Red Carpet Goddess: Thai-British actress and L'Oreal Paris Ambassador Araya A. Hargate in Alexis Mabille Couture Fall 2014
This year's Cannes Film Festival has been OUT OF CONTROL FABULOUS in terms of the COUTURE that has been on display on the red carpet. I've covered my Top Ten Best Dressed (or Best Dresses!) of Cannes 2017 Day 1-3 which you can read HERE, so now it is time to continue my "Red Carpet Report" and discuss my Top Ten Best Dresses of Cannes 2017 Days 4-6. Lots of $100,000+ costing gowns to discuss. Oh, and on a side note: Why actresses don't look THIS COUTURE FABULOUS at the Academy Awards is beyond me and very, very frustrating but oh well. It seems the red carpet mantra is...Oscars: Safe. Cannes: Go For It!
Gown Divas: (L to R) Araya A. Hargate, Sonam Kapoor and Aishwrya Rai Bachchan--2017 Cannes Film Festival Cannes France
Let's begin with one of the Red Carpet Divas of the Cannes 2017 Festival--Thai-British (and slightly pregnant) actress Araya "Chompoo" A. Hargate. I must admit that I had no idea who she was until this year's Cannes Film Festival--even with her (as of writing this post) 7.2 MILLION Instagram followers! But now, darlings...she is my new favorite STYLE MUSE...
Queen Araya: Araya A. Hargate at "The Meyerowitz Stories" Cannes 2017 Premiere--Araya wore this entrance-making gown from French designer Alexis Mabille Couture Fall 2014. This style may be from a 3-year-old collection, however, it is still SO NOW, and SO RED CARPET FAB! The strapless design featured an off-white column gown with a gorgeous lipstick red "puffy" overcape attached in the bust line with volants and Empire-waisted bustier. All that stitching you see on the overcape was done BY HAND. It's Haute Couture after all. Araya sure knows how to make an entrance! Definitely, one of my Best Dressed of Days 4-6 Cannes 2017 Film Festival.
Fuchsia Araya: Leave it to Ms. Hargate to not just have one--but TWO--of my Best Dresses from Days 4-6 Cannes Film Festival 2017. This is another fabulous gown that she wore, this time to the Premiere of "120 Beats Per Minute" (120 Battements Par Minute). This UBER Princess gown is from Zuhair Murad Spring/Summer 2017 Haute Couture. The gown was EVERYTHING! Araya has learned that if there was ever a moment to wear SUPER HUGE ballgowns...it's Cannes! (Maybe Aishwarya Rai Bachchan taught her this!).
The strapless gown featured an asymmetrically placed front bodice bow and multi layered silk tulle ballgown skirt all sewn by hand. How anyone sits in one of those small velvet movie theater chairs in this $100,000+ costing Couture gown is beyond me. But, she looked beautiful and Red Carpet perfect--at least for Cannes.
Sonam Kapoor in Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2017 to "The Killing of a Scared Deer" Cannes 2017 Premiere: Bollywood super-actress and L'Oreal Paris Ambassador (naturally!) wore this golden gown from Elie Saab Haute Couture. The gown featured gold and crystal hand-cut lace applique over nude tulle column gown with overskirt with a plunging sweetheart neckline. She looked DIVINE. The gown was the finale "Wedding Gown" look of his most recent Haute Couture collection shown in Paris in January of this year. The gown--as seen on the runway--was a tad bit more "revealing". For Sonam, there were more golden appliques added to cover her up and the sequin work was changed so it didn't look so much like palm trees in a Dubai dessert oasis.
Sonam Kapoor in Custom Elie Saab Couture to "The Meyerowitz Stories" Cannes 2017 Premiere: Yes kids, Sonam Kapoor is now TWICE on my Best Dressed of Days 4-6 of Cannes 2017 List. In other words, this Bollywood Diva is SLAYING it! I loved this pink sequined-and-organza-crinoline gown from Elie Saab Haute Couture. The gown had a gorgeous column base dress with a soft silk georgette overskirt. It was belted and she accessorized it with...
