From Venice to Hollywood, celebrity dressing is finally giving us something to talk about again.
There was a time when getting dressed was half the reason we cared about celebrities.
A movie premiere wasn't just a movie premiere. It was the dress, the entrance, the photographs, the jewelry, the hair, the inevitable “Who is she wearing?” conversation the next morning.
Then, somewhere along the way, celebrity culture became less about the red carpet and more about everything happening around it. Airport outfits. Erewhon runs. Street-style photos. Instagram Stories. “Off-duty” looks. The distinction between celebrity and influencer got increasingly blurry.
And suddenly, the red carpet didn't feel quite as exciting.
But lately? Something has shifted.
The red carpet feels fun again.
Maybe it's the return of actual movie stars. Maybe it's the clothes becoming more theatrical. Maybe we're simply tired of everything looking effortless.
Whatever the reason, celebrities are dressing like they know we're watching again.
VENICE IS REMINDING US WHY WE CARE
If you want proof, look no further than the 2026 Venice Film Festival.
Every September, Venice turns celebrity arrivals into their own kind of spectacle: water taxis, old-world architecture, film premieres and, of course, clothes. This year's festival has once again become as much a fashion event as a cinematic one, with stars including Pamela Anderson, Kendall Jenner, Dakota Johnson, Kate Mara and Rooney Mara making appearances.
Pamela Anderson has arguably been one of the most fun people to watch this year. Across several Venice appearances, she's moved between a coral-pink Oscar de la Renta gown, a vivid orange Calvin Klein look and colorful Carolina Herrera, while leaning into old-Hollywood-inspired hair and glamour.
And that's the point: these aren't clothes designed to disappear into the background.
They're meant to be seen.
THE CELEBRITY-INFLUENCER BLUR IS STARTING TO REVERSE
Then there's Kendall Jenner, who occupies that fascinating space between model, celebrity and internet personality.
Her presence in Venice is interesting precisely because she doesn't need to be there to promote a movie in order to generate fashion attention. Her arrival, appearances and red-carpet looks become content in themselves.
At the Wild Horse Nine premiere, Jenner wore a vintage Giorgio Armani Fall/Winter 1995 dress with Briony Raymond jewelry — a look that felt considerably more like old-school celebrity glamour than everyday influencer dressing.
For years, celebrities increasingly dressed like influencers because influencer culture had become the dominant language of fashion: approachable, effortless, attainable.
Now we're seeing the opposite happen.
The biggest celebrities are reminding us that there's something satisfying about clothes that are not attainable. Clothes that exist for one night. Clothes that require a stylist, a fitting, a tailor, a jewelry loan and approximately 47 people backstage.
There is something wonderfully excessive about that.
THE PRESS TOUR HAS BECOME PART OF THE MOVIE
And then there's Practical Magic 2, which may be the perfect example of why celebrity dressing is suddenly entertaining again.
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman have returned nearly three decades after the original Practical Magic, and the press tour has become its own little fashion storyline.
Joey King, who joins the franchise as Bullock's daughter, has brought a younger energy to the tour, including a sheer black lace Miu Miu look that felt appropriately romantic, gothic and a little witchy.
That's part of what's making this press tour so satisfying: the clothes don't exist completely separately from the movie.
They're helping build the world around it.
NICOLE KIDMAN UNDERSTANDS THE ASSIGNMENT
Nicole Kidman, meanwhile, has been leaning all the way into the glamour.
At the London premiere, she wore a custom Chanel look featuring gold chains and sequins, while other appearances have leaned into the romantic, slightly eccentric aesthetic associated with Gillian Owens.
It's not necessarily about wearing something that looks like something her character would literally wear.
It's about giving the audience a feeling.
Witchy. Romantic. Glamorous. Slightly mysterious.
The best press-tour dressing does exactly that. It extends the fantasy of the film into real life.
And suddenly, getting dressed becomes part of the entertainment.
WE MISSED THE MOVIE STAR
Which brings us to Sandra Bullock.
[IMAGE: SANDRA BULLOCK]
There's something particularly satisfying about seeing a movie star like Bullock back in the center of a major fashion moment.
At the Practical Magic 2 premiere, she wore a strapless leopard-print Givenchy gown — a decidedly glamorous choice that felt like a reminder of the era when actresses were allowed to simply be stars.
Bullock has also been refreshingly candid about the strange experience of seeing yourself transformed into a red-carpet image. She recently joked about feeling confident “from the neck down” in the gown before being surprised by the resulting photographs.
And honestly? That makes the whole thing feel more human.
The red carpet isn't supposed to look like real life.
That's why we like it.
VENICE, AGAIN
Back in Venice, Dakota Johnson is another reminder that the red carpet still has the ability to create anticipation around a celebrity.
[IMAGE: DAKOTA JOHNSON]
Johnson has become almost synonymous with a particular kind of modern movie-star dressing — polished without looking overly constructed, sexy without feeling desperate, and just understated enough to make people want to look twice.
Her presence alongside the likes of Pamela Anderson, Kendall Jenner and the Mara sisters adds to something that Venice does particularly well: it puts very different versions of celebrity in the same cinematic setting.
And that contrast is part of the fun.
EVEN SISTER DRESSING FEELS MORE INTERESTING
Kate and Rooney Mara might be the perfect final example.
[IMAGE: KATE & ROONEY MARA]
The sisters appeared together in Venice for the premiere of Bucking Fastard, their first film together, with Kate wearing Giorgio Armani Privé and Rooney in Louis Vuitton.
It's a small thing, but moments like this are exactly what we've been missing.
Two recognizable actresses. One major film festival. Completely different interpretations of glamour.
No matching influencer uniforms. No “just threw this on” energy.
Just two movie stars getting dressed for an occasion.
WE'RE TIRED OF EVERYTHING LOOKING EFFORTLESS
For years, fashion has been obsessed with making things look effortless.
Quiet luxury. Clean girl beauty. Barely-there makeup. Neutral wardrobes. “No-makeup” makeup. The perfect white T-shirt. The perfect jeans. The perfect expensive-looking basics.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of that.
But eventually, effortless starts to feel a little... boring.
The red carpet offers the opposite.
It's intentionally constructed. It's dramatic. It's excessive. It's temporary.
And maybe that's exactly what we're craving.
We don't need celebrities to dress like us.
We need them to give us something to look at.
THE RED CARPET IS ENTERTAINMENT AGAIN
The bigger shift is that celebrity fashion no longer feels like a side effect of celebrity culture.
**It is celebrity culture.**
A great dress becomes a headline. A strange dress becomes a TikTok debate. A vintage look sends people searching for archival runway photos. A movie premiere becomes a fashion event before anyone has even seen the movie.
And suddenly, we're doing something we haven't done in a while:
We're waiting to see what someone is going to wear.
That's a pretty simple form of entertainment — but maybe that's why it works.
The internet gave us constant access to celebrities.
The red carpet gives us a little distance again.
A little spectacle.
A little mystery.
And, occasionally, a really great dress.
Maybe we didn't stop caring about celebrity fashion.
Maybe we just needed it to become interesting again.
Until next week — stay chévere