Editor’s Note: Delving into the archives of pop culture history, “Remember When?” is a CNN Style series offering a nostalgic look at the celebrity outfits that defined their eras.

CNN
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Was 1999 a simpler time? With dumber phones and fuss-free styling, Y2K-era nostalgia has been strong, and its fashion is no exception. What was once a daring red-carpet look wouldn’t look out of place on the streets today — namely, the peek-a-boo cardigan Salma Hayek wore to the Cannes Film Festival that year.

The actor, who had two films premiering at Cannes — the Gabriel Garcia Márquez adaptation “No One Writes to the Colonel” and Kevin Smith-directed fantasy-comedy “Dogma” — paired her baby-blue short-sleeve sweater (fastened suggestively with just two buttons and a bra peeking through) with a full, flowing satin skirt in a sister shade.

Hayek wore the unconventional two-piece to the amfAR Gala at Cannes, and accessorized with a silver clutch and extravagant jewelry, opting for a matching set of sapphire and diamond earrings, necklace and bracelet. Later, she traded the necklace for an elephant-shaped pendant as she danced on stage with Ben Affleck, her co-star in “Dogma.”

Voluminous satin silhouettes had a moment at the festival: Geraldine Chaplin wore an A-line maxi skirt in white with a plunging V-neck blouse and a dramatic stack of pearls around her neck, while Catherine Zeta-Jones went full prom queen with a halter-neck powder-pink gown. But Hayek stood out for daring to pair hers with the unexpectedly casual: a fuzzy knit.

Hayek’s laissez-faire styling wasn’t contrived, either. Over 20 years later, the actor revealed that she had picked out the look herself.

“It was taking a chance… I took a sweater that’s supposed to be (worn) with something underneath — because it only had two buttons — and a skirt, and made my own fashion style,” said Hayek in a video recounting some of her best fashion moments for Vogue, which called the Cannes fit a “look-at-me combination.”

“Little did I know that Vogue one day was gonna say (it was) one of your iconic looks,” she added, explaining how the ensemble was a result of her “creativity” during a time when she didn’t have many resources to dress for the red carpet.

At that point in her career, Hayek was no stranger to getting herself ready for the glitzy celebrity circuit. She told the fashion magazine that she struggled to find designers who would provide her with outfits for her earlier red-carpet appearances.

“Nobody thought a Mexican would stick around, so why give me a dress?” she said.

By the time Hayek stepped out in her breezy red-carpet-ready cardigan, she already had a number of innovative, self-styled looks under her belt. At the MTV Movie Awards in 1998, she accessorized a simple little black dress with a flutter of butterflies painted on her body — a nod to the era’s temporary tattoo trend, and a clever way to skip wearing expensive jewelry, she explained to Vogue. The year before, Hayek opted for a tiara at her first Academy Awards appearance, rebelling against advice from those who told her it would be “ridiculous,” she recalled.

“Everybody started wearing a tiara after that and I never got credit for that trend,” she said in the video.

Her suggestive, nothing-underneath cardigan has similarly become a throwback staple, popularized by brands like Reformation who advertise them styled with satin skirts.

In 2019, Katie Holmes went viral for her equally slouchy and chic Khaite cardigan and bralette, while designers like Jacquemus, whose cropped, barely-there cardis have been a favorite of celebrities like Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber.

Though Hayek can’t get all the credit for pioneering cropped cardigans in the 1990s — the era saw Rose McGowan’s character in the cult flick “Jawbreaker” in a purple version, while Drew Barrymore, Christina Aguilera and Mena Suvari rocked them in various shades — it was a daring choice for Cannes, which is known for its strict dress code. (This week, the festival announced a ban on nudity, seemingly taking aim at the ‘naked’ dress trend, as well as voluminous dresses, from official events).

While Hayek now has her pick of designer pieces to wear on the red carpet, her creative combination for Cannes remains timeless. Like all the fashion beloved from the decade, it’s easy, fun — and comes in baby blue.

Jiupeng, Taiwan
Reuters
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Taiwan on Monday test-fired for the first time a new US-supplied rocket system that has been widely used by Ukraine against Russia and could be deployed to hit targets in China if there is a war with Taiwan.

The United States is Taiwan’s most important arms supplier, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties. Taiwan has faced increased military pressure from China, including several rounds of war games, as Beijing seeks to assert its sovereignty claims over the island.

Taiwan has bought 29 of Lockheed Martin’s precision weapon High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, with the first batch of 11 received last year and the rest set to arrive by next year.

With a range of about 300 kilometers (186 miles), they could hit coastal targets in China’s southern province of Fujian, on the other side of the Taiwan Strait, in the event of conflict.

The US-trained Taiwan military team fired the rockets from the Jiupeng test center on a remote part of the Pacific coast.

Officer Ho Hsiang-yih told reporters US personnel from the manufacturer were at the site to tackle any problems.

“I believe that this rocket firing shows our people the military’s determination to protect the country’s security and safeguard our beautiful homeland,” he added.

HIMARS, one of Ukraine’s main strike systems, has been used multiple times during the war with Russia. In March, Australia said it had received the first two of 42 HIMARS launcher vehicles.

The test came a day after Taiwan said it had detected another “joint combat readiness patrol” by China’s military near the island, involving warplanes and warships.

Taiwan’s democratically-elected government rejects China’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.

Manila, Philippines
Reuters
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Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was almost certain to be elected mayor of his home city by a landslide on Monday, unimpeded by his detention at the International Criminal Court on charges of murder as a crime against humanity.

With 80% of votes counted in an unofficial tally, Duterte, who was brought to The Hague in March over his bloody “war on drugs” that killed thousands of people, was winning the Davao mayoral contest with eight times more votes than his nearest rival.

The victory during nationwide midterm elections is testament to the 80-year-old’s enduring influence in the southern city, owing to his reputation as a crime-buster that earned him the nicknames “Duterte Harry” and “the Punisher.”

Duterte’s old Facebook account was flooded with congratulatory messages from supporters, with some calling for his return to serve his people.

“Congratulations, Tatay (father) D! Let’s bring him home,” read one of the comments.

Duterte could become the first Asian former head of state to go on trial at the ICC.

His surprise arrest by Philippine police at the request of the ICC caused outrage among his army of supporters, who called it a kidnapping at the behest of a foreign court.

He has defended the anti-drugs crackdown and his legal team says his arrest was unlawful. The ICC maintains it has jurisdiction to prosecute alleged crimes committed before Duterte withdrew the Philippines from its founding treaty in 2019.

Despite the ICC’s case also including alleged killings of criminal suspects by a “death squad” in Davao while Duterte was mayor – which he has denied – analysts have said his arrest has only hardened support for him and his family, in Davao and beyond.

The former president’s two sons were also set to win posts on Monday, one reelected congressman and the other winning the contest for Davao vice mayor and likely to serve in his father’s absence.

The family’s political resilience and dominance in Davao could prove pivotal as Duterte’s popular daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, faces an impeachment trial that could see her banned from politics for life if convicted, killing off any hopes of a presidential run.

Asked earlier on Monday about her father’s likely victory, she said plans would be made for him to be sworn in as mayor.

“The ICC lawyer said once we get proclamation papers, we will discuss how he can take oath,” she said.