Comparing Cannes to Oscar night is almost like comparing apples to oranges. While the latter is a once-a-year deal allowing you to put your best Atwoods forward, the South of France film festival is a whole week's worth of sartorial magic. And, with a little more wiggle room, things can — thankfully — get a bit kookier, too.
So, while this week we've been introduced to beach sandals with Valentino and loofah dresses à la Chanel, that's really just dipping a toe into the kind of boundary-pushing looks celebrities have worn to Cannes. And, this illustrated chart is proof.
Like Oscar nights of the past, black and white dresses had a heavy presence at Cannes festivals of yesteryear as well, though not nearly as much. Some of the real statement makers came by way of Madonna in her iconic cone-bra set; Björk's pink, paper-lantern dress; Diane Kruger in tiers of feathers; or Vanessa Redgrave as an incredible disco ball circa '67. Sure, Oscar night has plenty of game-changing moments, too, but with a few more days to get creative on the red carpet, we'll argue that it's really Cannes that leads the way with outside-the-box style moments. See below for Exhibit A.
Photo: Courtesy of Mediarun.