Chantelle's blog: 2011 amFAR Cinema against AIDS gala at Cannes red carpet

There will be three or possibly four posts about the events at Cannes. In this first post we'll have a look at what the celebrities wore to the amFAR gala at Cannes this year. This is a formal event and many of those who attended wore some fine clothing. Not everyone wore something formal, however, and not everyone wore something flattering.

One of the most interesting things about this and other Cannes events is that there are many international celebrities in attendance. I may not have a clue who all of the people are but that doesn't mean I can't critique their outfits :)

We'll get started after the jump.

Donatella Versace in Versace

For a woman who looks about a hundred years old up close, she looks pretty good here. It helps that the dress is amazing and a lovely cheery colour.

Charlene Whittstock in Giorgio Armani Prive (with Prince Albert of Monaco)

Apparently these two plan to be married - isn't that nice? She looks a lot less happy - but much more gorgeous - than he does. I love the colour of this dress and the way it falls in soft folds. It's a lovely, understated dress.

Charlotte Casiraghi in vintage Chanel Couture

Are the 80s considered vintage now? Because this dress looks like it comes from the 1980s. It's nice enough but why on earth did she pair it with those heavy black clompers for shoes and a black clutch? They're just too dark and sad to work with the lightness of this dress.

Bar Refaeli in Roberto Cavalli

I love this because it's sparkly in different colours and has ombred feathers. It looks amazing on her, of course, like just about everything does. Now why didn't she do something as awesome with her hair?

Karolina Kurkova in Chanel Couture

If you want to emphasize or create a pear shape to your body, this is the perfect dress to wear. Fortunately for her, she's a model and so isn't subject to dressing like us ordinary people and can exaggerate her hips if she wants to do so.

Milla Jovovich in Versace

The silhouette - fabulous. She looks incredibly sexy here. The colour, however, looks awful against her skin. There's a greenish undertone to the dress that doesn't work with her skin colour.

Carine Roitfeld in Givenchy (with Kanye West)

She used to be an editor at French Vogue and so of course looks amazing. The column dress with subtle belt, the fur shawl - it's a whole look and it's well put-together. Why she's with Mr. Beyonce-is-the-best-in-the-world I have no idea.

Julia Reston-Roitfeld in Pucci

She's the daughter of the former French Vogue editor, above, and it's no surprise that she looks amazing in this dress. The embellishments give her all kinds of curves. What's not to love?

Hofit Golan in Jean Fares Couture

Who is this woman? No one really knows. I've heard that she's Israel's answer to Paris Hilton, which means that she shows up in a lot of places but doesn't really do anything. Clearly she's got money because she wears a lot of different outfits. I happen to like this one, with the contrast between the silver sparkles and soft pink chiffon. I don't love her hair, which looks messy and unkempt.

Courtney Love in Givenchy

After a certain age, a woman's boobs start to head towards their waists. You can see that this is happening to her here, which is sort of sad because it means that she's getting older like the rest of us. The dress suits her style very well; it's edgy and interesting and unusual.

Kirsten Dunst in Chanel Couture

Huh. Her hair looks neat and stylish. The dress... I don't love it. I don't like the contrasting lace used on the yoke and the ruffles down near her knees. It's just a little too precious of a dress.

Elodie Bouchez in Louis Vuitton

At first I thought I liked this dress but it was another one I was thinking about. The use of the stripes is interesting, especially on the skirt. The high neckline and wide sleeves is interesting but not all that attractive.

Mallika Sherawat in Alexander McQueen

It's a white, feathered, empire-waisted, mullet dress. She looks happy and the dress fits her. And her hair is done up. I like the silver shoes and clutch but the dress... not so much.

Georgina Chapman in Marchesa

Another white wanna-be wedding gown. How did she get that cone shape to the skirt? It's certainly unusual - and I don't know if this is a good thing. Pairing this dress with black shoes and a clutch is strange.

Julia Saner

I do love this outfit with its multi-directional sequins (made to look like feathers) and open areas. It fits her like the proverbial glove and is completely sexy while also covering her up. I also love the silver clutch which adds a smoothness to the textured dress.

Kiera Chaplin

For some reason, she reminds me of an athlete standing there. There's a grace in the way she's standing there with one hand on her hip and smiling. The dress is perfect for her, with its subtle embellishment at the neck, leg slit, and clean lines.

