Venice Film Festival 2026 Red Carpet: Who Wore What on the Lido
Amal Clooney in Tom Ford, Kendall Jenner in vintage Armani, Claire Foy in crimson Bottega Veneta: the looks and the designers behind them.
The 83rd Venice International Film Festival ran from September 2 to September 12, 2026, and as usual the Lido delivered some of the best dressing of the year. Compared with the crystal-heavy Emmys that followed it, Venice was quieter: long, narrow column dresses, plain colour and very little decoration.
The opening night belonged to the Clooneys. George Clooney received the festival's Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement and wore Armani; Amal Clooney wore a custom black Tom Ford gown by Haider Ackermann, a slim ruched column with thin straps. Earlier in the week she had arrived in a silk Tom Ford playsuit and blazer, and she later wore a raspberry-print Stella McCartney dress to a festival talk.
Kendall Jenner made her Venice appearance at the Wild Horse Nine screening in an archival Giorgio Armani gown: a gold beaded column from the autumn/winter 1995 collection, worn with Briony Raymond diamond earrings and Aquazzura sandals.
Claire Foy wore a custom crimson Bottega Veneta column dress to the opening ceremony with matching opera-length leather gloves and Swarovski jewellery. Laura Dern wore a pink satin Prada gown the same night and returned later in a black lace embroidered Prada gown.
Rooney Mara wore a sleek black Louis Vuitton dress to the Bucking Fastard screening, attending with her sister Kate Mara, who wore Armani Privé. Suki Waterhouse chose a lace mini dress from Saint Laurent's pre-fall 2026 collection for the Primetime screening, where Phoebe Bridgers wore McQueen.
Later in the festival Penélope Cruz and Marion Cotillard both wore Chanel, Alicia Vikander wore Louis Vuitton and Pamela Anderson wore Carolina Herrera. Maggie Gyllenhaal, in Venice on jury duty, moved between The Row, Celine, Balenciaga and Armani Privé across the eleven days.
The practical lesson from Venice is how well a plain long column works for a formal evening. One colour, a clean neckline and a skirt that falls straight to the floor looked more expensive on the Lido than anything with volume, and it is one of the easiest red carpet ideas to wear in real life.