Penélope Cruz's Bunker Dress: Yellow Chanel Lace Gown — Plus Scarlett Johansson's Two Reds and Lily James in Pressed Velvet at BFI London

The 70th BFI London Film Festival's Saturday premieres brought three distinct red carpet statements — one color departure, one repeat color done twice, and one lesson in texture.

The 70th BFI London Film Festival hit full stride this weekend, and Saturday's premieres produced three of its most-discussed looks. Penélope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson and Lily James each walked separate carpets for separate films, and between them covered a genuine range: a colour departure, a repeated colour, and a lesson in fabric over flash.

Penélope Cruz wore a custom Chanel gown to the Bunker premiere at London's Royal Festival Hall on October 11, where she stars opposite real-life husband Javier Bardem in Florian Zeller's marriage-crisis thriller. The dress was cut from pale yellow iridescent floral Chantilly lace, embroidered with cotton crochet flowers, spinning tops, semi-drilled beads and crystal pearls, and paired with Chanel High Jewellery Ruban earrings and a matching ring; stylist Anna Castan put the look together. It's a real departure by Cruz's own standards — she has rarely strayed from black, navy and white over the years, and this is her second notably bright carpet moment in a matter of days, following an archival Ralph Lauren look just before it.

Scarlett Johansson, promoting Paper Tiger alongside co-star Adam Driver, wore red twice in one evening: an earlier look at the Ray Gunn screening, then a custom red silk georgette Prada gown, cut on the bias with a ruched, twisted bodice and a sweetheart neckline, for the Paper Tiger premiere itself. Stylist Kate Young paired it with a Barron London statement necklace and a softly curled blonde bob swept to one side. The repeat colour, worn two different ways in one night, was the point — proof that the same shade can read completely differently depending on cut and construction.

Lily James wore white Prada — a pressed-velvet sheath gown with draped scarf sleeves — to The Liberation premiere, styled by Rebecca Corbin-Murray with Tiffany & Co. jewels. The pressed velvet gave the dress an almost crinkled, architectural texture, a more interesting choice than a plain sheen would have been, though the bow and trailing ribbons at the back arguably did more work than the simple silhouette needed.

None of the three overlapped in designer or colour, which is itself notable for a single festival weekend: Chanel, Prada twice over in two completely different fabrications, and three different stylists making three different arguments about what a premiere dress should do. BFI London continues through the coming week, with more galas and premieres — and, on this showing, no shortage of real fashion statements left to come before the festival closes.

Original coverage: BFI London Film Festival 2026 Red Carpet: Cruz, Johansson, James