Editor’s Note: Delving into the archives of pop culture history, “Remember When?” is a CNN Style series offering a nostalgic look at the celebrity outfits that defined their eras.
CNN
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Was 1999 a simpler time? With dumber phones and fuss-free styling, Y2K-era nostalgia has been strong, and its fashion is no exception. What was once a daring red-carpet look wouldn’t look out of place on the streets today — namely, the peek-a-boo cardigan Salma Hayek wore to the Cannes Film Festival that year.
The actor, who had two films premiering at Cannes — the Gabriel Garcia Márquez adaptation “No One Writes to the Colonel” and Kevin Smith-directed fantasy-comedy “Dogma” — paired her baby-blue short-sleeve sweater (fastened suggestively with just two buttons and a bra peeking through) with a full, flowing satin skirt in a sister shade.
Hayek wore the unconventional two-piece to the amfAR Gala at Cannes, and accessorized with a silver clutch and extravagant jewelry, opting for 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.”
Voluminous satin silhouettes had a moment at the festival: Geraldine Chaplin wore an A-line maxi skirt in white with a plunging V-neck blouse and a dramatic stack of pearls around her neck, while Catherine Zeta-Jones went full prom queen with a halter-neck powder-pink gown. But Hayek stood out for daring to pair hers with the unexpectedly casual: a fuzzy knit.
Hayek’s laissez-faire styling wasn’t contrived, either. Over 20 years later, the actor revealed that she had picked out the look herself.
“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,” said Hayek in a video recounting some of her best fashion moments for Vogue, which called the Cannes fit a “look-at-me combination.”
“Little did I know that Vogue one day was gonna say (it was) one of your iconic looks,” she added, 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.
At that point in her career, Hayek was no stranger to getting herself ready for the glitzy celebrity circuit. She told the fashion magazine that she struggled to find designers who would provide her with outfits for her earlier red-carpet appearances.
“Nobody thought a Mexican would stick around, so why give me a dress?” she said.
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, and a clever way to skip wearing expensive jewelry, she explained to Vogue. 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,” she said in the video.
Her suggestive, nothing-underneath cardigan has similarly become a throwback staple, popularized by brands like Reformation who advertise them styled with satin skirts.
In 2019, Katie Holmes went viral for her equally slouchy and chic Khaite cardigan and bralette, while designers like Jacquemus, whose cropped, barely-there cardis have been a favorite of celebrities like Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber.
Though Hayek can’t get all the credit for pioneering cropped cardigans in the 1990s — the era saw Rose McGowan’s character in the cult flick “Jawbreaker” in a purple version, while Drew Barrymore, Christina Aguilera and Mena Suvari rocked them in various shades — it was a daring choice for Cannes, which is known for its strict dress code. (This week, the festival announced a ban on nudity, seemingly taking aim at the ‘naked’ dress trend, as well as voluminous dresses, from official events).
While Hayek now has her pick of designer pieces to wear on the red carpet, her creative combination for Cannes remains timeless. Like all the fashion beloved from the decade, it’s easy, fun — and comes in baby blue.