40+ Celebrity Fashion Fails From the Red Carpet That We Can’t Forget

The red carpet is more than just a place for stars to pose for pictures. It’s also a great place for designers to show off their creations. Still, no one is perfect, and even some of the most iconic names in the industry have had to account for unexpected fashion challenges during the big event.

The challenge of an outdoor red carpet is that you can plan just about everything but the weather. The most you can really do is try to work with it as best as possible.

At the British Academy Film Awards in 2013, Winnie Forsyth sported this yellow gown and got some really stunning photos. What we don’t see as much of is the train for the gown. That’s because the wind kept picking it up so the star simply removed it for an easier but equally elegant evening.

Hayden Panettiere is no stranger to red-carpet shows. Still, even a professional can take the wrong step here and there. Hayden Panettiere was attending the 2014 Met Gala in a ballgown fit for a Disney movie.

The length was a bit of a struggle, though. While she mostly managed it flawlessly, the stairs on the red carpet got the better of her. Luckily, the actress took it in stride and managed to get a few great photos on those same stairs.

Jenny McCarthy looked stunning at the 1997 Oscars but said something seemed off. She told US Weekly that there was a reason her dress felt too tight.

She shared in the interview that she “walked down the red carpet, went to the Vanity Fair party, felt like a million dollars but I did wonder why it was so tight in the chest all night.” Her questions were answered when she ran into Valentino himself who informed her that she was wearing the dress backward.

Anyone who has ever put on a pair of stilettos can tell you that they aren’t easy to walk in. Still, some people manage to make it look effortless!

With that difficulty in mind, it’s no surprise that stars stumble sometimes. As a supermodel, Graham is no stranger to making difficult outfits look effortless. Yet, everyone still had a moment of concern when the star got a stiletto caught on her outfit. The good news is that she was fine and even recovered right away!

Sofia Vergara is no newbie on the red carpet. That’s why you could have missed theModern Family star’s fashion crisis in 2012 at the Emmys.

Vergara was there to accept an award for Best Comedy Series along with the rest of the team involved in Modern Family. Yet, a backstage sneak peek showed us that sometimes in Hollywood, you have to make last-minute adjustments to glamourous looks to avoid problems like them splitting down the seams.

When Charlie’s Angels premiered in 2003, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, and Cameron Diaz did a lot to promote the film. Of course, this included a few red carpet appearances. At the 2003 premiere of the movie, the actresses all showed up in coordinating white outfits.

Luckily, Barrymore and Liu were right there as Diaz lost a shoe crossing the street to meet a few fans. We suppose a broken shoe strap is the least that Charlie’s angels have had to deal with!

Nicki Minaj has shown off quite a few eye-catching outfits over the years. She’s even managed to adapt those outfits on the fly when things go wrong. There are surely plenty of fashion crises that we never even noticed over the years.

When the rapper attended the MTV Music Video Awards back in 2014, her gown unexpectedly flew open! What would end in disaster for most people, though, the star simply caught her dress before it was too late and played the whole thing off like it was nothing.

Speaking of fearful fashion moments that we didn’t see, you would have never have known that Lili Reinhart needed some last-minute alterations at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards.

All in all, the actress looked great for the event and it was only because she shared the blue carpet mishap on Twitter. She shared that she was thrilled to be there even after “the waist-band of my dress was held together by two strings and one of them completely ripped as I was being zipped up.”

If there’s one person who isn’t afraid to deal with an impractical outfit, it’s Lady Gaga. She wasn’t going to disappoint at the 2011 CFDA Fashion Awards. The singer was more than attending too — she was accepting a fashion icon award while she was there!

For all of the complicated parts of this outfit, Gaga nailed the train and impossibly high heels, only hitting a momentary drag when her top fell down. Still, the icon just pulled it up and kept going.

We’ve already briefly touched on the challenges of wearing staggeringly high heels to walk across the red carpet. They’re hard to keep your balance in when you aren’t posing for photos!

