Crowned Miss India and Miss World in the year 1994, Aishwarya Rai is the epitome of heavenly beauty and unparalleled feminine grace. She went on to make her debut in the Hindi movie industry and down South and has done some remarkable movies over the years. Her brand endorsements and marketing campaigns of repute further consolidated her worth as a brand icon herself. It was in the year 2007 that she took her marital vows with the very handsome Bachchan actor, Abhishek Bachchan and also become a mother to her daughter, Aradhya Bachchan in the subsequent years. But apart from this repertoire of her work and personal life, what has always got her fans and paparazzi to go crazy are her stunning appearances at the Cannes Red Carpet.
For those unaware, Aishwarya Rai made her golden debut at the Cannes Red Carpet first time in the year 2002. It was for the promotion of the Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed magnum opus ‘Devdas’ alongside Shahrukh Khan. She wore a resplendent Neeta Lulla saree in yellow gold and embellished it with a lot of gold jewellery. Though the look was lauded by the critics for its traditional vibe, we have seen Aishwarya come up with some stunning, and far better looks over the years succeeding that.
In all honesty, when it comes to understanding the global red carpets and the fashion aesthetics that are needed to make a mark at the style game, we don’t think anybody does it better than Aishwarya Rai. It was difficult for us to narrow down this list to just 10 of her top looks, but we have only picked those that were par excellence. Do let us know in the comments below your thoughts on these looks and also if you found any other of her appearance even more mesmerizing than these.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's Cannes 10 Most Iconic Looks
1. This was in the year 2019. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan walked the red carpet of the French Riviera wearing this feathered white gown from Ashi Studio. We absolutely adore the all-white pristine look resembling a swan. Even the footwear was kept white. As much as Aishwarya does justice to the sleek open hair or glamorous beach waves, she looks equally elegant in such tied-up hairdos. With heavily kohled black smokey eyes, she looked like a visual straight up from the heavens.
2. This ballroom gown was straight from a romantic fairyland. Wearing a creation from designer Michael Cinco on the 2017 Cannes Red Carpet, Aishwarya Rai looked nothing short of the Cinderella that we all read about in her fantasy books. It was smart of her to keep the hair sleek and super glossy so they do not take away the limelight from this powder blue gown. It sure must have been a task to carry this huge piece of garment and carry it around with grace, but who can do it better than the ever-so-poised Miss World herself?
3. It was in 2018 again that Aishwarya Rai chose to wear Michael Cinco’s creation again. Though the look did not receive unanimous thumbs-up, we quite like the serpentine colour palette in it and the actor’s choice to go all loud and bold there. To say the least, she looked quite captivating and mesmerizing and these were just a few of the times, we got to see her sexy femme fatale avatar. Loved the bold red lip and the super glossy, super straight hairstyle.
4. Glamour queen straight from a fairyland. The layered super ruffled red gown from Ralph and Russo is what every girl’s dreams are made of. With wavy beachy hair, Aishwarya Rai chose to take the whole romanticized affair notches higher. She looked extremely glamorous, yet beautiful and charming in this gown. It was the year 2017 and by now her game on the International red carpet had really come into its own.
5. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan stole the entire spotlight at the 2016 Cannes Red Carpet wearing this blush pink nude gown from Elie Saab Couture. Though the beauty icon has done justice to the designs of most of the designers, her natural vibe kind of gets perfectly complemented in an Elie Saab creation. Both resonate with a balanced amalgamation of modern-day elegance with ethereal natural beauty. Wearing her signature beachy hair swept to a side with a sensuous loud mouth, she was every bit the diva that she has always been.
6. To put it simply, Aishwarya Rai had killed it with this look. This is the kind of Avante Garde glamour that we always wanted to see the most beautiful woman in the world exude. It was the Roberto Cavalli gown in the year 2014. That bright red pout further heightened the sensuous appeal of the look. Not to talk about the hair. She is the torchbearer of this hairstyle and just no one does it as well as she. Both critics and fans went all ga-ga after seeing Aishwarya Rai in this look and it was quite widely applauded.
7. We do believe that after a few initial hiccups in figuring out what makes for a perfect global red carpet look, Aishwarya Rai stroked gold with designer Elie Saab. This appliqué work gown that she wore in 2013 instantly stole our hearts. It had an underlying effortlessness to it that is quite enchanting. We also love her smokey eye makeup with absolutely nude lips. They say if you wish to really highlight the natural beauty of a woman, give her nude lips with lots of gloss. Even though there would have been lots of brain and effort went into creating this look, it managed to garner an effortless vibe which was the most endearing reason for us to fall in love with it.
8. Honestly, this wasn’t really expected. Aishwarya Rai was pregnant in 2012 when she had to walk the red carpet for the French festival. But she stunned us all in this sheer Elie Saab Couture creation. It fitted her body as a dream and Aishwarya carried it with aplomb. Though she could have gone a little bold and worn something risqué, we totally love how she wore her confidence up her sleeve and didn’t give two hoots about what anyone commented. Again, this look did not win all hearts alike, but it did make us take a bow to this woman’s beauty once again for sure.
9. The year 2011 and Elie Saab again. With a messy hair bun tied at mid-length, a clear complexion and warm makeup hues, Aishwarya does what she does best. That is to strike a figure of poise and grace. This one side off-shoulder lace gown from Elie Saab does well to serve and enhance her stature. With a clutch in one hand and minimal jewellery, the beauty queen wins our hearts over with her understated charm and beauty.
10. The year was 2010 and this was one of Aishwarya’s initial outings with designer Elie Saab. The gown definitely enhances and highlights her curvaceous figure, but what adds to the drama is her hair. We are glad that the actor chose to experiment and go all OTT. Had she kept the hair simply curled or straightened, it would have failed to add anything to the gown. This dramatic hairstyle, done to perfection gave her all the mermaid feels. On the outfit front, we do feel she could have done better than this. But overall, this still makes to our top 10 best looks of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the Cannes Red Carpet.
It has been years since we have been awaiting the appearance of Indian celebrities on the red carpet. It all started in 2002 with Aishwarya Rai. As the beauty brand Loreal’s ambassador, she has been giving us some iconic looks for all these years. Though the likes of Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif and others do make a statement in their own right, it is the appearance of this beauty queen that we all look forward to with bated breath. It is safe to say, ‘No one does Red Carpet the way Aishwarya Rai does!’
