I have already discussed my picks for Best of 2017 Red Carpet at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes HERE, Best of 2017 Emmy Awards and SAG Awards HERE and now, it is time for my last BEST OF 2017 RED CARPET BLOG Installment: 2017 Cannes Film Festival and the 2017 Met Gala! These two red carpet events are BIGGIES when it comes to FASHION with a capital "F"! For some reason, actresses, models...you name it...go above and beyond on the red carpet when it comes to what they wear! I get the Met Gala (it's all about GIVING FASHION of course!) but Cannes...it's like these actresses feel a certain sense of Fashion Freedom when it comes to what they wear at the French Icon of Red Carpet events. And I LOVE that they do it!

Here are my TOP 25 RED CARPET LOOKS for 2017 Cannes and Met Gala:
Aishwayra Rai in Michael Cinco Couture Fall 2017: Aishwarya Rai looked like an Empress of her own nation with this stunning baby blue silk organza/applique gown from Dubai-based Filipino designer Michael Cinco and his Couture Fall/Winter 2017 "Infanta Maria Theresa". The off-the-shoulder sweetheart neckline ballgown featured a powder blue crinoline-backed fabrication and was completely embroidered by hand. It was A MOMENT, dear kids! Bow down to Aishwarya for giving us this moment.

Aishwarya Rai in Ralph & Russo Spring 2017 Couture: Oh yes...everyone bow down to Queen Aishwarya...AGAIN! She wore this glorious red strapless ballgown to the "120 Beats Per Minute" Premiere at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. I love that she basically showed up to this year's Cannes Film Festival to show everyone in the world why she was crowned...Miss World many, many years ago. This gorgeous actress/model/Bollywood Diva has still got it (not that anyone thought she lost it!). DIVA of 2017.

Araya "Chompoo" Hargate in Alexis Mabille Couture Fall 2014: Araya wore this entrance-making gown from French designer Alexis Mabille Couture Fall 2014 to "The Meyerowitz Stories" Cannes 2017 Premiere. This style may be from a 3-year-old collection, however, it was still SO NOW, and SO RED CARPET FAB! The strapless design featured an off-white column gown with a gorgeous lipstick red quilted overcape attached in the bust line with volants and an Empire-waist bustier. In case you needed a reminder: All that stitching you see on the overcape was done BY HAND; it's Haute Couture after all. Araya sure knows how to make an entrance. Oh and yes, she was five months pregnant at the time. 


Araya "Chompoo" Hargate in Zuhair Murad Haute Couture Spring 2017: This is another fabulous gown that Araya wore to the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, this time to the Premiere of "120 Beats Per Minute" (120 Battements Par Minute). This UBER Princess gown is from Zuhair Murad Spring/Summer 2017 Haute Couture and it was EVERYTHING. The ballgown featured multi-layered silk tulle and a silk satin one shoulder draped bow top. Araya has learned that if there was ever a moment to wear SUPER HUGE ballgowns...it's Cannes. 


Araya "Chompoo" Hargate in Olivier Theyskens Spring 2017: This is a third look I loved from British-Thai actress Araya Hargate at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Can we say she had a Cannes 2017 Fashion Trifecta??!! With  this black strapless gown from French designer Olivier Theyskens she was very much on the 90's Prom Trend. I thought she looked quite elegant, sexy and dare I say, vampy--the gloves, the shape of the gown...the necklace...it was all Cannes Fab! And one of the BEST of 2017.



