Cannes fashion: Maura, Joan steal show

Cannes fashion is always part movie premiere, part power ranking, and opening night on May 12 made that obvious fast. The films mattered, sure, but the loudest style conversation settled around two very different stars: Maura Higgins making her first Cannes appearance, and Joan Collins reminding everyone that old-school glamour still hits hardest at this festival. That matters more this year because Cannes has been leaning harder into dress-code discipline, which changes the game. When the sheer, barely-there route gets squeezed, silhouette and presence have to do the work. ### Why was Maura Higgins suddenly in the mix? Higgins arrived at Cannes just days after talking about moving on from the “Love Island” orbit, and her debut looked designed to make that transition feel official. She wore a strapless black gown by Andrew Kwon with a bold white band tracing the neckline — simple idea, sharp execution, very Cannes in the most classic sense. The point was not volume or gimmick. The point was control. (marieclaire.com) ### Why did that dress land? Because Cannes loves black and white when it wants to signal seriousness without going dull. Higgins’ look nodded to that Riviera formula — clean contrast, bare shoulders, no visual clutter. Marie Claire even framed it as a move away from villa-TV styling and toward proper red-carpet polish. Basically, it read like a debut that knew exactly what room it was entering. (marieclaire.com) ### And Joan Collins? Collins did the opposite of “quiet,” but in a very disciplined way. She showed up for the opening ceremony and the screening of *La Vénus électrique* in a custom Stéphane Rolland haute couture gown described as an orchid design, with sculptural ruffles building out the neckline and shoulders. At 92, she did not dress like someone trying to look younger. She dressed like someone who already understands the assignment better than everyone else. (marieclaire.com) ### Why did her look cut through so hard? Because Cannes still has a weakness for full Hollywood entrance energy. Collins brought that in one shot — dramatic shape, couture label, and a face people instantly recognize. There’s also a contrast effect here. A lot of modern red-carpet dressing tries to win by being revealing or ironic. Collins won by being exact. Think of it like showing up to a playlist war with a live orchestra. (hellomagazine.com) ### What was the actual event they attended? This was the opening ceremony of the 79th Festival de Cannes on Tuesday, May 12, followed by the premiere of Pierre Salvadori’s *La Vénus électrique* at the Grand Théâtre Lumière. The festival runs May 12 through May 23, 2026, so these were the first big “red steps” images of the edition — the ones that set the visual tone for everything that follows. (hellomagazine.com) ### Why does the dress code matter here? Because once Cannes signals limits on nudity or transparency, the center of fashion gravity shifts. Designers and stylists have to compete with tailoring, fabric, line, and attitude instead of pure exposure. That helps explain why Higgins’ two-tone restraint and Collins’ sculptural couture felt so dominant on night one. They were playing the game Cannes is currently rewarding. (festival-cannes.com) ### Was this bigger than just two dresses? Yes — opening-night galleries already showed Cannes doing what it always does at its best: turning one staircase into a referendum on celebrity image. Higgins used it as a career-upgrade moment. Collins used it as a reminder that legend status still carries visual authority. Same carpet, different stakes, both clear. ### Bottom line? The first Cannes red carpet of 2026 was not about chaos. (marieclaire.com) It was about control. Maura Higgins looked like a newcomer who understood the code, and Joan Collins looked like someone who helped write it. (festival-cannes.com)