After wearing Kendall Jenner‘s $29,800 Cartier watch to Cannes Film Festival, Elle Fanning changed tack with a Givenchy skirt suit packed with surprising details. Attending L’Oreal’s Lights on Women’s Worth Award event at Cannes on Friday, May 23, the A Complete Unknown star‘s outfit could’ve been strictly business, if it wasn’t for an unexpected feature accentuating her chosen hairstyle.
Fanning, who is styled by Samantha McMillen, wore a structural black skirt suit from Givenchy by Sarah Burton, taken from the designer’s FW25 RTW collection. The fitted blazer included broad shoulder pads, and a dramatic neckline, which continued to the back of the outfit. The fitted skirt reached Fanning’s shins, and included a back split.
The Maleficent actress completed her sleek outfit with sheer pantyhose and pointed-toe pumps.
Elle Fanning wearing a Givenchy skirt suit on the Cannes red carpet.
(Image credit: Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images for L’Oreal)
The actress wore her blonde hair in a plait, which was tied with a red bow, and framed by a low-cut neckline on the back of Fanning’s blazer. While the actress’s hairstyle was created by Jenda, Erin Ayanian Monroe was on makeup duty.
Elle Fanning’s plait on the Cannes red carpet.
(Image credit: Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images for L’Oreal)
Fanning previously tapped Givenchy by Sarah Burton for her debut appearance at the Academy Awards in 2025, where she wore an ivory lace gown featuring a black bow at the waist.
After launching her first collection as Givenchy’s creative director—which included Fanning’s skirt suit—Burton explained (via ELLE UK), “I wanted to strip it all back to silhouette: so start from the very beginning, take everything away and go back to what the backbone of the house is about.” She continued, “I wanted the collection to encompass everything it is to be a woman today.”
Burton also noted, “There’s moments where you want to feel sexy, there’s moments where you want to feel powerful, there’s moments where you want to feel vulnerable, there’s moments where you want to feel fragile.” The designer continued, “I think it’s really great to celebrate the complexity of being a woman, rather than one note.”
