An unexpected Australian has “stolen the show” at Cannes Film Festival in a head-turning gown that took an insane amount of time to make.
Rebecca Vallance, who owns the high-end fashion brand of the same name, recently attended the star-studded movie showcase alongside long-time friend and hotel heiress Nicky Hilton.
While you might not have expected Vallance to be on the red carpet, the well-known designer was one of the most memorable stars of the night, thanks to her attention-grabbing dress.
The renowned designer, who recently opened a new flagship boutique at Sydney’s The Strand Arcade, wore a custom sparkly number which fans have described as “exquisite” online – telling news.com.au it took a painstaking amount of time to make.
“My dress took over 1400 hours to make and used over 20,000 crystals, 50,000 beads and 40,000 sequins which were all applied by hand,” she told news.com.au.
“I wanted extravagant, but chic with a classic silhouette.”
Meanwhile Hilton was dressed in an “opulent” blue halter-neck gown adorned with hand-embellished bows under the bust, and a statement one at the back of her neck.
“Nicky’s dress was made using 24 metres of custom developed fabrication,” Ms Vallance explained.
“Each bow is made of over 5000 hand-embellished crystals, which took over 100 hours to complete.”
Fans of the pair were blown away by their “stunning” red carpet outfits, describing Vallance and Hilton as “divine” and “shining lights”.
“You’ve completely stolen the show,” one user remarked, noting the event celebrates new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around the world.
“Who needs movie stars when Cannes has you two?” another declared.
Vallance said working with Hilton to dress her for the prestigious event has been a “memorable experience”.
“The starting point for the Nicky’s design stemmed from her love of glamour, and of course, her love for the colour baby blue, it brings out her eyes so much,” Vallance shared.
“We wanted to make something truly special, and we wanted a showstopping silhouette, something very old Hollywood, whilst paying specific attention to intricate embellishments that made each gown unique.
“My dress was deliberately different so our silhouettes weren’t similar. Two full gowns together would be too much.”
The pair are now on a “luxury girls trip”, travelling onto the US together after visiting the UK and France – but said they had wanted to create “create a red-carpet moment” together for some time.
“We’re so proud to have been able to show these incredible gowns at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It honestly was such an incredible experience to walk the Palais carpet together,” Vallance concluded.
While shoppers can’t buy these intricate gowns, it hasn’t stopped the requests from pouring in.
“Need this,” one wrote under a photo of Vallance at the annual event.
“Please say you’re releasing these,” another begged.
Vallance recently created a global fashion trend following the release of her Cecile Gown, a $1169 sheer dress adorned in diamantés.
A number of stars have already been spotted wearing the slinky number around the world, including Paris Hilton, who wore the “highly demanded” dress at the Hollywood Cares Foundation Dinner last month.