Halle Berry poses with other Cannes jury members for photographers during the opening ceremony red carpet of the 78th international film festival in Cannes on May 13, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

We remain proud of the vision we created together, says celebrated Indian designer Gaurav Gupta after Cannes jury member Halle Berry had to pass over wearing his gown at the film gala’s opening ceremony owing to updated dress code regulations.

At the opening presser of the 78^th Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday (May 14, 2025), Ms. Berry said she was supposed to wear a dress designed by Mr. Gupta but couldn’t opt for it because “the train is too big.”

The festival updated its dress policy on the eve of its 2025 edition, stating “nudity” and “voluminous outfits, in particular those with a large train” are prohibited on the red carpet.

Mr. Gupta said his teams had been working closely with Ms. Berry and her stylist to bring “a special moment to life at Cannes.”

“While the gown couldn’t be worn due to updated regulations around long trains, we remain proud of the vision we created together. True couture doesn’t always need a stage; sometimes, just the intention is enough to ignite the imagination,” Mr. Gupta told PTI when reached out for a comment on Ms. Berry skipping to wear his designs.

The designer also shared a video of Ms. Berry’s comments on his Instagram Story on Tuesday (May 14).

“I had an amazing dress to wear tonight by Mr. Gupta, and I cannot wear it because the train is too big. I’m not going to break the rules. The nudity part is also probably a good rule,” Ms. Berry says in the clip.

She eventually appeared on the red carpet in a sleeveless dress with vertical black and white stripes from French fashion brand Jacquemus’ summer-spring 2025 ready-to-wear collection.

Mr. Gupta has previously designed Cannes looks for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Mindy Kaling, and Aditi Rao Hydari. Last week, he dressed Bollywood actor Kiara Advani for her Met Gala debut.