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‘Gossip Girl’ Star Breaks Cannes Red-Carpet Dress Code

It’s not the first time she has worn a “peekaboo” ensemble to the event.

Cailey PetschHealth and Beauty Intern

PublishedMay 12, 2026, 6:32 PM EDT

UpdatedMay 12, 2026, 6:34 PM EDT

Updated May 12, 2026, 6:34 PM EDTPublished May 12, 2026, 6:32 PM EDT

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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.

​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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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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Cailey PetschHealth and Beauty Intern

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