From lattes and desserts to skin care and makeup, unicorns seem to be waging an unholy takeover of reality, even though there's no evidence that they even exist outside of fantasy.
Elle reports that the mythical trend leapt to the Cannes Film Festival red carpet when Elle Fanning wore a hand-painted Vivienne Westwood gown featuring a unicorn motif.
Fanning, who attended the French film fest to celebrate the premiere of her latest flick, Sofia Coppola's The Beguiled, wore what appeared to be a strapless, ivory (officially "snowdrop white") gown. But when flashbulbs caught sight of the back, there was a sartorial surprise: Fun, whimsical designs trailed along the train and of her dress, going all the way up to the bodice. The illustrations added a dose of fantasy to the whole getup, which had major high-impact glam. But considering Fanning is only 19, adding tongue-in-cheek details seems totally appropriate.
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Vogue notes that the additions were actually Fanning's idea. She told the magazine that she's a "unicorn flower child at heart, mixed with a schoolboy and the occasional Cali surfer dude." Add the fact that the gown is a throwback to Westwood's Bird of Paradise dresses from way back in spring 2005 and you'll realize that this custom gown is a perfect fit.
According to Elle, the dress took a team of 10 couturiers over 300 hours and 10 days to complete. In addition to the unicorn, done up in sweet pastel pink, other designs include a shooting star, the planet Gaia, a Westwood orb, and the word "Elle." It's personalization taken to a whole new place. Vogue reports that the style of each drawing took inspiration from Frans Hals' 1624 painting, "The Laughing Cavalier."
When Fanning glided down the carpet with those details in tow, she earned herself a fashion moment that'll be remembered for some time to come.
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