Months after the 2026 Cannes Film Festival wrapped, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is still serving looks worth revisiting. Tony Ward Couture has just dropped fresh images of the original Queen of Cannes in a custom creation by the Lebanese-Italian designer. And social media is loving every moment of these never-before-seen images, with fans celebrating yet another iconic Cannes fashion moment from Aishwarya's ever-growing style archive.
The couture masterpiece shimmered with more than 7,000 hand-set pearls, brought to life through over 600 hours of meticulous craftsmanship. The outfit was sculpted from 40 metres of silk taffeta. Aishwarya wore her signature long hair in soft, effortless waves, while a pair of diamond drop earrings added the final touch to the pearl-drenched fantasy.
There is a reason Aishwarya carries the title of the Queen of Cannes. She has been serving looks for decades, and almost every outfit she wears grabs headlines. Her style history with the festival is as iconic as it is extensive.
She has come a long way since 2002, when she attended the premiere of Devdas in a yellow and gold Banarasi saree designed by Neeta Lulla for her Cannes debut. The rest, as they say, is history. The following year, she returned in two more Neeta Lulla creations, an onion pink lehenga paired with a strappy bustier and a vibrant neon green saree. The look again went down in history.
From her viral purple lipstick moment with a Rami Kadi creation to the ethereal Michael Cinco gown inspired by a butterfly, Aishwarya has consistently delivered some of Cannes' most memorable fashion moments. According to reports, the ice blue Michael Cinco gown even sparked the "Aishwarya Rai Effect", with demand for the design soaring after she wore it. Another standout appearance came in 2014, when she stepped onto the red carpet in a shimmering gold Roberto Cavalli gown. The strapless silhouette, styled with minimal jewellery and a bold red lip, remains one of her most celebrated Cannes looks.
In 2022, she chose high drama in a blush pink Gaurav Gupta couture creation that took more than 3,500 hours to craft and featured the designer's signature halo. Later that year, she leaned into full fairytale glamour in a black Dolce & Gabbana gown adorned with oversized floral appliqués.
The Falguni Shane Peacock look she wore in 2024 had social media locked in debate for days. Love it or hate it, everyone had an opinion. And isn't that exactly what fashion is supposed to do? A year later, she silenced the conversation altogether in a white and gold Banarasi saree by Manish Malhotra, styled with sindoor in the centre parting of her hair, creating one of the most talked about fashion moments of the festival. She also wore another Gaurav Gupta outfit that year, which featured a black velvet gown under an ivory brocade. The brocade fabric was inscribed with Sanskrit shlokas.
More than two decades on, Aishwarya's Cannes legacy continues to grow. Trends come and go, but her place in the festival's fashion history remains untouchable.
Namya is a seasoned journalist with nearly two decades of experience. A graduate of Miranda House, Delhi University, and Boston University's College o… View More