The Telluride Film Festival is the autumn hipster dream that we need We want long dresses and fairy tale makeup, we want suede jackets and blue jeans

Right now, while we sluggishly go back to our monotonous lives, something magical is happening in Venice, something that happens every year and keeps us busy for days. We’re talking, of course, about the Film Festival, now in its 82nd edition, which every year gives us red carpets and gossip, evening gowns and breathtaking hairstyles (for better or worse), gallery after gallery of make-up and jewelry and, if there’s time left, even a bit of cinema. To top it off, there’s always a bit of controversy. Why do we see people walking the red carpet who don’t seem to have anything to do with the seventh art? How do the invitations work? Why aren’t Emanuela Fanelli and Paolo Sorrentino speaking out about the Palestinian genocide? Which actress will rise from the ashes with a surprise appearance?

Who have we spotted at the Venice Festival (so far)?

So far, on the Lido’s red carpet, we’ve seen, among others, Julia Roberts wearing a dress from the new Versace by Dario Vitale. The actress is in Italy for "After the Hunt," directed by Luca Guadagnino, co-starring Roberts alongside Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield. Some of the most admired in the first week were Mia Goth in Dior by JW Anderson and Jacob Elordi (stars of Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein) and Cate Blanchett, in Maison Margiela by Glenn Martens for "Father Mother Sister Brother" by indie director Jim Jarmusch. A big debut for Intimissimi, which dressed Barbara Palvin, Heidi Klum, Leni Klum, Claire Holt, Emi Renata.

The Telluride Film Festival is different

And what if we’re tired of all this bling bling? What if we’re distracted? What if instead we wanted to stay in our room with a hot chocolate and start our annual rewatch of Gilmore Girls? For the autumn girls there’s an alternative film festival, which wrapped up on September 1 but can still be followed on social media. It’s the Telluride Film Festival, founded in 1974 and held every year in Colorado between late August and early September, during the Labor Day weekend. It’s the spiritual opposite of Venice. There’s no competition, no red carpet, and certainly no lido. Yet it’s an important showcase for commercial films in North America. And a major source of inspo for our fall wardrobe.

Telluride looks are pure fall inspo

Yes, because while Venetian looks are gorgeous to see but nearly impossible to apply to our everyday lives (unless we felt like going to the office in an evening gown), Telluride’s looks are pure autumn utopia. Cropped denim jackets (on Paul Mescal, who was there for Hamnet by Chloé Zao), oversized blazers over earth-toned sweaters, and rust-colored leather jackets (on Jesse Buckley, Mescal’s co-star). Perfectly blue jeans on Renate Reinsve (in Joachim Trier’s "Sentimental Value" with Elle Fanning), ultra-soft sweatshirts paired with white pants (Jeremy Allen White, the new Bruce Springsteen), and a mix of orange shirt, crumpled cap, and army-green fleece on Josh O'Connor. Finally, all eyes are on Emma Stone, star of the film Bugonia, who within a few days went from a standout Lido red carpet look - a moon-colored balloon dress by Louis Vuitton - to a FW26 look with a suede jacket, leather pants, square-toe boots, and a tied choker. And just like that, it’s a trend. Are you taking notes?