This Cannes Corset Gown Took Almost Two Months to Sculpt

If the 2024 Cannes Film Festival red carpet fashion can be described in one word, it's "opulence." Stars from Anya Taylor-Joy to Naomi Campbell have descended on the French Riviera for this year's event in their most over-the-top attire fitting the event's glamorous (and strictly formal) dress code. The backstories are often as intriguing as the looks themselves, as actress and philanthropist Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's dress proved.

Bachchan appeared at the Thursday, May 16, premiere of Megalopolis alongside stars Adam Driver and Aubrey Plaza in a custom corset gown by Falguni Shane Peacock. The designers told Marie Claire the piece took nearly two months to create because it was partially crafted from metal.

Bachchan's gown was coated in oversize gold flowers made from metal, offset by a white overlay atop a sweeping black train. In front, her dress also featured zig-zag gold detailing and sky-high puff sleeves.

"Aishwarya is a timeless beauty, similar to the timelessness of a precious metal like gold, a color deeply rooted in India’s culture," designers Falguni Peacock and Shane Peacock said. Meanwhile, "The inclusion of black was an homage to her classic style and her love for floral motifs was showcased by the handmade flowers that adorn the gown."

Bachchan is known for taking turns on the Cannes red carpet in exaggeratedly sculptural pieces. For the 2023 rendition, she walked before the cameras in a metallic mermaid gown fastened with an oversize sequin hood and a giant black bow.

The Cannes Film Festival runs through May 25, meaning the red carpets are only just getting started—and "opulence" will be the operative word in fashion for another week.