The Best Supermodel Style at Cannes Film Festival Through the Years: From Jane Birkin to Bella Hadid

Hannah Malach

23 May 2024 at 10:47 pm·3-min read

Glamour is frequently associated with the Cannes Film Festival, so it’s no surprise that supermodels have been some of the event’s most buzzy guests in recent years. Technically, fashion models have appeared on the Cannes red carpet since at least the 1950s, when Brigitte Bardot — then a burgeoning actress — attended the annual festival.

Ahead, see the best supermodel looks at the Cannes Film Festival through the years.

More from WWD

Brigitte Bardot

Bardot may be known as an actress, but she was initially discovered after appearing on a 1950 cover of Elle magazine. At the Cannes Film Festival in 1953, Bardot wore a tulle ballgown with a fur stole and elbow-length gloves, completing her look with a diamond collar.

Jane Birkin

In 1974, Jane Birkin brought her trademark French girl style to Cannes, dressing down in a white T-shirt and flared jeans. The actress and singer, who appears here with longtime partner Serge Gainsbourg, carried a basket as a handbag — a trend she’s credited with originating. Birkin modeled later in life, walking the runway at Martin Margiela for Hermès in 2000 and appearing in a 2016 Saint Laurent campaign.

Supermodels at Cannes Film Festival Through the Years: Grace Jones, Bella Hadid, Jane Birkin & More [PHOTOS]

Actress Brigitte Bardot wearing a ball gown and fur stole as she attends the Cannes Film Festival, April 20th 1953. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)

Jane Birkin et Serge Gainsbourg sur la plage lors du Festival de Cannes le 15 mai 1974 (Photo by Gilbert GIRIBALDI/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

View Gallery

Pamela Anderson

At a “Barb Wire” promotional event during the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, Pamela Anderson sported one of her costumes from the film, which consists of a plunging leather corset, skintight black trousers and matching gloves. Anderson got her start as a model, appearing on the cover of Playboy magazine before she was cast in her breakthrough role in “Baywatch.”

Kate Moss

Kate Moss walked the Cannes Film Festival red carpet in 1997 alongside her then-boyfriend, actor Johnny Depp. The former face of Calvin Klein selected a gray square-neck midi dress, accessorizing with a black satin purse.

Kendall Jenner

Kendall Jenner brought a pop of pink to the Croisette while attending the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. She opted for a candy pink tulle minidress from a H&M and Giambattista Valli’s collaborative collection.

Bella Hadid

Bella Hadid wowed the crowd at Cannes Film Festival in 2021 when she walked the carpet in a low-cut wool crepe Schiaparelli dress layered with a gilded brass lung necklace. The former Charlotte Tilbury spokesmodel, who accessorized with Chopard rubies, called the look “a dream come true.”

Elsa Hosk

Hosk wore her “favorite couture piece,” a tulle trompe l’oeil gown from Viktor & Rolf’s spring 2023 collection. Belted with bows, the pastel piece is layered over a structured satin corset.

“When I saw this dress coming down the runway I was blown away by how when spinning and moving, the dress would look so surreal and beautiful,” Hosk wrote on Instagram last year. “Not only was it breathtaking to me but also reminded me to not take fashion too seriously.”