The 83rd Venice Film Festival's Most Iconic Fashion Moments

Ten days on the Lido produced more standout red carpet fashion than almost any other event on the calendar, and the 83rd Venice International Film Festival delivered exactly that. From archival Armani pulled straight from a 1995 collection to a Chanel gown printed like a newspaper, this year’s carpet leaned into genuine spectacle, sculptural silhouettes, unexpected color, and more than one dress that was photographed as if it belonged in a museum rather than a red carpet gallery. Here’s a closer look at the looks that defined the festival.

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Bianca Balti

Bianca Balti opened the festival’s Opening Ceremony with one of its most photographed images, a custom Ilya Migmoon gown in pale pastel pink, its scale immediately setting the tone for the ten days ahead. The satin design featured a sculptural corseted bodice and exaggerated hips before flowing into a long train, while dramatic wings rising from the back gave the entire look an almost angelic quality. For the September 2 premiere of “Ink,” Balti proved that the very first red carpet moment of the festival could still be its most talked-about.

Kendall Jenner

When Kendall Jenner appeared at the Venice Film Festival, she wore an archival dress from Giorgio Armani's Fall/Winter 1995 ready-to-wear collection instead of choosing one from the current season. The gold, heavily beaded floral dress matched well with Briony Raymond's diamond earrings and nude Aquazzura heels, showing that a piece from thirty years ago can still leave a modern red carpet audience in awe. In recent red carpet appearances, Jenner has tended to prefer dressing from the archive, and this style choice at Venice seemed a natural extension of that tendency rather than a mere exception. The beading, incorporated into a dense floral design covering the whole dress, reflected the evening light in a way few fabrics from the current season can. The event was one of the more highly anticipated debuts of the festival's opening days since Jenner has not previously been seen on the Venice red carpet.

Zainab Alblushi

Leaving the main carpet, Zainab Alblushi displayed her own interpretation of Lido glamour in a pearl-hued gown that was off-the-shoulder and richly embroidered, the fabric draped asymmetrically over one shoulder. Alblushi has become a well-known figure at Rami Kadi couture events held at major festivals, often turning to the Beirut-based designer for red-carpet appearances with a romantic touch and heavy embellishment; this visit to Venice was no exception, and it carried that same clear signature. The pearl embroidery reflected light differently depending on the angle, giving the dress a gentle sheen without becoming excessively flashy. Apart from the dress, her overall styling remained fairly simple, so that the gown was the main element of the outfit rather than being matched with heavy jewelry or an elaborate hairstyle. It is precisely because nothing about the look seems hurried or artificially chosen for the occasion that it photographs so well.

Leonie Hanne

For her appearance in Venice, German influencer Leonie Hanne wore a dreamy ivory couture dress from Syrian-born, Dubai-based designer Rami Al Ali's Fall/Winter 2026 collection to the screening of “Succedera Questa Notte”. The strapless dress featured a structured, pleated bodice that fit tightly at the waist before spreading into a soft, flowing skirt, with subtle shimmer and sculptural pleats that added red-carpet flair without sacrificing quiet elegance. Rami Al Ali, who trained in Damascus before setting up his studio in Dubai, has in recent seasons become one of the Arab designers most frequently asked to design for major red carpet events. Hanne kept her jewelry as simple as possible, so the pleated bodice and the fabric's natural movement could create the visual effect as she walked. A long train followed her the full length of the carpet, giving a sense of scale without making the otherwise soft, romantic silhouette too heavy.

Rebecca Donaldson & Carlos Sainz

British model Rebecca Donaldson and Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz Jr. arrived together for the “Ink” premiere in coordinated Giorgio Armani, both serving as ambassadors for the house this festival season. Donaldson’s shimmering silver gown carried a liquid, iridescent effect amplified by fringe detailing along the column silhouette, finished with Bvlgari Serpenti jewelry, while Sainz wore an ivory Armani Made to Measure dinner jacket against black trousers. The pairing became one of the more talked-about Venice Film Festival red carpet moments of the opening night, both wearing the same house without either looking forced or overly matched.

