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Halle Berry had to ditch her Gaurav Gupta dress at Cannes due to festival's new dress code: 'The train is too big'
Halle Berry admitted that she had to let go of a Gaurav Gupta dress for her red carpet appearance at the Cannes 2025 opening ceremony due to the new dress code.
The first casualty of Cannes Film Festival's new dress code, disallowing nudity and extravagantly large dresses on the red carpet, is jury member Halle Berry. The Hollywood star admitted that she had to change her outfit at the last minute, ditching a dress designed for her by Indian designer Gaurav Gupta. (Also read: Cannes Film Festival prohibits 'nudity' and 'voluminous' dresses from red carpet for 2025 event)
Halle Berry on change of plans for Cannes
New regulations banning nudity on the red carpet as well as long dress trains meant Berry had to leave a gown she had chosen for the opening night in her wardrobe.
"I had an amazing dress to wear tonight by Gupta, and I cannot wear it because the train is too big," the Oscar winner told reporters, referring to the Indian designer Gaurav Gupta, who has previously dressed rapper Cardi B and made big statement gowns for the Met Gala. "Of course, I'm going to follow the rules," the American actor, who is on the jury that will decide which film wins the Palme d'Or top prize, said.
But many others flout the rules
Yet others clearly did not. German model Heidi Klum sported a pink train that was at least three metres (10 feet) long on the first red carpet of the festival, while a Chinese actor and influencer, Wan Qianhui, also appeared in an enormous white marshmallow mountain of white taffeta.
Halle Berry, who won an Oscar for Monster's Ball, also backed the festival organisers on clamping down on overly risque outfits with new written rules. "The nudity part is probably also a good rule," she said.
Cannes Film Festival's new dress code
Cannes organisers raised eyebrows Monday by putting their dress rules publicly into writing for the first time. "It is not about regulating" what people wear but "to ban total nudity on the red carpet, in line with French law", a spokesman told AFP.
The Cannes red carpet has seen a procession of daring and revealing looks over the years, with model Bella Hadid in particular sending social media into a spin with a plunging, sculptural Schiaparelli creation in 2021.
After years of rows and controversies, Cannes has also clarified its rules on footwear, with many accusing it of forcing women to wear high heels.
The rule has now been clearly codified. The festival has decreed that "elegant shoes or sandals with or without heels" are allowed, a change that this year's jury president, French Oscar-winner Juliette Binoche, hailed as "a very good idea", joking that she was speaking from "experience".
(With AFP inputs)
