Fashion gears up for Cannes red carpet finale
Saturday, 22 May 2010
CANNES, France, May 21 (AFP): At Cannes, the buzz on likely winners of the festival's top prize Sunday is keeping fashionistas and film-makers alike awake at nights, as brands and movies fight for red carpet limelight.
A city studded with high-end jewellers and designer boutiques, sun-kissed Cannes mutates into the world's capital of luxury once a year when the 12-day festival comes around.
The prime time for Gucci, Pucci, Armani and the rest will be the gala close May 23 when paparazzi and TV networks from across the globe flash celebs sashaying up the red carpet's 24 steps for the Palme d'Or awards finale.
"The red carpet has become a catwalk show," said Francois Ortarix, spokesman for Swarovski, the Austrian crystal-makers of cutting-edge jewellery and other accesories.
The firm this year did "Desperate Housewife" Eva Longoria an 11th-hour favour when she called 15 minutes before stepping up the carpet to say her free 500-euro gift Swarovski clutch-bag was a little oversize and didn't match her dress.
Ortarix literally ran to her swish hotel suite with a smaller pouch in a different shade. "She even offered to return the other one," he said.
Like other designer labels, Swarovski flies into the festival each year, setting up a showroom in one of the city's swankiest hotels where movie stars and celebs are offered jewels and accesories on loan.
"People the world over watch the red carpet for new styles. It makes our customers dream they too can be as stunning as the stars," he said.
In a showroom nearby looking over the Mediterranean, Lebanese couture supremo Elie Saab has flown in 100-odd evening gowns worth anywhere from 3,000 to 30,000 euros -- also lent for the night for free, but only to celebs.
"Our problem this year is there're more male than female stars but we don't do suits," said spokeswoman Emilie Legendre.
Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai, Chinese star Fan Bingbing, Britain's Helen Mirren and Longoria all stepped out in Elie Saab at Cannes this year.
A city studded with high-end jewellers and designer boutiques, sun-kissed Cannes mutates into the world's capital of luxury once a year when the 12-day festival comes around.
The prime time for Gucci, Pucci, Armani and the rest will be the gala close May 23 when paparazzi and TV networks from across the globe flash celebs sashaying up the red carpet's 24 steps for the Palme d'Or awards finale.
"The red carpet has become a catwalk show," said Francois Ortarix, spokesman for Swarovski, the Austrian crystal-makers of cutting-edge jewellery and other accesories.
The firm this year did "Desperate Housewife" Eva Longoria an 11th-hour favour when she called 15 minutes before stepping up the carpet to say her free 500-euro gift Swarovski clutch-bag was a little oversize and didn't match her dress.
Ortarix literally ran to her swish hotel suite with a smaller pouch in a different shade. "She even offered to return the other one," he said.
Like other designer labels, Swarovski flies into the festival each year, setting up a showroom in one of the city's swankiest hotels where movie stars and celebs are offered jewels and accesories on loan.
"People the world over watch the red carpet for new styles. It makes our customers dream they too can be as stunning as the stars," he said.
In a showroom nearby looking over the Mediterranean, Lebanese couture supremo Elie Saab has flown in 100-odd evening gowns worth anywhere from 3,000 to 30,000 euros -- also lent for the night for free, but only to celebs.
"Our problem this year is there're more male than female stars but we don't do suits," said spokeswoman Emilie Legendre.
Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai, Chinese star Fan Bingbing, Britain's Helen Mirren and Longoria all stepped out in Elie Saab at Cannes this year.