I love to see Bella Hadid pivot and pose on the steps of the Grand Théâtre Lumière for Cannes Film Festival in a gilded Schiaparelli necklace shaped like fanning bronchi, but it is the model’s off-duty moments that have arguably had the greatest impact on fashion culture. Not because they’re any less curated, of course, but because it’s easier to see yourself reflected in a pair of jeans and a nice top, or a casual dress and trainers, than a red carpet ballgown that has taken God-knows-how-many-hands to bring to life.

While the idea of a celebrity being visible in public without the help of a professional stylist is, at this point, rare–it is not unusual. And yet Cannes is a strange place in the sense that there is never (ever) an organic off-duty moment. Guests will arrive in the south of France with Rimowas packed with pre-planned looks not just for their official engagements, but for whenever it is they leave their hotel rooms. It’s a phenomenon that produces brilliant images—like that of Hadid licking ice-cream from the banks of the Plage du Midi in a Hushidar Mortezaie dress patch-worked from keffiyeh fabric, or waving from the windows of the Hôtel Martinez in a lace-up Versace fall 2003 dress—which end up painting just as vivid a portrait of Cannes as any red carpet.

Scroll to see the best “off-duty” moments from the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, here.