Here are some photos from the Cannes photocall for Crimes of the Future, David Cronenberg’s latest futuristic/body-horror film. Crimes of the Future stars Kristen Stewart, Lea Seydoux and Viggo Mortensen, and they all came out for Cannes. Kristen has become a real fixture at Cannes in recent years and I get the feeling that she enjoys this part of film promotion. Plus, it’s not like she has to worry too much about what to wear. Chanel just sends her terrible sh-t and she wears it. I am so ready for this brand-ambassadorship to be over. K-Stew and Chanel never fit together. This suit is so dumb!
Anyway, ahead of the Cannes premiere, Kristen chatted with Women’s Wear Daily about Cronenberg, her engagement and her style. Some highlights:
Working on Crimes of the Future: “People associate David with body horror, and sort of a critical eye on the world that we live in. But what is always present is desire and sensuality, there’s always a reason why he’s stepping toward fear. In this movie, it just feels like a testament to his entire life. He’s given so much in every film he’s ever made.”
She doesn’t have some big career plan: “You step toward something because it intrigues you, there must be an intellectual reason why, but you never really know how to articulate that until you’ve made the film. It’s just having that question mark inside of your body going, ‘Oh, that wants to come out.’”
She’s gotten more comfortable in the public eye: “I think it’s an evolution. It’s kind of nice to be uncomfortable in public because it really forces you to be confrontational with your most inner self, and you’re not allowed to ignore who you are. It’s sort of like you shine a light on something and so you really have to stare at it. I’ve gotten comfortable with being uncomfortable. You just sort of have to find a way to exist in any space. I probably would never have done [that] if I wasn’t an actor, I would always just sort of default and settle. It’s nice to sort of always be like, ‘stay on your tippy toes, lean in, like try to reach for the stars.’ I know that sounds totally cliché, but if you’re not forced to, or if you’re not encouraged to and supported throughout, you won’t.”
Her “brave” fashion: “I would feel worse not doing it. I would feel more scared being tamed.”
Her ambassadorship with Chanel: “I’ve been allowed to excavate my own story within Chanel’s continuous stories,” she said, noting there are several awards shows a year with different looks and themes and she looks for pieces, not trends. “The reality outside of a narrative is interesting, because when I watch a show it seems like a movie. Anytime I ever feel curious about a certain look or averse to a certain look, they always encourage me to just take my own path. I never feel dressed by another person. I never feel like I’m selling a product. I always feel encouraged to like, you know, find myself,” she said of her relationship with the house.
I don’t find Kristen’s style to be brave at all? That’s fine, every person doesn’t have to be some brave, avant-garde fashionista. Sometimes you can just like pretty things and want to wear flattering clothes. To me, the problem with Kristen’s work with Chanel is that the house is too safe, too boring, too stuffy for her. She needs thrift store, vintage Balenciaga and the latest punk streetwear. By wearing Chanel on every red carpet, it’s like she’s trying to bring a punk edge to the staid, rich-bitch-at-lunch Chanel energy and it just falls flat.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
Fail. It’s late May in the South of France. A tweedy suit ain’t it. Throwing on aviator glasses with yellow lenses and unbuttoning the jacket to here doesn’t make it edgy or retro 1970s.
Mayor McFail of Failtown.
Always with the same dull, valid expression, and her hair looks like a bale of hay. Bleaching it was the worst mistake she ever made.
Her hair is just painful to look at. Very low rent.
On the plus side, her expressions here exactly reflect how I feel about this awful outfit.
Too busy ogling Lea Seydoux in a tux to notice much. Would love to see these two in a queer film. <3
As they say, David Cronenberg put the “ick” in sick, might as well dress to match.
Oops… that should read vapid, not valid. Damn autocorrect.
I would have preferred a uber high sexy stilleto instead of the clunky platforms…but I LOVE a classic Chanel plaid…and a pantsuit with a flair leg & Kirsten wears the clothes instead of them wearing her…so I enjoy seeing her fits❤
Life must be so much easier when you’re skinny and have small boobs.
I wouldn’t say she’s skinny but agree life would be easier being slim with a smaller chest.
This is funny in light of the discussion on the Emma Thompson article.
What in the flaming fuck is this? Does Chanel just secretly hate her or something? She’s a pretty girl with a cute figure. It should’t be this hard to dress her.
…meanwhile Lea looks simply smashing. That’s Parisian chic!
I can’t believe I’m saying this but I actually like the suit on her? I was prepared for something really awful and this is not as bad as I was anticipating.
In general though, I agree completely with this line:
” By wearing Chanel on every red carpet, it’s like she’s trying to bring a punk edge to the staid, rich-bitch-at-lunch Chanel energy and it just falls flat.”
It’s like Kristen is on a one woman mission to make Chanel “punk” or “cool” and the reality is that part of its appeal is the “rich bitch at lunch” energy. Or so I assume, its out of my price range, lol.
