At the 79th Cannes Film Festival, high-profile stars swapped traditional haute couture for accessible high-street fashion. celebrities including Daisy Edgar-Jones and Gillian Anderson were spotted wearing pieces from brands like Mango and ME+EM while navigating the French Riviera.

Daisy Edgar-Jones and the £89 Mango aesthetic

The 79th Cannes Film Festival has long been a bastion of exclusive, million-dollar couture, but a new trend of "accessible chic" is taking hold. This shift suggests that the prestige of the red carpet is no longer strictly tied to a designer's price tag, but rather to the ability to style high-street pieces with sophistication.

Daisy Edgar-Jones, the 27-year-old Twisters actress, exemplified this movement when she arrived at Nice Airport. As reported by the Daily Mail, Edgar-Jones wore a white midi dress from Mango priced at just £89. The garment featured a romantic, minimalist silhouette with a deep scooped neckline and a voluminous A-line skirt that pooled around her ankles. To complete the look, she utilized affordable accessories from Next, including a £12.50 black formal tote bag and £12 leather ballerina shoes.

Gillian Anderson’s £250 ME+EM pivot

Gillian Anderson has also embraced the trend of mixing mid-range luxury with festival elegance.. The actress was seen sporting a £250 black-and-white crease-less linen maxi dress from ME+EM, a piece characterized by its clean, column-like silhouette and striking black trim. This choice highlights a growing preference for versatile, high-quality pieces that offer more longevity than one-off couture gowns.

The Daily Mail has tracked how Anderson expanded this look with other attainable items, such as a £250 ME+EM culotte jumpsuit and £34 Next black block heel sandals. By pairing these with £69.99 David Beckham aviator sunglasses, Anderson demonstrated how high-street and mid-tier brands can be elevated to meet the rigorous standards of the Cannes red carpet.

The £90 Puma and £57 SuperGA footwear trend

Footwear choices at this year's festival signaled a significant departure from traditional formal heels toward a more relaxed, athletic aesthetic.. This casualization of the red carpet is being led by major global brands that prioritize comfort without sacrificing style.

Bella Hadid was spotted wearing £90 metallic Speedcat Puma trainers, a move that aligns with the current global trend of luxury streetwear. Similarly, Emily in Paris star Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu opted for a casual approach, wearing £57 SuperGA 2750 Cotu Classic white trainers. Leroy-Beaulieu paired her footwear with a £25.99 New Look poplin shirt and £29 Next white wide-leg jeans, proving that the "high-street splurge" is becoming a legitimate fashion statement on the French Riviera.

The lack of brand partnership clarity at Cannes

While the presence of brands like Mango, Next, and Puma is undeniable, several specific details regarding these celebrity choices remain unverified. It is currently unknown whether these outfits are the result of formal brand endorsements or if the stars are simply making independent, personal style choices.

Furthermore, the report does not clarify if there is a coordinated effort by high-street retailers to target the Cannes demographic through these specific celebrity placements. Without official statements from the representatives of Daisy Edgar-Jones or Gillian Anderson, the distinction between a spontaneous fashion choice and a strategic marketing move remains an open question.