Penelope Cruz was the undisputed Queen of the Toronto International Film Festival this year, with two buzzy films, The Bunker and La Bola Negra, which won the coveted TIFF People’s Choice Award. And she certainly looked the part. From her artfully tousled hair – the new length just above her shoulder, has been dubbed a “weekend bob,” by her hairstylist Dimitris Giannetos – to her fingertips painted in a rich bordeaux colour, she was perfectly on trend for fall, as is the almond shape. 

At a recording for The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast at Toronto’s 1 Hotel, Cruz’s elegant nails were mesmerizing as she talked about her work and life, in her charmingly thick Spanish accent. They added an old-world glamour to her flirty peppermint-green Chanel silk jacket and matching mini-dress trimmed in bordeaux-coloured ribbon complimented by T-strap kitten-heeled pumps. Interestingly, she credits the beauty business for her acting career, telling host Scott Feinberg, “I used to go to my mother’s hair salon after school and pretend to be doing homework, but instead I was peeking out behind my books and studying people.” 

The podcast outfit was Cruz’s only foray into colour, otherwise she was strictly monochromatic, wowing at the La Bola Negra premiere in a feathery white, form-fitting gown by Tamara Ralph Couture and, for The Bunker, wearing a black leather bustier, evening jacket and long-slit lace skirt by fellow Spaniard Christian Cowan. Cruz’s makeup on all occasions was a variation of “bronzed glam”, with a brown smoky eye, black eyeliner, matte mauve-pink lip and a subtle sheen catching the light on her softly rosy bronzed cheeks, no doubt her go-to Chanel combo of Joues Contraste blush in 72 Rose Initial and Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream in Soleil Tan Bronze. The black-and-white moments carried on with British actress Cynthia Erivo, 39, arriving in a scene-stealing Dior gown with cascades of thick ivory floral tassels for the Prima Facie premiere. 

Isabelle Huppert, Julianne Moore and Courteney Cox all carried on the monochromatic theme on the TIFF red carpet, as well as the “satin” skin trend that was a feature at the Emmys – a softer, more natural-looking complexion than “glass skin” that has dominated for the past few years. “Today’s red-carpet makeup is polished but still feels authentic – the skin looks like skin, with a luminous finish,” says Lancôme makeup artist Michelle Reiss. “One of our favourite tricks is using Teint Idôle Ultra Wear Shape Sticks in a shade deeper than the complexion to softly contour and sculpt the face. Because the texture blends seamlessly with Teint Idôle foundation, the definition looks natural both in person and under the camera flash.”

At the Housewife premiere, Naomi Watts, 57, wore her choppy bob in a sleek side part smoothed with The Gloss Miracle Oil, and low, slightly deconstructed chignon, by New York-based hair stylist Rebekah Forecast. Her pale, luminous skin and understated eye makeup was paired with a soft crushed berry on her lips and cheeks – all by her go-to makeup artist Jenna Anton, who only uses “clean beauty products”. All very pared-back chic, like her black Celine shift dress with star appliqués and absolutely on-point Celine kitten-heel pumps – low-heels are de rigeur this season. 

Huppert, 73, set the paparazzi’s shutters clicking as she arrived at the All About Corinne premiere. She looked both cool and elegant in a black Balenciaga cropped and wrapped leather jacket, voluminous black skirt and Diva Butterfly sunglasses. She let the dramatic silhouette do the heavy-lifting, keeping her makeup quiet, again with luminous skin, soft rosy blush high on the cheeks and a rosy-pink satin lipstick.

Julianne Moore, 65, also contrasted her custom black V-neck Bottega Veneta gown with minimalist makeup at The Debut premiere. Moore’s makeup artist, Gita Bass, says she prepped the star’s skin with Augustinus Bader’s cult-favourite The Elixir and The Rich Cream, known for their hydrating, skin-smoothing formulas. She followed up with another cult-favourite, Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Natural Glow Blurring Liquid Foundation, a light touch of bronzer and blush, and a petal-pink nude lip in Charlotte Tilbury’s famously flattering Pillow Talk lipstick in Fair.