At the 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards, Zendaya rocked a pair of shockingly high yellow heels. Her stylist once shared with Footwear News, “Rumor has it that he said he did not design the shows to be worn outside. Literally eight minutes into the walk to the carpet, I was holding her up because her legs were buckling.”

There are certain jobs that would make you ready to handle fashion mishaps. We imagine a Victoria’s Secret Angel would have to know how to adapt to a fashion mishap. That’s what happened to Behati Prinsloo when she and her husband Adam Levine walked the carpet at the 2015 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

Her dress seemed like a no-fail choice. Unfortunately, she noticed it slipping down throughout the night but didn’t miss a beat in avoiding disaster — thanks to her trusty hubby. As you can see, the two shrugged off the mishap with a couple of laughs.

Women’s fashion is highly critiqued on the red carpet but that doesn’t mean that they’re the only ones who make a fashion mistake here and there.

Ben Affleck experienced a red carpet disaster of his own, although it could have been much worse. While his outfit for the Suicide Squad premiere in 2016, his slate suit was a safe choice. He just might have wanted to take a few more minutes on the buttons before stepping out.

Fashion is an art form and it seems that it knows no bounds. You might even notice that some designers try to add new looks using traditional textiles.

Micaela Schäefer made waves with a unique look at the Men in Black 3 premiere in Germany. The bottom half of the gown was made up entirely of the film from VHS tapes. As a result, the wind frequently swept the skirt away but Schäefer seemed to accept the wind as part of the look and went with it.

Katherine Heigl had a big night at the ShoWest Awards in 2010. She was there to accept the Female Star of the Year Award, after all!

She even had the perfect gown for the event — until the shoulder strap broke, that is. Luckily, the star managed to catch the issue with help from presenter Billy Bush. This allowed her to continue her speech and accept the award without letting the surprise trouble interrupt her for too long.

If you find yourself in an embarrassing situation, sometimes you might find laughing at the situation helps. Mario Lopez did, at least.

On the way to one red carpet event, he ran into some last-minute issues with his suit. They were pretty hard to ignore too! So, the actor decided to own the situation, sharing the debacle on Twitter even adding the tags #PantsTooTight and #Undies to poke fun at the unfortunate situation.

Rihanna was there to stun everyone at the Ocean’s 8 premiere. For the event, the musician and actress donned a Poiret dress accented with eye-catching metallic gold that draped down one shoulder.

Unfortunately, it was this sliding sleeve that caused the star so much trouble. Nothing disastrous happened but the sleeve keep trying to continue its descent, leaving her pulling it back up between photos. The good news is that she successfully avoided disaster and got a few good snapshots too!

There are times that you just have to go with what happens to an outfit because there’s nothing you can do. That’s where Katy Perry found herself at the 2017 Academy Awards.

The dress she wore, designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, took some vintage inspiration. It made it through the red carpet but at the Vanity Fair afterparty, the gown tore at the seam on the drop-waist. Perry managed to stay covered but the designer dress was done for.

To her credit, Dakota Johnson did safely make it through the red carpet at the People’s Choice Awards in 2016. The wardrobe malfunction in question happened on stage.

Ironically, the actress was accepting an award as Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress for her role in 50 Shades of Grey when her top started to come undone. Luckily, actress Leslie Mann snagged it just in time. Johnson quickly cracked a joke about what happened, saying that if the top had come off, it wasn’t anything anybody hadn’t seen before.

Bella and Gigi Hadid are a pair of supermodel sisters who have reached quite a bit of fame over the years. So, neither is a stranger to handling a little fashion mishap.

For Bella Hadid, the 2016 Cannes Film Festival came with some challenges. She went for a strikingly classic look with a high-slit red gown and a pair of heels. While the supermodel pulled it off, the train was deceptively difficult to handle.

Lily-Rose Depp is a talented actress in her own right. At the event we’re talking about here, she was celebrating the premiere of the movie The King.

While at the premiere, the actress opted for a gown from Chanel’s 2020 collection. It featured a halter top complete with a ruffled texture. One particularly strong gust of wind tried to blow her top out of place but the actress just caught it with a laugh and readjusted it for the next picture.