Sonam Kapoor in Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring 2017: Bollywood actress and L'Oreal Paris Ambassador wore this golden gown from Elie Saab Haute Couture to "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" Cannes 2017 Premiere. The gown featured gold and crystal hand-cut lace applique over nude tulle column gown with overskirt and a plunging sweetheart neckline. She looked DIVINE. The gown was the finale "Wedding Gown" look of Saab's Spring/Summer 2017 Haute Couture collection shown in Paris in January of this year. The gown--as seen on the runway--was a tad bit more "revealing" as seen in the photo above: For Sonam, there were more golden appliques added to cover her up and the sequin work was changed so it didn't look so much like palm trees in a Dubai dessert oasis. Overall, this was a FIERCE red carpet gown and by the way...soooooo many beauty pageant contestants tried to copy this gown this year in international pageants, it was INSANE! So, not only was this one of the BEST of 2017, you can also add One of the Most Copied....or "Inspired" Gowns of 2017.

Sonam Kapoor in custom Elie Saab Couture: Yes kids, Sonam Kapoor is now TWICE on my Best Dressed Cannes 2017 List--as well as BEST OF 2017. This Bollywood Diva SLAYED it! I loved this pink sequined-and-organza-crinoline gown that she wore to "The Meyerowitz Stories" Cannes 2017 Premiere. The gown had a gorgeous column base dress with a soft silk georgette overskirt. It was belted and she accessorized it with FABULOUS jewels including those incredible finger-to-wrist bracelets. Oh, and by the way,  did I mention that her gown was CUSTOM? So, yeah, not just Haute Couture but really, really, really...made JUST FOR HER. Gorgeous. This was another style that many an international beauty contestant tried to replicate, but never achieving this fabulosity!

Andie MacDowell in custom Roberto Cavalli: Actress Andie MacDowell looked gorgeous at "The Meyerowitz Stories" Cannes 2017 Premiere in this black and violet gown from Italian fashion brand Roberto Cavalli. The gown was elegant, chic, and sexy and MacDowell looked AMAZING in it. I loved the shape, the dramatic bow, the draped bodice and side front slit. I love a fab FASHION moment and this gown was that!


Lana El Sahely in Ralph & Russo Couture Fall 2016: Freelance stylist and founder of LArmoireDeLana Blog, Lana El Sahely wound up wearing one of my Best Dresses from Cannes 2017 as well as one of my Best of 2017. She wore this gown to "The Killing of a Scared Deer" Cannes 2017 Premiere. The style featured a white silk crepe gown with pale blue silk organza overskirt with multi-tiered ruffles. The main gown itself was embellished with lilac/blue silk thread-work, crystals and glass bead embroidery. This was simply gorgeous and one of the Best of 2017 Red Carpet.


Deepika Padukone in Brandon Maxwell: Styled by  A-list celebrity stylist Elizabeth Salzman (who styles Gwenyth Paltrow and Uma Thurman), Denmark-born Bollywood Indian actress (and another) L'Oreal Global Ambassador) Deepika Padukone, wore this teal green gown from designer Brandon Maxwell at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. The one shoulder gown was daring and sexy, featuring a high side-front slit opening and beautiful back drape "fall" detail. She looked clean, elegant and made a fab statement.



Naomi Campbell in Atelier Versace Spring 2017: Leave it to Miss Naomi Campbell to make it onto my Best of 2017 Red Carpet, and this time for this gown. She wore this super sexy Atelier Versace Spring/Summer 2017 gown at the "Cannes Fashion For Relief" fundraiser gala. The blush colored silk georgette dress featured an intricate Swarovski crystal encrusted web over the base of the gown, as well as side front slit to show off Campbell's iconic legs. This was a perfect choice for Naomi and she, naturally, wore it fabulously. It's a gorgeous blush/nude colored gown that stood out in a year FULL of those...Nude/Blush colored Gowns.


Sara Sampaio in Zuhair Murad Spring 2017: Portuguese model (and Victoria's Secret Angel) Sara Sampaio, dazzled at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival in one of my favorite gowns of the year--this fire-red design from Lebanese couturier Zuhair Murad and his Spring/Summer 2017 Couture collection. The ballgown featured sequins sewn by hand to look like fireworks (the collection was in fact, inspired by the Miyajima Water Fireworks Festival in Japan) over a silk organza and crinoline tulle base with a full A-line shape skirt and semi-plunging neckline. As you can see, the silk satin draped waist piece was removed to create a cleaner, seamless look. Along with Aishwarya's red ballgown at the top of this post, this was one of THE BEST red gowns of the 2017 red carpet.


