Strict Red Carpet Rules

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25-05-2025

Walking the red carpet comes with certain expectations — you're going to show up looking fabulous, and you're going to pose for pictures. However, these events are actually way stricter than you might think!
Here are 22 weird and interesting red carpet rules:
In 2025, the Cannes Film Festival changed its dress code, which now reads, "For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as in any other area of the festival." A rep for the festival told The Hollywood Reporter that the changes were officially made to reflect "certain rules that have long been in effect," and the decision was made "not to regulate attire per se but to prohibit full nudity on the carpet." So, for example, La Cicciolina's 1988 Cannes look probably wouldn't be allowed today!
The Cannes Film Festival also banned super dramatic dresses. The dress code says, "Voluminous outfits, in particular those with a large train, that hinder the proper flow of traffic of guests and complicate seating in the theater are not permitted...The Festival welcoming teams will be obligated to prohibit Red Carpet access to anyone not respecting these rules." So, the Jesus dress that Massiel Taveras wore in 2024 likely wouldn't be permitted anymore.
These rule changes weren't communicated to the attendees until a few days before the event, forcing some last-minute wardrobe changes. Per Variety, Hally Berry told the Cannes jury press conference, "I had an amazing dress by Gupta that I cannot wear tonight [at the opening] because it's too big of a train. I'm not going to break the rules. The nudity part is also probably a good rule."
At Cannes, certain events have a stricter dress code. According to the official website, "For the Grand Théâtre Lumière gala screenings taking place around 7 and 10 p.m., which are attended by the artistic teams, evening wear (long dress, tuxedo) is required."
However, for those not wanting to wear a full-on tuxedo or gown, the rules have a little bit more leeway. The Cannes dress code says, "Alternatively, you may also wear 'a little black dress,' a cocktail dress, a dark-colored pantsuit, a dressy top with black pants...a black or navy-blue suit with bow-tie or dark-colored tie."
The Cannes dress code has strict requirements for shoes: "elegant shoes and sandals with or without a heel (no sneakers)." However, according to Vogue, until rather recently, heels were an "unspoken requirement" for women.
In 2018, Kristen Stewart boldly broke the heels rule in the middle of the red carpet at the BlacKkKlansman premiere. She slipped off her Louboutin heels before continuing barefoot. Previously, she told The Hollywood Reporter, "There's definitely a distinct dress code, right? People get very upset if you don't wear heels or whatever." I feel like you can't ask people that anymore — it's a given. If you're not asking guys to wear heels and a dress, you cannot ask me either."
If you break the Cannes dress code, they may kick you out! It says, "The Festival welcoming teams will be obligated to prohibit Red Carpet access to anyone not respecting these rules."
In 2016, the Cannes Film Festival banned selfies from the red carpet. Artistic director Thierry Frémaux told Le Film Français magazine, "On the red carpet, the trivial aspect and the slowing down provoked by the disorder which these selfies create tarnishes the quality of [the red carpet experience] and of the festival as a whole." The Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning cast broke the "no selfies" rule in 2025.
After Bianca Censori's naked dress at the 2025 Grammys, producer Raj Kapoor confirmed to People that the dress code is supposed to be "artistic black tie," adding, "but in the music industry, I guess that's up for interpretation." He said, "Obviously there is a dress code for anybody actually performing on the show that we have to adhere to standards and practices. But as far as people attending and nominees attending, that would be something the [Recording] Academy [presents the Grammys] would have to answer."
Ahead of the 2013 Grammys, CBS Standard and Practice issued this "wardrobe advisory": "CBS Program Practices advises that all talent appearing on camera please adhere to Network policy concerning wardrobe. Please be sure that buttocks and female breasts are adequately covered. Thong type costumes are problematic. Please avoid exposing bare fleshy under curves of the buttocks and buttock crack. Bare sides or under curvature of the breasts is also problematic. Please avoid sheer see-through clothing that could possibly expose female breast nipples. Please be sure the genital region is adequately covered so that there is no visible 'puffy' bare skin exposure."
In 2013, the network also banned obviously branded t-shirts, adding, "Please avoid commercial identification of actual brand name products on T-shirts."
