By Barsha Bhattacharya
The Cannes Film Festival began in 1938, when the foundations were laid by the then French Minister of National Education.
It was started at the proposal of a high-ranking official and historian, Philippe Erlanger, and a film journalist, Robert Favre Le Bret.
The initiators of Cannes decided to set up an international cinematographic festival.
Since then, Cannes has come a long way; the Festival de Cannes has been one of the most prestigious events in humanity’s history.
Regarding media coverage, it may be the second most popular event in the world.
After the Olympics, Cannes remains the second most covered event by the media. No other event gets such widespread coverage.
Cannes again has a new set of rules for its invitees, which are expected to be stricter this year.
The Cannes new set of rules lays proper ground rules for everyone, starting with what to wear and how to behave.
Read the article till the end to know more about the dos and don’ts of Cannes 2025.
Cannes Has Its Fashion Checks: Know the Strict Set of Rules
Cannes 2025 has a lot of dos and don’ts when it comes to fashion. Let’s check out the highlights.
1. Ban on Revealing Clothes, Strict Rules on Revealing Clothes
This year, Cannes has developed strict regulations restricting its guests from wearing revealing clothes.
The Ukrainian Protestor 2022
At the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, a woman of Ukrainian origin entered the venue and protested while stripping off her gown.
The Ukrainian protester had written “stop rapping us”; this act was symbolic as she was protesting against the alleged rapes that were happening in her country during the Russia and Ukraine Armed conflict.
Some considered this a symbolic act of protest, while others regarded it as unnecessary obscenity.
2. The Ban on Voluminous Clothes
During some past events, the authorities figured out that voluminous, oversized clothes, such as gowns, often create problems.
People wearing such clothes create problems for others who want to move around.
To deal with this problem, the authorities at Kanes have created a new set of rules prohibiting guests from wearing voluminous ensembles that often hinder traffic at the event.
It restricts people’s movement around the place.
It complicates things when people wear such voluminous clothes and find it difficult to sit, which also creates problems for those around.
The authorities found the large trains of some gowns to be specifically problematic, as they hindered movement within the venue’s premises.
3. Halee Barry Ditching Gaurav Gupta
One of the A-Listers, Halee Barry, also mentioned in a press conference that she wanted to wear a gown designed by Gaurav Gupta, but had to ditch it.
As the gown was voluminous and did not comply with the rules, she planned to wear it for a long period.
4. Ban on Large Accessories
Cannes did not just have a ban on voluminous clothes; the attendees also could not carry large accessories.
Having large accessories and luggage often creates problems with movement.
There is a complete ban on tote bags, backpacks, and large accessories.
5. High Heels Gate
Cannes has a longstanding convention where women visiting the festival are supposed ot wear high heels.
Often, people have protested against this, as there are celebrities who have felt that forcing them to wear high heels may make them uncomfortable.
In recent years, the rules laid out in Cannes have become even stricter.
There has been a long-standing convention. However, several celebrities have protested agains this.
2018 Actor Kristen Stewart Ditches Her High Heels
In 2018, actor Kristen Stewart attended the festival’s premiere of BlacKkKlansman. While walking on the red carpet, she ditched her high heels and went barefoot.
Many people saw this act of hers as a symbolic act of protest.
Later, Stewert stated, in her statement, “I feel like you can’t ask people that anymore.”
She meant that in 2018, you can not ask the other gender to wear what they will wear; you can not do the same with women. Wearing heels mostly comes with discomfort.
Other Celebrities Who Have Protested As Well
Even though Stewert’s act gained a lot of attention, Stewert was not the only person to break conventions; there were others who did something different while not caring about the conventions.
Before her, Julia Roberts and Sasha Lane also went to Cannes barefoot, which was also perceived as a symbolic act of protest.
Several others also tried to make a statement with their footwear. This list includes
Inès de la Fressange, who was seen in flats at Cannes in 2015.
Even though there have been controversies regarding high heels, high heels dominate the festival.
Most celebrities still wear towering stilettos ( Towering high-heeled shoes with thin and pointy heels). Thus, despite the protests, we may say that most women at Cannes still prefer to wear high heels.
6. No Selfie
The authorities also found that celebrities often click selfies with their fans and fellow celebrities, which creates more traffic hindrance.
As the paparazzi were already there, the authorities at Cannes found the trend of clicking selfies irrational and unnecessary.
This was one of the latest rules introduced to ensure people didn’t face trouble.
Any hindrance in the movement makes it problematic for the people to navigate within the festival.
7. Get a Suite or Take the Homebound Route
There are no rules for women; there are rules for men. This year, Cannes has emphasised that men must wear tuxedos to the Festival.
Although there is no written rule, it is still a strict convention for men to wear tuxedos to the Cannes Festival.
Most men wear a black tuxedo and a black tie.
Elegant and understated options, like little black dresses, cocktail dresses, dark-toned pantsuits, tuxedos, or navy suits with a tie or bowtie, are certain things that fall under the list of things that the authorities approved.
Wrapping It Up
This year, Cannes has the strictest rules.
The authorities have not come up with the strictest set of rules, but they have also been clear that if any of the attendees do not follow the rules, then the attending teams may not allow them to enter.
Even though some rules were here for the right reasons, many were unnecessary.
This set of rules may have affected the creative liberty of the artists and designers in certain ways.
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