Robert Pattinson & Suki Waterhouse

For their date in Venice before the “Primetime” premiere, Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse showed a clear French touch, which led to Pattinson receiving a seven-minute standing ovation. As a long-time ambassador for Dior, Pattinson wore a boxy, slouchy cream suit with slight pinstripes, consisting of a double-breasted jacket with wide-leg trousers and a maroon-and-blue striped tie. Waterhouse wore a lace Saint Laurent pre-fall 2026 outfit, comprising a coordinated long-sleeve top and a mini skirt, completed with sheer black tights and pointed slingback heels. The two outfits matched effortlessly without being identical, each drawing on a different French brand yet sharing a similar tone of restraint. Both also wore sunglasses throughout the evening light, giving the otherwise sophisticated red-carpet look a slightly more casual touch.

Nicola Peltz Beckham & Brooklyn Beckham

Nicola Peltz Beckham had a full Cinderella moment at the Kinéo Awards, an independent ceremony held alongside the festival since 2002, where she accepted the Rising Star Award in a deep, saturated purple Balenciaga Fall 2026 Haute Couture gown designed by Pierpaolo Piccioli. The sculpted, asymmetric bodice draped over a single shoulder before narrowing into waist cutouts, then exploding into a massive, voluminous skirt with a dramatic train that critics compared to something out of “Dune.” Brooklyn Beckham kept things deliberately simple in a classic black-and-white tuxedo, letting his wife’s couture moment carry the entire red carpet.

Javier Bardem & Penélope Cruz

Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz brought classic Hollywood glamour to the “Bunker” premiere, where the real-life married couple plays an unraveling marriage on screen. Cruz wore custom Chanel, a fitted red column gown based on Look 36 from the house’s Fall/Winter 2026 collection under creative director Matthieu Blazy, complete with a fringed peplum at the waist inspired by a suit from the same collection and a thigh-high slit finished with gold buttons. Bardem opted for a classic black-and-white tuxedo, keeping the focus on his wife’s showstopping custom look. Cruz finished the ensemble with red Gianvito Rossi pumps and Chanel High Jewelry, her signature shoulder-length bob styled with soft, wispy bangs. Given the film’s plot, a marriage unraveling under pressure, the choice to walk the carpet as visibly united as they did added an extra layer of irony that plenty of outlets picked up on.

Mariacarla Boscono

Mariacarla Boscono turned heads at the “Wild Horse Nine” premiere in a Chanel Cruise 2026/2027 gown that reimagined the classic newspaper-print motif in knotted tweed, designed by Matthieu Blazy. Cascading folds and a sweeping skirt carried the black-and-white print, accented with the house’s signature camellia embellished with feathers, while the open-back construction gave the look real movement on the water taxis and canal-side photocalls that followed. The newspaper motif itself carries a long fashion history, most famously associated with Dior’s own take on the print decades earlier, but Blazy’s version leaned into cascading, almost sculptural folds rather than a flat print. Boscono, a longtime face of Italian fashion with decades of runway experience, carried the gown’s considerable scale with the ease that comes from genuine familiarity with couture. Photos of her on a private boat gliding down the Grand Canal, the newspaper print rippling in the wind, became some of the most shared images to come out of the festival’s opening days.

Liza Soberano

Liza Soberano made her Venice Film Festival debut in a striking Robert Wun couture creation for the Artemis Rising Foundation Documentary Award, marking her first appearance at the festival as a juror. The white gown, scattered with delicate 3D butterflies across both the fabric and matching sheer gloves, featured corset-style lacing through the bodice and a voluminous ball skirt. “It’s giving me Audrey Hepburn,” Soberano said of the look in an interview, calling it one of her dream dresses. She wore the gown with a matching wide-brimmed hat for portraits, though she left it behind for the red carpet walk, letting the corset detailing and scattered butterflies speak for themselves. The gown marked her first time in Robert Wun, and she said she was genuinely honored that the designer agreed to dress her for the occasion.

