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Hollywood actress Halle Berry revealed on Tuesday that she had to change her outfit for the Cannes Film Festival’s opening night due to new, stricter dress code regulations.
Berry, a member of the jury tasked with selecting the Palme d’Or winner, explained that her original gown likely violated the new rules, which reportedly prohibit both nudity on the red carpet and excessively large dresses.
“I had an amazing dress to wear tonight by Gupta, and I cannot wear it because the train is too big,” the Oscar-winning actress told reporters, referring to Indian designer Gaurav Gupta, known for dressing celebrities like Cardi B and creating dramatic gowns for events like the Met Gala.
“Of course, I’m going to follow the rules,” Berry affirmed. “So I had to make a pivot.”
However, the “Monster’s Ball” star expressed her support for the festival organisers’ decision to formalise stricter guidelines, particularly regarding revealing attire. “The nudity part is probably also a good rule,” she commented.
Cannes organisers had previously raised eyebrows on Monday by publicly issuing their dress code in written form for the first time.
A festival spokesperson clarified that the intention was not to broadly regulate attire but specifically “to ban total nudity on the red carpet, in line with French law.”
Over the years, the Cannes red carpet has been known for its daring and revealing fashion choices, with model Bella Hadid’s plunging Schiaparelli gown in 2021 being a notable example that generated significant buzz on social media.
The festival has also addressed the long-standing debate surrounding footwear. The trend of “naked dresses” and provocative outfits, exemplified by Bianca Censori’s controversial look at the Grammy Awards, has also likely influenced the stricter guidelines.
After years of informal expectations and occasional defiance, Cannes has now clearly codified its rules on footwear.
The festival has announced that “elegant shoes or sandals with or without heels” are permitted. This change was welcomed by this year’s jury president, French Oscar winner Juliette Binoche, who jokingly said she was speaking from “experience” and called it “a very good idea.”
