The Ultimate Style Shockers: The Most Daring Looks To Ever Grace The Red Carpet
For years, award shows have been a platform for celebrities to showcase their impeccable style on the red carpet. While some opt for classic, timeless looks, others take a more daring approach with their fashion choices.
From shocking cutouts to unexpected fabrics and bold prints, these fearless fashion statements have had us totally shook.
Jennifer Lopez Changed The Internet
In 2003, Jennifer Lopez made our jaws drop as far down as the plunging neckline on this now-famous green Versace dress that she wore to the Grammys!
The President of Google revealed that Google searches for this dress were so popular that it motivated the company to create Google Image Search!
Kim Kardashian's Soaked Style
Kim Kardashian's optical illusion dress worn on the red carpet for the 2019 Met Gala had fans all over the Internet ready to offer her a towel!
Designer Thierry Mugler came out of retirement specifically to design this latex beaded look meant to give the illusion that Kim (and her dress) had just stepped out of the shower.
Sam Smith's Inflatable Fashion
Sam Smith turned heads with their custom latex inflatable outfit designed by HARRI, who's known for their surreal silhouettes and circus-like designs.
The look was controversial, but Sam definitely pulled it off! I can only imagine the noise this would've made as he walked down the carpet wasn't the most pleasant, though.
Doja Cat's Bold And Bejeweled
On the red carpet for Fashion Week 2023, Doja Cat's dress matched the carpet, her earings, her shoes — oh, yeah, and her skin.
The dress was by designer Daniel Roseberry, and makeup artist Pat McGrath took almost five hours to apply the body paint and over 30,000 crystals to Doja's skin.
Lady Gaga's Eggsellent Entrance
At the 2011 Grammys, everyone was expecting Lady Gaga to make a bold statement on the red carpet, but nobody was expecting her to show up the way she did — in a giant egg!
The egg, designed by Hussein Chalayan, was carried down the red carpet by four people, and Gaga "hatched" from it to perform her hit song "Born This Way."
Irina Shayk Goes Sheer
At the 2015 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, supermodel Irina Shayk had us shook with this dress, designed by Versace, that had a huge sheer cutaway that showed off almost an entire half of her body.
Irina was there with her then-boyfriend, Bradley Cooper, who had been nominated for Best Actor that year.
Bjork's Swan Song
Some thought this dress, designed by Marjan Pejoski and worn by singer Bjork to the 2001 Oscar awards, was for the birds, but Bjork insisted she just really loved swans.
The dress became infamous and was parodied famously by Ellen DeGeneres at the Emmys and Kevin James at the People's Choice Awards.
Emily Ratajkowski's Winning Wings
Emily Ratajkowski's nearly-not-there look at the 2019 Met Gala caught an equal amount of attention for both the amount of skin on display and for the gorgeous winged headpiece, she wore alongside her dress.
The dress itself was a custom Dundas piece that was inspired by a similarly skin-showing outfit Cher had worn on her own red carpet.
Billy Porter Breaking Boundaries
At the Oscars in 2019, actor Billy Porter played with gender boundaries by wearing a gown with a full tuxedo jacket overtop.
The look was designed by Christian Siriano and was definitely the talk of the night. The mixed-gender look would become a staple of Billy's on the red carpet.
Kim Petras' Horsing Around
At the 2021 Met Gala, where the theme was "In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion," singer Kim Petras honored a uniquely American idea: the horse girl.
The look was designed by Collina Strada and was accompanied by a long (what else?) ponytail that Kim was more than happy to pose with. This look had plenty of neigh-sayers, though!
Jaimie Alexander Keeps It Meshy
Actress Jaimie Alexander showed up to the premiere of Thor: The Dark World in a gorgeous Azarro gown that left little to the imagination with its large sheer cutaway in the middle, giving a Rorschach test-esque look.
She, however, insisted that she was wearing something underneath to prevent going full commando!
Megan Thee Stallion Is Bold In Gold
Megan Thee Stallion's absolutely beautiful gold custom Bryan Hears dress brought a whole new definition to the idea of a mini-dress with its big cutaway pieces and sparkly sequins.
What looks like bare skin is actually a sheer mesh panel that lines her hip, but it's still a look that requires a lot of bravery to pull off!
Kim Kardashian's Most Modest Look
At the 2021 Met Gala, fans saw a lot less of Kim Kardashian than usual, as she showed up in this head-to-toe black outfit that covered her entire face and had an impressive train.
The look was designed by Balenciaga, and her then-husband Kanye West wore a similar look for himself.
