The Best-Dressed Stars at Venice Film Festival 2026

Venice remains one of cinema’s most elegant fashion stages, and the 2026 edition delivered on that promise.

The 83rd Venice International Film Festival ran on the Lido from 2 to 12 September, bringing actors, filmmakers and fashion houses together for one of the first major red-carpet moments of the autumn season.

This year’s strongest looks favoured presence over novelty. Penélope Cruz appeared in Chanel, Amal Clooney chose Tom Ford and Brittany Snow wore Giorgio Armani, while the wider carpet included Balenciaga and Celine alongside jewellery from Cartier, Bulgari and Tiffany & Co. The result was less about a single dominant silhouette than about the return of richly considered glamour: embroidery, sculptural construction, saturated colour and accessories with enough character to hold their own against a gown.

Venice is especially useful as a fashion barometer because it sits between the fantasy of couture and the realities of celebrity dressing. The best looks did not simply photograph well; they established a point of view.

For STRAITSG, that is the real lesson of Venice 2026. Red-carpet dressing is moving beyond the search for the biggest dress. The most memorable appearances are the ones with proportion, texture, personality and a clear relationship between star and house.