May 30, 2012
Models and Celebs Parade Through Cannes
Mark Thompson READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Berenice Marlohe, the newest Bond girl, has been making the red carpet at the 65th annual Cannes Film Festival look like a day at the beach.
One day it was a gold lame gown by Emilio Pucci with a black lace insert on the halter top; on another it was a black lace Roberto Cavalli with a deep V-neck complemented by a chainlike Swarovski crystal necklace.
Also getting attention is Naomi Watts, who has shown a deep closet full of custom-made looks: a Marchesa gown in champagne with feathers and embroidery, a blush-colored Calvin Klein gown with spaghetti straps, a sleeveless cocktail dress with a gray iridescent top and ostrich-feather skirt from Gucci, and a floral-print, sequin-dotted Cavalli with a gold-detailed black blazer.
The Marchesa gown had custom-dyed, hand-stitched feather flowers "cascade down the dress to create an airy and ethereal effect," said designer Georgina Chapman.
Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa thought his sexy slip dress design suited Watts perfectly. "Naomi was the epitome of classic, yet modern glamour in this sensual, sculpted dress," he said. "She looked absolutely flawless."
Kirsten Dunst had a very feminine moment in a demure, white dress by Dolce & Gabbana. She wore her hair swept in an updo decorated with flowers.
For another event, Dunst was in fuchsia Dior.
Many runway models are part of Cannes' fashion show, too, among them Karolina Kurkova in a paillette-covered, V-neck halter by Cavalli with a mermaid hem and long, dangling ruby-and-diamond earrings by Bulgari, and Erin Wasson in a multi-colored beaded-fringe gown by Oscar de la Renta. Irina Shayk wore a cream-and-silver sequined Cavalli minidress with a fringed hemline.
Some fashion statements are coming from the men, especially with their shoes. Brad Pitt paired white lace-ups with his khaki Gucci suit, and Ewan McGregor wore spectator brogues with his navy Marni striped jacket and trousers.
A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.