Kendall Jenner made an early entrance on the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival for the premiere of Wild Horse Nine. The 30-year-old fashion star swapped a more modern piece for a timeless 1990s gown, displaying her model physique in a vintage gold Giorgio Armani dress from the designer's 1995 collection.
Jenner, who serves as an ambassador for Armani Beauty at the festival, accessorised her outfit with diamonds from Briony Raymond. She paused to sign autographs for fans before posing for photographs, despite not having a role in the feature film.
Fellow fashion favourite Stella Maxwell also made a dramatic appearance on the red carpet without a role in the movie. Maxwell wore a daring, sheer black gown with a backless cut, adorned with matching sequins and finished with a flowing fishtail skirt.
The Venice Film Festival, held annually on the Lido in Venice, Italy, is the world's oldest film festival and one of the premier events of the international awards calendar. Attracting major international stars, fashion houses, and film studios, the 11-day event combines high-profile cinema premieres with luxury red carpet showcases.
Premiere of Wild Horse Nine
Wild Horse Nine stars Parker Posey, John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, and Steve Buscemi. The film marks director Martin McDonagh's return to feature directing for the first time since his acclaimed 2022 drama The Banshees of Inisherin earned a string of Oscar nominations.
Set in 1973 shortly before the Chilean coup, the storyline follows CIA officers Chris and Lee after their bureau chief, MJ, dispatches them from Santiago to Easter Island. Amid the island's iconic moai statues, the longtime partners grapple with dark pasts and unfolding conspiracies.
The trip to the remote paradise threatens to go sideways when Chris forms a newfound bond with a pair of rebellious students. The movie is set to compete for the festival's coveted Golden Lion Award before receiving a theatrical release on November 6.
Absence of Jacob Elordi
Although Jenner is expected to attend several Armani events in Venice over the coming days, she is unlikely to be joined by her new beau, actor Jacob Elordi. The Wuthering Heights actor attended the festival last year to promote Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, but he is not expected to appear at this year's event.
Elordi has been taking a break from the big screen following a hectic year that included the release of Wuthering Heights and his Oscar-nominated role in Frankenstein. During his downtime, the actor has spent time with Jenner in London, Hollywood, and Australia.
Following the premiere, Jenner was seen heading out for the night in her gold dress. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star completed her evening look with a pair of sunglasses as she made her exit.
Romance and London Trips
The couple went public with their relationship in April after they were glimpsed passionately kissing at an afterparty following Justin Bieber's performance at the Coachella music festival. The romance was sparked after Jenner's younger sister, Kylie Jenner, set them up.
In the intervening months, their romance saw them visiting Hawaii and Japan together. The pair went viral on TikTok for holding hands in Tokyo.
They also traveled to London for the premiere of The Dog Stars. The trip included a glamorous dinner at Cipriani with Elordi's father, John Elordi, followed by the red carpet event for the movie on Thursday.
It has been reported that Elordi booked the $82,000-a-night penthouse suite at famous London hotel Claridge's for himself and his girlfriend in a bid to impress her. An insider exclusively told the Daily Mail they had been dating "as far back as early February" thanks to a spot of matchmaking from Kylie.
Behind the Scenes Matchmaking
At that stage, Kylie's boyfriend Timothée Chalamet was running a best actor Oscar campaign for his turn as an underground ping pong champion in Marty Supreme. Meanwhile, Elordi was also nominated for a string of awards for his role as the monster in Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of Frankenstein.
"Kylie was around Jacob a lot during Timothée's award season marathon because Jacob was nominated for Frankenstein and Timothée was nominated for Marty Supreme," the source explained to the Daily Mail.
"Kylie is the alpha sister and pushed Kenny to start a romance with Jacob because she wanted to set up double dates with Timothée," the insider shared.
"Kenny's house is where all the parties happen, a lot of action there, so the four of them got close there," the source expanded, divulging that "Kenny found out she just clicked with Jacob... there was chemistry."
Red Carpet Style and Festival Lineup
Actress Blanca Blanco was also on the red carpet in a custom-made Christophe Guillarmé gown. The Washington state native, who recently completed the films The Ring of Kibo and The Race of Love, was pictured with entrepreneur John Winthrop of Los Angeles.
The Venice Film Festival red carpet events began Wednesday with the premiere of British director Danny Boyle's Ink, a drama about the rise of media magnate Rupert Murdoch. The festival closes on September 12 with Italian costume drama Dio Ride (God Laughs), written and directed by Giovanni Veronesi.
Stars expected to attend this year include Noel and Liam Gallagher of Oasis, sisters Rooney and Kate Mara, Robert Pattinson, Penélope Cruz and her husband Javier Bardem, Pamela Anderson, Sam Rockwell, John Malkovich, French actor Louis Garrel, South Korean actress Cho Yeo-jeong, and US actress Ellen Burstyn, who is accepting a lifetime achievement award.