Marina Ruy Barbosa

Brazilian actress Marina Ruy Barbosa made sheer dressing a running theme of her festival, but her standout moment came in a custom Miss Sohee gown inspired by the label’s Spring/Summer 2024 Couture collection. The romantic white design featured a sparkling, heavily embellished bodice with a sculpted corset effect, delicate sheer fabric creating soft, flowing sleeves, and crystal embellishments that carried through to an airy, floor-skimming skirt with a sweeping train. Known internationally for major Brazilian television roles, Barbosa has increasingly become a regular presence on the European red carpet circuit, building a reputation for choosing pieces with genuine architectural detail rather than simple, safe silhouettes. She kept her accessories deliberately understated, a fine necklace and delicate drop earrings, letting the gown’s crystal work carry the entire look without competing for attention. Her hair fell in loose, soft waves that echoed the dress’s romantic, flowing quality.

Eugenia Silva

Spanish model Eugenia Silva delivered two distinct looks over the festival’s opening weekend, both from her longtime red carpet partner Giorgio Armani Privé. Her Opening Ceremony gown, a silver-white structured bustier that opened like a flower with dramatic sculpted side panels, came paired with a ceremonial-inspired tiara. Earlier in the same visit, she wore an archival Armani Privé piece from the house’s Spring/Summer 2010/2011 collection, proving an archive piece can be read as fully contemporary more than a decade later. Silva has attended the festival almost annually for years now, always arriving under the Armani Beauty umbrella that has sponsored the event, making her one of the most reliably Armani-clad faces on the Venice carpet across multiple editions. Not every critic loved the exaggerated side panels on her Opening Ceremony gown; some found the combination of sculptural detail and headpiece slightly too much for one look, but the archive piece drew considerably warmer praise for its restraint.

Sofia Boutella

Sofia Boutella embraced an ethereal, sculptural vision for the world premiere of “The Basics of Philosophy,” part of the film’s cast under director Paul Schrader. Her all-white Stella McCartney gown, from the house’s Autumn 2026 collection, featured a softly satin-finished silhouette with asymmetric draping that wrapped around the décolletage before transforming into a fluid cape across the shoulders, with the fabric doing all the visual work and no single accessory competing for attention. Boutella went accessory-free almost entirely, posing with both hands tucked into the gown’s pockets rather than reaching for jewelry or a clutch. She followed the premiere with two more distinct looks over the same weekend, a black mesh-paneled Stella McCartney dress at the film’s photocall and, off the official carpet, a Miu Miu look worn to the label’s Women’s Tales dinner. Across all three, Boutella leaned consistently toward draping and negative space over embellishment, a clear and deliberate styling thread through her entire festival wardrobe.

Bhavitha Mandava

Bhavitha Mandava wore a shimmering seafoam-green sequin gown from Chanel's Resort 2027 collection, a deep V-neckline and fitted silhouette giving the tweed-inspired sequin work real structure down to a soft, flared hem at the floor. The color itself, somewhere between turquoise and pale jade, caught the light differently with every step, shifting between blue and green depending on the angle. Mandava kept her accessories minimal, a pair of statement drop earrings and delicate silver sandals, letting the dense sequin work carry the entire look without competition. She styled her hair back in soft waves, keeping the focus on the gown's neckline and the dimensional texture running the length of the dress. It's a color choice that stood out clearly against a carpet otherwise dominated by black, white, and deep jewel tones.

Evelyn Kazantzoglou

Evelyn Kazantzoglou chose sleek minimalism over spectacle in a floor-length black column gown, its sole standout detail a sheer, crystal-dusted mesh panel across the chest that broke up the otherwise clean silhouette. Delicate drop earrings and a soft, side-swept updo kept the rest of the look deliberately understated. The gown’s fitted, body-skimming cut required real precision in the tailoring, since a minimal silhouette like this one leaves almost nowhere for an imperfect fit to hide. Against a carpet full of elaborate trains, sculptural panels, and heavy embellishment, Kazantzoglou’s restraint stood out precisely because it didn’t try to compete on scale. It’s the kind of look that photographs just as well from a distance as it does in a close-up detail shot.