Cardi B has gotten a lot of attention for her fashion sense over the years. In 2018, she attended a performance in Calibash where she performed “La Modelo”.

The dress was gorgeous and classic design but it came with a major drawback. Once the rapper was on the red carpet and under the stage lights, it became clear that the dress was transparent. She later wrote on Instagram, “Last night was LIT!!! Even tho I realize my dress was see-through and I realized at the last minute.”

Kim Kardashian is well-known for her fashion sense, so it’s no surprise she didn’t pull any punches at the opening for The Cher Show in a vintage Versace gown.

The gown featured a halter top to keep the back open. The only problem was the star made a bit of a mistake during the red carpet when she over-adjusted her dress to expose part of her chest. Kardashian didn’t hesitate to laugh it off, even sharing it on Instagram censored with a GIF of Cher.

A train on a gown can add a lot to the design. Yet, the longer your dress is, the harder it likely is to make sure you’re aware of it all night long.

Emily Ratajkowski is no stranger to difficult outfits as a supermodel. So, she probably handled the challenge of her gold gown at the 2017 Golden Globes more than most people would. Still, it was clear that the train was getting in the way in some of the photos.

Chloë Grace Moretz was making an appearance on Watch What Happens Live when she ran into a bit of a wardrobe failure. Luckily, you couldn’t spot it unless she turned around. The velvet top that the star rocked was trendy but it didn’t quite have the stretch she needed it seemed.

It looks like one overextension tore the seam and split the back of the sleeve. To be fair, if the outfit had to tear, the back shoulder — which was only visible when she was signing autographs — isn’t all that bad.

Like many, you could have easily missed the wardrobe malfunction that Anne Hathaway experienced at the Met Gala. She eventually revealed the story herself on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

“One year, I was going as the guest of Calvin Klein and Francisco Costa. I was about a block away from the Met,” the actress shared, “And I sneezed, and my dress split. Like just straight-up split open.” They stopped to find a seamstress to help and, as a result, Hathaway was second-to-last to show up.

Some fashion mishaps on the red carpet really steal everyone’s attention. Other ones happen to fly under the radar and you wouldn’t know until much later on.

At the 2017 Oscars, Hailee Steinfeld fell into the latter category. The star looked stunning in a flowery gown that went all the way down the red carpet to pool at her feet. If you have a good eye, though, you can see a slight tear the star managed to hide almost completely.

As a versatile performer, you have to be able to think on your feet quickly. It helps during red carpet wardrobe malfunctions as well. In 1998, Minnie Driver was attending the Oscars and chose a red gown that seemed appropriate, being that she would be walking the red carpet.

Before long, the dress started falling off but Driver wasn’t deterred. She simply wrapped the shawl she was carrying around her shoulders, letting the faux fur cover her in a way that was definitely still fashionable.

Laura Govan went for a fun look on the red carpet when she sported this patterned party dress. She ran into many of the same problems that Michelle Rodriguez did in the strapless dress.

The star quickly realized that her party dress wasn’t staying put. That meant that she had to spend a good portion of her time on the red carpet holding the dress in place or pulling it up. The dress ended up looking great, even if it wasn’t the most comfortable choice.

We’d be remiss to talk about fashion disasters without talking about the unfair situation that Janet Jackson faced at Super Bowl XXXVIII. The singer was billed for the halftime show with Justin Timberlake.

During the performance, Timberlake pulled the pocket of fabric over the right side of Jackson’s top, causing the wardrobe malfunction. She later shared that the move was accidental, as Timberlake was only supposed to remove her bustier and leave her bra in place for coverage.

Ariel Winter is another member of the Modern Family cast who isn’t a stranger to awards shows. In 2017, she stole the show on the red carpet at the Emmy’s.

The gown in question was a sparkling pattern with a pair of high slits to add to the design. The star did manage to avoid anything too disastrous but it wasn’t without effort. It looks like managing the dress was a bit more difficult than anyone originally expected.

