Candid notes from the red carpet: how the Cannes Film Festival works Fashion

The Croisette in Cannes is world famous. There are hotels where all the stars and production teams of films live, there are boutiques of world brands and the best restaurants – along this street you can think of life at the Cannes Film Festival as an artery. And in this mini-city, for a week, during the festival, the rules of the game change – everything is subject to a marathon of fashion and cinematography.

Movement during the festival is constant. Shuttles run regularly from luxury hotels like the Ritz Carlton and Mariott to bring global stars and influencers to the red carpet.

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By the way, it is not long at all – only about 100 meters from the hand. At the end – stairs to the “Palais des Festivals” theater, where the main sacrament of the festival takes place – film screenings. Tickets cost an exorbitant amount of money, that’s true. Speculators and scammers make money by deceiving those who want to get into the heart of the world cinema and fashion industry, so if you are a friend who is attracted by cheap tickets, do not deceive yourself. There are no discounts in Cannes.

In 2023, I was a representative of French and Italian brands, but I brought a dress from the Russian brand BUTS8 to the show. As I walked down the Croisette, photographers kept clicking my outfit. Yes, I “finished” it a little to give it personality, and the guys took the idea and sent me a real masterpiece: real pleated, mega-trendy flowers and an unusual texture of the fabric – that’s my business card this year.

In addition, my task as a stylist working with Fashion Week was to create content, negotiate with stars, check fittings, compose images for influencers. Meanwhile, of course, I tried very hard to capture the atmosphere of the festival and enjoy it: after all, it has a special charm.

When they get directly to the track, everyone – even the celebrities – go through a strict security check, right down to the bag check. So before a million cameras enter the lenses, there’s a catch: the stars huddle and wait for more or less free “windows” for everyone to get their minute of glory on the track.

After the film is shown, the film crew enters the scene and receives a well-deserved round of applause. I couldn’t make it to the show with DiCaprio and Depp, but Tarantino welcomed us to the Carlton Hotel for breakfast. I think it’s great!
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In general, the atmosphere in Cannes, contrary to stereotypes, is very friendly and inviting: there is neither pathos nor arrogance. Everyone is nice, smiling, respectful, and that is very attractive. So it’s no wonder why Cannes becomes an attraction every year: a week under the southern sun where you interact with top designers, stars and experts from the fashion and film industry will charge you with creativity for the year ahead. And sometimes years!