The Venice Film Festival has once again transformed the Lido into a meeting point for cinema, couture, and some of the season’s most closely watched celebrity fashion moments. As the 10-day festival comes to a close, the red carpet has delivered plenty of visual drama, from Kendall Jenner’s archival Giorgio Armani gown and Rocío Muñoz Morales’ rich burgundy Alberta Ferretti look to Phoebe Bridgers’ romantic gray Alexander McQueen and Claire Foy’s striking red Bottega Veneta.
Classic glamour is everywhere, but the most interesting looks also reveal a stronger fashion story for the season ahead. Saturated colors are replacing some of the expected autumn neutrals, lace is taking on a darker romantic mood, tailoring is becoming more feminine, and dramatic details are giving traditional eveningwear a fresh sense of movement. These looks each approach that idea differently.
That is what makes Venice such a useful fashion forecast. The festival arrives as the fashion world begins looking toward the cooler months, making the red carpet an early preview of the colors, textures and styling ideas likely to shape fall dressing. The 2026 Venice Film Festival is already making a strong case for a richer, more romantic and more expressive fall wardrobe.
Kendall Jenner Is Bringing Archival Glamour Into Fall
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Kendall Jenner made her Venice Film Festival debut in an archival Giorgio Armani gown from the designer’s Fall/Winter 1995 collection. The champagne-toned dress was covered in detailed gold floral detailing and shimmered under the festival lights, giving classic Armani glamour a distinctly nostalgic quality. She paired it with Briony Raymond diamond earrings and Aquazzura heels, keeping the accessories restrained enough to let the archival gown take center stage.
The choice of an older Armani piece feels especially relevant as archival fashion continues to move from the fashion history books into the center of celebrity dressing. Jenner’s gown reminds us that a beautiful piece doesn’t need to be newly made to feel current. Sometimes, the right styling can make a decades-old design look remarkably fresh.
Her beauty look followed the same understated approach. Jenner wore her dark hair loose with a simple part, allowing the intricate gown and diamond earrings to remain the focus. The result was polished without feeling overly constructed.
For fall, the message is clear: glamour does not have to be quiet. Gold, shimmer, and ornate detailing can work beautifully against the season’s richer palette, especially when the rest of the styling stays clean.
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Rocío Muñoz Morales Is Making Burgundy Feel Like the Ultimate Fall Shade
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Rocío Muñoz Morales offered one of the clearest arguments for burgundy as a defining fall color in an Alberta Ferretti gown from the Fall/Winter collection. The deep wine shade brought immediate autumnal richness to the red carpet, while layers of ruffles and fluid fabric added movement. The high neckline gave the romantic design a refined finish, balancing the softness of the gown with a more polished sense of structure.
What made the look particularly striking was the way the color worked with the fabric. Burgundy can sometimes feel heavy when used in dense materials, but the fluid construction allowed the shade to catch the light and change slightly as Morales moved. The result was rich rather than sombre, proving that darker colors can still feel light, graceful and glamorous.
The beauty styling made the color feel even more dramatic. Morales wore her hair sleek and pulled back, creating a clean frame around the high neckline and allowing the cascading fabric to take center stage. The controlled hairstyle also gave the romantic gown a sharper, more modern finish. Rather than adding another dramatic element, the beauty look created space for the dress to remain the focal point.
Burgundy has long been associated with fall, but Venice shows how much more luxurious the shade can feel when it moves beyond a simple knit or accessory. Wine, oxblood, dark cherry and deep red can bring warmth to everything from evening dresses to handbags, shoes and tailored separates. They also pair beautifully with other autumn shades, including chocolate brown, camel, cream and olive.
For everyday dressing, the easiest way to bring color into your wardrobe may be with a burgundy bag, pointed flats, a leather belt, or a softly tailored blazer. A dark cherry lip can also introduce the shade into the look without requiring a full outfit change. For evening, however, burgundy has enough depth to stand on its own, especially when paired with fluid fabrics, elegant draping or delicate texture.
Phoebe Bridgers Is Giving Fall Fashion a Dark Romantic Edge
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Phoebe Bridgers approached Venice fashion from two very different directions. At the “Primetime” photocall, she wore a sharply tailored black Gucci skirt suit, complete with sleek accessories and her visible leg hair. Later, she changed into a much softer mood in a sheer gray floral-lace Alexander McQueen gown with flowing sleeves, ruffles and layers of delicate detailing.
The contrast between the two looks captures one of the most interesting directions for fall: tailoring doesn’t have to feel severe, and romance doesn’t have to feel sweet. Her McQueen gown brought a distinctly gothic quality to traditional eveningwear. Gray lace, sheer fabric, and lingerie-inspired details created something ethereal yet slightly undone, while silver jewelry added a cool flash of light. Her beauty styling leaned into that mood, with a messy 1990s-inspired updo and delicate eye makeup that complemented the gown’s opalescent finish.
Bridgers’ choice to leave her body hair visible also became part of the conversation around the look. Rather than presenting red-carpet beauty as perfectly polished from head to toe, she left something natural visible, adding another layer to her deliberately individual approach.
The takeaway for fall is not that everyone needs to dress gothic. Romantic pieces can feel more modern when paired with something unexpected.
Claire Foy Is Making a Case for Tomato Red
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Claire Foy brought another strong color story to Venice in a vivid tomato-red Bottega Veneta satin gown. The saturated shade immediately stood apart from the darker autumn colors usually associated with the season, proving that fall dressing does not have to revolve around brown, black, and beige. Instead, the look brought warmth and energy to the red carpet, showing how a brighter shade can still feel sophisticated when the cut and fabric remain refined.
