15 Best Venice Film Festival 2026 Red Carpet Looks From All 11 Days

Venice had some very expensive no-shows this year. The 83rd Venice Film Festival ran September 2–12 with a lighter slate of major Hollywood premieres: Dune: Part Three wasn’t finished, while Warner Bros. kept Tom Cruise’s Digger off the festival circuit for marketing reasons. George Clooney, Penélope Cruz, and Robert Pattinson still made the trip, so the Lido was hardly short on famous faces.

The red carpet leaned into archive dressing and old-school evening glamour, with vintage Armani and past-season couture getting plenty of airtime. Chanel supplied the excess: a newspaper-print gown here, 126,000 sequins there. A quiet year, apparently. From opening night through the closing ceremony, these are our 15 best looks from all 11 days.

1. Amal Clooney in Tom Ford

George Clooney received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement on September 2, and human rights lawyer Amal Clooney joined him in custom Tom Ford by Haider Ackermann. The black silk-taffeta column combined sharp pleats, sheer georgette side panels, and a glossy geometric neckline. Tom Ford’s Vertigo pumps and a patent clutch finished the outfit.

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The pleating gives the dress its bite. Those narrow, uneven folds keep a fitted black gown from feeling predictable, while the sheer sides break up the structure. Consider this the bandage dress with a law degree. Dimitris Giannetos handled her hair and makeup, keeping the finish soft enough to balance all those sharp lines.

2. Claire Foy in Bottega Veneta

Claire Foy opened the festival with Ink, Danny Boyle’s film about Rupert Murdoch and the rise of The Sun. For its September 2 premiere, the Crown actress and stylist Jonathan Huguet committed to red Bottega Veneta: a fluid gown gathered at the waist, matching leather opera gloves, and Swarovski jewelry.

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The gloves are why this makes my list. Their slick finish gives the softer dress some attitude, and carrying the same red all the way down the arms makes the whole outfit feel deliberate. I’d tighten the fabric above the waist knot, but the commitment wins me over. Appropriate attire for discussing a media empire and potentially inheriting it.

3. Kendall Jenner in Vintage Giorgio Armani

Kendall Jenner attended the September 3 premiere of Wild Horse Nine as a guest, with an Armani connection of her own: she’s an Emporio Armani global fragrance ambassador. Her Giorgio Armani Fall 1995 slip dress was silk georgette embroidered with floral branches, iridescent sequins, ocher thread, and honey-colored beads.

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This is the kind of archive pull that makes the new collections work harder. The dress has plenty of detail, but its narrow straps and slightly flared shape keep it light. Loose hair and barely-there beige Aquazzura sandals were the correct supporting cast. Kendall’s most convincing ’90s references tend to come from the actual ’90s.

4. Rooney Mara in Louis Vuitton

Rooney Mara had a family work trip: September 3 brought the premiere of Werner Herzog’s Bucking Fastard, her first film acting alongside sister Kate Mara. Working with stylist Ryan Hastings, Rooney wore a black Louis Vuitton silk-satin gown with fine straps, an angular neckline, and a huge gathered bubble hem. Swarovski Created Diamonds added the sparkle.

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The entire argument for this dress is at the bottom. The straight silhouette suddenly expands into a dense, almost rosette-like hem, making a familiar slip dress much stranger and much better. Her severe little bun keeps the shape clear. Rooney has an excellent record of wearing black as though every other color has personally disappointed her.

5. Mariacarla Boscono in Chanel

Italian supermodel Mariacarla Boscono was another guest at the September 3 Wild Horse Nine premiere, wearing Chanel Cruise 2027, selected by stylist Ramona Tabita. Matthieu Blazy’s newspaper-print tweed gown had a knotted construction, a sweeping train, and a feathered camellia at the bust. Damiani jewelry completed it.

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Print journalism found a new business model. The black-and-white lettering gives this enormous dress a graphic sharpness, and the feathers make it properly theatrical. I love that Boscono left her hair loose; a rigid updo would have made the whole thing feel more ceremonial. She looks comfortable taking up this much space, which is half the job.

6. Bhavitha Mandava in Chanel

Indian model Bhavitha Mandava made her Venice red-carpet debut at the September 4 premiere of Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? A close collaborator of Matthieu Blazy’s at Chanel, she attended as a guest in the closing look from the house’s Resort 2027 collection: an aqua-to-turquoise gown with cascading, fin-like ruffles.

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The receipts are ridiculous: 30,000 heart-shaped sequins, another 96,000 oval sequins, and approximately 1,250 hours of embroidery by Lesage. That’s 126,000 sequins before we even get to the silver sandals. The changing blue tones keep all that shine dimensional, and the trailing ruffles give it movement. Mermaid dressing finally got the budget it deserves. 

7. Robert Pattinson in Dior

Robert Pattinson came to the September 5 premiere of Primetime, the Lance Oppenheim film in which he plays a fictionalized version of TV host Chris Hansen. He arrived with Suki Waterhouse wearing a custom white Dior suit with fine pinstripes, a white shirt, a navy-and-red striped tie, and brown loafers.

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The tie and loafers are what make this work. They give the white tailoring a slightly preppy, lived-in quality, so the outfit feels like clothes he can move around in. The pinstripes also reward a closer look. Wearing this much white within drinking distance of an espresso takes confidence; getting the proportions this right helps.

