Bare skin is once again banned on the Cote d’Azur.
The 2026 Cannes Film Festival, which opens on Monday and runs until May 23, is implementing a strict dress code, adding sheer gowns and extravagant trains to the official no-fly list.
According to the festival’s charter, “nudity is prohibited on the red carpet and in other areas of the festival” for “common sense reasons”. It also prohibits “voluminous clothing, especially clothing with large trains, that would impede the proper flow of guests or complicate theater seating.”
Sneakers, totes, backpacks, and oversized handbags are also prohibited at gala screenings.
What is pass collection? Evening wear (long dress or tuxedo) is mandatory for the Grand Théâtre Lumière gala, but cocktail dresses, “little black dresses,” dark pantsuits, or dressy tops and black pants are also fine.
Organizers take this rule seriously, with the charter warning that “the welcoming team is obliged to ban access to the red carpet to anyone who does not comply with these rules.”
However, the black tie obligation only applies to evening celebrations. “For all other screenings, appropriate attire is sufficient,” the charter states.
It’s unclear whether jeans and sneakers are acceptable, but Meadow Walker already walked that fine line this week, attending Wednesday’s Fast & Furious 25th anniversary photocall in Celine jeans and a blazer.
The rule first went into effect at the 2025 festival, and immediately caused an uproar among stars and styling teams.
Halle Berry was forced to take off Gaurav Gupta’s dress at the last minute because the train was too long. “I had to change direction,” the Oscar winner said at a press conference. Meanwhile, Heidi Klum ignored the new rules and swept down the opening ceremony steps in a riot of Elie Saab ruffles, including a dramatic train.
Revealing looks have long been a Cannes hallmark. Bella Hadid’s sheer Saint Laurent dress at the 2024 premiere of The Apprentice and Alexandre Vauthier’s plunging dress from 2016 (which the model later said was “embarrassing”) were among the festival’s most talked-about fashion moments.
The dress code is not Cannes’ first foray into fashion regulation. In 2015, a group of women who wore flats were denied the premiere of Carol, sparking a situation known as “heelgate.” Three years later, Kristen Stewart took aim at the implicit high-heel mandate by taking off her Louboutins and walking barefoot down the steps of the famous Palais.
Stewart continued her protest later that week wearing loafers and a menswear-style Chanel suit, saying, “If[a man and I]are walking on the red carpet together and someone stops me and says, ‘Excuse me, girl, I’m not wearing heels. You can’t come in,’ (I’m) going to say, ‘Neither are my friends. Does he have to wear heels?'”
The updated charter now allows “elegant shoes and sandals with or without heels”, a quiet concession after years of backlash. (We’re guessing Jennifer Lawrence’s accidental flip-flops in 2023 won’t make the cut just yet, though.)
It remains to be seen whether anyone will test the boundaries again this year, but the Palais Staircase is one to keep an eye on.