The gown’s simplicity let the color do most of the work, while burgundy leather opera gloves added deeper tonal contrast. Rather than competing with the red, the gloves created a subtle progression between two rich shades, adding depth to the outfit. The glossy satin also enhanced the effect, catching the light with every movement and making the red feel even more vivid.
The styling reminds us that a strong color doesn’t need elaborate embellishment. When the shade is striking enough, a clean gown, considered accessories, and beautiful fabric can create just as much impact as sequins or intricate detailing. Foy’s look also shows how red can move beyond its usual associations with summer or holiday dressing and take on a more polished, autumnal character.
That idea translates easily into a fall wardrobe. Tomato red can brighten a dark coat, add energy to a neutral knit or make a simple handbag feel instantly more striking. It also works beautifully with burgundy, chocolate brown, camel, cream, and even olive, giving the shade plenty of versatility beyond the red carpet.
After seasons of quiet neutrals dominating fashion conversations, a saturated red moment feels refreshing. Tomato red brings warmth, confidence, and a little drama to fall, making it one of those colors that can transform even the simplest outfit.
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Rooney Mara Lets Swarovski Diamonds Illuminate Her Venice Red Carpet Look
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Rooney Mara took a more restrained approach to glamour in a custom Louis Vuitton look at the Bucking Fastard premiere. Rather than competing with the dress, her accessories and beauty styling were carefully controlled, allowing small details to have a bigger impact. Her hair was pulled into a severe, extra-glossy slicked-back bun with a geometric knot at the nape. Her makeup stayed extremely natural, with a matte porcelain complexion and nude lips.
Then came the jewelry. Mara wore custom Swarovski Created Diamonds, including a white-gold necklace inspired by the brand’s Octagon Collection and matching earrings. The laboratory-grown diamonds brought flashes of light to the otherwise dark look without overwhelming it. British Vogue also singled out Mara as one of the standout jewelry moments from this year’s festival.
The beauty lesson here is subtle but important: sometimes the most effective styling is about knowing what not to add. The slick bun sharpened the look. The barely-there makeup kept attention on the face without distracting from the gown. The diamonds provided just enough sparkle to catch the light.
Together, those details show how jewelry, hair, and makeup can completely change an outfit’s mood without changing the clothes themselves.
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Irina Shayk Brings Dark Romance to Venice in Romeo Gigli
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Irina Shayk made a striking case for dark, sculptural glamour at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, stepping onto the red carpet in a black draped dress from Romeo Gigli’s Fall/Winter 2026–27 “Venus in Furs” collection. The look leaned into the collection’s moody aesthetic, using dramatic draping and gathered fabric to create movement while keeping the color palette firmly in the realm of classic black.
The matte black dress featured dramatic ruching across the bodice and down the skirt, creating a close-fitting, sculptural effect without relying on sequins or heavy embellishment. Shayk kept the look strikingly monochromatic, pairing the dress with sleek black footwear that extended the outfit’s uninterrupted dark line.
The glamour felt distinctly old-school, but the styling kept it modern. Instead of adding bright jewelry or competing accessories, Shayk let the dress’s fabric, draping, and shapes carry the entire look. The result was sensual without feeling overly decorated, giving black eveningwear a more mysterious and fashion-forward edge.
The look also fits neatly into the darker mood emerging across the Venice red carpet, where black has appeared in everything from sheer fabrics and lace to sculptural tailoring and rich textures. Shayk’s Romeo Gigli moment shows that black need not be minimal to feel timeless. With the right draping and texture, it can be dramatic, sensual and deeply sophisticated.
The Fall Fashion Forecast Is Already Here
he 2026 Venice Film Festival red carpet has delivered more than a parade of beautiful gowns. It has offered an early look at a fall season that feels richer, more expressive and much less predictable. Throughout the festival, familiar autumn dressing has taken on a fresh perspective through saturated colors, romantic fabrics, sharp tailoring, archival fashion, and dramatic details. Burgundy and tomato red are warming the palette, while black is becoming more interesting through sheer fabrics and sculptural construction.
Lace is leaning darker and more romantic, while jewelry is being used strategically to bring light to minimalist looks. Beauty is following the same direction. Sleek buns, soft waves, natural-looking makeup, and carefully chosen jewelry let the clothes speak without making the overall look feel overly polished. At the same time, stars such as Phoebe Bridgers are showing that individuality can be just as powerful as traditional red-carpet perfection. Venice has already delivered plenty of high-glamour beauty, from sleek hairstyles to radiant complexions and stronger eye looks.
These trends also feel refreshing because they translate easily into real wardrobes. The season does not demand a complete wardrobe overhaul or a head-to-toe commitment to one aesthetic. A burgundy accessory, a textured black dress, a beautifully cut blazer, a sheer detail, a pair of sculptural earrings or a touch of lace can be enough to shift an outfit into a new mood.
More than anything, the Venice red carpet suggests that fall fashion is becoming a conversation between classic glamour and personal expression. The pieces may be polished, but they do not have to feel predictable. And if Venice is any indication, the most exciting fall wardrobes will be the ones that know exactly when to follow tradition and when to break it.
Check out some more of our favorite looks on the Venice International Film Festival red carpet…
Nina Dobrev
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Stella Maxwell
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Giorgina Rodriguez
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Bhavitha Mandava
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Ginta Biku
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Greta Scarano
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Esmeralda Pimentel
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Penelope Cruz
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Carina Zavline
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