The Most Stylish Metallic Dresses at Cannes of All Time

My picks of the most elegant metallic dresses to ever be worn at Cannes Film Festival

The number of #metallic dresses worn at Cannes film festival is vast. Especially with the continuing metallic trend of recent years. However, whilst many women have looked glowing in their light reflecting dress of choice, I have picked out my own particular favourites:

Model Alessandra Ambrosio wearing a shining hooded Elie Saab dress at Cannes Film Festival 2023. I love the choice of Pomellato jewellery which perfectly compliments the gown. (elle.com)

A closer look at Alessandra Ambrosio's exquisite Pomellato jewellery. (vogue.co.uk)

Actress Blake Lively wearing a glittering nude Atelier Versace dress at Cannes Film Festival 2016. (harpersbazaar.com)

Actress Gemma Chan wearing a gold flower detailed Oscar de la Renta gown, with a train, at Cannes Film Festival 2021. (harpersbazaar.com)

Model Jasmine Tookes wearing a shimmering silver gown at the Loreal 20th anniversary party during Cannes Film Festival 2017. (theplace2.ru)

Actress Diane Kruger wearing a sculpted silver sequin Vivienne Westwood dress at Cannes Film Festival 2012. (harpersbazaar.com)

Model Luma Grothe wearing a gold cut-out halterneck Zuhair Murad jumpsuit/dress, from his Couture Spring 2020 Collection, at Cannes Film Festival 2021. (graziamagazine.com)

A closer look at the intricate material and backless design of the golden Zuhair Murad piece worn by Luma Grothe in 2021. (graziamagazine.com)

Actress Wu Ke-Xi in shimmering multicoloured Dior Haute Couture at Cannes Film Festival 2019. (elle.com)

Model Lais Ribeiro wearing a stunning green halter neck Ali Karoui Couture dress at Cannes film festival 2018. (harpersbazaar.com)

Actress Deepika Padukone in an ultra-reflective black Louis Vuitton dress. (vogue.fr)

Jasmine Tookes wearing a glittering Zuhair Murad cut-out dress at Cannes Film Festival 2022. (vogue.fr)

The back of Jasmine Tookes' magnificent Zuhair Murad cut-out dress. (people.com)

Actress Alicia Vikander wearing a stand out custom bronze Louis Vuitton dress at Cannes Film Festival 2022. (graziamagazine.com)

The back of Alicia Vikander's custom bronze Louis Vuitton dress. (redcarpet-fashionawards.com)

Model Irina Shayk wearing a full length silver and bronze sequin gown by Prada at Cannes Film Festival 2017. (telegraph 2017)

Actress Eva Longoria wearing a mirrored Cristina Ottaviano dress and Chopard jewellery. The mirror effect of this dress makes it stand out as a more unusual metallic option. (vogue.fr)

Model Natasha Poly wearing a grey/blue metallic hooded gown by Atelier Versace from their S/S 2019 collection. Cannes film festival 2019. (enigma-mag.com)

Let me know in the comments which of the chosen metallic dresses you like the most. I absolutely love hooded dresses and Zuhair Murad but my favourite one of all is Deepika Padukone's dramatic black Louis Vuitton gown. Thank you for viewing, Gina.

Image Sources

https://www.enigma-mag.com/our-favourite-looks-from-the-amfar-gala-cannes/

https://www.elle.com/uk/fashion/celebrity-style/g27271385/cannes-red-carpet/

https://www.elle.com/fashion/celebrity-style/g27466507/cannes-film-festival-dresses-2019/?slide=2

https://graziamagazine.com/articles/alicia-vikander-cannes-2022/

https://graziamagazine.com/articles/luma-grothe-cannes-film-festival/

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/red-carpet-dresses/g20529068/cannes-2018-red-carpet/?epik=dj0yJnU9dDFaSW9nbjFEUGFSeUo4Rl9ISTc1NTVGcGZXd0l1ZzEmcD0wJm49SUc5MWtOVlk4c2djVXJlRXNqQXAwQSZ0PUFBQUFBR1JtakFJ

