The Cannes Film Festival 2025 has begun and there have been some adjustments to their dress code that has forced Halle Berry to make a wardrobe change.
According to Reuters, the “Catwoman” star, who is also a festival jury member this year, explained what happened in a news conference. She said, “I had an amazing dress by [Gaurav] Gupta to wear tonight, and I cannot wear it because the train’s too big.”
The change in the dress code reportedly took place just hours before the festival kicked off on May 13 – so it’s understandable why Berry’s outfit needed to be switched. Nudity is one thing on the list that’s been banned and, in efforts to keep the traffic of the red carpet under control, so has “voluminous outfits,” which includes long trains as well.
Berry added, “I had to make a pivot. But the nudity part I do think is probably also a good rule.”
The look she went for was a vertically striped black and white halter gown. The dress had an authentic draping effect that trailed slightly behind her when she walked but it did not leave a train on the ground — thus following the new rules of the occasion.
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Fans reacted to these rules in Page Six’s report.
One person said, “Thank goodness!! Sick of looking at people with no pants and super cleavage.”
A second wrote, “Glad they have a nudity rule now. This isn’t a PornHub award show.”
A third said, “Thank God as her see through met gala dress showed off too much down there we didn’t need to see!”
During the Met Gala on May 5, the dress code was “Tailored for You,” so most people wore some sort of menswear or suit. For that event, Berry wore a striped gown with one set of stripes being a solid black with sequins and the other set being a mesh black.
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Similar to her Cannes Film Festival dress, the stripes were vertical and went all the way down to form a small train. But, because the see-through parts went all the way down, the her crotch came perilously close to being exposed and it appears the actress did not have any undergarments on. The 58-year-old got some flak for the controversial gown.
While most were relieved about the new rules of the dress code for the Cannes Film Festival, some people weren’t satisfied with Berry’s backup outfit.
“Her taste in formal wear is questionable,” said one.
A second said, “These are not her best looks. I don’t know why she thought the big vertical striped gown flattered her in any way. It’s a big tent dress! She’s pretty but needs a new stylist.”
But not everyone abided by the rules like Berry. Model Heidi Klum and Chinese actor Wan QianHui both seemingly didn’t get the memo — or chose to wear what they pleased — on the red carpet, with both wearing dresses with long trains behind them.
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Klum, wore a pink gown made up of blooming ruffles that formed into a train several feet behind her. QianHui’s look made her a two-time offender. The cream colored gown not only had a train on it but the ruffled layers had a voluminous hoop skirt shape.
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The festival put out a statement saying, “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.” They said the festival, “reserves the right to deny access to individuals whose attire could obstruct the movement of other guests or complicate seating arrangements in the screening rooms.”
The 78th edition international film festival will go on until May 24.
‘Glad They Have a Nudity Rule Now’: Halle Berry Scrambles to Make Last-Minute Dress Change After Cannes Implements Sudden Rule