Roberta Armani in Armani

There's something strange about the pouf against her calves. It's like she's hopping into place instead of walking. While the colour suits her, that pouf weighs her down.

Aimee Mullins

It sort of looks like she's a bit nervous or unhappy, standing there in that mostly-shapeless, matronly, unflattering dress.

Ana Arujo in Roberto Cavalli

Remember we were talking about Ke$ha at the Billboard Music Awards the other day? Had she worn this dress, she would have looked fantastic, just like this woman does. This woman would look a lot better if she'd just put down her shoulders, however.

Clemence Poesy in Chanel

Most people wouldn't be able to wear a column dress with white bands across the waist and knees. Really, only a model like her would be able to wear something like this. She's still got hips, so the column effect isn't perfect, but she looks amazing in this dress.

Uma Thurman in Chanel

Is she wearing flat shoes? I think she is, and I definitely like it. It's long past time that people wore flat shoes (and I say this not just as someone who can't wear high heels any more), although she may be wearing them because otherwise the dress - which is lovely on her - would be too short.

Janet Jackson in Haider Ackemann

Forest green, royal blue, and that purple are not colours I would have thought really went together, especially for a spring event. Even though the colours and silhouette suit her, I'd have loved to see something less wacky, colour-wise.

Gwen Stefani in L.A.M.B.

I think I've said it before, but I'm fairly certain that these mermaid skirts are going out of style. The dress is nice enough and it fits her. I don't much like the lace thingy up at her neck. or her hair.

Naomi Campbell in Givenchy

I don't think the fringe is supposed to rest on the ground like that. I don't love the lace appliques on the dress, either. I can't tell if the images on her waist look like a butterfly or a pelvis. Is that good?

Sarah Fergusen

This is definitely the right colour for her and the style is perfect for her. The only problem is that the dress was hemmed when she was wearing flats and she decided to wear heels to the event. I also don't know what's going on with her hair; it's like a version of Snooki's hair bump thing. She doesn't have to be hip or cool so why try?

Mischa Barton in Roberto Cavalli

This is one of the most understated Roberto Cavalli dresses I've ever seen. It's nice enough and all - and it fits her so well - but it's kind of plain, too.

Brooke Shields in Marchesa

This is one of the most understated Marchesa dresses I've ever seen - usually they have a bunch of frippery and lace and texture and stuff going on. I love the single shoulder embellishment and the lace around the waist. The only problem is that this looks like a bridal gown. A lovely bridal gown, but a bridal gown nonetheless.

Frieda Pinto in Lanvin

This dress is... interesting. It's definitely shiny and short and striped (or is it pleated?). It isn't tight, and the long sleeves save it from looking too trashy. The neckline is quite stiff, however, and I don't love the black pumps with the dress.

Michelle Rodriguez in Jean Fares Couture

I had to show the back of this dress as well as the front because I love it. Love it! The colour, the neckline, and the embellishment along the front pockets and the back are all gorgeous. The fact that her skin is a different colour makes this dress work for her; it doesn't wash her out or make her look like a flesh-coloured column. The only issue is that we can see her nipple covers through the dress. That's better than seeing her nipples but they interrupt the lines of the dress.

Ivana Trump

Oh, wow. I guess a woman of a certain age gets to wear an allover sequinned dress with a matching jacket. What is there even to say about this?

Denise Rich

There's a certain "man in a dress" look about this. There's nothing wrong with men wearing dresses, but why would anyone want to look like they're a man wearing a dress? When a person has broad shoulders, a straight-across strapless bodice emphasizes those shoulders... helping to create the man in a dress appearance. The print is pretty, if unusual.

Daniela Lavender

If this dress was six inches shorter or longer , it would be better. If it didn't have a train it would be even better. The colour is great for her, as is the style from her neck to her knees.

Melita Toscan du Plantier

I love this dress. I have no idea who designed it but I love the vertical embellishments, the raglan lace sleeves and embellishments, and the hem. It's gorgeous and slimming.

Kseniya Sobchak

Is that a leopard-print belt? Seriously? I wouldn't say it works so well with this yellow dress which, on its own, it's lovely. The colour works for her even if the sleeves and the belt are a bit much.

Uliana Sergianko

I included the second pic so that we could all take a closer look at what she's wearing under this sheer negligee because she looks naked (with some strange skin problem) underneath, which I think was the point. I think she's wearing a flesh-coloured velour bodysuit. Of course, who's looking at her huge, naked-appearing boobs while she's wearing that hat?

