At Cannes, Irina Shayk Is the Unofficial Queen of Dressing Down
Irina Shayk keeps pushing the envelope at Cannes. Less than 24 hours after fueling a firestorm of media coverage for attending the typically buttoned-up film festival in an ultra-low-rise Mowalola 'fit, the supermodel stepped out in another barely-there ensemble, this time courtesy of Gucci.
On Monday, Shayk was photographed leaving her hotel in a sheer dress and lingerie set from Gucci's Fall/Winter 2023 collection. Paired with mesh gloves and stockings, the look is unabashedly sexy — somehow, even sexier than the Mowalola bra and hipbone-baring skirt she wore to the premiere of Firebrand on Sunday.
Shayk's sartorial choices are at odds with the sort of old-school glamor we've come to expect at Cannes: namely, poofy gowns and conservative tuxedos. Famously, the festival is rumored to have its own unofficial — and outdated — dress code stipulating that women must wear high heels on the red carpet. In 2016, Julia Roberts and Kirsten Stewart removed their shoes in protest of the rule.
This year, it seems celebrities are beginning to follow in Roberts' and Stewart's footsteps, flouting Cannes' unspoken sartorial mores. Shayk isn't the only one going against the grain — over the weekend, Jennifer Lawrence paired her Dior gown with flip-flops, a move some suspected was meant to send a political message. (I'm guessing she just wanted to be comfortable.)
But change can be divisive. Some aren't so fond of the fashions that've hit the carpet at Cannes thus far: "i absolutely h8 when these girls come to the cannes film festival trying to 'cool girl' it up," wardrobe stylist @parisianysl wrote on Twitter. "baby the category is GLAMOUR and GLAMOUR ONLY ! wear the big dress, pull out the diamonds or stay home."
But fear of criticism isn't likely to stop Shayk from dressing how she wants. In May, she attended the Met Gala in a pair of simple, silk flats — an unexpectedly casual choice that was hotly debated across social media. I, for one, thought they were fabulous.
