Venice Film Festival: A preview of autumn fashion trends

Venice - Julia Roberts in a Versace gown and Alba Rohrwacher in a Victorian-inspired Dior dress. The red carpet at the 82nd Venice Film Festival offered a glimpse into the autumn fashion season_ marked by the arrival of new creative directors.

For her first time at the Lido_ the "Pretty Woman" star delighted photographers in a long_ navy blue Versace gown with long sleeves_ a train_ and a subtle check pattern. It was a silhouette playing on contrasting effects_ designed by Dario Vitale.

The Italian_ in his forties_ took over from Donatella Versace in April. Versace was catapulted to the head of design in 1997 after the murder of her brother_ Gianni_ the brand's founder.

Having worked at Miu Miu_ Prada's younger brand_ where he boosted sales_ Vitale embodies this new generation expected to revitalise the fashion world and a luxury sector in crisis.

One of the most prominent representatives of this new wave is Jonathan Anderson_ in charge of Dior's men's_ women's and haute couture collections. This is unprecedented since Christian Dior himself.

A film enthusiast_ Anderson regularly collaborates with Luca Guadagnino and designed the costumes for his film "Queer"_ presented at last year's Venice Film Festival. It was no surprise_ then_ that the director wore Dior at a press conference in Venice_ sporting a T-shirt ironically inscribed "No Dior_ No Dietrich"_ in reference to the 1930s star_ Marlene Dietrich.

On the red carpet_ it was the midnight blue dress_ reminiscent of crinolines_ worn by actress Alba Rohrwacher ("My Brilliant Friend") that caught the attention of photographers. According to Vogue Italia_ this long-sleeved dress_ the result of 126 hours of work_ is Anderson's first haute couture creation.

Until now_ the Northern Irish designer had only unveiled a men's collection at the end of June_ featuring capes_ tailcoats and waistcoats.

His first Dior women's show_ scheduled for early October_ will be a major event_ as will Matthieu Blazy's first show at Chanel.

At the Venice Film Festival_ fashion will also be in the spotlight on Monday with "Marc by Sofia" (out of competition)_ Sofia Coppola's first documentary_ about her friend Marc Jacobs.

Jacobs_ who was the "cool kid" of fashion in the 1990s_ was the artistic director of Vuitton from 1997 to 2013_ becoming one of the most famous designers of his generation.

At 62_ the New Yorker is still at the helm of his eponymous brand_ which is part of the LVMH group.