Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the grounds of Hotel de Cap in Cap D'Antibes for the amfAR gala
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the grounds of Hotel de Cap in Cap D’Antibes for the amfAR gala

Day 9 of Cannes Film Festival was a proper star-studded affair, with the premiere of The Paperboy, the amfAR gala (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan went to this one) and the ChopardL’Oréal party (where Sonam Kapoor was spotted). So much fashion chit-chat to get through, COME!

Nicole Kidman in custom Lanvin at the premiere of "Paperboy"
Nicole Kidman in custom Lanvin at the premiere of “The Paperboy”

The best-dressed of the day for me was Nicole Kidman, who looked resplendent at the premiere of her film The Paperboy. I’m bit of a minimalist so I gravitate towards the fuss-free, simple looks ‒ so yeah, this ensemble of Nicole struck the right chords. The dark coral pink, Grecian-inspired pleated gown with a crystal-encrusted strap was custom-made for her by Alber Elbaz of Lanvin. Casadei gold chain sandals, a loose up-do and Cartier jewels ‒ platinum round old-cut diamond earrings from 1923 and two bracelets, a French baguette, with diamonds and emeralds (1926) and a diamond bracelet from 1929 with single cut and bullet shaped diamonds ‒ completed her look.

A very dapper Zac Efron in Dolce & Gabbana tux at the premiere of his film "Paperboy"
A very dapper Zac Efron in Dolce & Gabbana tux at the premiere of his film “The Paperboy”

Her co-star Zac Efron looked smashing too at the premiere! He wore a double-buttoned peak lapel tuxedo complete with waistcoat by Dolce & Gabbana. The fit of the jacket… The trouser length… Pocket square folded in a presidential style… Shiny lace-ups… Nicely-coiffed hair… That’s black-tie dressing done to a T! Massive pats on the back, son.

Zac Efron looking well spiffy at the photocall of "Paperboy"
Zac Efron looking well spiffy at the photocall of “The Paperboy”

I loved his daytime look, too 😀 For the photocall of the film, he went for a grey suit (by Thom Browne?). Sounds boring? Far from it, actually! The windowpane pattern… the skinny trousers… the ankle-grazing hem… the slim notch lapels… All of it made him look taller than his 5’8’’ height. Well hip and fun and age-appropriate (I’m looking at you, Imran Khan!)! Btw, who do you prefer between Robert Pattinson and Zac Efron? I heart Zac.

Nicole Kidman in Antonio Berardi A/W'12 at the photocall of "Paperboy"
Nicole Kidman in Antonio Berardi A/W’12 (yep, the dress is hiding under the gorgeous coat!) at the photocall of “The Paperboy”

Nicole was nicely turned up, too, at the photocall. The blood-orange Antonio Berardi A/W’12 shift dress was oh-so-chic. Embellished hair clips, gold jewels, Omega watch and maroon Manolo Blahnik kitten heels nicely rounded off the flawless look.

Diane Kruger in a dress from Chanel's Resort 2013 collection at the amfAR gala
Diane Kruger in a dress from Chanel’s Resort 2013 collection at the amfAR gala

Diane Kruger was magnificent yet again. The crisp white short-sleeved embroidered gown with lavender floral details from Chanel’s Resort 2013 collection was beautiful. The origami folds on the dress ‒ ah, nice one, Mr Lagerfeld! (See? I do praise when it is deserved) And those silver crystal-embellished Christian Louboutin ‘Pigalle 120’ pumps (Oh, I’ve a non-embellished one of this :-D) upped the glam factor by a few notches!

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Not to forget Joshua Jackson. That one scrubs up well, scrubs up well, almost all the time.

Bérénice Bejo in a Giambattista Valli Spring 2012 Couture gown at the amfAR gala
Bérénice Bejo in a lovely Giambattista Valli Spring 2012 Couture gown at the amfAR gala

Bérénice Bejo looked so lovely in a sweeping Giambattista Valli Spring 2012 Couture gown at the amfAR gala. The modified fruity orange and white gown was paired with a quirky Olympia Le-Tan clutch book bag: “La Femme Amoureuse”.

