Cannes Film Festival bans risqué outfits from annual ceremony

Good old fashioned decency is expected to cast a tall shadow over the 78th Cannes Film Festival when the annual ceremony gets underway on Tuesday evening. 

Over recent years the star-studded extravaganza has arguably won more attention for the outfits worn by its celebrity guests than the roster of feature films being screened on the Croisette. 

But new nudity rules, devised for 'the sake of decency,' will be implemented when French director Amélie Bonnin's Leave One Day opens the ceremony this week, the Daily Mail reported.

According to organisers, the austere move is an attempt to the stifle the celebrity trend for 'naked dresses' - namely provocative outfits that reveal considerably more than they conceal - on the red carpet.

'For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as any other area of the festival,' states a Cannes festival document.

'The festival welcoming teams will be obligated to prohibit red carpet access to anyone not respecting these rules.' 

The surprise new policy features in a recent festival-goers charter - released with a series of outlines regarding expected public behaviour. 

Guests are expected to converge on the Grand Auditorium Louis Lumière for some of the highest profile film screenings across a packed seven day schedule in Cannes. 

It's understood that the iconic venue now adopts a more conservative dress code, with suits, dinner jackets and floor-length evening gowns generally favoured over headline grabbing ensembles. 

Classic little black dresses, cocktail dresses, pant-suits, dressy tops and elegant sandals, 'with or without a heel', will also be permitted.