One of the key traditions of any red carpet event, whether it's a premiere or an award show, is the fashion commentary and breakdown of people's outfits. With the help of top designers and couturiers, many stars show up looking like knockouts. Others take the need to look original a little too far.
Sure, good taste is subjective, but when you show up in a swan or a dress made of meat (yes those both happened), you are going to raise a few eyebrows, and not in the bold "I'm making a statement!" way. These outfits were the ones that made the public go, "Really?"
10 Issac Hayes 1971
The late funk singer was known for his loud, outlandish style. He was arguably one of the first musicians to popularize gold chains, a staple in modern hip-hop fashion. But when Hayes attended the 1971 Oscars, he opted to show up to the black-tie affair in a tuxedo with fur trim around the lapel and cuffs. Oh, and it was purple too.
9 Robert Downey, Jr. 1989
RDJ has worn a couple of, let's call them interesting, outfits. He made GQ's "Worst Dressed Men" list for the Oscars multiple times. But his outfit from his pre-Marvel days in the 1989 ceremony is still talked about. With an almost western-looking jacket and a dark blue ascot, Downey looked more like a pirate than he did an Academy Award attendee.
8 Corey Feldman 1995
The puffy shirt gag on Seinfeld is one of the show's most endearing gags, ruffles on a men's blouse are something more akin to pirate costumes than it is to formal wear. But Feldman went for the look, along with a piece sign necklace and a black two-piece suit that looks like a rejected design for Austin Powers' look.
7 Geena Davis 1992
Actress Geena Davis opted for a dress that looks like a sexy Little Bo Peep. Fashion magazine Marie Claire said, "The actress looked like a runway Las Vegas bride," at the 1992 Oscars.
6 Cher 1986
Cher is famously bold when it comes to her dresses and fashion sense. Her shows are notoriously illustrious, so why shouldn't her outfits? Well, even the famously foul-mouthed diva can take things a little too far when it comes to "making a statement," as she did at the 1986 Oscars with a two-piece sequined skirt and bikini top, combined with a jutting, spiky headpiece to match.
5 Ashley Tisdale Personifying The 2000s
The Oscars were not the only place where odd outfits made fashion history. Early 2000s fashion has been the subject of much mockery via memes these days. Among the many impractical looks were long t-shirts and tunics over jeans, also skirts over jeans, basically a lot of impractical combos involving jeans, especially in girl's fashion. A young Ashley Tisdale can be seen on the red carpet of many of her events wearing such a look. It can't get more early 2000s than Tisdale wearing a skirt over her jeans.
4 Kate Hudson 2001
But of course, the Oscars will always be the go-to spot for fashion faux-pas. Many of the most notorious dresses have already been listed so far, but one has yet to come up, the dress Kate Hudson strutted in wearing in 2001. In a Stella McCartney dress with a neck capelet, Hudson landed on the worst-dressed list because of her hair, which is famously long and beautiful but was pulled up into out-of-character curled ringlets. Combined with the overly geometric cuts of the dress and it is no mystery why this outfit always comes up on most of Hollywood's "worst dressed" lists.
3 Rihanna 2014
Some thought that Rihanna's famous see-through crystal dress at the CFDA Awards was her taking unapologetic ownership of her sexuality. Others thought it was just bad taste and that she might as well have shown up nude. But Rihanna has no regrets about the outfit, save for one. It's, "for wearing a thong that wasn’t bedazzled. That’s the only regret I have in life."
2 Bjork 2001
Few dresses are as synonymous with "Worst Dressed" lists as the Icelandic musician's giant swan dress from the 2001 Oscars. It was literally just a giant swan that hooked around the neck to make the shape of a dress. The outfit was lampooned relentlessly and continues to be the butt of jokes over 20 years since its debut, but the BBC has also deemed it one of the most iconic Oscar outfits ever to be worn.
1 Lady Gaga 2010
The diva was just starting to erupt on the scene at the dawn of the 2010s, and she did so thanks to her Kubrik-Esque music videos and hits like "Bad Romance." At the 2010 VMAs, she strutted in wearing a dress made out of raw meat. Why? According to Lady Gaga, it was an act of protest against the U.S. military's former Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy regarding LGBT soldiers. I.E. don't "ask" why she's wearing the dress because she won't "tell." Well, in Gaga's defense the policy was eventually lifted, and Time deemed the dress one of the biggest fashion statements of the year. The preserved dress, which is just a giant piece of beef jerky now, is on display in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame.
