Salma Hayek’s 1999 Cannes outfit has become a sartorial touchstone, particularly as Y2K fashion has resurfaced. The actor’s bold combination of a baby-blue short-sleeve sweater with a full, flowing satin skirt in a sister shade is a look that wouldn’t be out of place on the streets today.
Hayek wore the unconventional two-piece to the amfAR Gala at Cannes, accessorizing with a silver clutch and extravagant jewelry, including a matching set of sapphire and diamond earrings, necklace, and bracelet. Later, she traded the necklace for an elephant-shaped pendant as she danced on stage with Ben Affleck, her co-star in “Dogma”. The voluminous satin silhouettes were a hit at the festival, with Geraldine Chaplin wearing an A-line maxi skirt in white and Catherine Zeta-Jones going full prom queen with a halter-neck powder-pink gown.
Taking a Chance
Hayek’s laissez-faire styling wasn’t contrived, either. Over 20 years later, the actor revealed that she had picked out the look herself, saying, “It was taking a chance… I took a sweater that’s supposed to be (worn) with something underneath — because it only had two buttons — and a skirt, and made my own fashion style.” Vogue called the Cannes fit a “look-at-me combination.” Hayek added, “Little did I know that Vogue one day was gonna say (it was) one of your iconic looks,” explaining how the ensemble was a result of her “creativity” during a time when she didn’t have many resources to dress for the red carpet.
Early Self-Styling
By the time Hayek stepped out in her breezy red-carpet-ready cardigan, she already had a number of innovative, self-styled looks under her belt. At the MTV Movie Awards in 1998, she accessorized a simple little black dress with a flutter of butterflies painted on her body — a nod to the era’s temporary tattoo trend. The year before, Hayek opted for a tiara at her first Academy Awards appearance, rebelling against advice from those who told her it would be “ridiculous.” She recalled, “Everybody started wearing a tiara after that and I never got credit for that trend.”
A Lasting Impact
Hayek’s daring choice of pairing a fuzzy knit cardigan with a satin-blue maxi skirt has become a throwback staple, popularized by brands like Reformation. Designers like Jacquemus have also been inspired by the look, creating cropped, barely-there cardigans that have been a favorite of celebrities like Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber. While Hayek can’t get all the credit for pioneering cropped cardigans in the 1990s, her creative combination for Cannes remains timeless.