Salma Hayek’s Bold Fashion Moment at Cannes: A Look Back
EDITOR’S NOTE: Delving into the archives of pop culture history, “Remember When?” is a CNN Style series offering a nostalgic look at the celebrity outfits that defined their eras.
The Cannes Film Festival, a nearly two-week affair, is renowned for showcasing some of the most memorable red carpet looks of the year. For many stars, this includes daring choices such as ‘naked’ dresses and voluminous gowns. The trend has reached such extremes that last year, festival organizers banned these outfits in the interest of “decency.”
As the 2026 festival approaches with this ban in place, there’s speculation about the future of bold fashion choices on the red carpet. To understand the evolution of style at Cannes, it’s worth revisiting 1999, a year characterized by less advanced technology and more straightforward fashion choices. A standout from that year was Salma Hayek’s peek-a-boo cardigan at the festival.
Hayek, who had two films premiering at Cannes, paired a baby-blue sweater—fastened with just two buttons and revealing a hint of her bra—with a flowing satin skirt in a complementary tone. The look turned heads as she attended the amfAR Gala, where she accessorized with a silver clutch and extravagant sapphire and diamond jewelry, later switching to an elephant-shaped pendant while dancing on stage with her co-star from “Dogma,” Ben Affleck.
At Cannes, voluminous satin silhouettes were popular; Geraldine Chaplin opted for an A-line maxi skirt paired with a plunging V-neck blouse, while Catherine Zeta-Jones dazzled in a powder-pink halter-neck gown. However, Hayek’s choice to combine high fashion with a casual element, such as a fuzzy knit, set her apart.
Hayek self-styled the cardigan with a satin-blue maxi skirt and jewels.
Over two decades later, Hayek revealed that she selected her own look for that night, stating, “It was taking a chance… I took a sweater that’s supposed to be (worn) with something underneath — because it only had two buttons — and a skirt, and made my own fashion style.” In a video for Vogue detailing her best fashion moments, she recalled how the outfit became an iconic part of her career.
“Little did I know that Vogue one day was gonna say (it was) one of your iconic looks,” Hayek explained, attributing her creative approach to the limitations she faced in finding suitable red-carpet attire at the time. “Nobody thought a Mexican would stick around, so why give me a dress?”
Early Self-Styling
By the time Hayek made a splash with her cardigan, she had already made a name for herself through innovative, self-styled looks. At the 1998 MTV Movie Awards, she enhanced a simple little black dress with butterflies painted on her body, cleverly avoiding the need for costly jewelry. The previous year, she embraced a tiara at her first Academy Awards appearance, despite being advised against it. “Everybody started wearing a tiara after that and I never got credit for that trend,” she said.
Bella Hadid in a torso-baring cardigan in 2021.
Hailey Bieber’s fastened cardi was also a nod to the ’90s knitwear trend.
Hayek’s suggestive cardigan has since emerged as a throwback staple, drawing attention from brands like Reformation, which market similar styles paired with satin skirts. In 2019, Katie Holmes garnered significant attention for her chic Khaite cardigan, while celebrities like Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber embraced cropped designs from designers such as Jacquemus.
Although Hayek may not hold sole credit for popularizing cropped cardigans in the 1990s—characters like Rose McGowan’s in “Jawbreaker” and appearances by celebrities like Drew Barrymore also contributed to the trend—it remains notable that her daring choice at Cannes stood out in an environment often governed by strict dress codes. In 2025, the festival introduced a ban on nudity, reflecting a shift in response to the ‘naked’ dress trend.
Today, as Hayek enjoys a wealth of designer options for red carpet appearances, her creative ensemble from the Cannes Film Festival continues to resonate. Like much of the fashion from that decade, it’s undeniably playful, effortlessly chic—and arrives in a nostalgic baby blue.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been updated with the latest Cannes Film Festival dress code.