Amal Clooney & George Clooney

For the Opening Ceremony, where her husband, George Clooney, was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, Amal Clooney abandoned her typical vibrant Venice style and wore a custom black Tom Ford gown by Haider Ackermann. The floor-length silk taffeta dress featured narrow, sculptural panels with irregular, razor-sharp pleating, transparent side panels, and a geometric patent leather neckline; she completed the look with Tom Ford Vertigo pumps and Cartier jewelry worth nearly $400,000. George wore a classic Giorgio Armani tuxedo. Having spent most of the last ten years turning Venice into a personal display of color, with previous festival appearances ranging from fuchsia taffeta to butter-yellow corsetry, this shift to monochrome black was seen as a real change. Many people interpreted the decision as intentional, with the most striking, attention-drawing features in the dress's construction rather than its color, so the focus stayed on George's achievement that night rather than her dress.

Caylee Cowan

For the 'Company' premiere, Caylee Cowan chose a black wedding dress from the brand Milla Nova, featuring a corseted, sheer-fronted bodice with an embroidered palm pattern that transitions into a dramatically draped mermaid skirt with a full train. This was one of several styles Cowan showed in Venice during the ten-day festival, alongside a nude dress adorned with feathers at the amfAR Gala Venezia. Choosing a real black bridal dress rather than the more traditional white gave the outfit an unexpected sharpness, especially given the many dramatic dresses on show at the festival. Cowan has earned a reputation on the international festival circuit for making exactly this type of unconventional choice, having previously drawn attention at Cannes with a hand-embellished dress that took more than a thousand hours to make. Her look for the Venice premiere followed the same approach, favoring drama and craftsmanship over anything conventionally safe.

Raissa Russi

Raissa Russi chose a complete black ball-gown look, with an off-the-shoulder bodice decorated with beading that flowed into a full taffeta skirt with soft fullness at the waist. To finish the outfit, which was based entirely on the old-Hollywood style, she wore a jeweled crown headpiece and several layered black chokers. The skirt's sheer volume meant there was plenty of room to move, giving the dress a tangible presence that looked dramatic from almost any angle on the carpet. Instead of moderating either the tiara or the taffeta, Russi fully embraced the combination, and this decision came across as confident rather than merely costume-like since the rest of her styling remained dark and simple. It is a look designed for one specific purpose - to command attention with a single, unmistakable silhouette.

Nina Dobrev

Nina Dobrev made her latest Venice entrance in archival Giorgio Armani Privé at the Opening Ceremony, a strapless black gown with ombré sequins and a geometric neckline that gave way to flowing, moss-green chiffon panels trailing into a split train. The two-tone effect, black fading into olive green, gave the otherwise classic silhouette a genuinely modern edge. Dobrev has made a habit of turning to fashion archives for major festival appearances in recent seasons, and this ombré Armani piece continued that pattern rather than breaking from it. The geometric neckline itself added a sharp, architectural line against the otherwise flowing chiffon train, a contrast that kept the gown from reading as purely soft or purely structured. She kept her jewelry minimal, letting the gown’s color transition remain the clear focal point of the look.

Alicia Vikander & Michael Fassbender

Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender walked the red carpet together for the premiere of Vikander’s new film “The Echo Chamber.” Vikander wore a strapless Louis Vuitton gown in the softest ice blue, with a fitted bodice that gave way to a dramatic bow at the waist and a multi-tiered, ruffled skirt that moved beautifully across the carpet. Fassbender wore a tailored Berluti suit, keeping his own look understated beside his wife’s romantic, sculptural gown. The layered ruffles gave the skirt real dimension and movement with every step, a softer counterpoint to the more structured, sculptural gowns that dominated much of the rest of the festival’s carpet. Vikander finished the look with delicate silver sandals and minimal jewelry, letting the pale blue fabric and the oversized bow remain the gown’s clear focal points throughout the evening.

Simona Jakstaite

Simona Jakstaite brought serious shine to the red carpet in an ivory-and-silver column gown, fully embroidered with fine beading and sequins in a geometric pattern, with a deep V-neckline on thin straps and a soft, sweeping train that pooled at the floor. The dense beadwork caught the evening light with every step, giving the otherwise fitted, minimal silhouette real dimension without any additional embellishment. She kept her styling clean and controlled, loose waves and minimal jewelry, a long pair of drop earrings and a delicate bracelet, letting the intricate beading of the gown carry the entire look. The plunging neckline gave the design its most dramatic feature, balanced by the fitted column shape running the rest of the way down to the floor.

