‘Gossip Girl’ Star Breaks Cannes Red-Carpet Dress Code
It’s not the first time she has worn a “peekaboo” ensemble to the event.
Toby Melville/REUTERS
Actress Kelly Rutherford, 57, pushed red-carpet boundaries with her outfit at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday.
Rutherford, best known for playing wealthy matriarch Lily van der Woodsen on Gossip Girl, arrived at the screening of La Venus Electrique in a sparkling black dress.
Kelly Rutherford (left) and Blake Lively in 'Gossip Girl.'
Gossip Girl
The black, sequined Giorgio Armani gown’s shimmering exterior appeared sheer, a subtle effect magnified by the flashing camera bulbs surrounding the red carpet, which revealed the black undergarments Rutherford wore under her dress.
While undeniably elegant, InStyle magazine reported that the actress’s look may break the Cannes Film Festival’s updated fashion guidelines.
Kelly Rutherford attends the opening ceremony and "La Vénus Electrique" (The Electric Venus) screening during the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 12, 2026, in Cannes, France.
Lionel Hahn/Getty Images
The legendary festival’s frequently asked questions section includes guidelines on proper attire. “For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as in any other area of the festival,” the website reads.
Kelly Rutherford poses on the red carpet during arrivals for the opening ceremony and the screening of the film "La Venus Electrique" in 2026.
Marko Djurica/REUTERS
“Voluminous outfits” with large trains are also banned, and “for decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as in any other area of the festival.”
Whether her sheer, underwear-peeking outfit could be considered “nudity” was a line Rutherford appeared to toe successfully on Tuesday.
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The Cannes Film Festival regularly updates its guidelines for participants and attendees. Red-carpet selfies were famously banned in 2018, backpacks and other large bags are not permitted into screenings, and sneakers are not allowed as footwear.
Kelly Rutherford attends the "Kinds Of Kindness" Red Carpet at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 17, 2024, in Cannes, France.
Gisela Schober/Getty Images
Rutherford previously wore a sheer dress at the festival, walking the red carpet in 2024 in a skin-baring black dress with an opaque bodice and a sheer, flowing bottom paired with coordinating undergarments.
Bella Hadid poses on the red carpet during arrivals for the screening of the film "The Apprentice" at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in 2024.
Clodagh Kilcoyne/REUTERS
A notable risk was taken by model Bella Hadid, 29, who wore a sheer beige-toned dress the same year.
While Hadid also wore undergarments, they were designed to be undetectable, giving the appearance that the model went bare beneath the see-through dress—a style choice that may have prompted the 2025 rulebook response.
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