How Halle Berry Makes the Classic Black Suit Feel NSFW at Cannes
She's on a literal hot streak.


With every Cannes Film Festival, a new red carpet darling emerges. Most years, that person is Bella Hadid, but back in 2006, Halle Berry was the event's designated fashion vixen.
That year, the actor attended screenings and photo calls for her film X-Men: The Last Stand. She wore a lingerie-inspired little black dress that featured a corset bodice and lacy cut-outs on the skirt.
It was one of two looks she debuted that year (the other being a embellished taupe gown), but it certainly left its mark. Because more than 21 years later, Berry is continuing the aesthetic at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival—and she looks better than ever.
Halle Berry wore a black lace dress at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
Berry has been hard at work at this year's Film Festival, already doubling her fashion output out from years past. So far, she's churned out five different looks since the event's May 13 start date.
The majority of her red carpet ensembles play into the theme she started in 2006: chic, all-black looks with just a touch of boudoir. The most recent, though, is directly inspired by her outfit from decades ago—whether intentionally or not.
On May 15, Berry wore a two-piece suit covered in black sequins. Channeling her '06 'fit, she layered the co-ord over a lace teddy for that same lingerie-inspired vibe. Like before, she styled it with pointed-toe pumps, adding a quilted leather bag and sunglasses to finish.
More than 20 years later, she wore a similar outfit at the 2025 festival.
Prior to this, Berry debuted several more looks that played into a similar theme. The day before, she slipped into a strapless black gown designed by Celia Kritharioti. The number had a massive high-low bubble skirt printed with baby pink gingham.
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Halle Berry walked the Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning red carpet.
In the days prior, the star attended several other Cannes photo calls, also wearing all-black. One look included a two-piece tweed Chanel set and the other, a glitzy fringe jacket and trousers.
On May 13, she wore a tweed skirt set at a Jury photo call.
The day before, she sported a fringe top with black trousers to match.
All these decades later, Berry still slays an all-black outfit.

Kelsey (she/her) is a freelance fashion editor and writer, specializing in e-commerce and fashion news. With more than ten years of experience in digital media, Kelsey has a knack for turning top-performing content into top-selling content. At Marie Claire, she provides witty celeb style commentary, unpacking the style choices of stars like Zoë Kravitz, Dua Lipa, Selena Gomez, and her fashion superhero, Rihanna. When she’s not tracking the personal style of Hollywood’s elite, Kelsey also covers designer collabs and industry news.
Before taking her talents to Marie Claire, Kelsey was the Senior Fashion Editor at Bustle, where she oversaw the site’s fashion coverage and launched a successful luxury handbag series called Secure The Bag. Prior to Bustle, she came from a six-year stint at Seventeen, during which she managed the team’s fashion and beauty verticals and led e-commerce strategy. In her freelance era, Kelsey contributes to publications like InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, and more. She also offers consulting services and content creation, in addition to writing and editing. Follow @klstieg on Instagram for 'fit pics and travel recommendations.
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