Courteney Cox, 62, kept things sleek and understated in an all-black ensemble, pairing a sleeveless boat-neck top with a slim mid-calf length skirt, for Evil Genius.  Her famously long hair parted slightly off-centre and falling loosely past her shoulders, and, once more, the understated makeup: softly bronzed and rosy cheeks, subtly defined eyes with a little liner and mascara, groomed brows and a natural rosy-nude lip.

The achromatic theme was broken by Michelle Yeoh, 64, who had two films at TIFF – The Surgeon and It’s My Time – dazzled in a floor-length egg-yolk orange Tod’s gown. Her hair was styled in a deep side part with smooth, softly sculpted screen-siren waves, and her skin? You guessed it: satin-finish, with warm peachy-rose blush and a rose-nude lip. There is always a place for a red lip on the red carpet as Helen Mirren, 81, perfectly demonstrated at the A Talent for Murder premiere, pairing it with a ruby-coloured fitted ME+EM jacket over a sweeping black skirt. 

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With his tie insouciantly draped over his shoulder, Rami Malek, 45, looked like the ultimate flanneur in his Tom Ford by Haider Ackermann velvet suit paired with a matching silk printed shirt and tie at The Man I Love premiere. His hair showed the same amount of polish, with a subtle lift at the front and just enough shine to catch the flashbulbs – classic leading-man grooming.

While TIFF technically took place while it was still summer, the velvet theme abounded. Korea’s mega-watt actor, Lee Min-Ho, 39, credited with turning K-drama into a global phenomenon, brought old-Hollywood polish to The Assassin(s) premiere in a velvet dinner jacket, crisp white shirt and bow tie – his hair was equally polished in a side-part, with a foppish flop. For the premiere of Bucking Fastard, Orlando Bloom, 49, kept things decidedly modern in a collarless black jacket, crisp white shirt buttoned to the top and tailored trousers, the pared-back silhouette giving classic eveningwear a modern edge.

Seth Rogen, 44, brought some velvet swagger to the TIFF Tribute Awards, where the Vancouver-born actor, writer, director and producer received the Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award. For this superb achievement, he chose a celebratory red double-breasted velvet jacket, made a bit more relaxed with an open-collared white shirt. His beard – usually bushy – was very neatly clipped as was his hair; in fact, he has lightened his whole look, switching his signature chunky retro-nerd glasses to a more modern clear acetate frame. 

The other absolute dazzler at TIFF this year was Hudson Williams. The 25-year-old Heated Rivalry star brought some serious fashion drama to the YAGA premiere in a sculptural black-and-red look by Nigerian label Orange Culture, pairing a high-neck, lapelless jacket and voluminous balloon trousers with a trailing red chiffon shirt, Bulgari Serpenti diamonds around his neck, and, in his ears,a custom pavé grill by jeweller Christy Cash. Talk about a mega-watt smile.

The men who still have their hair were flaunting it, with full, thick, shiny pomaded quiffs on Patrick Dempsey, 60, at The Housewife premiere, and on Property Brother Jonathan Scott, 48 – who is engaged to Zooey Deschanel – who wore his hair in a high-volume sculpted sweep at the Evil Genius party.

Colman Domingo, 56, who is known for his red-carpet flash, stepped out in serious black suiting, nodding at his sartorial flair with a wider-legged pleated trouser. He  told Vanity Fair in January, “I actually have a subtlety at times too.” He also kept his grooming crisp and understated, pairing a close-cropped fade and neatly sculpted beard with his suit’s crisp tailoring. The more-classic-suiting-with-a-twist trend continued with Tom Hiddleston, 45, taking a quietly British approach to the red carpet in a grey windowpane tweed suit, layered over a crisp pinstripe shirt and a matching windowpane tie and patch pockets and Willem Dafoe, 71, pairing his soft chalk-striped suit with a casual t-shirt. Proving that collarless can work at any age, especially with impeccable grooming.