Bérénice Bejo & Michel Hazanavicius at the amfAR gala
Ah, such a well-dressed pair! Bérénice Bejo with husband Michel Hazanavicius (director of “The Artist”) at the amfAR gala

How dapper is Michel Hazanavicius looking? Oh la la! Ah, French men…*swoon*

Milla Jovovich in a Atelier Versace Spring 2012 gown at the amfAR gala
Milla Jovovich in a Atelier Versace Spring 2012 gown at the amfAR gala

Milla Jovovich went for an edgy Atelier Versace Spring 2012 gown with a dramatic leg slit and metallic shine, to the amfAR gala. The shimmering grey gown with architectural corset and metallic boning deserved a way more fierce hair-do than she sported, which kinda took off the edge of this striking gown. Loving the nude satin Sergio Rossi ‘Vague’ heels, though!

Camila Alves at the red carpet of "Paperboy"
Camila Alves at the red carpet of “The Paperboy”

Matthew McConaughey’s fiancée Camila Alves’s metallic plunging gown looked gorgeous against her dusky skin tone, no?

Nina Dobrev in Elie Saab S/S'12 at the amfAR gala
Nina Dobrev in Elie Saab S/S’12 at the amfAR gala

The Vampire Diaries actress ‒ and the lush Ian Somerhalder’s girlfriend ‒ Nina Dobrev’s Elie Saab S/S’12 gown had me at its lapis blue colour. Stunning, right? The fully embroidered boat neck gown with a side split was gorgeous. Bulgari jewels and silver Jimmy Choo ‘Lance’ sandals finished off her look. LOVE!

Heidi Klum in Marchesa S/S'12 at the premiere of "Paperboy"
Heidi Klum in Marchesa S/S’12 at the premiere of “Paperboy”

I found Heidi Klum’s slightly modified Marchesa S/S’12 gown kinda garish, I’m afraid. The fully-beaded silver gown had excessive fringe detailing, and the silhouette makes the wearer look boxy. I tried, but I just can’t bring myself to like this gown.

Kirsten Dunst in Louis Vuitton at the amfAR gala
Kirsten Dunst in Louis Vuitton at the amfAR gala

Kirsten Dunst’s pleated silk mousseline Louis Vuitton gown from the amfAR gala. Erm, erm, erm, where do I start? The colours, pale blue and aqua, are divine but together, they are negating one another. The satin belt with leather floral embellishments, while cute, looks so random. The sheer paneling on the bodice looks so meh! This gown has this bargain basement feel about it, no? What do you reckon?

Kate Upton in Louis Vuitton at the amfAR gala
Kate Upton in Louis Vuitton at the amfAR gala

Swimwear model Kate Upton’s basket weave black-and-blue Louis Vuitton gown with three-tiered poufy skirt was another amateur-ish piece of work by Mr Jacobs. He came up with something novel with the basket weave, which was sufficient to catch people’s attention. But no, like a jittery design school fresher, he had to throw in three tiers of poufiness for good measure. Chunky black heels and Louis Vuitton haute joaillerie added to the clunkiness of this look.

Karolina Kurkova in Roberto Cavalli A/W'12 at the amfAR gala
Karolina Kurkova in Roberto Cavalli A/W’12 at the amfAR gala

Karolina Kurkova’s sheer, gold-embellished Roberto Cavalli S/S’12 gown was too showgirl-esque. If there was a nude lining, I might have come to appreciate the gown; so much sheerness, it just ain’t classy.

Sonam Kapoor in Naeem Khan A/W'12 at the Chopard and L'Oréal party
Sonam Kapoor in Naeem Khan A/W’12 at the Chopard and L’Oréal party

Sonam Kapoor’s appearance in a Naeem Khan A/W’12 gown at the Chopard-L’Oréal party was underwhelming, I thought. The one-shouldered black gown with white-dotted print has too much fabric, and print’s just too loud and dizzying. The gown engulfs Sonam and the Chopard ruby jewels; the deep red of the ruby just does not pop. Wish Naeem Khan toned down the effect of the not-easy-on-the-eye print with another colour or a less-voluminous skirt or no shoulder details.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Abu Jani & Sandeep at the amfAR gala
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Abu Jani-Sandeep at the amfAR gala

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. So much has been written already about this look. I, hated it ‒ sorry! The Abu Jani-Sandeep creation is doing her post-maternity figure no favours, and just so heavy and restricting.