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/style-files/news/g34356/best-ever-cannes-dresses/?epik=dj0yJnU9N2dCT1piRm52MWdMME1VVWhvYVRkVGt1b3dPdlpUQnEmcD0wJm49U2lSZEhzTDlyTDBMbDhuQnctd0pvQSZ0PUFBQUFBR1JtWEFj

https://people.com/style/cannes-2022-best-style/

https://www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com/2022/05/22/alicia-vikander-wore-louis-vuitton-to-the-holy-spider-cannes-film-festival-premiere/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/body/irina-shayks-post-baby-body-has-caused-sensation-cannes-week/

https://www.theplace2.ru/photos/Jasmine-Tookes-md4752/pic-937396.html

https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/cannes-film-festival-2023-best-jewellery

https://www.vogue.fr/fashion/galerie/cannes-film-festival-2022-glittering-dresses-trend

10 Instagram Accounts for Lovers of Vintage Fashion

If you want to introduce extra vintage style and beauty into your life, these are the Instagram pages to follow

Since childhood, I have been fascinated by the characteristics and glamour of vintage fashion. In the early 2000s I would watch black and white movies and flip through magazines to soak in as much vintage glamour as I could find. I had the 1946 movie 'Gilda', starring Rita Hayworth, on videotape and must have watched it more than fifty times. Today, there is such a vast amount of high quality vintage fashion content, available to view for free, online. Amongst the Instagram accounts below, you are sure to find content that satisfies your need for timeless style.

Gilda will always have a place in my heart. Rita Hayworth in 1946's 'Gilda'. (liveauctioneers.com)

1. @butchwaxvintage

This is probably my favourite vintage fashion account to follow on Instagram. Amanda Suter has an eye for the most striking vintage pieces, from across the 20th century, and models them so beautifully. The magenta shade of the 1930's dress (shown below) is gorgeous and, to me, 30's fashion is the pinnacle of style and glamour.

A beautiful sheer magenta dress from the 1930s. Click image for link to Instagram post.

2. @xtabayvintage

Xtabay is a vintage clothing store, founded in 2001, who sell online and from their brick and mortar boutique in Portland, Oregon. Their Instagram page is worth following to see the exquisite new additions to their store. Many of the items are 1950's and 1960's dresses and they also sell vintage accessories.

Gorgeous coral coloured silk chiffon evening dress and scarf from the 1950s by Caryle. To me, this looks like the sort of outfit that Grace Kelly would have worn. Click image for link to Instagram post.

3. @strawberrystarlette

Emilia (@strawberrystarlette) shares her classic and often colourful 1940's style. This account is perfect to follow if you'd like to incorporate 1940's style pieces into your wardrobe and need inspiration. She adheres her style to a particular era in a way that looks effortless, charming and upbeat.

@strawberrystarlette wearing a light wool 1940's coat (that she found in a thrift store), a turban hat by ParlorMo on Etsy and a blue dress by Gabriele Sabe. Click image for link to Instagram post.

4. @s.nova.vintage

Anastasiia Nova shares aesthetic images of her beautifully styled, vintage inspired looks. She has eclectic taste and draws inspiration from a range of eras and cultures.

Nova is bringing back the wearing of gloves on a regular basis. Here she is wearing a 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' inspired look. Click image for link to Instagram post.

5. @vintagefashionguild

This particularly informative vintage fashion account, run by the Vintage Fashion Guild, focuses on vintage and historical pieces. It's the perfect page to follow if you want to widen your knowledge of fashion while viewing beautiful gowns.

The magnificent red gown worn by Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara in 1939's 'Gone With The Wind'. It was designed by Walter Plunkett and is made of silk velvet, glass beads and ostrich feathers. Click image for link to Instagram post.

6. @la_coquette_parisienne

La Coquette Parisienne documents the height of French elegance and style throughout the centuries. A perfect Instagram follow for Francophiles and lovers of fashion alike.

A white satin Christian Dior A/W 1955 dress with grey pearls. Click image for link to Instagram post.

7. @katestrasdin

An informative account, with a central focus on striking 19th and 20th century dresses, by fashion historian and senior lecturer at Falmouth University, Kate Strasdin. Strasdin has an interest in stitching and many of the posts include close-up images of embroidery and detailing.

An 1860's pale green satin gown with a typical silhouette of the period. Click image for link to Instagram post.

8. @_ardenconroy_

An account with a focus on Gilded Age, Edwardian and Jazz Age fashion. As someone with a soft spot for 1920's style and movies I love to see flapper era dresses. It also amazes me to see them in colour. I've noticed that 1920's dresses were often vibrant and green was a strong trend at the time.

A green chiffon dress and matching shawl with fringing from 1925-1929 (maker unknown). Click image for link to Instagram account.

