The 10 Most Eye-Rolling Celebrity Red Carpet Outfits Ever
These celeb looks will make you go, "What were they thinking?"
Cher, 1986 Oscars
At the 58th Academy Awards ceremony, Cher wore a truly controversial outfit by Bob Mackie — and she really did steal the show with the attire that made its mark in history as the worst-ever red carpet look. The star didn't recognize the scale of the fashion disaster as she put on the towering black feather headdress to complement her complex attire consisting of an embroidered shawl over a cut-out jewel-encrusted halter and sequined loincloths on top of thigh-high boots.
On the awards night, when Cher saw the effect her look had on the guests, she gracefully resolved the situation: "As you can see, I did receive my Academy booklet on how to dress like a serious actress," the star said into the microphone.
Rihanna, 2014 CFDA Fashion Awards
The title of the most "naked" dress in the history of red carpet looks goes to Rihanna and the completely transparent dress she wore to the 2014 Council of Fashion Designers of America awards. Without a shadow of embarrassment, designer Adam Selman admitted that he had talked to the star's stylist Mel Ottenberg, and the men agreed Rihanna's appearance on the show had to be scandalous. And so it was!
Encrusted with 230 thousand Swarovski crystals, Rihanna's outfit was shockingly revealing. Interestingly, on the night, the celebrity also received the Fashion Icon Award — the main one on the show. So the singer's style experts proved they knew what they were doing, after all!
Björk, 2001 Oscars
Another controversial appearance was made by Björk at the 73rd Academy Awards night: the star came to the show wearing the legendary "dead swan dress" by the Macedonian designer Marjan Pejoski. The Icelandic singer admitted that she believed this was her first and last appearance at the awards, so she wanted to make a lasting impression.
Björk really did live up to the bird image she embodied: in addition to the matching outfit and bag, the singer also brought ostrich eggs and literally laid them on the red carpet — to the great surprise of the guards and guests.
Lady Gaga, 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
The list of stars wearing eye-rolling outfits wouldn't be complete without Lady Gaga — the queen of extravagant looks who, once upon a time, would strive to make a sensation out of her every appearance on the red carpet. The singer's most shocking outfit was the raw meat dress by designer Frank Fernandez, which Lady Gaga wore to the 2010 MTV Music Video Awards.
The blood-red dress assembled of chunks of raw beef was complemented with a matching hat, clutch, and shoes. The provocative attire had caused a lot of noise, and the singer was criticized by animal advocates who saw Lady Gaga's appearance as an anti-vegetarian statement. But the star explained that her intentions were different: the dress was her way to protest against the American Army's "don't ask, don't tell" policy and to show that she wasn't just "a piece of meat."
Gwyneth Paltrow, 2002 Oscars
Although Gwyneth Paltrow has always had a perfect reputation in Hollywood, at the 2002 Academy Awards ceremony, the star decided to punk out and wear an Alexander McQueen dress consisting of a maxi-length black organza skirt and transparent top… but no bra in sight.
Fashion critics attacked the actress' look as excessively gothic — and revealing. Later, Paltrow agreed that she should have worn a bra on the night, but apart from that, she doesn't regret wearing the dress despite all the criticism.
Jennifer Lopez, 2000 Grammy Awards
The Versace dress with the tropical print made fashion history as one of the most talked-about outfits at the Grammy Awards. Before Jennifer Lopez put on the dress for the 2000 awards night, it had been presented on the runway and even worn by Donatella Versace herself at the 1999 Met Ball.
The outfit has made such a long-lasting effect that the Versace fashion house made a remake of the iconic dress and presented it in 2020 — two decades after J Lo's stunning appearance at the Grammys!
Barbra Streisand, 1969 Oscars
Designer dresses may be insidious — we all remember Jennifer Lawrence's infamous fall on the Oscars stairs, but many years before that, another accident happened to Barbra Streisand.
At the 1969 awards night, the actress wore an Arnold Scaasi set made of flared pants and a blouse decorated with a bow and sequins. As she walked up the stage, Streisand didn't know that the powerful spotlights were going to make her look completely naked when she received her Oscar statuette. Back in the day, her revealing look gave rise to plenty of gossip — but luckily, the sexual revolution was already underway.
Elizabeth Hurley, 1994 Premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral
Hugh Grant's long-term girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley was a little known British actress when she attended the premiere of her lover's film Four Weddings and a Funeral. Hurley's appearance in the black Versace dress made a huge sensation: the actress received lots of attention from journalists and fashion critics, which had a positive effect on her recognition and reputation. Interestingly, when Hurley was trying to buy an attire for the event, she found that she couldn't afford any designer gowns — so she turned to her PR agency for help, and they offered her this dress that later became iconic.
Demi Moore, 1989 Oscars
At the 1989 Oscars night, Demi Moore turned up wearing a very controversial combination of cycling shorts, lace corset, and brocade skirt — an outfit that the young star designed herself. Deservedly, Moore was advised to give up her fashion ambitions and instead concentrate on what she was truly good at — that is, acting in movies.
Anne Hathaway, 2013 Oscars
The modest and elegant pink Prada dress Anne Hathaway wore at the 2013 Oscars became the subject of much gossip: critics and fans noticed that the dress made Hathaway's breasts the focal point of the night and even revealed her nipples. Later, the actress explained the fashion blunder: shortly before the event, she was forced to abandon her original red carpet attire because her colleague Amanda Seyfried was going to wear a very similar outfit by Valentino.