Let’s spend the holiday weekend in Cannes, dear readers. 

FREIDA PINTO
gown by Oscar de la Renta, shoes by Jimmy Choo

The English language has yet to come up with words grand enough to describe Freida Pinto in this bright coral Oscar de la Renta confection. Luckily, I think I can use punctuation to speak for all of us when I respond to this look with a resounding !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JESSICA CHASTAIN
gown by Atelier Versace, shoes by Roger Vivier

This deeply saturated blue is an absolute dream come true on the lovely Ms. Chastain. The matchy shoes are a bit bridesmaid, but the dress is so flawless I can’t bring myself to care. Perfect fit, silhouette, color, etc. Also, let’s all look at the woman behind Jessica and giggle at her facial expression, because it’s silly.

JESSICA CHASTAIN
dress by Alexander McQueen, shoes by Paul Andrew

I need this dress in my life. I’d wear the SHIT out of this thing. The shoes would have been better with a solid-color dress – mixing them with the dress’s very different print wasn’t a great choice – but at least they’re fun and interesting.

JENNIFER LAWRENCE
top and skirt by Christian Dior, sunglasses by Miu Miu, purse by Jimmy Choo

Cannes street style perfection. I love the glam couture gowns that the stars whip out for the Cannes Film Festival, but it’s the effortlessly chic beachy-meets-city-girl daytime looks that make Cannes the best time of the year.

JENNIFER LAWRENCE
jumpsuit by Christian Dior, purse by Roger Vivier, shoes by Brian Atwood

I love everything about this. The problem with J.Law’s Dior contract isn’t that she doesn’t look good in any Dior. It’s that the most dramatic gowns by the label (the ones they want to show off at awards shows and big premieres) tend towards the “fashion bitch” aesthetic, and that’s just not who J.Law is. (Case in point: J.Law in Dior at the Los Angeles Catching Fire premiere.) But when her stylists really mine the Dior lookbooks for something sporty and casual and cool enough for America’s BFF, she looks at home in her outfit, and that comfort level makes all the difference in the world.

JENNIFER LAWRENCE
dress by Christian Dior, purse by Roger Vivier

Too much dress. The length of that skirt makes no sense at all. And I could happily never see another sheer skirt over a minidress on the red carpet, ever again. Oh, well. Two fab Dior looks outta three ain’t bad.

SONIA ROLLAND
gown by Zuhair Murad

Sonia Rolland, I don’t actually know who you are, but I know that I want to be you. I also know that I’m angry at myself for never hearing of you until now. Because if this is standard red carpet fare for you, you’re a diva this Diva needs to know about.

NATASHA POLY
gown by Oscar de la Renta

I love this skirt. You need to be 5’10” like Natasha Poly to pull it off, otherwise your legs will get lost in that insane explosion of fabric. But for the long-legged ladies, this is a seriously fucking fabulous look.

LÉA SEYDOUX
gown by Prada

It’s a tiny bit matronly – something about the color and the fabric ages her, even though I love its vintage feel. I think I’m overall still in love with this look as a whole, but this does not look like a woman in her twenties. The hair and makeup may also be to blame for that effect.

CATE BLANCHETT
gown by Armani Privé

As other-worldly, enigmatic, and ethereal as Cate Blanchett herself. The only reason I didn’t rank this higher is because she’s already worn a few versions of this dress. It’s almost an exact combination of these three Armani Privé looks: her Deauville Film Festival dress from last September; her New York Film Festival dress from October; and of course, her legendary 2014 Oscars gown. All fabulous looks, as is this one, but I like Cate best when she’s surprising me, not recycling previous wardrobe hits.

HILARY SWANK
gown by Atelier Versace, purse and shoes by Jimmy Choo

The draping on that bodice is absolutely spectacular. Points deducted for the length of the gown, which is sloppy and nonsensical, and for the shoes, which appear to be off-white and platformed (both no-nos for a gown like this one). From the waist-up, this is basically perfection; the rest leaves a bit to be desired.

JESS WEIXLER
gown by Armani Privé

Beautiful detailing on the fabric. And the earrings are outstanding. I predicted Amanda Seyfried would be the one to snag this gown, but it’s a great piece for any starlet.

JULIANNE MOORE
dress and shoes by Lanvin, purse by Tod’s

I’m sure this is supposed to look like something other than a roll of fabric wrapped around Ms. Moore like a toga and secured with some spit and a prayer. It’s actually kind of fabulous in spite of that, but I just can’t get too excited about such a sack-like dress.

JULIANNE MOORE
dress and purse by Calvin Klein

Love the color. Hate the length with a fiery passion. I also think the accessories are way too dressy – she should have gone with less formal, more fun styling to make this look a little less severe.

LUPITA NYONG’O
dress by Calvin Klein

It works because Lupita is the one wearing it, but I don’t really like anything about this, from the fabric to the color to the fit. It’s a size too small on her, and the shininess of the fabric makes it look like plastic.

ROONEY MARA
dress and shoes by Calvin Klein

Rooney Mara continues to wear the only thing she ever wears, and I continue to be bored to tears by her.

ADRIANA LIMA
gown by Alexandre Vauthier, shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti

I’m not a fan of the bodice – I think the cups are very distracting, and the split down the middle looks like an accident – but the skirt is killer.

NAOMI WATTS
dress by Marchesa

Yet another silly, fussy Marchesa cupcake look. When will celebrities finally learn to stay the hell away from these?

NAOMI WATTS
dress by Calvin Klein

From color to fit, this is a sad, sad little dress. And the necklace makes no sense at all.

ROSARIO DAWSON
gown by Dolce & Gabbana

Bitch, this is Cannes. Try for something we haven’t seen on the red carpet six thousand times before.

ROSARIO DAWSON
dress by Sportmax, shoes by Bionda Castana

If ever a dress did NOT need a peplum, it was this one. Aside from the trend being completely tired out at this point, the crazy splatterpaint print is more than enough to look at without the distraction of the peplum. And while the shoes are fun as hell, they’re yet another detail that distracts from the print, which should have been left the hell alone and allowed to shine on its own. Also, is Rosario rocking Skrillex hair? Because I just don’t think I can support that.

MIA WASIKOWSKA
gown by Louis Vuitton

I want to like this, because it’s interesting and it makes her look about a thousand feet tall when she’s actually only 5’4″. But I find Mia Wasikowksa to be one of the most forgettable dressers on the red carpet. Everything is always almost-but-not-quite a good idea, and nothing is ever really memorable.

MIA WASIKOWSKA
dress and shoes by Valentino

I’d actually really like this outfit if it weren’t for the shoes – I think an ankle strap was a mistake with a skirt of this length. But my previous comments re: forgettability (is that even a word?) still apply.

SALMA HAYEK
gown and purse by Saint Laurent

Let’s put things in perspective: Salma Hayek is married to François-Henri Pinault, CEO of Kering. Kering owns basically every fabulous high fashion brand, including Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Gucci, and Saint Laurent. So even if Salma Hayek weren’t incredibly famous in her own right, she would still have more access to high fashion than basically any living human besides Anna Wintour. Now, with all that designer accessibility, wouldn’t you maybe not wear the same basic gown over and over and over again? If not for yourself, then maybe for the sanity of the Democracy Diva? So, no, Salma Hayek does not look bad here, because she’s beautiful and there’s nothing wrong with this dress. But she is basically the First Lady of fashion, and you’d never know it from the way she dresses.

EVA LONGORIA
gown by Vionnet

How unfortunate for Eva Longoria that she ended up on the red carpet midway through shedding her skin.

—
© Democracy Diva, 2014.
. facebook . twitter . pinterest .