about charities, online advertising and externally funded content. See our Privacy Policy for more information. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after promotion "Since everyone is staying at the hotel across from the main red carpet and every bar is full of people who actually work, there's another reason to be there other than looking dressed in the right thing," she said. Viola Davis and Julius Tennon attended the premiere of Monster. Gisela Schober Naturally this closed door attraction tends to attract people from outside its inner circle. Clarissa Rosato is a Brazilian designer who came to Cannes with "a dress, an actress and a dream". Walking through the Croisette on Tuesday night wearing one of her own designs, she described Cannes as a festival "led by high culture", not fashion. American model Olivia Culpo came to the premiere of the movie Asteroid City. Anadolu Agency "They wear beige and black at US festivals - but risk takers here and you can show your clothes to more people," he said. "That's why so many designers come out." Worn by actor Priscila Vaz, a sheer blue dress based on the artwork of Rosato's artist mother, was a hit. "We were stopped for 45 minutes on the red carpet," Rosato said. "It was crazy!" Zarife Zgheib, fashion expert for Middle East magazine Hia, thinks it's important to separate the red carpet from the Croisette street style. Beyond the red carpet there are “many people who dress and act like celebrities, just wanting to be a part of it. People are really dying to be here.” Gotopnews.com