Elle Fanning in Vivienne Westwood Couture: Actress (and yet another L'Oreal Brand Ambassador) Elle Fanning, looked marvelous and so 90's Prom Fab with this white strapless ballgown from Vivienne Westwood Couture. The gown was custom-made for her and the artwork was hand painted, naturally.  Westwood's team said that it took 10 people to work on the dress and it took more than 300 hours to finish over the course of 10 days. Add all that up and that comes to A TON OF MONEY! Luckily for Fanning, she didn't have to pay for it. I think she looked very pretty and Grace Kelly-esque. 
Uma Thurman in Atelier Versace Fall 2016: What U.S. actress Uma Thurman is wearing on the 70th Annual Cannes Film Festival Opening Night "Ismael's Ghosts (Les Fantômes d’Ismaël)" Screening Gala ended up as one of my favorite Red Carpet Looks of 2017. This was one of my most-loved gowns from that Atelier Versace collection and so it was wonderful to see it being worn on the red carpet, with slight changes. Notice how the original runway version has a one-side ruffled peplum but Uma's gown does not. Also, the original one had these "peek-a-boo" black Swarovski crystals--all hand sewn--under the volants/ruffles. In Uma's gown, they are not there. Regardless of the changes, Thurman's gown was elegant, chic and made her figure look AMAZING!


Fan Bingbing in Christopher Bu: One of my favorite Fashion Divas is actress Fan Bingbing and she was ON-POINT throughout her time at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and this is the first of three fabulous red carpet looks she gave. In the photo above, at the "Amant Double" (L'Amant Double) Film Premiere, she wore this printed silk gown from her longtime stylist, Chinese designer Christopher Bu. I loved this design because of its bold sequined applique "print" (the print is actually ALL SEQUINS!), sculpted silhouette and the "Watteau"-back like cape.  I loved all of it! Bingbing gave you DRAMA and STYLE darlings: Definitely one of the BEST of 2017.

Fan Bingbing in Elie Saab Spring 2017 Couture: Let's continue with the fabulous Fan Bingbing since she kept giving fabulous COUTURE at this year's Cannes Film Festival and therefore, I had to include her in my BEST OF 2017 LIST.  I absolutely love this Elie Saab Haute Couture aquamarine colored silk chiffon dress. The delicate torso hand pleating is gorgeous and I was a big fan of the attached gathered neckline cape. Fan Bingbing looks like the queen of a country at a black tie official dinner event, greeting ambassadors from all over the World!


Fan Bingbing in Atelier Versace Spring 2017: Oh Fan Bingbing, you make me smile! And you make my BEST OF 2017 RED CARPET List THREE TIMES! Bingbing wore one of Donatella's Haute Couture designs for the Cannes 2017 Closing Ceremony and it was one of my favorite looks of 2017. The gown followed in the "Naked Dress" trend with see-through details juxtaposed with Swarovski crystal-encrusted boning that were strategically hand-sewn throughout the gown, forming a mermaid-like caged silhouette at the bottom. The gown was covered in silk tulle with fan accents. Yes...FAN ACCENTS, for Fan Bingbing!


BEST OF 2017 RED CARPET: 2017 Met Gala
Zendaya in Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda Haute Couture Fall 2015: Zendaya showed up to the Met Gala 2017 to slay it. And she did. I loved this over-the-top printed silk SUPER ballgown from Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda Fall 2015 collection. Dolce & Gabbana's Alta Moda collection is their Haute Couture arm, so yes, every garment is (mostly) hand-made and yes, each garment can set you back about $100,000, if not more! Zendaya (and her stylist) very wisely knew that the Met Gala is THE red carpet event to show up in a MAJOR gown like this one. This look is unforgettable, fashionable and Diva-like. It may have had nothing to do with the Met Gala's Exhibition of Rei Kawakubo and Comme des Garcons but...WHO CARES when you looked like that!


