Halle Berry Evokes Sculptural Drama in Gaurav Gupta Dress at Cannes

Halle Berry brought Old Hollywood glamour with a modern three-dimensional twist to Monday night’s Chopard “Caroline’s Universe” dinner at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, where she serves on this year’s jury alongside Juliette Binoche and company.

For the occasion, the Oscar‑winner wore a sculptural couture gown from Gaurav Gupta’s fall  2024 “Jyotirgamaya” collection, coyly side-stepping the film festival’s updated dress code banning clothes with dramatic transparency and oversized trains while still adhering to its spirit.

The gown itself was sculptural: a structured bodice with a scooped sweetheart neckline and vertical boning that tapered toward the waist, setting the stage for the dramatic 3D floral rosette at her right hip. From there, a theatrical cascade of fabric unfurled into a voluminous train, artfully twisting in petal‑like curls before hitting the floor.

The sculptural gown featured a body-skimming, thigh-high slit that revealed the actress’s pointed-toe heels in the same berry hue. The patent leather pumps included a slender ankle strap and a glint of warm gold at the toe, echoing the hardware of the strap.

The look echoed a silhouette she’s favored throughout the festival: the pointed-toe, ankle-strap stiletto. Just days earlier, at the “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” premiere, Berry wore Aquazzura’s “Comet” pumps — jet-black heels with a sharply arched profile and comet-shaped ankle embellishments. That pair was styled with a voluminous Celia Kritharioti high-low gown that deliberately stopped at the ankle to let the footwear shine. At the Chopard dinner, she took the same approach in deep cranberry: same sculptural gown, same shoe-baring slit, same precision in pairing elegance with a touch of play.

The 2025 Cannes Film Festival concludes on May 24. Films premiering at this year’s festival include Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme,” Julia Ducournau’s “Alpha” and Lynne Ramsay’s “Die, My Love.”