Law & Order

Mariska Hargitay channels mom Jayne Mansfield’s Hollywood glam in stunning looks at Cannes

The “Law & Order: SVU” actor dazzled in pink and polka-dot ensembles at the France international film festival, where she promoted her documentary about her mom.

Mariska Hargitay ditched her Olivia Benson blazers for a wardrobe her beloved character would be proud of.

The “Law & Order: SVU” star dazzled over the weekend at France’s Cannes Film Festival, where she debuted a project especially close to her heart: a documentary about her mother, Jayne Mansfield.

Hargitay serves as director and producer on the film, titled “My Mom Jayne,” which chronicles her journey to connect with her late mom through film and stories from her family members. She never got the chance to really know Mansfield, as she was just 3 years old when her mother died in a car accident.

Hargitay told Deadline in Cannes she views the film, which includes the revelation that bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay was not her biological father, as “an emotional archeological dig.”

She also reflected on her mom attending the Cannes Film Festival in the 1950s and ’60s — and the “full-circle” moment of now attending the event herself.

“The photos of her, in Cannes in particular, were always so meaningful to me because of how free and happy and in love she was with my father,” she said, adding those photos always had “seared this emotional place” in her heart.

“To be here, to bring her back here, and to tell her story was quite meaningful,” Hargitay said.

She rocked three beautiful looks at the film festival, and her first was an all-black ensemble that resembled a glamorous one Mansfield wore in Cannes in 1958. Hargitay’s subsequent outfits honored her mom’s love of the color pink and penchant for polka dots.

Friday

Hargitay wore a strapless black couture gown from Georges Chakra’s fall/winter 2024-25 collection while attending the red carpet for “Bono: Stories Of Surrender.”

"Bono: Stories Of Surrender" Red Carpet - The 78th Annual Cannes Film Festival
Mariska Hargitay lights up the “Bono: Stories Of Surrender” red carpet in a Georges Chakra gown on May 16, 2025, in Cannes. Andreas Rentz / Getty Images

The designer posted on Instagram about the dress, which was also “embroidered in sequins with a pleated tulle skirt and paired with a matching sheer embellished coat.”

In 1958, a newly married Mansfield wore a similar black dress and coat when she went to Cannes with husband Mickey Hargitay.

Mansfield's Man
Jayne Mansfield and husband Mickey Hargitay smile for the cameras at the Cannes Film Festival in 1958. Keystone / Getty Images

Saturday

At the red carpet for “Die, My Love” and for the premiere of “My Mom Jayne,” Hargitay shined in an embellished sequin pink gown from Carolina Herrera. Fashion stylist Erin Walsh shared a post to Instagram about Hargitay’s dress and Pomellato jewelry.

"Die My Love" Red Carpet - The 78th Annual Cannes Film Festival
Mariska Hargitay wearing Carolina Herrera at the “Die, My Love” red carpet May 17, 2025, in Cannes. Stephane Cardinale / Corbis via Getty Images

The actor shared a few photos of herself on Instagram in this look — which also featured black off-the-shoulder detailing at the bust as well as long gloves — including one with the caption, “Taking it all in — this moment, this ride, this journey….”

"Die My Love" Red Carpet - The 78th Annual Cannes Film Festival
Mariska Hargitay appears alongside film producers Lauran Bromley and Trish Adlesic; her kids, Amaya, Andrew and August; and husband Peter Hermann at the “Die, My Love” red carpet May 17, 2025, in Cannes. Gisela Schober / Getty Images

Husband Peter Hermann and their three children, August, 18, Amaya, 14, and Andrew, 13, were also by her side in Cannes, where Hargitay received a four-minute standing ovation for her documentary, according to Variety.

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