FABULOUS jewels including those incredible finger-to-wrist bracelets. Oh, and by the way, did I mention that her gown was CUSTOM?. So, yeah, not just Haute Couture but really, really, really...made JUST FOR HER. For free! (This would be beyond the $100,000 price tag). Kapoor has 10 MILLION Instagram followers so I am guessing the Elie Saab P.R. crew is hoping some of those followers might buy an Elie Saab perfume or pair of sunglasses the next time they're in at Duty Free or a high-end department store! Irregardless, Thank You Sonam for being Two-For-Two in the Fab Cannes Red Carpet Moments!
Andie MacDowell in Roberto Cavalli at "The Meyerowitz Stories" Cannes 2017 Premiere: Model/Actress Andie MacDowell looked gorgeous at Cannes in this black and violet gown from Italian fashion brand Roberto Cavalli. The gown was elegant, chic, and sexy! And MacDowell looked AMAZING in it. I loved the shape, the dramatic bow, the draped bodice and side front slit. Andie is almost 60 years old (You GO GIRL!) and seriously, she could teach some of the 20-year-old's a lesson in red carpet fabulousness!
Aishwarya Rai in Ralph & Russo Spring/Summer 2017 Couture at the "120 Beats Per Minute" Cannes 2017 Premiere: Oh yes...everyone bow down to Queen Aishwarya. I love that she basically has showed up to this year's Cannes Film Festival to show everyone in the world why she was crowned Miss World many, many years ago. This gorgeous actress/model/Bollywood Diva has still got it (not that anyone thought she lost it!). I loved this strapless red ballgown (Aishwarya loves a ballgown!) from Ralph & Russo S/S 2017 Couture collection.
The original style--as seen on the catwalk--featured a less-structured bustier (mainly because it was for the super teeny 32" bust measuring model!), and for Rai Bachchan, the bustier was constructed with a little more, shall we say, support. I thought Aishwarya looked like a Red Carpet Goddess...in Red! One of these days, she just needs to bring out that "Miss World" crown and just wear it on the red carpet. It would make A LOT of gays very, very happy! (i.e.: Me!).
Eva Longoria Marchesa Pre-Fall 2017 at "The Killing of a Scared Deer" Cannes 2017 Premiere: Miss Eva gave you some Cannes Red Carpet Realness in this blush colored sequined-and-applique tulle gown from Marchesa Pre-Fall 2017. This is such a beautiful gown, a beautiful 30's-like silhouette, but updated with the nude/blush coloring. I especially loved the capelet detail of the gown and her styling was perfection. Muy bella Eva!
Lana El Sahely in Ralph & Russo Couture Fall/Winter 2016 at "The Killing of a Scared Deer" Cannes 2017 Premiere: Freelance stylist and founder of LArmoireDeLana Blog, Lana El Sahely wound up wearing one of my Top Ten Best Dresses from Cannes 2017 Days 4-6. I have no idea who she is but she was important enough to get a free Ralph & Russo Couture gown--at least for a night. And it looked gorgeous! The style featured white silk crepe gown with pale blue silk organza overskirt hand appliqued with ruffles and embellished with China blue silk thread-work, crystals and glass bead embroidery.
Barbara Meier in Alexis Mabille Spring 2017 Couture at "The Meyerowitz Stories" Cannes 2017 Premiere: German fashion model and actress--best known as the winner of the 2nd cycle of Germany's Next Top Model--wore one of my Top Ten Best Dresses of Cannes 2017 Days 4-6. This royal blue gown was from French designer Alexis Mabille. His Couture creations have been getting some exposure at Cannes which is great; I ADORE his designs. This dress featured an off-the-shoulder style with sequined godets highlighting the neckline with a beautiful simple belted column gown. I also loved her center parted chignon hairstyle.
Last but Not Least in my Top Ten Best Dressed of Cannes 2017 Days 4-6...
Naomi Campbell in Atelier Versace Spring 2017 at the Cannes Fashion For Relief Fundraiser Gala: Leave it to Miss Naomi Campbell to make it onto my Top Ten Best Dressed of Cannes 2017 Days 4-6. She wore this super sexy Atelier Versace Spring/Summer 2017 gown at the "Cannes Fashion For Relief" fundraiser event. The blush colored silk georgette dress featured an intricate Swarovski crystal encrusted web over the base of the gown, as well as side front slit to show off Campbell's iconic legs. This was a perfect choice for Naomi and she, naturally, wore it fabulously.
