FASHION

20 Most Controversial Red Carpet Outfits

Red carpet events are make or break moments for celebrities. They can cement them on the best-dressed lists for years to come or cause quite a stir in the fashion stakes. But all publicity is good publicity... right?
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Jennifer Lopez

Looking as if she stepped out of the pages of a tropical Harlequin novel in 2000, this frock has cemented Jennifer Lopez on the lists of most provocative red carpet outfits of all time.

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Elizabeth Hurley

When Elizabeth Hurley showed up to the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1994 wearing this Versace, safety-pin number, she was no longer known as just Hugh Grant’s girlfriend, but an icon in her own right.

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Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj arrived at the 2012 Grammy’s looking like Red Riding Hood… until her date for the night appeared beside her. Channelling the Catholic Church, Minaj sported a red silk gown and headdress, resembling a nun’s habit, and accessorised with “the Pope”.

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Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera has had some questionable outfits in her time, but this velvet dress along with “matching” afro in 2001 is definitely up there.

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Rihanna

What does a 2014 CFDA Style Icon award winner wear to the event? According to Rihanna, 216,000 Swarovski crystals and not much else

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Celine Dion

Not sure whether Celine Dior got dressed in the dark when she wore this head-to-toe white tuxedo, back-to-front with matching hat in 1999.

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Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg is a comedian, so maybe this 1993 look is a joke? We don’t know either.

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Geena Davis

Geena Davis arrived wearing this asymmetrical, cascading white dress to the Moulin Rouge. Wait, wasn’t it the 1992 Oscars?

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Bjork

Swan Lake is a beautiful ballet, but sometimes life can’t imitate art. Bjork’s notorious 2001 Oscar’s outfit is testament to this.

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Cher

The outfit speaks for itself, so we’re just thinking about the poor fellow who had to sit behind Cher at the Oscars in 1986….

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Rose McGowan

Rose McGowan took the “less is more” approach a little too seriously when she wore this racy dress to the 1998 MTV Music Awards with former boyfriend, Marilyn Manson.

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Toni Braxton

We hope that Toni Braxton’s 2001 Grammy’s dress didn’t cost too much, considering more than half of it is missing. Not that it looks like it bothers her at all.

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Angelina Jolie

The look that spurred thousands of memes, Angelina Jolie’s right leg in 2012 became the focus of the night when it kept popping out at the Oscars.

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Kim Kardashian

No doubt dressing for the red carpet pregnant is difficult, but Kim Kardashian brought a whole new meaning to the term “couch potato” in 2013, with this floral-printed ensemble.

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Lizzy Gardiner

Finally, an outfit with some explanation. Costumer designer, Lizzy Gardiner, wore this dress in 1994 made entirely of American Express gold cards as a statement, saying she was too “broke” to buy a real dress.

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Anne Hathaway

Appearing at first as quite demure, Anne Hathaway’s Prada Oscar’s dress trended worldwide with the term “nipple darts” due to some unfortunate seaming in 2013.

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Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton was a Charlie Chaplin/Annie Hall hybrid when she arrived at the 2004 Oscars in this menswear-inspired look.

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Miley Cyrus

The 2015 MTV Music Video Awards must have been the point Miley Cyrus realised bad press is always good press?

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Lady Gaga

These days making a fashion statement usually means baring all, Lady Gaga on the other hand, decided to just wear an outfit entirely out of meat in 2010. Who could forget this?

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Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy Teigen suffered a bit of a wardrobe malfunction in 2016 when she chose to wear this safety-pinned, deep slit dress with NO underwear.

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