Any non-English wording on Grammys wardrobe has to be approved as well. The wardrobe advisory said, "Foreign language on wardrobe will need to be cleared."
And the network is seemingly super strict about banning "obscenity" from the Grammys too. The message continued, "OBSCENITY OR PARTIALLY SEEN OBSCENITY ON WARDROBE IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR BROADCAST."
CBS also disallowed pins and other accessories supporting organizations, writing, "Finally, The Network requests that any organized cause visibly spelled out on talent's wardrobe be avoided. This would include lapel pins or any other form of accessory."
Every year, the Met Gala has a theme and dress code inspired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute's annual exhibition. At the 2025 Met Gala, the theme was "Tailored for You" in honor the exhibit Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.
According to Anne Hathway, at the Met Gala, no one's allowed to walk the red carpet after Rihanna! In 2014, Anne almost didn't make it to the event because of a last-minute issue with her Calvin Klein gown. On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, she said, "I was about a block away from the Met, and I was like, 'Wow, this is amaz— achoo!' And I sneezed, and my dress, like, just straight up split open...I felt so terrible. So, I'm pulling up, and Francisco [Costa, the designer] was so proud of this dress. And I put the window down, and he's like, 'Baby, you look amazing.' I'm like, 'Thank you so much! My dress just broke.' And I've never actually seen someone turn green before, and he did."
She continued, "I'm like, 'It's gonna be fine. I can go on the carpet. I'm gonna keep my arm down, and I'll hold it in place. And we'll get inside, and there's gonna be a needle and thread.' And he goes, 'Pull over!' So we pulled over, went to a hotel. They found a seamstress. She sewed me into it, and the big thing was, 'Are we gonna make it in time for the red carpet?' because it takes a minute. So we show up. There's nobody on the red carpet. I say, 'Oh my God, did they miss it?' And they said, 'You're just ahead of Rihanna! Go!' Apparently, the only rule you really can't break at the Met Ball is you cannot show up after Rihanna. That's just gauche."
Kids and teens are banned from the Met Gala red carpet. In 2018, Vogue imposed an age restriction on attendees. Organizers told The Hollywood Reporter that "it's not an appropriate event for people under 18" — and that was an executive decision. That year, then-15-year-old Maddie Ziegler told THR, "I can't go, because I'm not old enough!"
According to Anna: The Biography by Amy Odell, as celebs enter the Met Gala, each guest is allowed a maximum of 20 seconds to speak with Anna Wintour at the top of the stairs.
According to the New York Times, most of the Met Gala's five-figure tickets are purchased by fashion houses that then invite celebrities to attend with them. There's an "unspoken rule" that the designer who invites you is the designer you'll wear.
Oftentimes, red carpet looks are actually on loan from the designers, so they have to be returned quickly. Stylists Jill Lincoln and Jordan Johnson told CNN, "Once, a designer called while a client was on the red carpet to ask what time they could get her dress back. A foreign couture client had seen images of the actress online and wanted to buy the dress off of her back (for six figures!). Someone was waiting for our client at her hotel that night to retrieve the dress and fly it to the new client."
When designers are presenting options to celebrities for the Oscars, nominees are first in line to pick the outfits they want to borrow. For everyone else, it gets competitive. Fashion marketing exec Aliza Licht old E! News, "Often, it becomes this calendar of fittings. If we think one celeb will look better in a certain dress than one of the other celebs requesting that dress, we can hold off."
Many big-name celebs do brand partnerships with specific designers, but, according to E! News, they aren't necessarily required to wear that designer to every single event. However, the are expected to wear that designer to the Academy Awards. For example, Jennifer Lawrence wore Dior to 2014 and 2016 Oscars because of her reported $15-20 million contract with the brand.
And finally, on the red carpet, don't outshine the stars of the night! If you're simply attending as a guest, there's an expectation that you'll turn down the glamour. Yvette Nicole Brown told The Hollywood Reporter, "Would you go to someone's wedding and wear a white dress? No, you wouldn't, especially if you're a kind and considerate person. If it's your premiere, you want to have your moment. But if you're somebody who is on the list, be grateful that you made it there and that you get to have a Hollywood photo for the night, but it's fine to let the stars shine."