Margot Robbie has had a meteoric rise to fame with a number of amazing roles over the years. For the event in question, she was celebrating the release of I, Tonya.

Playing the titular Tonya Harding, Margot Robbie was there as the star at the premiere in Australia. The actress chose a simple silk gown in pale pink, livening it up with a deep neckline. It was this neckline that left the star adjusting her dress all night.

Beyoncé has a way of making everything she does look effortless. In reality, even something as simple as walking across the red carpet can be surprisingly difficult. The tight mermaid gown definitely turned heads at the 2011 Met Gala.

However, mobility was the price to pay for the look. Luckily, Beyonce had her husband and fellow celebrity Jay-Z close at hand to help her across the red carpet when it was time to move between photos.

Fans didn’t have to wonder what happened when Kaitlyn Bristowe had to think fast on the red carpet. Throughout the 2018 Emmys, she kept fans updated on the debacle.

For the event, the star donned a black gown. It would have all been fine had the dress not split up the back at the zipper. She shared that with the tear, it was impossible to stand and stay decent but that a friendly couple was kind enough to lend her a jacket.

Chrissy Teigan made a brand for herself around a relatable persona. So, it’s no surprise that she shared her unfortunate circumstance with fans after a red carpet wardrobe malfunction.

For one event, Teigen chose a white gown with a slit up the front. As luck would have it, though, that slit got torn about five inches higher throughout the night. Teigen shared a snap of her hiding the fashion malfunction under her bag to try and mitigate the situation.

Lady Victoria Hervey is a celebrity of many titles. Between her socialite status — as well as her acting and modeling careers — she has plenty of red carpet experience under her belt.

At the Cannes Film Festival in 2015, she was presented with a particular challenge. Her low-cut and high-slit gown had been holding up well as she strutted and posed across the red carpet. Unfortunately, a stray gust of wind tried to blow it all apart. She managed to handle it with only a bit of a stumble.

We’ve seen here that trains on dresses are gorgeous but sometimes more difficult than you might expect. Sometimes, that isn’t just for the star in the dress either.

Emma Stone had no trouble with her train on the red carpet in her Dior suit and dress combination. Everything was fine until Stone and the rest of the cast of Birdman jumped onstage to accept an award for Best Ensemble. Naomi Watts tripped over Stone’s train but Edward Norton was there to catch her before she fell.

No one would have known that Elisabetta Canalis ran into a snag with her dress before the 2010 Oscars that could have spelled out disaster. As she was getting ready, the zipper on Canalis’ dress broke while she was getting ready.

Rather than calling in Hollywood help, though, the situation was easily handled when Canalis’ then-boyfriend, George Clooney, stepped in to sew the zipper back into place at the last minute.

Well, before Bey’s mermaid gown at the Met Gala, she was asked to perform at the 2005 Academy Awards. This included multiple rapid and complete costume changes.

With only minutes to get ready, the star didn’t fully strap one of her heels to sing “Learn to Be Lonely” from The Phantom of the Opera. During the performance, the shoe came off entirely while she was performing but stayed hidden in the dress so the audience never noticed.

Jennifer Lawrence isn’t afraid to show us her more relatable side. That means she’s quick to own and laugh off a red carpet mishap. That’s exactly what happened at the 2011 SAG Awards. In a floor-length bright pink gown, the star was definitely capturing people’s attention.

The only problem was that she also turned heads when she stepped on her dress, causing her to stumble. In true J-Law fashion, she just laughed it off and got back to posing for the paparazzi.

As we said, Jennifer Lawrence isn’t shaken by a relatable mistake on the red carpet. To be fair, she made it through the red carpet in a gown for her first Oscar acceptance.

It was actually accepting the award that made things difficult. On her way up the steps, the Best Actress winner stepped on the hem of her dress, causing her to fall on the stairs. She later said, “What went through my mind when I fell down? A…a bad word…that I can’t say. It starts with ‘F.'”

