You'd think that stars have learned from other people's mistakes — but even in recent years, questionable gowns are still common on the red carpet.
Emma Stone
Perhaps the La La Land star should have drawn inspiration from her character's wardrobe. Emma Stone looks great in colorful dresses and classic Hollywood glitter — but for the 2019 Oscars, the actress chose a different kind of attire, which immediately attracted the attention of internet users. Is it honeycomb, snakeskin, or bacon?
People had heated debates about what the actress' dress looked like the most, translating their ideas into memes. Even some 30,000 Swarovski crystals and 200,000 gold beads did not save the dress from being a fashion blunder.
Linda Cardellini
Having it "all at once" is not always a good thing, as exemplified by Linda Cardellini's outfit at the 2019 Academy Awards. Layers of tulle do look spectacular — but not when there are so many of them. And when the entire dress is made of the same airy fabric, it just looks too puffy and lacking the necessary accents.
Also, the high-low skirt wasn't the best choice — it revealed the actress' black pumps, which looked too austere against the extravagant gown.
Penélope Cruz
For her 2020 Oscars look, Penélope Cruz seemed to have copied a school formal–style gown from ten years ago. The large tulle rose at the front looks pretentious, the thread of pearls below the waist violates the star's body proportions, and the shortened puffed skirt makes her visually shorter.
Even the classic black and the actress' neutral make-up could not mend the outfit's imperfections.
Laura Dern
When dressing the actress up for the 2020 Oscars, Laura Dern's stylist made a number of mistakes. First, it's about the dress' color: the pale pink satin turned the blonde actress into a cheap version of a Barbie doll. The black lace with tassels also looked weird on the gown: these details are more suitable as decorative elements in interior design.
What's more, the gown's unpretentious cut was too simple for the gorgeous actress, who still has a chic figure at 54.
Gal Gadot
Less, less lace, we urge you! The black sheer top actually looks nice on Gal Gadot, but it loses all of its charm when paired with a strawberry bubblegum–colored skirt.
The diamond necklace seems superfluous here, and the tight belt is reminiscent of those skirts with a black elastic waistband that went out of fashion some time ago.
Halle Berry
Here's another pink dress that doesn't work as well as intended. The color actually looks great on Halle Berry, blending in perfectly with her hair color and skin tone, but that skirt is a bit of a problem. Perhaps the designer wanted to make the star "blossom" in this gown, but the "bud" of ruffles looks rather old-fashioned — and adds a few extra inches to Halle's waist.
Saoirse Ronan
The same stylistic device spoiled Saoirse Ronan's look at the 2020 Oscars: skirts with basques can look nice, but only when they're compact and minimalist. This black and white detail on Saoirse's dress was meant to represent a mollusk, but even the nautical theme is hardly an excuse for the gown's clumsy shape.
Besides, when the actress turns slightly to the side, the flounces are no longer symmetrical and look unkempt.