8. Alicia Vikander in Louis Vuitton

Alicia Vikander returned on September 6 to premiere The Echo Chamber, Andrea Pallaoro’s drama co-starring Luca Marinelli and Susan Sarandon. Her pastel-green Louis Vuitton gown combined a silk bustier with a frilled skirt, a large draped sash, and a soft train. Matching Vuitton sandals appeared beneath the moving layers.

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The pale green is what sells it for me. It gives the ruffles a freshness that keeps the dress from feeling weighed down by its own decoration, while the fitted bodice holds the shape together. Her husband Michael Fassbender joined her in Berluti, but that skirt deserves its own arrival video. Still photos are underselling the situation.

9. Irina Shayk in Romeo Gigli

Russian model Irina Shayk attended the September 7 premiere of L’Estranea as a guest in a black Romeo Gigli gown. Long sleeves and asymmetric draping gave the front a covered-up look; the back had a substantial cutout. Close-fitting boots and Damiani jewelry completed the outfit.

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This earns its place through the cut. The fabric gathers unevenly, the train falls to one side, and the open back keeps the silhouette from getting heavy. The boots are a particularly good choice, continuing the black line beneath the hem. Excellent material for anyone whose response to “You’re wearing black again?” is to wear an even better black dress.

10. Penélope Cruz in Chanel

Penélope Cruz premiered Bunker on September 8 alongside her husband and co-star Javier Bardem. For the occasion, Matthieu Blazy turned details from a Fall 2026 Chanel suit into a custom red gown, keeping its jeweled buttons and flower-and-bead-trimmed peplum while adding a fitted bodice and high slit. Red Gianvito Rossi pumps and Chanel high jewelry finished it.

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This is the Chanel I want on Penélope. The fringe gives the peplum movement, the buttons keep a trace of the original tailoring, and the slit stops all that detail around the waist from making the dress feel fussy. She looks fantastic in this red. The matching shoes suggest she knew exactly how fantastic.

11. Maggie Gyllenhaal in Armani Privé

Maggie Gyllenhaal was in Venice as president of the competition jury, giving her a full festival of films to judge and premieres to dress for. Her September 8 appearance at Bunker brought Armani Privé Fall 2015: a black velvet gown with sculpted shoulders, a plunging neckline edged in crystals, and Bulgari jewelry.

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Those shoulders are excellent. They give the velvet enough structure to feel powerful, while the crystal border draws a clean line down the front. The runway neckline was also adjusted to be less deep, with the illusion panel removed. A smart alteration that preserves the original shape. A jury president should look capable of ending an argument. This does.

12. Pamela Anderson in Carolina Herrera

Pamela Anderson attended the September 9 premiere of Place to Be, in which she appears alongside Ellen Burstyn, Taika Waititi, and Murray Bartlett. Her Carolina Herrera Spring 2019 gown delivered saturated yellow, an off-the-shoulder neckline, and billowing sleeves, with Pandora’s bespoke lab-grown diamonds supplying the jewelry.

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The color is the attraction, but those sleeves make the look. They add volume around her shoulders while her sleek updo keeps the neckline open. Yes, the fabric picked up creases; I’m still keeping this on the list. There’s also a good archive receipt here: Lady Gaga wore a red version in 2018. I prefer Pamela’s yellow. Subtlety had already had plenty of screen time.

13. Natasha Poly in Diesel

Natasha Poly attended the September 10 premiere of Be Brave, Francesco Carrozzini’s documentary about Diesel founder Renzo Rosso, alongside creative director Glenn Martens. The model wore his custom white Diesel gown, which extended a ribbed-jersey tank into a draped skirt and an enormous train. A Damiani choker and silver Oval D pumps added the shine.

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The absurd scale is the entire point, and I’m sold. You can still recognize the ordinary tank underneath all that fabric, which makes it a particularly good choice for a film about Diesel. The train needed help getting down the carpet. Everyone with a white tank top has now been given dangerously unrealistic expectations.

14. Mélanie Laurent in Elie Saab

French actress and filmmaker Mélanie Laurent was still delivering on September 11, when she joined the premiere of Un Bon Avocat, Tristan Séguéla’s film in which she stars with Laurent Lafitte, Anthony Bajon, and Carole Bouquet. She wore Elie Saab Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2025–26, choosing an off-the-shoulder black gown.

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The beaded, embroidered bodice and draped knot at the hip give the satin enough texture to hold your attention, while the long train supplies the appropriate amount of excess. I particularly like the dark embellishment: it keeps the dress rich without breaking up the black. Elie Saab understands the value of a bare shoulder and an unreasonable amount of embroidery. So do I.

15. Greta Scarano in Armani Privé

Italian actress and director Greta Scarano co-hosted the opening and closing ceremonies with Nicolas Maupas, and saved a strong archive pull for September 12. Her Armani Privé Fall/Winter 2012–13 gown paired a black velvet mermaid silhouette with a deep V-neckline edged like crystal-covered tuxedo lapels. Cartier diamonds and emeralds filled the neckline.

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The lapels make this much more interesting than a standard velvet evening dress. They give the top a tailored firmness, then the skirt opens out below the knees. The green stones are exactly the right interruption in all that black. If you’re going to spend the evening announcing winners, dressing like one is a sensible use of the archive.

The archives had an excellent festival

Armani from the ’90s and 2010s still looked completely current, while Blazy’s Chanel made a strong case for the new collections. Hollywood can sort out its release calendar. A 31-year-old dress had no trouble making the trip.