This year Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Day 1 appearance has a lot of conversation in Cannes, and two top voices of the industry, costume designer Ashley Rebelo and stylist Rick Roy have weighed with their tech.

Speaking about the look, Roy shared, “The talk of the whole white sari looked simple and beautiful. I felt that the vermilion was a little gimmick, but I had no objection in the rest of it. It was really good and beautiful, I would say.”

Aishwarya wore an ivory saree by designer Manish Malhotra for her first red carpet appearance in Cannes 2025. She styled it with a heavy combination of diamond-and-Rabi jewelry, and a red sindor in her hair.

Whereas the debate on the Internet continues whether Aishwarya’s look was a hit or Miss, Roy is leaning towards positive.

“To be very fair, we expect greatly from Aishwarya. She is actually the original queen of Cannes and has represented India so beautifully for so many years. Therefore, of course, expectations are much more than that. What is expected that it is complete? I would say that it is just the first day, and it is at least, but it is the least beautiful.”

Meanwhile, Rebello resonates uniform emotion, but with a sign of what could have been.

“I liked her form. But I think it’s so clean, and it could be something else. I wish can be a good color that can be a beautiful salmon pink or something that can only lift the soul. The saree is more white; if it was Ivory, Cream, or Dark Gold, it would have been a nickel.

Addressing mixed reactions online, Roy says, “See, I can understand that the Internet is being divided between good and evil. Compared to its last few appearances in the ear, this is a great start. It is a decent form.”

Both experts say the look was deliberately stopped.

“Yes, I believe she is playing it a little safe, because as I said, like the last few years, her look has got a lot of flying. So it is enough for her to play safely and is very beautiful instead of trying to do the over-the-top look of these gimmicks, which did not clearly do very good work for her in the last few years.”

And when Sindoor caught several offers, Rebello feels that it has a deep meaning. “I think the reason for wearing vermilion was what our country is doing. I think with that look, she was supporting the vermilion attack which happened recently.”

Rebellow also indicates a potential brand strategy behind the minimum palette.

“On the red carpet, you will have to represent yourself, your roots and sometimes brand products that he does beautifully. The choice of a white saree can be tied to a product launch. Remember that when she wore a purple lipstick, she matches with a new line launch. She did something similar next year.