Cannes Film Festival: From the Palais to the Pavement How Street Style Is Stealing the Spotlight

Striking a pose on Cannes' famous La Croisettee boulevard in a gown that shimmered in the afternoon light. Photograph by Brittany Scott. Masthead picture by Andrea Heinsohn for DAM 

Each year, the Cannes Film Festival transforms the sun-dappled streets of the French Riviera into an open-air runway. While the red carpet dazzles with its usual opulence, it was on the cobbled paths and La Croisette cafés that real fashion stories unfold. From stars slipping past paparazzi in off-duty designer looks to stylists turning heads with bold looks, they carry it off with casual confidence and cinematic flair, writes Antonio Visconti. Photography by Brittany Scott

Sun shines through a 

diaphanous gown worn 

on Cannes' La Croissette

THE first days of the festival have set the tone and the pace for another year of cinematic buzz and striking fashion. But while the premieres and press calls unfold inside the Palais des Festivals, it’s the streets of Cannes that are offering some of the most compelling visual moments. 

From low-key luxury to eye-catching extravaganzas, the festival turns La Croisette into a showcase of fashion that runs the gamut from spontaneous to studied.

Amid the avenues fanning out from the Palais des Festival, Cannes' unique visual rhythm is already in full swing: tuxedos and sequined gowns shimmer in the afternoon sunlight as stars head to photo calls, interviews and film premieres.

Mercedes sedans glide past the palm trees, ferrying celebrities from beachside suites to red carpets lined with flashing cameras. But between appearances, the city belongs to the street photographers: capturing actors, models, and industry insiders in daytime looks that in the world outside Cannes, would be reserved for soigne evening receptions. 

The street scene buzzes with energy, photographers dart through crowds, stylists smooth hems on the go, and stars mingling with influencers and industry insiders at terrace cafés, hotel balconies, and pop-up soirées. Fashion here is a dance between art and attitude, between vintage Chanel and barely-there Balenciaga, oversized sunglasses and gleaming hair, tailored suiting and barefoot beach strolls.

While the premieres and press calls unfold inside the Palais des Festivals, it’s the streets of Cannes that are offering some of the most compelling visual moments

Halle Berry goes make-up free

in Elie Saab at a Nespresso

x Brut party in Cannes

   

The French Riviera’s signature blend of heat and high fashion lends itself to actors wearing relaxed tailoring, breezy silks, oversized sunglasses, and designer staples as they go from press meetings to photo calls. 

Halle Berry turned heads in a pared-back Elie Saab ensemble, a black sequin embroidered blazer with satin peak lapels and matching cropped trousers from the Autumn/Winter 2025 prêt-á-porter collection and wearing minimal makeup. 

Eva Longoria walked through the city in sculptural daywear and shimmering. sequined gowns, looking as polished out and about in Cannes as she did at film premieres.

Of course, headlines haven’t all been about fashion. Robert De Niro’s acceptance of an honorary Palme d’Or took a political turn with his searing speech about Donald Trump's foreign film tariffs, drawing applause and raising the volume on conversations that extend beyond cinema. 

Tom Cruise, meanwhile, brought blockbuster energy to Cannes with the screening of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, earning a thunderous seven and a half minute standing ovation for the adrenaline-fueled finale of the action series.

Cannes' unique visual rhythm is already in full swing: tuxedos and sequined gowns shimmer in the afternoon sunlight as stars head to photo calls, interviews and film premieres

Leopard print taken to the 3D,

a flamboyant fashion look

on the street in Cannes

Cruise's star power commanded crowds everywhere he went. and ever the master of spectacle, he took it all with his signature modesty and megawatt smile, his presence serving as a reminder that movie stars ~ the real kind ~ still walk among us.

Yet for all the spotlight moments, it’s the in-between scenes that define Cannes. Along the beachfront, jaunty umbrellas and striped cabanas host a steady flow of actors, and editors escaping the press schedule. 

The Croisette itself becomes a style arena: impromptu fashion shoots outside the Carlton hotel, hurried outfit changes, and ballgowns glinting in the midday sun. 

The mood in Cannes is as kinetic as ever, a city in motion, fashion in evolution. As the festival continues, its streetstyle is shaping up to be just as influential as anything screening inside the Palais. And in these first few days, it’s already made one thing clear: the most memorable fashion moments often happen outside the premieres.

Scroll down to see more fashion highlights from the Cannes Film Festival 2025