The 2026 Cannes Film Festival officially concludes today on the French Riviera. While the Palme d’Or generates the prestige, the actual red carpet remains the most aggressively policed runway in the entertainment industry. Attendees navigating the famed Palais des Festivals steps are bound by a notoriously rigid set of fashion guidelines that reject casual wear and punish last-minute arrivals. You show up in traditional Black Tie, or you don’t show up at all.
Getting past the security checkpoints requires total compliance with festival etiquette, which extends far beyond clothing. Attendees are strictly prohibited from pulling out their phones or snapping pictures on the red carpet, a restriction originally championed in 2018 by festival director Thierry Frémaux, who publicly labeled the act of taking selfies “grotesque.” These behavioral mandates are rigorously enforced, according to a report on the 2026 phone bans, keeping the visual focus entirely on the official broadcast cameras.
The wardrobe limitations themselves have faced recent adjustments to handle modern celebrity styling. In 2025, organizers updated the official FAQ to explicitly state that nudity is prohibited in all festival areas for decency reasons. That specific clause faced a high-profile stress test this week when Riley Keough arrived wearing a sheer Chanel design layered over a visible bra and shorts set. She walked the carpet, but the look pushed the exact boundaries organizers tried to codify last year.
Not every rule is tightening. Women are now officially permitted to wear flats on the red carpet. This is a quiet but significant reversal from previous years when security infamously turned away guests who failed to wear high heels, sparking immediate industry backlash. The updated footwear policy is firmly in place as the event wraps, according to E! News, ensuring the final premieres of the fortnight avoid the footwear controversies of the past.