Cannes 2025: Halle Berry had to leave her Gaurav Gupta gown behind at Cannes— and here’s why

Halle Berry had big plans for her 2025 Cannes Film Festival red carpet look. But thanks to a new dress code, one very glamorous gown never made it out of the wardrobe.

The actor serving as a jury member at this year’s festival revealed that she had to skip wearing a custom dress by Indian designer Gaurav Gupta because it didn’t meet the festival’s updated rules. ‘I had an amazing dress to wear tonight by Gupta and I cannot wear it because the train is too big’, she told reporters at the opening ceremony.

Cannes has always been known for bold fashion moments — some elegant, some risqué and plenty that fall somewhere in between. But this year, organisers decided to lay down the law with a formal dress code, making it clear: no full nudity and no massive trains allowed on the red carpet.

While Berry chose to follow the rules, not everyone seemed as concerned. Heidi Klum showed up in a bright pink dress with a train that stretched at least ten feet behind her and Chinese actor and influencer Wan Qianhui arrived in a voluminous white gown that looked like it belonged in a fairytale.

According to a Cannes spokesperson, the updated rules aren’t about stifling creativity but about aligning with French law and maintaining a certain standard on the carpet. The red carpet has seen some headline-making looks over the years — Bella Hadid’s daring 2021 Schiaparelli gown comes to mind — so it’s no surprise the festival is looking to strike a balance.

In another change, Cannes also addressed a long-standing point of debate: the expectation that women wear high heels. That rule has now been relaxed, the official wording allows for ‘elegant shoe or sandals with or without heels.’

Though she had to swap out her original look, Berry supported the festival’s move towards a more defined and arguably, more inclusive dress code, ‘The nudity part is probably also a good rule,’ she said.

So while we didn’t get to see Halle’s Gaurav Gupta gown on the red carpet, we imagine it just as stunning off it. And who knows? Maybe it’ll have its moment somewhere else — just without the red carpet restrictions.