The Best Cannes Red Carpet Looks of All Time

Princess Diana at the Cannes Film Festival wearing a blue strapless dress with a sash around the neck.

Did you think we were done reporting on red carpets for the year? Think again! We successfully made it through the Hollywood award season spanning January to March, and we still have the upcoming Met Gala to cover on the first Monday in May. After that, next up on the agenda is the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival running from May 13 to 24.

I wanted to take this opportunity to revisit my all-time favorite Cannes red carpet looks. Naturally, this includes historical photos from the '50s, '60s, '70s, and '80s and icons such as Princess Diana, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, and Sophia Loren. More recently, Bella Hadid, Viola Davis, Priyanka Chopra, and Lupita Nyong'o are among those who topped my list of the event's most memorable fashion moments. Scroll down to see all the photos.

Bella Hadid wears a sculpture of a pair of lungs as a necklace with a black gown at the Cannes Film Festival.

Schiaparelli's sculptural brass necklace was made to look like the pulmonary veins of human lungs. Hadid completed the 2021 look with a sleek black gown also made by Schiaparelli.

Sophia Loren wearing a strapless gown with black elbow-length gloves at theCannes Film Festival.

Sophia Loren dressed like Hollywood royalty for the 1955 Cannes Film Festival.

Madonna wears a cone bra and a matching skirt at the Cannes Film Festival.

Madonna partied it up for the premiere of her film In Bed With Madonna during the 1991 Cannes Film Festival.

Princess Diana wears a light blue strapless gown with a matching sash around her neck at the Cannes Film Festival.

This iconic image of Princess Diana in 1987 is Getty Images' most downloaded Cannes Film Festival photo of all time.

Audrey Hepburn wearing white gloves and an A-line gown at the Cannes Film Festival.

Hepburn got dolled up for the festival in 1960, wearing opera-length white gloves and an embellished gown.

Priyanka Chopra wears a voluminous white gown with three layers at the Cannes Film Festival.

Chopra's 2019 Cannes Film Festival bridal-worthy dress by Georges Hobeika is forever etched into my brain. She completed the look with a necklace and earrings by Chopard, the official partner of the festival.

Grace Kelly wearing a fur stole and a long gown at the Cannes Film Festival.

Kelly looked every bit the princess wearing a fur stole at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival.

Lupita Nyong'o twirls in a green pleated gown at the Cannes Film Festival.

Who could forget Nyong'o's 2015 twirl seen 'round the world?

Brigitte Bardot runs on the beach wearing a midi dress at the Cannes Film Festival.

Frolicking on the beach never looked so chic. Brigitte Bardot enjoyed the South of France sunshine back in 1956.

Viola Davis wearing a yellow off-the-shoulder gown at the Cannes Film Festival.

Davis cemented her Cannes queen status with this Alexander McQueen dress in 2022.

Elle Fanning wears a wide-brim hat with a white blouse and an A-line black midi skirt at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2019, Elle Fanning looked like a '50s fashion icon wearing an outfit by Dior.

Jane Birkin wears a straw bucket bag and a flapper-style dress at the Cannes Film Festival.

Jane Birkin brought her signature basket bag to Cannes in 1974.

Jennifer Lawrence wears flip-flops with a red gown at the Cannes Film Festival.

Jennifer Lawrence memorably ditched heels in favor of flip-flops on the red carpet in 2023.

Anne Hathaway wearing a white gown with a white cape at the Cannes Film Festival.

Anne Hathaway looked like the Princess of Genovia at the 2022 festival, wearing an Armani Privé dress and Bulgari jewelry.

Marilyn Monroe wears a fur stole and a strapless dress at the Cannes Film Festival.

A best-of list wouldn't be complete without Marilyn Monroe, pictured here in Cannes in 1955.

Lori Harvey wearing a yellow dress at the Cannes Film Festival.

Lori Harvey's sunshine-yellow Alexandre Vauthier dress and Messika jewelry from 2022 completely stole the show.

Erin got her start as a Who What Wear intern in 2011—back when the site only published a single story per day. (We have since increased that number twentyfold.) She graduated magna cum laude from USC and lives in Los Angeles. In college, she also interned at Refinery29, where she was promoted to editorial assistant and then assistant editor. After nearly three years at R29, she came back to WWW in 2015, where she is now the Associate Director of Fashion News. From the Oscars to the Met Gala, she leads the site's entire red carpet coverage strategy. She specializes in celebrity and fashion news but also enjoys writing travel features and runway reports. She frequently contributes to WWW's social accounts and has a sizable following on her personal TikTok.