This Red Carpet Was Totally Surreal

Against all odds, the 77th Venice International Film Festival began in Italy on September 2, and the red carpet turned out to be a feast for starving eyes thanks to attendees like Tilda Swinton and Cate Blanchett.

Swinton, never one to blow a red carpet appearance, was there to receive a much-deserved lifetime achievement award. She dressed the part of someone who has had a lifetime of achievements, wearing designer pajamas, Chanel couture, and, of course, lots of looks by her favorite designer, Haider Ackermann. And, like Lady Gaga at the recent MTV Video Music Awards, she proved that face masks can be artful and fun. With the help of Björk’s creative director James T. Merry, she sported a range of gilded props reminiscent of the those worn at a Venetian carnival.

Others also got creative with face masks, wearing custom ones that matched their gowns or just holding them on the red carpet Vanna White-style, as director Ann Hui did. Blanchett, meanwhile, threw a disposable one on with her glamorous Esteban Cortezar gown. Overall, the scene was totally surreal, and will go down in history as one of the most memorable, strange, and kind of incredible red carpets of all time. Below, some glamorous, mind-melding shots from the last week.