On Friday, May 16, during the photocall for A German Childhood: Amrum Island, 1945 at the Cannes Film Festival, Diane Kruger made an arresting entrance in a structured, acid yellow kimono by Sarah Burton for Givenchy. Crafted from duchess satin, the ensemble was lifted straight from the Autumn-Winter 2025 runway—a garment rooted in couture tailoring, yet free from traditional constraints.

Draped with origami-like precision, the kimono embraced Kruger’s form like a suit with no corset. A masculine-inspired notched collar added a sharp edge to the otherwise fluid silhouette, while oversized sleeves floated like sails ready to catch the Riviera breeze. The wide, sculptural belt cinched the waist into a dramatic hourglass, creating a play of softness and structure.

On her feet, she wore square-toed graphic sandals that extended the look’s clean vertical lines. But the star of the ensemble? The color—a luminous acid yellow that electrified the Croisette, cutting through the usual sea of reds and blacks. It was a defiant hue, evoking the signal-tone coats of Raf Simons for Jil Sander and the lush minimalism of Pierpaolo Piccioli at Valentino.

Kruger’s look carried layers of cultural and aesthetic reference. It whispered of post-war Japanese cinema, nodded to Belgian modernism, and offered a fresh reading of red carpet glamour—one that rejects the siren gown for something more intellectual, more sculptural.

The Kimono: Fashion’s New Power Symbol?
Once relegated to beachwear or nostalgic loungewear, the kimono has quietly evolved into a centerpiece of the contemporary wardrobe. Designers like JW Anderson at Loewe reinvent it as a hybrid silhouette, while Dries Van Noten stretches it into parade-ready coats. Roksanda wraps it into vibrant, cocoon-like forms. No longer reliant on florals or tied sashes, today’s kimono is stripped of its exoticized past and rebuilt with clean, mobile geometry.

In Kruger’s hands—and with Givenchy’s sharp tailoring—the kimono emerges not as costume, but as concept. It’s couture that thinks. And at Cannes, that’s exactly the kind of statement fashion needs.