Solange Knowles in Thom Browne Fall 2017: I know that many people out there will think "Oh No Nick!" but...YASSSSSSSSS!!!! I thank Solange for GIVING ME Puffy Queen! Thank goodness this wasn't a basic creme or "Nude/Blush" colored gown. But then again, I didn't expect Solange Knowles to show up in what everyone else is wearing...especially to a Met Gala. I loved this black puffy jacket with train and those faux ice skating shoes...TO DIE!! I want those for when I attend next month's 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose! #NotKidding


Lily Collins in Giambattista Valli Haute Couture Fall 2016: Actress Lily Collins wore this strapless ballgown from Giambattista Valli Haute Couture Fall 2016 to attend the 2017 Met Gala and it was GORGEOUS! The gown features an exquisite and delicate combination of gathered silk tulle,  duchesse silk satin and hand applied crystals. It's sweet and perfect for an Heiress Sweet Sixteen bash like the Crillon Ball but...Lily made it fresh and more modern with that cropped black wig, honoring Rei Kawakubo's iconic hairstyle. 



Jennifer Lopez in Valentino Spring 2017 Haute Couture: It wouldn't be a BEST of 2017 Red Carpet Wrap-up without La J. Lo huney! Here, this aquamarine silk chiffon "caftan" gown was DIVINE and Miss Lopez served you some Elizabeth Taylor-like fabulousness. The original gown on the runway was in "Valentino Red" and featured a plunging neckline and more un-fitted tunic shape. Jennifer Lopez' design was in that gorgeous blue and had a more fitted inner dress and non-plunging neckline. She looked like an heiress on a yacht in Mykonos ready to have Ouzo and some Feta Cheese Aperitifs. DEEEEVA.

Tracee Ellis Ross in Comme des Garcons: I LOVED this bold blue coat on Tracee Ellis Ross. She gave you fabulous; she gave you Fashion Diva, she gave you QUEEN huney! I admired the simple cocooning-like effect and what a fabulous statement it made. I have never seen Miss Ellis Ross look soooo CHIC. This jacquard coat had the same effect as an Haute Couture Gown!


Zoe Kravitz in Oscar de la Renta: Zoe Kravitz wore this Millenial Pink gown from Oscar de la Renta designers Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia. The duchesse silk satin gown featured an overcape and bust accented with black ruffled embellishments. Kravitz looked regal and supremely chic, especially with that bleach-blond pixie hairstyle. I loved the juxtaposition of her almost-punk severe look and the Alta Moda "old school" style of this beautiful gown. 

Lily Aldridge in custom Ralph Lauren: Model Lily Aldridge gave her best avant-garde Fashion Diva look at the Met Gala 2017 with this white silk jersey gown with skin-revealing peek-a-boos from---of all brands--Ralph Lauren! This sexy-licious gown has NOTHING to do with Ralph Lauren (seriously was this "Ralph Lauren by Donatella Versace??!!) but I am willing to give it a pass only because she looked AMAZING! That's why I put her in my Best Dressed  and this design in my BEST OF 2017. 


Lastly...
Lily-Rose Depp in custom Chanel: I absolutely loved this bubblegum pink strapless Chanel ballgown on Lily-Rose Depp that was made especially for her. The drop-waist design seems simple and classic and yet, there is the added detail of the sequined roses (for Lily-Rose perhaps?) and raw hem. Her makeup (those fab cat-eyes!) and hair were GORGEOUS! I loved the color and classic shape of this design...enough to make it into my BEST OF 2017 RED CARPET List!

Which one of these was YOUR FAVORITE of 2017??

