Fashion regulars in Cannes

The Hollywood studios don’t have much of a presence in Cannes, which was one of the storylines percolating ahead of this year’s festival. Still, some of the regulars who seem to be in Cannes often were present and accounted for, including Kristen Stewart, who was there to promote her performance in Quentin Dupieux’s Full Phil, co-starring Woody Harrelson, in which they play father and daughter on a trip to Paris to reconnect.

Kristen did an interview with Variety as part of her Cannes press and, as usual, she’s unfiltered and direct about what she thinks of the state of the industry and the impact it’s having on artists. And she’s pretty clear about who she thinks the problem is: bros and billionaires.

“…I mean this so very literally, I just don’t think that it’s possible to create sort of radical, vital work under capitalistic parameters. Especially like, most of the people in charge are a bunch of bros that have come up under a bunch of other bros and those people don’t really identify with the type of things that I personally want to say, that the people I align with want to say. [….] We need to make more work. There needs to be more work, more output, more connection and less fear and less f-cking bureaucracy and also less making billionaires more f-cking billionaires. It’s driving me insane.”

Don’t think it’s a stretch that the Ellison and the Zaslavs, two Davids giving Davids a bad name, are who she might be referring to. But her point about how they seem to be breeding more of themselves should be noted – pour water on them, or invite them to one screening, and suddenly they’re cockroaching themselves all over the studios and setting fire to creativity and imagination. Kristen sounds like she’s speaking from the experience of being in the same room as these assholes, meeting her like they’re at her level of artistry which is where many of us can probably relate, even though we’re not acclaimed actors. We’ve all been in a room with a bro who thinks he knows everything and is prepared to make the decision for everyone. It’s no surprise that this would offend someone like Kristen Stewart and that she’d be talking about it very publicly.

It’s also no surprise that she wore Chanel at the Palais. She’s an ambassador and I’ve been wondering about KStew + Chanel under Matthieu Blazy’s vision. In case you missed it when I mentioned it the first five times, Chanel is booming, a major rebound after 2024, in the midst of a new cycle of Chanel-mania. Which is why it’s so silly to see comments online recently whenever Margot Robbie flops in Chanel that Chanel overall is a flop because the opposite couldn’t be more true. And as one of its more successful representatives, KStew might be a more reliable indicator.

This red beaded gown is spectacular, and spectacularly styled for her. It would look entirely different on Nicole Kidman but KStew wore it with high-top black Converse, defying convention – and Cannes style rules – and it’s the essence of what chic is supposed to be, which is individual. Also I love her hair right now, this growing-out pixie.

Like Kristen, Cate Blanchett is often in Cannes, either with a film or the jury or on a panel advocating for filmmaker autonomy. She was on the carpet the other night in a gorgeous Givenchy by Sarah Burton – fringed and dramatic and luxurious but also still playful. Plus… something I’ve been keeping an eye on where Cate’s style is concerned. It has been a while since her longtime stylist (like 20 years) Elizabeth Stewart has been credited with styling her. And she hasn’t posted about this look either. Has there been a stylist change that’s not confirmed yet? 

And finally… Europeans love This Hot Bitch Sharon Stone who is always warmly embraced in Cannes. And she always serves when she’s in Cannes. This is one of her best appearances in a while… because OMG THIS DRESS. It’s Miss Sohee, one of those designers who consistently makes elaborate and outrageously beautifully gowns and should be so much bigger of a presence on red carpets than she is. What Sharon is wearing is more evidence to support this point.