Cannes 2026: Demi Moore, Jane Fonda, and Heidi Klum Lead the Most Talked-About Red Carpet of the Year

The 79th Annual Cannes Film Festival arrived on May 12, 2026, and within hours it had already delivered fashion moments, a surprise pregnancy announcement, and a dress code update that no one saw coming. For a week that is officially about cinema, an awful lot of people are talking about the clothes.
The Rule Change Nobody Expected
Before a single celebrity set foot on the red carpet, Cannes made headlines for updating its official charter. The festival’s long-standing dress code — evening wear only, no sneakers, no oversized bags — got a specific new addition: a formal ban on full nudity.
A festival representative confirmed the update was designed to reflect rules that had long been understood but never explicitly written down, clarifying that the goal was not to regulate fashion broadly but to prohibit full nudity on the carpet in line with French law.
The change came after years of increasingly sheer looks from some of Hollywood’s biggest names and a 2022 incident in which a topless protester was escorted off the carpet after removing her dress mid-appearance. The rulebook, it seems, finally caught up with the reality of modern red carpet dressing.
Also formally prohibited under the updated rules: voluminous gowns with oversized trains that block foot traffic or make seating inside the theater difficult — a practical consideration that left some wondering how it would be enforced, given the parade of dramatic trains that followed.
The Announcement That Stopped the Carpet
On May 14, actor Dylan Sprouse and model Barbara Palvin made the kind of announcement that tends to overshadow everything else around it. The couple, attending the screening of “Histoires Parallèles,” revealed they are expecting their first child together.
Palvin, 32, wore a light blue dress with cap sleeves flowing into a feathered skirt and posed with one hand resting beneath a visible baby bump. Sprouse, 33, stood beside her in a tuxedo with his arm around his wife. The couple later shared a quieter photo on Instagram — Sprouse seated, Palvin perched on the armrest leaning into him, both still dressed from the evening.
The announcement drew immediate attention across social media, with fans celebrating the news throughout the festival week.
Demi Moore: The Jury Member Who Became the Fashion Story
Few people attending Cannes this year have made as many red carpet appearances as Demi Moore — and none have made them count quite as consistently.
As a serving jury member, Moore has been required on the carpet for each major screening, and she has treated every appearance as a separate fashion statement. On opening night, May 12, she attended the jury photocall in a white balloon-cut Jacquemus Le Palmier dress covered in red, black, yellow, and blue polka dots, paired with a matching printed bag. That same evening, for the opening ceremony and the “La Vénus Electrique” screening, she returned in a custom Jacquemus sequined dress with an oversized corset and layered diamond necklaces.
Her most-discussed look came on May 13, when the actress, 63, walked the carpet for the “La Vie D’Une Femme” screening in a purple off-the-shoulder Gucci gown. The design featured a sweetheart neckline, a high slit, and iridescent fabric that caught the light at every angle. She completed the look with matching purple pumps, Chopard diamond chandelier earrings, and an oversized sparkling silver ring.
Online reaction was divided but enthusiastic. On Facebook, commenters called the look everything from “gorgeous” to “gift wrap,” with one Instagram user declaring her “the best dressed woman in Hollywood.” On May 14, she continued the run in a sculptural red gown made of crinkled fabric for the “Fatherland” screening.
Jane Fonda and Joan Collins: Two Legends, One Night
The opening ceremony on May 12 produced what many are calling the image of the festival so far — Jane Fonda and Dame Joan Collins on the same red carpet, on the same night, both dressed as though they had a point to prove.
Fonda, attending as a jury member, wore a long-sleeved black sequined gown that was understated by Cannes standards and completely commanding in every other sense. Collins, 92, arrived in a custom Stéphane Rolland Haute Couture white orchid long gown paired with black opera gloves, diamond chandelier earrings, and a matching necklace.
Fan reaction online was warm for both women, though notably enthusiastic when it came to Collins. Multiple Facebook commenters declared she “stole the show,” with several noting that her look felt “more natural” and “more glamorous.” Fonda drew her own devoted admirers, with one fan noting her resemblance to her father Henry Fonda and praising her long career of standout performances.
The candid comments were not all complimentary — several viewers noted that both women “walked like older ladies” while simultaneously praising the fact that they were still in heels. The general consensus, however, was that both women showed up and delivered.
Heidi Klum Brought Multiple Looks and Zero Apologies
If one guest arrived at Cannes 2026 with a clear intention to dominate the fashion conversation, it was Heidi Klum. The supermodel, 52, wore two separate looks on opening night alone.
For the Opening Ceremony dinner, she arrived in a shimmering gold fringe dress covered in cascading metallic tassels. Reaction was split — some called it tacky, others called it a “real wow dress.” The Facebook consensus leaned favorable, with one commenter praising it as “gorgeous, curvy, feminine and sexy without being naked.”
Later that same evening, for the “La Vénus Electrique” screening, Klum changed into a peach Elie Saab strapless gown from the brand’s Fall/Winter 2025 couture collection, featuring a sculpted silhouette, a large flower at the center, and a long dramatic train.
She was spotted the following day at the Hotel Martinez in a long black wrap dress, and that evening attended a dinner celebration in a blush-pink shimmering gown with soft pink feather details. On May 14, she appeared in a crystal-studded strapless gown styled to resemble a mermaid’s tail, paired with iridescent open-toe stilettos and diamond earrings.
Four days in, Klum had already logged more outfit changes than most attendees manage across an entire festival.
What Cannes 2026 Is Really Saying
Fashion has always been part of the Cannes conversation, but this year it feels particularly central. With a dress code that drew international attention before the first premiere, a jury packed with style icons, and a pregnancy announcement made on the red carpet, the 79th festival has given its audience more than enough to talk about both inside and outside the Palais des Festivals.
The films, of course, continue. But for millions watching from home, Cannes 2026 is unfolding as much on the carpet as on the screen — and the stars showing up this year seem to know exactly what they’re doing.