And don't forget about my NEW "The Pageant Coloring Book"! Where you can create your very own Evening Gown Competition with 25 of my hand-drawn Pageant Queen illustrations. Click HERE to purchase NOW on Amazon.com:

This year's Cannes Film Festival has been OUT OF CONTROL FABULOUS in terms of the COUTURE that has been on display on the red carpet. I've covered my Top Ten Best Dressed (or Best Dresses!) of Cannes 2017 Day 1-3 which you can read HERE, so now it is time to continue my "Red Carpet Report" and discuss my Top Ten Best Dresses of Cannes 2017 Days 4-6. Lots of $100,000+ costing gowns to discuss. Oh, and on a side note: Why actresses don't look THIS COUTURE FABULOUS at the Academy Awards is beyond me and very, very frustrating but oh well. It seems the red carpet mantra is...Oscars: Safe. Cannes: Go For It!



Let's begin with one of the Red Carpet Divas of the Cannes 2017 Festival--Thai-British (and slightly pregnant) actress Araya "Chompoo" A. Hargate. I must admit that I had no idea who she was until this year's Cannes Film Festival--even with her (as of writing this post) 7.2 MILLION Instagram followers! But now, darlings...she is my new favorite STYLE MUSE...

Queen Araya: Araya A. Hargate at "The Meyerowitz Stories" Cannes 2017 Premiere--Araya wore this entrance-making gown from French designer Alexis Mabille Couture Fall 2014. This style may be from a 3-year-old collection, however, it is still SO NOW, and SO RED CARPET FAB! The strapless design featured an off-white column gown with a gorgeous lipstick red "puffy" overcape attached in the bust line with volants and Empire-waisted bustier. All that stitching you see on the overcape was done BY HAND. It's Haute Couture after all. Araya sure knows how to make an entrance! Definitely, one of my Best Dressed of Days 4-6 Cannes 2017 Film Festival.
Fuchsia Araya: Leave it to Ms. Hargate to not just have one--but TWO--of my Best Dresses from Days 4-6 Cannes Film Festival 2017. This is another fabulous gown that she wore, this time to the Premiere of "120 Beats Per Minute" (120 Battements Par Minute). This UBER Princess gown is from Zuhair Murad Spring/Summer 2017 Haute Couture. The gown was EVERYTHING! Araya has learned that if there was ever a moment to wear SUPER HUGE ballgowns...it's Cannes! (Maybe Aishwarya Rai Bachchan taught her this!). 


The strapless gown featured an asymmetrically placed front bodice bow and multi layered silk tulle ballgown skirt all sewn by hand. How anyone sits in one of those small velvet movie theater chairs in this $100,000+ costing Couture gown is beyond me. But, she looked beautiful and Red Carpet perfect--at least for Cannes.

Sonam Kapoor in Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2017 to "The Killing of a Scared Deer" Cannes 2017 Premiere: Bollywood super-actress and L'Oreal Paris Ambassador (naturally!) wore this golden gown from Elie Saab Haute Couture. The gown featured gold and crystal hand-cut lace applique over nude tulle column gown with overskirt with a plunging sweetheart neckline. She looked DIVINE.  The gown was the finale "Wedding Gown" look of his most recent Haute Couture collection shown in Paris in January of this year. The gown--as seen on the runway--was a tad bit more "revealing". For Sonam, there were more golden appliques added to cover her up and the sequin work was changed so it didn't look so much like palm trees in a Dubai dessert oasis.

Sonam Kapoor in Custom Elie Saab Couture to "The Meyerowitz Stories" Cannes 2017 Premiere: Yes kids, Sonam Kapoor is now TWICE on my Best Dressed of Days 4-6 of Cannes 2017 List. In other words, this Bollywood Diva is SLAYING it! I loved this pink sequined-and-organza-crinoline gown from Elie Saab Haute Couture. The gown had a gorgeous column base dress with a soft silk georgette overskirt. It was belted and she accessorized it with...

