Once again, Venice has become the meeting point for cinema, celebrity and extraordinary fashion. Each year, actors, models and some of the entertainment industry’s most recognisable names make their way to the floating city for one of the world’s most prestigious film events—the Venice Film Festival.
While cinema remains at the heart of the festival, the red carpet has developed into a spectacle all its own. Between eagerly anticipated premieres, standing ovations and major awards, fashion takes centre stage as celebrities transform every arrival into a moment worth watching.
The 2026 edition has already produced an impressive series of style highlights. From custom couture and archival fashion to vibrant colours, dramatic silhouettes and refined elegance, this year’s guests have embraced Venice’s unmistakably cinematic atmosphere with looks made to leave an impression.
Few places offer a backdrop quite as magical as Venice. Water taxis move through the lagoon, centuries-old palazzos set the scene and the red carpet outside the Palazzo del Cinema becomes one of the most closely watched fashion stages of the year.
So far, Pamela Anderson, Vittoria Ceretti, Irina Shayk, Kendall Jenner and Mariacarla Boscono have helped ensure that the style conversation is just as captivating as the films debuting throughout the festival.
With more premieres and appearances still to come, there are undoubtedly plenty of memorable fashion moments waiting to happen. But already, Venice Film Festival 2026 has delivered a compelling mix of bold glamour, Italian craftsmanship, dark elegance, archival fashion and statement-making couture.
Here are the looks that have captured our attention so far.
Pamela Anderson lights up Venice in orange
Pamela Anderson demonstrated the power of a simple silhouette and an unforgettable colour at the AmfAR Gala in Venice.
The actress arrived in a striking orange satin gown, paired with a coordinating shawl that added an extra touch of elegance to the overall look. Against a sea of classic black, white and metallic eveningwear, the vibrant shade made an immediate impression.
The choice also reflected Anderson’s increasingly refined approach to red-carpet style. In recent years, she has embraced a more understated sense of glamour, allowing strong silhouettes, beautiful fabrics and her natural presence to take the spotlight.
The luminous satin caught the evening light beautifully, while the clean lines of the gown ensured that nothing distracted from its bold colour.
The result was sophisticated, confident and effortlessly glamorous—a reminder that sometimes all it takes is one exceptional colour to create a truly memorable red-carpet moment.
Vittoria Ceretti celebrates Italian couture
Vittoria Ceretti brought effortless elegance to Venice in a custom Armani Privé gown, delivering one of the festival’s most sophisticated fashion appearances.
As one of the defining models of her generation, Ceretti has become synonymous with modern high fashion. Her ability to wear dramatic couture with apparent ease has made her a fixture on the world’s most important runways and red carpets.
Her custom Armani Privé creation was a perfect example of that balance. Combining exquisite craftsmanship with timeless glamour, the gown reflected the refined aesthetic that has long defined the Italian fashion house.
There was something especially appropriate about the moment: an Italian supermodel, dressed in Italian couture, making an entrance in one of Italy’s most iconic cities.
Ceretti allowed the craftsmanship of the gown to speak for itself. Rather than relying on excessive styling or unnecessary drama, the look made its impact through precision, elegance and impeccable construction.
Amid a week of spectacular red-carpet fashion, her Armani Privé appearance stood out as a lesson in sophisticated Italian glamour.
Irina Shayk brings a darker edge to the red carpet
Irina Shayk took Venice glamour in a different direction for The Echo Chamber screening.
The model arrived wearing a fitted black dress featuring striking lace-up details, bringing a darker and more contemporary energy to the red carpet.
Rather than opting for the flowing gowns and romantic silhouettes often associated with Venice, Shayk chose a look with a sharper attitude. The structured fit created a strong silhouette, while the lace-up detailing added a subtle sense of edge.
The result was sleek, sensual and undeniably modern.
Black may be a red-carpet classic, but Shayk showed how the colour can continue to feel fresh when paired with unexpected design elements and confident styling.
Her appearance perfectly reflected her fearless approach to fashion. Shayk has long demonstrated an ability to move between classic glamour and more daring, fashion-forward choices, and this Venice moment was no exception.
Sometimes the strongest looks are the ones that know exactly how far to push the boundaries—and Shayk found that balance perfectly.
Kendall Jenner brings archival Armani back into the spotlight
Kendall Jenner delivered one of Venice’s most exciting fashion history moments in an archival Giorgio Armani design.
The supermodel stepped onto the red carpet wearing a shimmering gold floral sequin dress from Giorgio Armani’s autumn/winter 1995 collection, bringing a remarkable piece of fashion history back into the public eye.
The vintage gown sparkled under the lights, with its intricate embellishment creating a dramatic, almost cinematic effect. The combination of gold tones and floral detailing gave the look a luxurious quality while preserving the distinctive character of the original design.
Archival fashion has become an increasingly powerful part of modern celebrity style, allowing stars to revisit and celebrate some of fashion’s most significant creative moments.
Jenner’s choice did exactly that.
More than simply a beautiful red-carpet gown, the Armani piece represented a connection between fashion’s past and its present.
And there could hardly have been a more fitting setting for it. Venice has always existed at the intersection of history, culture and glamour. Surrounded by contemporary couture and new-season designs, Jenner’s archival choice proved that looking back can sometimes be the most exciting way to move fashion forward.
Mariacarla Boscono turns Chanel into headline news
Mariacarla Boscono delivered one of the boldest and most theatrical looks of Venice Film Festival 2026 in a spectacular Chanel Cruise 2027 ballgown.
Covered in French newspaper headlines, the elongated design immediately became one of the festival’s most talked-about fashion moments.
The gown transformed typography into couture, using printed headlines across the entire silhouette to create a look that was impossible to miss. The concept echoed some of fashion’s most iconic newspaper-print designs while offering a distinctly Chanel interpretation.
Bold, playful and dramatic, the look demanded attention from every angle.
There was also something wonderfully fitting about the idea of wearing the headlines while becoming one. Boscono’s appearance was exactly the kind of fashion moment designed to travel far beyond the red carpet, generating conversation through photographs, social media and the wider fashion world.
The look captured one of the things that makes Venice such a unique destination for celebrity style. The festival invites experimentation. Its cinematic setting, glamorous history and surreal beauty create the perfect environment for fashion that feels larger than life.
Boscono embraced that opportunity completely.
Her Chanel gown was more than an elegant red-carpet creation—it was a statement, a spectacle and one of the defining fashion moments of the Venice Film Festival 2026.
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