9. @thiswasfashion

An informative vintage fashion account, with a focus on glamour, by the author of the book 'This Was Hollywood', Carla Valderrama.

Model Joan Whelan in a silk taffeta polka-dot dress and matching headpiece by Emilio Pucci. Spring/Summer 1955. Click image for link to Instagram post.

10. @ladame.vintagefashion

This account posts aesthetic and inspiring vintage fashion content in connection with the label 'La Dame'.

Zsa Zsa Gabor wearing pink Schiaparelli in 1952's 'Moulin Rouge'. Click image for link to Instagram post.

Let me know in the comments what you think of my choices: which image/account do you like the most? Also, what is your favourite vintage fashion era and do you recommend any particular vintage fashion Instagram accounts? Click on the Pinterest logo below if you want to see my vintage fashion boards. As always, thank you for viewing, Gina.

Non-Linked Image Sources

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/price-result/rita-hayworth-gilda-1946/

Instagram Accounts Included

https://www.instagram.com/butchwaxvintage/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/xtabayvintage/

https://www.instagram.com/strawberrystarlette/

https://www.instagram.com/s.nova.vintage/

https://www.instagram.com/vintagefashionguild/

https://www.instagram.com/la_coquette_parisienne/

https://www.instagram.com/katestrasdin/

https://www.instagram.com/_ardenconroy_/

https://www.instagram.com/thiswasfashion/

https://www.instagram.com/ladame.vintagefashion/

Chanel Resort 2024 Delivers Barbiecore & Clashing Prints

The Chanel Resort '24 Collection has received varied responses; let's look at the reasons why:

This week, I've seen very mixed and dramatic reactions on Twitter to the Chanel Resort 2024 collection. Since the death of Karl Lagerfeld in 2019, the creative director of Chanel has been Virginie Viard. Karl Lagerfeld led Chanel from 1983 to 2019 and successfully redefined and modernised the company while paying homage to Coco Chanel. This creates a great challenge for Viard as she needs to maintain the success and core of the company while applying her own stamp. Whilst some looks of the latest collection have been well received, there is also clearly room for improvement when it comes to responses. To illustrate this, I've shared a selection of varying opinions from fashion Twitter accounts below (click on a tweet for link to the post):

This tweet by @iamthespecialk highlights a dissatisfaction with the styling of the collection.

The collection is eclectic and clearly has numerous influences. Inspiration has been pulled from a number of decades with 1980's style leg warmers, a gold hooded top reminiscent of Yves Saint Laurent's 1992 gold hooded dress and 00's style belly chains all included.

The collection features numerous current trends with sheer materials, metallics, the hood, bold colours and barbiecore all featuring. With this inclusion of multiple trends Chanel seem to be embracing the current "widespread maximalist movement known as dopamine dressing". (Emma Childs, Marie Claire, March 2023) Whilst the mixing of influences and materials is interesting, the sheer quantity of styles within this collection creates a lack of cohesion. This explains why there are mixed Twitter responses as whilst there are desirable pieces, they are not presented to their full effect.

This Chanel Resort '24 metallic gold hooded top seems to have been influenced by a Yves Saint Laurent 1992 gold hooded dress. It is one of the more glamorous pieces in the Chanel Resort 2024 collection. (vogue.com)

The iconic gold lamé hooded dress at the Yves Saint Laurent Winter 1992 show. (tatler.com)

I was pleased to see the likeness between the two looks included in a Tweet. I had also thought this because I have recently included the 1992 gold Yves Saint Laurent hooded dress in the post 'The Origin and Glamour of the Hooded Dress'.

With actress Margot Robbie, star of 'Barbie', having attended the runway show it's hardly surprising that the collection incorporates #barbiecore. Barbiecore is currently a focus within fashion as 'Barbie' is set to be released in cinemas on 21st July 2023. Chanel have opted for a pastel approach to barbiecore. The barbieesque pieces in the Chanel Resort 2024 collection are some of the most successful; the choice of pastel shades (especially for tweed/bouclé suits) aligns with Chanel's history and differentiates them from the bright pink of Valentino.