Vittoria Ceretti

Vittoria Ceretti wore a custom Armani Privé to the “Wild Horse Nine” screening, a striking black velvet column gown with a semi-sheer, crystal-mesh bust that twisted an otherwise classic silhouette into something considerably more daring. She finished the look with Boucheron earrings and Crivelli bracelets, letting the fabric’s texture, rather than any additional embellishment, carry the drama. The gown arrived on the same red carpet season that saw the naked-dress trend carry over from the Met Gala just months earlier, and Ceretti’s semi-opaque bust felt like a genuine continuation of that same conversation. The velvet itself absorbed light rather than reflecting it, giving the gown a moodier, more serious quality than the shimmering sequins and beading that dominated much of the rest of the carpet that same evening. Ceretti, already a familiar face at Milan and Paris runway shows, brought that same runway confidence to the red carpet walk itself.

Twenty looks barely scratch the surface of what the Lido produced across ten days of 2026 Venice Film Festival coverage, from archival Armani reaching back three decades to a Chanel gown that turned newsprint into couture. Wezoree's inspiration section holds far more red carpet and bridal style ideas beyond any single Venice Film Festival moment, for anyone chasing the exact blend of drama and elegance these looks captured.

FAQ

What was the most talked-about look at the 83rd Venice Film Festival?

Bianca Balti’s winged pink Ilya Migmoon gown at the Opening Ceremony and Mariacarla Boscono’s newspaper-print Chanel gown both drew significant attention as two of the festival’s most photographed and discussed Venice Film Festival fashion moments. Kendall Jenner’s archival Giorgio Armani debut gown also ranked among the most-covered looks of the entire ten days.

Which designers dominated the Venice Film Festival 2026 red carpet?

Giorgio Armani and Armani Privé had an especially strong presence this year, dressing Kendall Jenner, Rebecca Donaldson, Carlos Sainz, Eugenia Silva, Nina Dobrev, Vittoria Ceretti, and George Clooney across the festival. Chanel, under creative director Matthieu Blazy, also made a significant mark through both Penélope Cruz’s custom red gown and Mariacarla Boscono’s newspaper-print couture look.

Did any celebrities wear archival or vintage designer pieces at Venice 2026?

Yes, both Kendall Jenner and Nina Dobrev wore archival Giorgio Armani Privé pieces rather than current-season designs; Jenner’s pulled from the house’s Fall/Winter 1995 collection. Eugenia Silva similarly wore an Armani Privé piece from the Spring/Summer 2010/2011 collection, part of a broader trend of stars mining fashion archives for red carpet moments this year.

What color trends stood out at the Venice Film Festival 2026?

Deep, saturated purple made a major statement through Nicola Peltz Beckham’s Balenciaga Haute Couture gown, while red carried real weight through Penélope Cruz’s custom Chanel look. Black remained a reliable red carpet staple throughout the festival, though it was often elevated through sheer paneling, sculptural draping, or unexpected color accents like Nina Dobrev’s olive-green chiffon train.

Which couples made the biggest fashion statement together at Venice 2026?

Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse coordinated in French luxury houses, Dior and Saint Laurent, respectively, for a genuinely stylish date-night look. Amal and George Clooney also made a striking coordinated moment at the Opening Ceremony, Amal in sculptural black Tom Ford opposite George’s classic Armani tuxedo, on the night he received the festival’s Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.

Were there any standout accessory moments at the festival?

Amal Clooney’s nearly $400,000 in Cartier diamonds and emeralds ranked among the festival’s most valuable jewelry moments, while Vittoria Ceretti’s Boucheron earrings and Crivelli bracelets added real polish to her Armani Privé gown. Several looks also leaned on dramatic headpieces, including Liza Soberano’s matching butterfly gloves and Eugenia Silva’s ceremonial-inspired tiara.