Cannes Film Festival bans nudity on the red carpet ‘for decency reasons’ amid naked dress trend

The Cannes Film Festival has officially banned nudity from the red carpet ahead of this year’s five-day event.

The organizers updated their dress code on the website to include the new rule, which reads: “For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as any other area of the festival.”

Cannes also noted that “voluminous outfits, in particular those with a large train, that hinder the proper flow of traffic of guests and complicate seating in the theater are not permitted.”

The mandate comes just one day before the 78th annual festival is scheduled to kick off with the premieres of several standout films, including Ari Aster’s Eddington, Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, and the Tom Cruise-starring Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

Asked for clarity on the policy, Cannes press officers said the festival “made explicit in its charter certain rules that have long been in effect.”

“The aim is not to regulate attire per se, but to prohibit full nudity on the red carpet, in accordance with the institutional framework of the event and French law,” it said.

The policy update coincides with a rising trend in “naked dresses” worn by celebrities.

Last year, Bella Hadid stepped out for the French film festival in a brown, see-through Saint Laurent halter-neck gown that exposed her entire chest.

Photographer Nadia Lee Cohen followed suit in her own bold, naked Saint Laurent gown at the screening for The Shrouds last year, too, while German actor Vicky Krieps showed up to the La Plus Precieuse Des Marchandises preview in a pale pink, lace Armani Privé gown that also exposed her skin.

The new Cannes Film Festival rule isn’t clear whether any or all of these looks are prohibited this year, since there’s no explanation for what they consider to be “nudity,” sartorially speaking.

Since the 2024 event, several A-listers have embraced similar styles at major awards shows.

Kanye West’s wife, Bianca Censori, marked a major pop culture moment when she unveiled a nude mini dress, designed by her husband, at the Grammy Awards in February. The model stripped down to the thin garment in front of the cameras outside the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles, putting her full naked body on display.

Meghan McCain was among those to react to the incident on social media, describing Censori in a now-deleted message on X as a “hostage.”

“[West is] a repugnant, vile piece of garbage, and his wife looks like a victim and a hostage,” McCain said before taking the tweet down.

Julia Fox, Olivia Wilde, Megan Thee Stallion, music artist Teyana Taylor, and fashion content creator Erica Pelosini all flashed parts of their bodies under see-through gowns at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party about a month later.

The naked look is also one that has been popularized on high-fashion runways with storied maisons such as Saint Laurent, Tory Burch, Chloé, Tom Ford, and Jean Paul Gaultier all debuting renditions of the trend in recent years.