At Cannes there are often dresses that don’t just take up space—they take up multiple steps on the famous red carpet. As a frequent guest at the glamorous annual film festival, Elsa Hosk knows that well.
“I don’t think I’ve ever worn a comfortable dress like that on the red carpet—especially at Cannes,” Hosk tells me over the phone of the gown she wore to attend the premiere of Parthenope last week. “I feel like everyone picks these big dresses that take up so much space. And it was really fun to just walk in something really effortless and cool and comfortable.”
The piece in question was a slinky backless black Saint Laurent gown, accessorized with mounds of thick gold bangles and chunky necklaces. “I always like to have a reference. And I always reference the past,” the Swedish model says. Her inspiration for this particular look was a photo she found of Italian actress Virna Lisi in the ’60s. “It was an Italian film!” she is sure to point out of Parthenope.
Often, stars walk the red carpet at a premiere but aren’t able to stay to watch the film, because their dresses are quite literally too over-the-top to comfortably fold into a theater seat. Hosk, though, was determined to find a look that was fabulous but also built for actual moviegoing. “The costumes [in Parthenope] were incredible. They were very, you know, fashion,” she says. Saint Laurent Productions—a new division created by the house to produce the films of iconic filmmakers—produced and provided costumes for the film, written and directed by Oscar winner Paolo Sorrentino. (Besides films like 2021’s The Hand of God, Sorrentino also created the Jude Law series The Young Pope and its sequel The New Pope.)
As for what makes the Cannes red carpet different, Hosk is quick to note the light: “It is always incredible. It’s always just the perfect light.” Having now attended more than a handful of times, she also doesn’t get nervous there anymore. “It’s more fun now, because I can actually have fun with it and do my thing”—which is great, she says, because the carpet has a singular vibe she enjoys fully indulging in.
When it came time to decide what she would wear this year, there was no question it would be Saint Laurent. “It’s always been my favorite brand, and I especially love what Anthony [Vaccarello] is doing,” says Hosk, who has collected the label’s ’70s designs since she was young. “I love the references he always puts out on the runway, but he makes it modern too, which is such a hard thing to do. It’s just completely unbeatable.”
When I mention that her look from this year feels like one future attendees will call back to, Hosk beams. “I hope! My goal is to create a moment that people love enough to want to copy or re-create themselves.”
But she doesn’t even have to hope. It’s clear the glamorous look will be one people reference often—whether for other red-carpet premieres or fabulous movie dates.
