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The dominant trend was embroidered, embossed and beaded gowns in neutrals and black that stunned. Models appeared in hoards – they stood out in a crowd for being barely clothed and not smiling.

The jury has convened, the Marché has wrapped up, and most celebrities have hopped on their yachts and private jets. Awards have been trickling in: Un Certain Regard chose a Finnish boxing drama and an actor-turned-director; the International Federation of Film Critics awarded the prize for competition films to Toni Erdmann – already a favorite for the Palme D’Or –and the nod for non-competition entries to the Romanian Dogs, shown in Un Certain Regard; and last but certainly not least, the Palm Dog for best canine performance went to Nellie, the English bulldog who played opposite Adam Driver in Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson (sadly, Nellie passed away a few weeks back, making her Palm Dog the first to be awarded posthumously).

Cannes – the film festival is so French, so cool. They have shoe requirements for women: you have to wear heels.

A new batch of awards was announced, the last films in competition were screened and the jury was honored with a lunch offered by the Cannes mayor. But everyone wanted to talk about the 23rd amfAR gala held at the exclusive, secluded and luxurious Hotel du Cap, to raise funds for AIDS research.

Only a couple of days left before the main prizes are awarded, tents are taken down and the movie circus leaves town.   The future beyond the Palais all of a sudden becomes urgent.

And then suddenly all the films, all the directors and all the discussions were somehow put aside. Because of a dress.

The sun is out for good and Cannes shines in all its glory. The Marché is winding down; the most recent echoes from the cavernous subterraneans of the Palais (which houses the Market) has Croisette enfant terrible Lars Von Trier pitching a serial killer thriller, The House That Jack Built - and closing pre-sales deals with Latin America, Benelux, Poland and Taiwan.

The sun is shining on Cannes despite predictions of a soggy first week. While much work is being done, when the stars emerge to promote their movies sophisticatedly crafted bling catches the spotlights.

The pace has picked up - this is the home stretch towards the coveted Palme D'Or and all the other awards. Equally, if not more important, is nabbing a distributor for your film, to ensure that the work will live on beyond the confines of the Croisette.

The sun came out and smiled: Cannes was dominated by women, even if for a moment. As the 69th edition of the festival comes to a pivot point - the halfway mark, the critical first weekend when trends and favorites begin to pop up - one title was on everybody's lips: American Honey, a long (162 minutes), dazzling exploration of millenial angst on the roads of America, served straight up from the mind of director Andrea Arnold, a two-twice Jury Prize winner in Cannes.