If the new Cannes Film Festival dress code intended to turn the focus away from stars' fashion entirely, the earliest entries on 2025's best-dressed list prove it backfired.
24 hours before Cannes regulars like Bella Hadid and Eva Longoria descended onto the red carpet, the festival's organizers unveiled a fresh—and controversial—set of wardrobe restrictions. Cascading, voluminous trains were forbidden to speed up step-and-repeat traffic. "Nudity," perceived as an outright attack on celebrities' favorite naked dresses, was banned in the name of "decency." The restrictions set off an online debate over the policy's murky connotations. Stylist Karla Welch called it "lame and patriarchal" on Instagram Stories, while stylist Maeve Reilly told Vogue Business the new restrictions were a "disappointment."
