Cannes, Part II: The Festival De Cannes fulfills our universal desire for happiness
Where the top six beauty looks of Cannes demonstrated how Living for Beauty can be healthy.
It is the 75th annual Festival De Cannes, where the world’s cinematic elite meet. Here are films, fashion, and luxury at your fingertips. In my last article, I shared iconic looks of the red carpet, spotlighting celebrity style, colors, and the Wow Factor. While all the glitz and glamour can appear superficial, the expressions and observations of style, beauty, and imagination make us dream, escape, and relax. This application and belief of beauty will lower your stress, keep you healthy, and bring wellness.
Anxiety is in overdrive and influenced by the continuing pandemic, increasing climate change, war, inflation, and poverty. Our neurocircuitries are overloaded and shutting down. Stress has become insurmountable, and this can cause reductions in connection, resulting in increased feelings of helplessness, panic attacks, and depression.
It’s true: stress is unavoidable. By cultivating an aesthetic lifestyle, you can improve the quality of your life, boost your confidence, and raise your self-esteem. Great philosophers have stated, and scientists have proven, that experiencing beauty generates intense pleasure, connects you to a bigger purpose, increases harmony, and generates a cascade of chemical reactions that improve the body and mind. In other words, beauty lifts us up. Feelings shift from despair to happiness, and you are filled with calmness, appreciation, reflection, and hope. Beauty is the ultimate stress buster. So, looking at, contemplating, and dreaming about lovely things—and people—can improve quality of life by making – and keeping – you happy and healthy.
Cannes. The city of stars on the French Riviera has the greatest fashion moments of all times, including the ones in this feature. These iconic looks demonstrate the beauty, style, color, personal branding, and Wow Factor a celebrity can deliver when expressing their inner and outer beauty.
Coco Chanel said, “The best color in the world is the one that looks good on you.” Your color palette is a unique expression of you, like your fingerprint. it can reveal mood, while enhancing skin tone and facial features. Designers and psychologists share the thought that fashion is an expression of our inner being and the articulation of inner personality aka, self-identity. So, choosing the right color can enhance your features, mood, and personal style.
Coco also said, “Fashion is architecture: it’s a matter of proportions.” The right tailoring can make you look like a million dollars. When you wear the right colors, texture, tailoring, style and for YOU, that is when everyone stops to admire you, because you are expressing all the many facets of yourself and have hit a home run. Therefore, fashion and beauty can support wellness.
Before a photo shoot, Givenchy shared a French expression with Audrey Hepburn that imparted the wisdom, depth, and refinement of their fashion collaboration: the word is depouille, which means uncluttered or bare. Givenchy and his team knew how to dress her so her true essence would always shine brightly through the glitz and glamour. Any extras, like a single bow or ribbon, would only enhance the look. When aligning your inner and outer selves, this word helps you understand that Beauty as Wellness can be a flamboyant expression or a minimalist one, whichever you want to present.
These top six iconic looks of Cannes 2022 show the beauty, style, color, and Wow Factor a celebrity – or anyone – can deliver when expressing their inner and outer natures via clothes and accessories.
Rebecca Hall
Right on point! Rebecca Hall stunned viewers at the opening night gala celebration in a custom made pink and red gown embellished with crystals from Gucci. This was a winning combination of color, tailoring, and vintage appeal. The colors were a grand celebration matching her mood with the times. Her hair was an effortless pixie, and her bold red lips revealed her winning smile.
When all is stripped away, we find a celebration of authenticity and personal achievement. Rebecca is enjoying life, and she genuinely expressed her confidence in her own beauty. With charm, class, and a drive to be her unique, free-spirited self, this look is a winner.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Mythology comes to life! Aishwarya embodied a vision of Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus on the red carpet. Gaurav Gupta crafted this custom-made, glass-beaded architectural masterpiece. Draped in a soft mauve-lavender shade that compliments her fair Indian complexion, she was an incandescent dream. Aishwarya’s makeup was impeccable as usual, with sultry, softly smoked eyes that were accented by her hair’s soft flowing curls. This was pure magic, because fashion, art, and beauty all came together to be one of the beauty highlights at Cannes.
When all is stripped away, we find the richness that is woman. Aishwarya embodies the creations she wears. She transforms both by wearing designer masterpieces and by letting her beauty shine through, creating a gorgeous ensemble.
Helen Mirren
Sophisticated elegance! Helen radiated a timeless beauty on the red carpet in a gown from Dolce and Gabbana. This marigold-yellow dress with form fitting waistline and flowing skirt complemented her body, spirit, and enduring commitment to having an elegant adventurous life. Helen’s hair was pulled back loosely and accompanied by smoldering eyes and flushed cheeks; she looked like a Grande Dame. The dress was pure sunshine and shows off her radiant spirit.
When all is stripped away, we find a vivacious spirit! Helen is expressing her inner beauty, as an ever-changing spirit of adventure that is effervescent and always up for an adventure. Like her, the dress has shape. It shows off her figure. She is still going strong, and just keeps getting better.
Naomi Campbell
Fashion icon! Naomi was astounding on the red carpet in a dramatic black Haute couture with a plunging neckline covered in feathers by Valentino. Naomi knows that dresses like this show the strength, power, and beauty of fashion.
When all is stripped away, we find a deep respect for culture and reverence for fashion! Naomi is expressing her inner beauty, as a supermodel who is loyal to excellence. Her charisma, charm, and dedication have kept her working in the industry for over 30 years. She delivers!
Catrinel Marlon
A living canvas! Catrinel looks like the embodiment of a nature goddess in this emerald green sculpture dress by Gaurav Gupta. Crafted into a tight-fitting bodice with glistening crystals and open neck, it becomes a botanical creation. It is nature, art, and beauty all in one. The color is harmonious with her skin tone and shows off the right amount of skin, shoulder, and neck to be alluring, serious, and tasteful.
When all is stripped away, we find the daring excellence to do everything well. Nature and a return to a depth of innocence. Catrinel is expressing her inner beauty, and her love of life. She expresses her brand, personality, and talent through cinema, theater, television, photography, fashion, and art. She is a multidimensional vision of beauty.
Fala Chen
Mesmerizing! Fala Chen glistened on the red carpet in a sleek, shimmering, sequined dress by Armani Privé. The construction was impeccable, with glistening blue and red tiles gleaming a purple hue. The colors are magnetic and complement Fala’s strength and confidence. She looked radiant with flawless looking skin, a bold red lip, and hair slightly slicked back.
When all is stripped away, we find una ragazza all’acqua e sapone, a water and soap girl, meaning she is naturally beautiful without a lot of makeup or over embellishment of the beauty that is already there. We love her for expressing her inner beauty as truth, clean and simple. She looks like your best friend and is the vision of a cultured art piece: solid, true character, and wisdom.
Our universal desires include being happy and living a good life. By living an aesthetic lifestyle, we can experience beauty in all that we do to promote and sustain good health. These six looks are prime examples of fashion being the best way to fully express ourselves, explore our beauty, and create happiness and well-being. This, via how we wear fashion, is living life with Beauty as Wellness.
