The 50th anniversary of the Festival de Cannes in 1997 played host to one the most dazzling Hollywood power couples of the ’90s: Demi Moore and Bruce Willis.
The actress accompanied her then-husband to the world premiere of Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element, in which Willis starred. In a true collision of film and fashion, Element, the most expensive European film ever made ($90 million), received a post-screening fete that spared no expense and featured a fashion show by Jean Paul Gaultier, who designed the film’s futuristic costumes. And on the red carpet, Willis’ co-star Milla Jovovich turned heads with her barely there loincloth dress and gladiator heels.
But it was Moore’s floor-length ensemble — a classic black belted sheath dress, bold floral coat, and diamond-and-ruby necklace and earrings — that stood the fashion test of time.
In May 2022, two months after the announcement of Willis’ diagnosis of aphasia, Moore resurfaced a photo from the Element premiere on her Instagram feed, captioned “From the Cannes archives, circa 1997.”
Moore, who recently attended New York’s Met Gala in another bold floral ensemble, returns to the festival this year with the body-horror competition title The Substance from director Coralie Fargeat (2017’s Revenge). She also will host the amfAR gala, which she chaired in 1997 and which turns 30 this year.
