There is nowhere quite like the glistening waters of Venice for the dramatics of film season to unfold. Back for its 83rd edition, the annual Venice Film Festival will see the Lido transform into a stage where cinema and fashion unfurl against the city’s sun-drenched canals and grand palazzos. Running for 11 days, the floating city takes on an especially glamorous rhythm: water taxis ferrying stars from one appointment to the next, photographers gathering outside the Hotel Excelsior, and the steps of the Palazzo del Cinema becoming a revolving door of Hollywood’s biggest names.
The festival officially opened yesterday with Danny Boyle’s Ink, which had its world premiere in competition following the opening ceremony. Starring Claire Foy, Jack O’Connell and Guy Pearce, the film kicks off a roster that brings 21 titles into contention for the coveted Golden Lion. Among those still to come are Florian Zeller’s Bunker, starring Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, and Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime, led by Robert Pattinson, alongside a wider programme spanning everything from the Orizzonti competition and Venice Classics to Venice Immersive. But while the films vie for Venice’s most prestigious prize, another competition has already begun on the red carpet: who will have the festival’s defining fashion moment?
The opening day offered a promising start as the old-world romance of the city lends itself naturally to an almost too-perfect setting for the season’s most considered red-carpet dressing. Amal Clooney made one of the first major statements of the festival in custom Tom Ford by Haider Ackermann, while Ink star Claire Foy arrived in Bottega Veneta for the opening-night premiere. Nina Dobrev turned to Armani Privé for her evening look, bringing a dose of classic dazzle to the festivities, while jury president Gyllenhaal offered a more considered take on daytime dressing in Celine. Elsewhere, Jonathan Bailey, Kendall Jenner, Laura Dern and Alessandra Ambrosio offered their own interpretations of Venice dressing. From polished tailoring and understated daytime looks to full red-carpet glamour, the first 24 hours have already offered a preview of the range of fashion moments to expect in this season’s star-studded lineup.
Ahead, scroll on to see the best of celebrity red carpet arrivals at the 83rd Venice Film Festival so far, with more looks to come as the stars descend on the Lido.
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Vittoria Ceretti
2 / 27
Martin McDonagh and Phoebe Waller-Bridge
3 / 27
Parker Posey
4 / 27
Leslie Bibb
5 / 27
Kendall Jenner
6 / 27
Laura Dern
7 / 27
John Malkovich
8 / 27
Mariacarla Boscono
9 / 27
Mariacarla Boscono
10 / 27
Domhnall Gleeson
11 / 27
Rooney and Kate Mara
12 / 27
Orlando Bloom
13 / 27
Posey Parker in Valentino
14 / 27
Rooney and Kate Mara
15 / 27
Jack O’Connell in Dior
16 / 27
Nicholas Galitzine
17 / 27
Stella Maxwell
18 / 27
Nina Dobrev
19 / 27
Chase Sui Wonders
20 / 27
Zazie Beetz
21 / 27
Brittany Snow
22 / 27
Jonathan Bailey
23 / 27
George and Amal Clooney
24 / 27
Bianca Balti
25 / 27
Laura Dern
26 / 27
Claire Foy
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