Some red carpet trends take on the form of a food-inspired color or a can't-miss embellishment. At the Venice Film Festival, the biggest trend isn't what guests from Ayo Edebiri to Greta Lee and Monica Barbaro are wearing—but who.
Chanel, Dior, Versace, and Valentino are among the designers who have announced new creative directors over the past year. Instead of saving their debuts for their first collections at Milan or Paris Fashion Week, they're letting stars (and their stylists) pre-game the runway at the Venice Film Festival. Usually, when a house changes hands, an entirely fresh aesthetic—and the new front row RSVPs—are kept under lock and key until the show starts. This time, designers are giving their audiences a taste early: building hype and setting the stage for a busy fashion month.
It all started with Julia Roberts, whose stylist Elizabeth Stewart, sourced two looks from Versace's upcoming creative director, Dario Vitale. (He replaces Donatella Versace, who had shaped the brand's design vision for over two decades.) First, there was an oversized blazer and jeans with a striped yellow shirt underneath for a photocall; then a tailored navy dress with harlequin checks for the After the Hunt world premiere. Amanda Seyfried, another celebrity styled by Stewart, loved the first look so much that she borrowed the entire outfit. All three looks were notably more restrained than the corset gowns and trellis prints characteristic of Donatella's era at Versace.
Julia Roberts and Amanda Seyfried doubled-up on a photocall look by Versace's incoming creative director—who Roberts wore again on the red carpet.
Jonathan Anderson has drummed up anticipation for his Dior womenswear debut all summer, through a buzzworthy menswear show in Paris and an already-viral book tote carried by Rihanna and Jennifer Lawrence. At the Venice Film Festival, he collaborated closely with a mix of former Dior girls and clients from his tenure at Loewe to set his legacy in motion.
Greta Lee, one of Anderson's most loyal followers while he led Loewe, promoted A House of Dynamite in a trio of custom Dior looks styled by Danielle Goldberg. Her collection included a crisp white mini-skirt suit, a longline version of Dior's New Look blazer and skirt, and an entirely fresh drop-waist dress with a plunge neckline and micro-mini skirt tied with an exaggerated bow. They represented a slight 1920s-inspired shift away from former creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri's tulle gowns and preference for sequins. Mia Goth, Monica Barbaro, and Alba Rohrwacher also wore similarly understated looks for their red carpet appearances.
Greta Lee has debuted three looks from Jonathan Anderson's Dior, including a custom red carpet gown (center).
Mia Goth, Alba Rohrwacher, and Monica Barbaro also wore some of Jonathan Anderson's first Dior gowns to the Venice Film Festival.
After the Hunt star Ayo Edebiri had also frequently worn Jonathan Anderson's Loewe designs. But at the Venice Film Festival press for After the Hunt, she and Danielle Goldberg revealed a new affiliation with Chanel and its upcoming artistic director, Matthieu Blazy.
When Blazy led Bottega Veneta, he collaborated with Edebiri on an abstract sequin gown for the 2025 Emmy Awards (plus a few street style moments with the brand's intrecciato leather accessories). There weren't any revamped Chanel flap bags in his first looks for Edebiri in the new role. Instead, there were two exquisitely proportioned looks—a white suit and a two-tier red dress—that felt like a departure from Chanel's typical pastel tweed sets.
Ayo Edebiri secured Matthieu Blazy's first custom pieces for Chanel.
Hard launches for new designer eras have occurred on the red carpet before. Earlier this summer, incoming Bottega Veneta creative director Louis Trotter dressed Julianne Moore for her trip to the Cannes Film Festival. That single look didn't reveal as much about her agenda as the flurry of outfits from Dior, Versace, and Chanel in Venice.
It would be too prescriptive to say these step-and-repeats are a complete indication of what to expect during Fashion Month. But they offer some relevant clues for fashion enthusiasts at home. First, the upcoming shows at some of fashion's most recognizable names aren't sticking to their previous formulas. Some are only briefly referencing the archive, while others are charting entirely new territory. And second, there is a game of musical chairs happening in the front row to rival the one behind the scenes.