Reality TV star Farrah Abraham is no stranger to controversy, being that she got her start on 16 and Pregnant and then the subsequent Teen Mom. Luckily, this wardrobe malfunction didn’t make too many headlines.

During a screening at the Venice Film Festival in August 2019, the high slit in Farrah’s floral dress gave way, exposing a bit more skin than the former MTV star had planned. But, she quickly recovered and flashed a smile for the cameras.

The Kardashians may be well-known for their fashion sense and style but being that some of their outfits are more extensive and complicated than others, it’s not overly shocking that they too experience wardrobe malfunctions.

We mean, this is already Kim’s second time on the list! Here, Kimmie was sporting a bright yellow skirt while out and about in Miami back in 2018. Unfortunately, the hip-high slit exposed her underwear — as well as a visible tan line. Ah, well. Didn’t seem to phase Kim much, anyway.

Although Chrissy Teigen may have gotten her start in the entertainment industry as a model, she has certainly made herself known thanks to her social media presence, particularly on Twitter — where she has undeniably been the cause of some controversy.

Now, Teigen may be used to turning heads with her looks and humor. Still, she was hardly expecting any commotion while attending the 2015 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Her dress, designed by Zuhair Murad, featured a slit so high that Teigen’s undies were visible. Whoops!

Now 52 years old, supermodel Naomi Campbell began her career when she was in her teens. So, it goes without saying that Naomi has experienced her fair share of runways, red carpets, and… you guessed it — wardrobe malfunctions.

Even timeless goddesses like Naomi here can fall victim to these kinds of mishaps. During the MTV Video Music Awards in August 2016, Naomi accidentally revealed her Spanx while strutting her stuff on the carpet.

Born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor, singer-songwriter Lorde has been pushing the envelope ever since the start of her career back in 2009. Still, while she definitely is unconventional, she still experiences awkward life moments just like the rest of us.

Take this wardrobe malfunction, for instance. Not only was the songstress in an arm cast during the 2016 Met Gala, but she also suffered quite the nip slip while walking the carpet.

Sarah Hyland has been walking red carpets for quite a while. For her look at the 2017 Emmy Awards, the actress opted for a red gown with a cutout. The only problem is that when there’s a cutout in a dress, you probably hope it won’t endanger the security of it staying on.

Yet, it seems like Hyland was caught off-guard when the bottom part of the dress just wouldn’t stay in place, revealing her Spanx. As a result, she had to keep adjusting the band — and later posted about it via Instagram to make light of the situation.

Everyone knows the story of Cinderella. In that story, losing a shoe is the way for her true love to find her after the ball. Mariah Carey had her own Cinderella moment — she just decided to swap out those glass slippers for a pair of fairly high Louboutins.

However, it seems like that extra height would make this misstep all the more intimidating but Carey is a professional and didn’t let the stumble hold her back for long.

Strapless dresses have a lot of appeal. Still, they aren’t always easy to keep up with since they don’t have the straps for support.

That was exactly the problem that Michelle Rodriguez ran into when she stepped out for the sixth The Fast and Furious film. It didn’t take long to realize the problem — the dress kept sliding down! Still, Rodriquez managed to catch some great photos even if she had to hold her dress up for most of the night.

Emma Roberts has shaped up to have all of the acting talents that you’d expect from a member of this famous family. So, there are plenty of premieres that fans can spot her at.

The star was attending the premiere for The Blackcoat’s Daughter when her purple dress started to deteriorate. It isn’t hard to see that one sleeve is split down the side in this picture. She shared with PeopleStyle, “My sleeve almost fell off and completely exposed my body!”

At the 2016 MTV Movie Awards, Kendall Jenner showed up in a stunning outfit. In particular, people quickly fell in love with the dramatic lace-up heels she paired with the dress.

The only problem was that those stilettos just refused to stay laced even after it took a pair of assistants to get them on at all. Between photos, her assistants had to keep redoing the ties. Gigi Hadid even gave fans a behind-the-scenes look in a Snapchat video of Jenner trying to get the sandals off at the end of the night.