Eva Herzigova

Pretty, if a bit short, shiny, and tight.It's something like Heidi Klum used to wear. The lace insert is ok, I suppose. I don't love the shoes; it's like her feet are too bare.

Ludivine Sagnier in Louis Vuitton

Let me see if I've got this right. This is a big event where everyone dresses up in fancy clothes, right? So why is she wearing a sundress? It may be a Vuitton sundress but it's still a sundress. And it's too casual for this particular event, even if the colour does look great on her.

Delfina Delettrez Fendi in Fendi

I love this dress. The asymmetry is sexy and it's perfectly balanced. What I'm not sure about are those cuffs that she's wearing. They appear to have fringes on them - they're like something out of the 70s. I guess we should be grateful that the fringes are only a few inches long and not, say, floor length.

Zhang Ziyi in Dior Couture

This dress is interesting and not just because of the giant decal on her one shoulder. It's farly plain but fits her very well and there's nothing as sexy as something that fits properly.

Fabiola Baracasa

I love that she's confident enough to wear a column dress even though she's got a bit of a tummy. Thank goodness she's wearing her Wonder Woman cuffs, at least, so that she's able to keep away the bad guys at the gala.

Countess Nathalie von Bismarck

That's a lot of ruffles. It's hard to see her for all those ruffles, and they really don't do much for her figure. The colour is ok for her but she's matched her lipstick a bit too closely to it fr it to really work.

Tamara Beckwith

How is it that someone women can put on a dress and look so comfortable in it that they may as well be wearing stretchy pants and a t-shirt? She is one of those women, and I envy her. She looks totally put-together and at-ease here, wearing a dress that's perfectly flattering and well-fitted.

Ana Beatriz Barros in Roberto Cavalli

I love the colour except that in all of those ruffles it looks kind of dirty and it doesn't really suit her. I've seen quite a few of these dresses with extra fabric at the hips like that; I wonder if hips are going to be the new erogenous zone? If so, pear-shaped women will have cause to rejoice.

Alessandra Ambrosio in Roberto Cavalli

I like this dress with the extra embellishments on the bust and sides of the waist. Even though this is a full dress, it somehow doesn't make her look huge because her waist is defined. I love the colour on her as well.

Irina Shayk

It's like her shoes match the bodice of the dress - maybe she chose these shoes specifically for that reason? I like the single strap but the skirt looks strange, attached to the bodice the way it is. It's definitely eye-catching although not the height of taste.

Anja Rubik in Pucci

Fuzzy blue towels with short trains aren't the kind of thing most people would wear at a formal gala. If someone wants to look like cookie monster, who's going to stop them?

Fan Bing Bing in Louis Vuitton

The colour suits her, even if the style doesn't. There's something weird going on at her waist and hips and she looks wider than she is.

Rosario Dawson in Roberto Cavalli

This kind of over the top pleats and shininess are what I think of when I think of a Roberto Cavalli dress. I love this one; it's interesting and tasteful (well, comparatively tasteful, I guess). There's a possibility that the pleats starting at the waist could make the wearer look fat but that doesn't happen here.

Jane Fonda in Roberto Cavalli

I don't usually love leopard print but I like it here, in the green on white. I also like the way the pattern size changes at the waist and along the side and sleeves. She looks fantastic.

Doutzen Kroes

It isn't usually a good idea to wear a dress that makes a person look pregnant, like she does here. I don't think she is pregnant but the rumours must have been flying. Lucky for her, she's a kabillion feet tall so she can wear shoes with ankle straps without making her legs look short.

Goldie Hawn in Roberto Cavalli

She always looks like she's laughing and bending forward when she gets her picture taken. The dress sort of works for her; the belt is perfect but the ruffle at the neck is a little strangely proportioned.

Elisabetta Canalis in Givenchy

She looks pretty in this dress. That's not really saying much, is it? While the style works for her, the colour isn't perfect against her skin. It washes her out too much to really look good.

Caroline Scheufele

I love this look. It's really nothing more than a long shift dress but it fits her so well and is accessorized so beautifully with those necklaces and bracelets that I can't not love it.

Svetlana Metkina in Armani Prive

Normally collar thingies like this constrict movement too much but it looks like this one has some extra fabric that allows her to use her arms, at least. I like the contrast of the shiny collar against the simple matte dress. It works for her and the colour is perfect.