Cannes 2015: slit skirts, capes and crop tops among the red carpet trends

Movies may take center stage at the Cannes Film Festival, but the event is also a celebration of glamorous fashion. Once again this year, the celebrities on the Croisette offered up a showcase of the season's haute couture styles. As the 68th edition winds down in the French city, it's time to look back on some of the top trends from the red carpet.

Glamor always reigns supreme in Cannes, but the styles change from year to year. After an emphasis on contrasts and neutral shades at the 2014 edition, this year's festival has seen an outpouring of bright colors and sensual yet sophisticated silhouettes. The looks are revealing but never vulgar or extravagant -- aside from a few exceptions.

A timeless symbol of elegance, black is always a popular shade at the Palais des Festivals. But this year, carrying over a trend seen in 2014, several celebrities went to the opposite extreme, standing out against the red carpet in pristine white, a color particularly suited to those with darker or subtly tanned complexions. Soo-Joo Park, Ana Beatriz Barros, Cécile Cassel, Sophie Marceau and Leona Lewis are among those seen on the Croisette in immaculate white ensembles fit for a bride.

Dove grey also emerged as one of the favored shades at Cannes 2015, seen on Li Bingbing and Naomi Watts, among others. But the real stars of this year's edition were bright, saturated hues -- namely teal, emerald green, lemon yellow, fuchsia, electric blue and red. Rossy de Palma, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong'o and Rachel Weisz all turned heads on the red carpet in variations on these vibrant colors.

Crop tops and capes come to Cannes

Slit skirts made a strong showing at this year's festival and were often thigh-high, revealing the lengthy stems of Sophie Marceau, Karlie Kloss, Barbara Palvin, Petra Nemcova, Victoria Hervey and Irina Shayk.

But there was also a more surprising new fashion item on the red carpet: the crop top. Kendall Jenner and Joan Smalls both posed in glamorous skirt and crop top ensembles by Azzedine Alaïa, in black and white respectively. French actress Lucie Lucas left a lasting impression in a more revealing though slightly less sophisticated crop top, in white, which she paired with a short ruffled skirt.

Capes, another item rarely seen at red carpet ceremonies in recent years, made a few appearances on the Croisette this year. Turkish actress and model Cansu Dere stood out from the crowd in a white pantsuit and a long, flowing white cape, while Indian actress and model Mallika Sherawat paired a hot pink dress with a matching floor-length cape.

In contrast to last year's edition, Cannes 2015 saw only a few pants ensembles, and the women's tuxedo trend seems to have gone by the wayside. Cansu Dere was among the rare few to wear pants on the red carpet, along with Sophie Marceau, who was seen in an asymmetrical ensemble halfway between pants and a skirt.

The other overriding trends from Cannes 2015, though less obvious as they are so often seen on the red carpet, include sheer effects around the shoulders (on one side or all over), springtime floral patterns, embroidery (crystals, feathers, plexiglass, beads), lace, tulle and asymmetry.