The hottest red carpet looks from the Venice Film Festival

(Image credit: Mondadori Portfolio/Archivio Marilla Sicilia/Marilla Sicilia)

published 9 September 2021

I don't know about you, but I'm living for the IRL red carpet looks after months of digital events, and the 78th edition of the Venice Film Festival this week has not disappointed.

A-listers such as Kristen Stewart (who is presenting her Princess Diana Spencer movie), Kirsten Dunst, Penelope Cruz, Cynthia Erivo, Jessica Chastain and Benedict Cumberbatch have descended on the glamourous Italian city to celebrate the proper return of films and events.

For several days of premieres and daytime shows, they have naturally brought with them a whole accoutrement of designer wares, from chic Chanel suits to Armani Privé ballgowns.

Penelope Cruz kicked things off on 1st September with a black and white Chanel ballgown - no surprise here, since she is a muse for the label and even walked Karl Lagerfeld's last show in March 2019.

Since then, it's been a rotation of celebrities in their fabulous looks, from Tiffany Haddish in a monochrome Christian Siriano gown, to Jessica Chastain in a pale blue beaded Elie Saab dress and Helen Mirren in a turquoise sequin Dolce & Gabbana gown (the designer duo hosted a star-studded show just days previously).

I also loved Cynthia Erivo's showstopper of a silver Versace gown. We simply aren't worthy. Watch this space as we expect more celebrities to land in the romantic city, including Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet, who will be presenting their new movie, Dune.

Also expected to pull out all the stops is Kristen Stewart, who landed in a tweed Chanel suit to present Spencer. She is also a fan of the Parisian label and is likely to wear a lot of their designs, though I'm hoping for a few choice vintage Princess Diana-inspired numbers such as the one she wore for the movie poster.

Scroll down for the best looks from the Venice Film Festival 2021 red carpet.

Jamie Lee Curtis

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jake Gyllenhaal

Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson and Maggie Gyllenhaal

Penelope Cruz

Sharon Stone in Dolce & Gabbana

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Gemma Chan in Oscar de la Renta

Rosamund Pike in Dior

Zendaya in Balmain

Kristen Stewart in Chanel

Tiffany Haddish in Christian Siriano

Kirsten Dunst in Armani Privé

Sophie Hunter and Benedict Cumberbatch

Zoe Saldana in Dolce & Gabbana

Penelope Cruz in Chanel

Cynthia Erivo in Versace

Jessica Chastain in Elie Saab

Helen Mirren in Dolce & Gabbana

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.