I respectfully disagree, Kaiser. I think Kristin Stewart is doing exactly what the brand wants her to do–bring a daft, quasi-punk edge to their rich bitch clothes. She makes Chanel clothes look subversive, even though they aren’t. The 60 year old women who buy the clothes can think they’re being edgy, the influencers who covet the bags willingly pay the huge increases in price for those bags (a large Chanel flap bag costs the same as an Hermes Kelly now–and the bags have gone down in quality). Balenciaga has leaned far in to the Kardashians, as have Balmain. I think a house like Chanel is great for Kristin because it’s such a steady gig. Chanel isn’t going out of business any time soon. They pay her the big bucks so that she can do the film roles she wants to do. She doesn’t have to play the Victim or Wife/Girlfriend roles of mainstream Hollywood. Kirsten Dunst said that she does fashion to pay the bills, so that she can have the career she wants. I’ll bet Kristen Stewart would wear a trash bag to events if it meant that she can have the career she wants on her own terms. And as some of her Chanel looks are absolute garbage, I think she’s having fun being subversive (I think this jumpsuit is cute, though). So long as the check clears.
I agree with this take re steady $ for acting freedom because Kristen Stewart in Chanel makes no sense otherwise. I don’t care how she tries to spin it.
This is awful.
Her clothes look like a picnic blanket & her hair resembles a bale of hay.
+1 Lanne
I had never been much of a KStew fan but in the past year I’ve come to respect and appreciate her. She’s down to earth, honest, and much like RPattz has way better acting skills than displayed in Twilight. Now that she’s finally allowed to express her sexuality she’s much happier and that makes a huge difference.
I like this take!
She’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I’ve always liked her. I think her 20s were rough, but that may have had to do with defining her sexuality while being a paparazzi/tabloid heatscore. I wouldn’t want to do that. Since she started dating women, she’s seemed much more confident, even when the outfit was…not my taste. If trying to make Chanel look cool is what allows her to make the art she likes, pay those bills, Kristen. (And Kirsten, too!)
Nope. It is finally spring/summer, not the time for tweed.
Boy, Channel has some ugly items they are paying her to wear.
If I had $$ that is not a look I’d go for at all.
It’s funny because this is the one outfit I wish were shorts… and they always put her in shorts. (or a mini skirt) I think it is cute, but the pants don’t work. I agree with above posters that said she is bringing a rebellious side to Chanel and I think she’s doing exactly what they want her to with their clothes. It is hit or miss though.
The other woman with her.. her outfit is very Julia Roberts.
Kristin is not punk. She’s a famous actor who has known success and wealth for almost her entire life. She has acted in the most mainstream movies and has enormous advertising contracts. The only difference between her and Blake Lively is surface aesthetics. I find it depressing that in largely the most dystopian time we’ve ever experienced, this is what is considered punk.
Who thinks this is punk?
I like the outfit and she does work it, saying that she’s not edgy even tho she tries VERY VERY hard to be.
I’m middling on the suit. But the unbuttoned jacket is just way too try-hard edgy. They clearly ran out of ideas to turn that suit into a statement, so went with the side-boob, wardrobe-malfunction-just-about-to-happen ploy. Lame.
I love Lea’s look though. I think it’s a really cute mix — the black menswear with the shorts and the floral tie works for me.
I agree 100%. She elevates the brand with her punk style.
She’s so beautiful
Would love it so much more if it were shorts and not pants in the south of France… that’s all I got
The pants don’t fit her properly.
I would wear that jacket with a black leather mini and some cute flats.
KStew is beautiful but is Chanel harkening back to its Nazi days with this armband situation? I don’t like it. I don’t think this suit does her any favors, nor do I think there’s anything about Chanel that doesn’t make me think meh … ok, cloche hat. As the famous expression goes, you can’t simply put a pearl necklace on a Hitler stache. That’s what I think of when I think of Chanel. And KStew genuinely doesn’t match.
These pieces aren’t tailored to her body at all, the buttons on the pants are a complete “WTF?”, and the red, black, and white with gaudy bric-a-brac look cheap.
The fit isn’t great and I hate her hair.
I actually love this. She doesn’t seem to wear bold colors often, and I like the plaid.
I could have given this a chance if it were NOT RED. It looks like a tablecloth in a 70s Italian restaurant. I would have liked the jacket to be unbottoned all the way so it hangs. Is that a nude top she has under it? If she’s naked under the jacket, add a top and unbutton the jacket.
That movie looks gross!
I think she’s perfect for Chanel. And the parental tsking about her outfit and hair prove it.
I think she looks awesome. I DO wish she would wear something else~her in an Iris Vanherpen would be INCREDIBLE!!!
I so wish she would represent Yves saint Laurent. It would suit her so much more.
I just love her in the red Chanel. She pulls it off.