This three piece pastel pink tweed/bouclé set is in typical Chanel style. (vogue.com)

Claudia Schiffer wearing a classic tweed/bouclé Chanel skirt suit in pastel pink. Chanel Spring 1992 Ready-to-Wear. (vogue.com)

My favourite barbiecore items in the collection are these fun, colourful matching printed shorts and shirt. They have a 1990's Barbie feel to them. (vogue.com)

Valentino's all bright pink A/W '22 collection was bold and focused. (behindtheblinds.be)

The strong traits of barbiecore didn't go unnoticed amongst Twitter users:

Whilst the pastel pink barbie-style items are some of the more attractive in the collection, the above tweets don't convey a sense of excitement in response. It seems to have been viewed as a purely commercial move by Chanel rather than something with real inspiration and originality. The gold hooded top matched with a belly chain (shown above) is one of my favourite looks. I can't help thinking that the incorporation of more elements of old-school glamour would have elevated this collection. Also, this would have tied in strongly with the LA theme of the show. According to Fashionista, the show "presents a nostalgic, romanticized image of Los Angeles" and is "a cute escape from the cities everyday realities". (fashionista.com) However, with LA being home to Hollywood and beautiful beaches, and therefore globally associated with glamour, I think that Chanel could have taken this romantic imagery much further.

When viewing the collection for the first time, the 1980's style leg warmers are the first thing that stood out to me. With the 1980's not being a current trend, I couldn't understand why leg warmers had been included. However, the tweet by @andriana (included above) that links them to barbiecore makes perfect sense. Nevertheless, to me the black leg warmers teamed with a swimsuit (shown below) evoke 1983's 'Flash Dance' rather than a pastel and pink wearing workout Barbie. This highlights how the wide variety of colours, including black, pastels and metallics, may have contributed to a lack of clear vision.

A black swimsuit with cut-outs and silver star details paired with black leg warmers at the Chanel Resort 2024 show. (vogue.com)

Another feature of the collection, that further complicates its overall impression, is the mixing of prints. Mixed prints can look creative and vibrant, but when mixing patterned fabric there is a fine line between what works and what doesn't. The tights and socks in the two images below detract from the outfits due to their dark grey shade and overly elaborate pattern. They are unnecessary and give an Autumn/Winter feel to the looks.

This outfit would have been better presented without the overly detailed, dark tights. (vogue.com)

This outfit would look more attractive without the socks and with toned down accessories. (vogue.com)

Again, in my opinion, the pairing of a dress with a bright pattern with a detailed jacket, leg warmers and a bright metallic bag is overly elaborate. (vogue.com)

I think this outfit would have looked much prettier without the netting. (vogue.com)

Dolce & Gabbana's Spring Ready-to-Wear collection offers multiple examples of how to clash prints. This swimsuit contains a selection of prints that compliment each other's vibrancy. (vogue.com)

Ultimately, whilst this collection does contain appealing pieces, there is a lack of balance. Less is often more and many of the outfits would have more appeal with particular features removed. In my opinion, the barbiecore and metallic elements of the collection are the most attractive. The next Chanel Resort collection would benefit greatly by incorporating less styles and prioritizing them in order to streamline the collection as a whole. Let me know in the comments what you think of this collection and of the opinions shared. Also, what is your take on clashing prints? Thank you for reading, Gina.

Writing Sources

https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/karl-lagerfeld

Article by Dhani Mau. May 10th 2023. Fashionista.

https://fashionista.com/2023/05/chanel-cruise-2023-2024-collection-review

Article by Emma Childs. March 2023. Marie Claire. https://www.marieclaire.com/fashion/spring-2023-color-trends/#section-true-red

Article by Hamish Bowles. 24th November 2020. Vogue.

https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/virginie-viard-chanel

Non-Linked Image Sources

https://www.behindtheblinds.be/crush/valentino-fw22-backstage

https://www.tatler.com/article/red-carpet-hooded-gown-style-history

https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/resort-2024/chanel/slideshow/collection#55

https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/resort-2024/chanel/slideshow/collection#40

https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/resort-2024/chanel/slideshow/collection#49

https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/resort-2024/chanel/slideshow/collection#41

https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/resort-2024/chanel/slideshow/collection#31

https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/resort-2024/chanel/slideshow/collection#2

https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-1992-ready-to-wear/chanel/slideshow/collection#4

https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2020-ready-to-wear/dolce-gabbana/slideshow/collection#40

Twitter Account Sources

https://twitter.com/LAVIDAPRADA

https://twitter.com/chaoswintour

https://twitter.com/MUGLERMIND

https://twitter.com/itneversleepss

https://twitter.com/MIUCClAMUSE

https://twitter.com/imthespecialk

https://twitter.com/jacquemusx