Behind the Seams: All About Marion Cotillard's Luxe Dior Look at Cannes

Marion Cotillard always shines at Cannes — but she rarely does so as literally as she did at the From the Land of the Moon premiere Sunday. She owed her majorly radiant moment in part to her custom Dior gown, and in part to her trusted glam squad, and we loved her look so much, we got behind-the-scenes details about both.

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The gold lamé Haute Couture gown was created just for the Dior brand ambassador based on her “wishes and inspirations,” according to a press release. The brand’s petites mains (highly skilled couture tailors) stitched the gown to minimize seams and maximize the appearance of the gown being draped directly onto the body. They also employed tricks including a structured organza foundation beneath the lamé and a chain sewn into the hem to make Cotillard’s walk down the red carpet seem more like a fluid glide. The result? A deceptively understated gown that took dozens of hours to create. (Just see the photos below!)

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Dominique Charriau/WireImage; Sipa

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Also deceptively simple? Cotillard’s sleek ponytail, created for her by Adir Abergel. “The look was was about simplicity and chic-ness. It was simple, side-parted, minimal,” he told PeopleStyle. “Because the dress almost has this beautiful, incredible, vintage feel to it, truly kind of from another era, I really wanted to take it and modernize it, almost the dichotomy of it, but at the same time, pay homage to the sleekness of the dress … It was just that beautiful pop of red brick [lipstick] and a super simple chic low ponytail. And I had cut her hair the day before.”

Dominique Charriau/WireImage; Sipa

Wait, what? “I would say I took off four inches,” he says. “She’s a true artist and she respects artists, so it’s a beautiful way to collaborate with someone, because there is just that trust of: You’re an artist, do what you think is going to look best. It was totally spur of the moment. I did in maybe 20 minutes!”

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For her ponytail, he worked in Living Proof’s “lightweight, easily pliable” mousse with Ouai’s hair oil for “shine and sparkle from mid-shaft to ends.” Then he parted it, blew it dry in that direction and flat-ironed the ends for “crispness.”

The finishing touch for the star stylist, who’s been on a streak lately when it comes to fun hair accessories: a leather cord wrapped around the pony’s base. “I wanted to keep that kind of chicness and effortlessness from that great velvet in front [of the gown],” he explains. “I didn’t want to introduce anything new to the hair … Originally I was thinking of using a sparkly gold thing cause thought it would tie in the gold, but then I didn’t. I loved it, but it took it to a different place.”

What do you think of the look?!

— Alex Apatoff, reporting by Jackie Fields