Greta Gerwig’s Margiela Couture Dress Sent Cannes (and Fashion Twitter) Into a Frenzy
Leave it to Cannes Jury President Greta Gerwig to produce the most headline-grabbing fashion moment of the festival’s opening day. For a photo call on Tuesday, Gerwig emerged in her first of what will be many Cannes Film Festival looks: an off-the-runway outfit from John Galliano’s spring 2024 couture collection for Maison Margiela. Or, as fashion people currently refer to it, simply “that collection.”
The Barbie director—who helms a starry jury that includes names like Lily Gladstone and Eva Green this year—showed off a corseted pinstripe gown. Her tea-length number featured a nipped-in waist, ruching along the bust, and a flared skirt. Gerwig and her stylist Karla Welch accented the couture piece with a pair of Christian Louboutin for Maison Margiela Tabi pumps and some black shades that the director left behind while posing for photos. Glam was kept simple in the form of dewy skin, a subtle coral lip, and a swide-swept hairdo.
The particular Margiela collection in which Gerwig’s dress debuted has quickly become a favorite amongst celebrities—and large swathes of the fashion community, too. The likes of Hunter Schafer, Anya Taylor-Joy and, most recently, Kim Kardashian have worn pieces from the runway show. And, much like Kardashian’s controversy-inducing Met Gala moment, people had plenty to say about Gerwig’s Margiela look.
Some on the Internet, especially those on a platform formerly known as Twitter, were quick to decry Gerwig’s lack of accessories when compared to the theatrical runway look. One user lamented “Where’s the accessories, the hair, the make-up? Where’s the DRAMA?!!”
Others pushed back, saying that Gerwig’s pared-back take on the catwalk look was appropriately suited for the more casual photo call setting. “The dress can also just be the dress,” writer Mikelle Street pointed out. “In fact that’s how it’s often worn. It’s not intended to give runway in every iteration.” Several others reiterated that this is how actual couture clients wear their clothes.
Galliano paired this particular dress with white gloves and a matching handbag, a PVC neckpiece, and doll-like pumps and tights. Victorian-era curls and porcelain skin courtesy of Pat McGrath added even more of an edge to the catwalk outfit.
Several other VIPs who have worn looks from the collection have echoed the theatrics of the runway presentation in both styling and poses. Given that Gerwig wore hers to a simple photo call and not a full red carpet, over-the-top styling may have felt out of place.
Later in the evening, Gerwig brought out the big guns for the festival’s opening ceremony and the Le Deuxième Acte screening. The Oscar nominee wore a custom Saint Laurent disco dress and Chopard jewels that certainly helped to quell the qualms of those fashion critics over on X.
But, really, this whole debacle left us wondering: Is there anything better suited for an afternoon in the French Riviera than a poplin sundress?