FABULOUS jewels including those incredible finger-to-wrist bracelets. Oh, and by the way,  did I mention that her gown was CUSTOM?. So, yeah, not just Haute Couture but really, really, really...made JUST FOR HER. For free! (This would be beyond the $100,000 price tag). Kapoor has 10 MILLION Instagram followers so I am guessing the Elie Saab P.R. crew is hoping some of those followers might buy an Elie Saab perfume or pair of sunglasses the next time they're in at Duty Free or a high-end department store! Irregardless, Thank You Sonam for being Two-For-Two in the Fab Cannes Red Carpet Moments!

Andie MacDowell in Roberto Cavalli at "The Meyerowitz Stories" Cannes 2017 Premiere: Model/Actress Andie MacDowell looked gorgeous at Cannes in this black and violet gown from Italian fashion brand Roberto Cavalli. The gown was elegant, chic, and sexy! And MacDowell looked AMAZING in it. I loved the shape, the dramatic bow, the draped bodice and side front slit. Andie is almost 60 years old (You GO GIRL!) and seriously, she could teach some of the 20-year-old's a lesson in red carpet fabulousness!

Aishwarya Rai in Ralph & Russo Spring/Summer 2017 Couture at the "120 Beats Per Minute" Cannes 2017 Premiere: Oh yes...everyone bow down to Queen Aishwarya. I love that she basically has showed up to this year's Cannes Film Festival to show everyone in the world why she was crowned Miss World many, many years ago. This gorgeous actress/model/Bollywood Diva has still got it (not that anyone thought she lost it!).  I loved this strapless red ballgown (Aishwarya loves a ballgown!) from Ralph & Russo S/S 2017 Couture collection.

The original style--as seen on the catwalk--featured a less-structured bustier (mainly because it was for the super teeny 32" bust measuring model!), and for Rai Bachchan, the bustier was constructed with a little more, shall we say, support. I thought Aishwarya looked like a Red Carpet Goddess...in Red! One of these days, she just needs to bring out that "Miss World" crown and just wear it on the red carpet. It would make A LOT of gays very, very happy! (i.e.: Me!).



Lana El Sahely in Ralph & Russo Couture Fall/Winter 2016 at "The Killing of a Scared Deer" Cannes 2017 Premiere: Freelance stylist and founder of LArmoireDeLana Blog, Lana El Sahely wound up wearing one of my Top Ten Best Dresses from Cannes 2017 Days 4-6. I have no idea who she is but she was important enough to get a free Ralph & Russo Couture gown--at least for a night. And it looked gorgeous! The style featured white silk crepe gown with pale blue silk organza overskirt hand appliqued with ruffles and embellished with China blue silk thread-work, crystals and glass bead embroidery.

Barbara Meier in Alexis Mabille Spring 2017 Couture at "The Meyerowitz Stories" Cannes 2017 Premiere: German fashion model and actress--best known as the winner of the 2nd cycle of Germany's Next Top Model--wore one of my Top Ten Best Dresses of Cannes 2017 Days 4-6. This royal blue gown was from French designer Alexis Mabille. His Couture creations have been getting some exposure at Cannes which is great; I ADORE his designs. This dress featured an off-the-shoulder style with sequined godets highlighting the neckline with a beautiful simple belted column gown. I also loved her center parted chignon hairstyle.

Last but Not Least in my Top Ten Best Dressed of Cannes 2017 Days 4-6...
Naomi Campbell in Atelier Versace Spring 2017 at the Cannes Fashion For Relief Fundraiser Gala: Leave it to Miss Naomi Campbell to make it onto my Top Ten Best Dressed of Cannes 2017 Days 4-6. She wore this super sexy Atelier Versace Spring/Summer 2017 gown at the "Cannes Fashion For Relief" fundraiser event. The blush colored silk georgette dress featured an intricate Swarovski crystal encrusted web over the base of the gown, as well as side front slit to show off Campbell's iconic legs. This was a perfect choice for Naomi and she, naturally, wore it fabulously.