Chloé Zhao Is the Best Dressed Director at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival
Forget movie star glamour—jury member Chloé Zhao is bringing director glamour to the 2026 Cannes carpet. “I wanted to have fun and be playful—and a little messy,” Zhao says of her wardrobe.
Reported by Vogue.
Cannes has never been short on red carpet spectacle, but the most interesting dresser at this year's festival isn't an actress — it's a director. Chloé Zhao, serving as a jury member at the 2026 edition, has been quietly outpacing the competition with a wardrobe that's considered without being calculated, and personal without being precious.
Zhao — whose direction on Nomadland and Hamnet produced Oscar wins for Frances McDormand and Jessie Buckley, respectively — tells the story of someone who dresses the way she makes films: on instinct. "I wanted to have fun and be playful, and a little messy — not follow any rules," she told Vogue. Freed from the pressure of promoting a project, she's treating the two-week festival like a creative exercise. No stylist, either. She collaborated directly with designers she already knows, picking looks from lookbooks based entirely on feeling. "It just feels right, even if it doesn't make sense," she said. "There's a physical feeling about it."
The Looks
Her early Cannes appearances centered on Gabriela Hearst and Hermès — cool, tactile, intentional. She landed in a red long-sleeved knit from Hearst's fall 2025 collection, then shifted into a navy knit top-and-skirt set from Hermès spring 2026 for the official jury photo call, grounded with strappy sandals. For the opening ceremony, she returned to Hearst in a black merino, silk, and lace dress with floral and ruffled detailing — worn with a leather moto jacket that tilted the whole thing slightly sideways, in the best possible way.
That opening ceremony look had a source you wouldn't expect. According to Vogue, Hearst revealed that Zhao's reference points included the Gnostic Bible, Mary Magdalene, and the work of archaeologist Marija Gimbutas. "There's very few artists I can talk with about Marija Gimbutas, and she's one of them," Hearst said, adding that what draws Zhao also draws her — to the symbols, the archetypes, the alchemy behind what a woman puts on her body. It's a level of intention most people reserve for the work itself, which is perhaps exactly the point.
Zhao is a reminder that the most compelling style isn't about access or a killer glam team — it's about knowing yourself well enough to dress like it.
Read the original at Vogue.