Lil Nas X Is The Center Of Attention
Lil Nas X knows how to make an entrance! The singer showed up at the 2022 VMAs wearing this statement black outfit that definitely garnered a lot of attention with its huge headpiece.
The look was designed by Harris Reed and was most certainly not picked up along any "Old Town Road."
Rihanna Goes Avant-Garde
At the 2017 Met Gala, Rihanna heard the Rei Kawakuba avant-garde theme and took off running! Given her reputation as the queen of the themes, this isn't surprising.
Rihanna looked gorgeous in this Commes Des Garcons pink, white, and blue floral look that made RiRi herself look like a big, beautiful flower.
Rita Ora's Firey Red Dress At The VMAs
Rita Ora wore a show-stopping scarlet red dress to the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Paired with a diamond choker, slicked-back hair, red pumps, and ruby-red lipstick, the silk number was gorgeous on the singer and, of course, very memorable.
The dress featured a low back, barley-there straps, and a thigh-high slit.
Queen Bey And Her Flowers
Beyoncé showing up to an event and commanding everyone's attention is to be expected by now, but her appearance at the 2015 Met Gala was unique for just how impressive her outfit was!
Bey rocked a Givenchy dress that was totally sheer except for the bejeweled flowers covering her body.
Halsey Legs It
Halsey's dress on the 2018 amfAR Gala's red carpet really gave her a leg up over the competition!
Your average little black dress, this was not. The Georges Hobeika strapless thigh split dress had a slit all the way up to Halsey's waist — and it definitely took a lot of courage to rock this one!
Nicole Scherzinger Ruffled Some Feathers
You might've had to do a double-take to make sure you weren't seeing things with this gorgeous gown worn by Nicole Scherzinger to the 2017 Billboard Music Awards.
The dress was designed by Maria Lucia Hohan, and Nicole also rocked amethyst earrings, a long draping necklace, and a beautiful feather ring!
Kim's Controversial Classic
You might think this dress looks a little tame compared to some of the other looks on this list, but it's the source of this dress that caused a huge stir!
This Bob Mackie dress was actually the famous dress worn by Marilyn Monroe when she sang "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy, and some fans thought it was disrespectful for Kim to wear it.
Halle Berry's Bikini Top
Y2k fashion was something else! Halle Berry rocked a bedazzled bikini top and matching pants on the red carpet for the premiere of X-Men.
Halle would tweet twenty years later that a bikini CAN be a top, as long as it's bedazzled and paired with a belly chain. She's the expert!
Katy Perry Lights Up
She's evolved from being a firework! Singer Katy Perry lit up the entire room at the 2019 Met Gala with her custom Moschino gown designed to look like a giant human chandelier.
The look, which involved a bunch of fake but glowing candles, also came with a matching headpiece that must've been both heavy and light to wear around!
Julia Fox And Kanye's Canadian Tuxedos
Kanye West and Julia Fox were channeling Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears with this denim-on-denim-on-denim look on the red carpet during Men's Fashion Week in Paris.
The looks were from Kenzo designer Nigo, and Julia stated Kanye did her makeup to complete the look. It was definitely eye-catching, to say the least!
Lizzo's Special Style
Lizzo turned heads at the 2022 MTV VMAs with this gorgeous showstopper of a dress!
The blue draping look was from Glenn Martens' Jean paul Gaultier haute couture collection, and Lizzo makes it look both natural and honestly way more comfortable than a lot of the skin-hugging dresses that are also on this list.
Lady Gaga's Alter-Ego
At the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, Lady Gaga had her first live debut of her alter-ego, male model Jo Calderone.
Calderone as a character was designed by Gaga herself along with Nick Knight, and the two have stated that they were trying to see how much they could get away with!
Machine Gun Kelly's Spiky Style
Machine Gun Kelly took a stab at a brand-new style, and it paid off! Kelly rocked this Dolce & Gabbana suit, covered in several-inch-long gunmetal spikes, at the 2022 American Music Awards!
It was a bold look, and Kelly rocked it, but it probably wasn't much fun for whoever had to sit next to him!
Jared Leto Gets A Head
The 2019 Met Gala is the gift that keeps on giving. Actor and musician Jared Leto walked the red carpet in a stylish red Gucci outfit, but the star of the show was definitely the replica of his own head he carried around with him!
Hopefully, all the attention didn't give him a big head. Well, another one, anyway.
Harry Styles Looking Great, Overall
Harry Styles had a good time at the 2023 Grammys, eventually taking home Album Of The Year, but he also had a great time on the red carpet in this stunning Egonlab design!
The jumpsuit (or overalls, depending on who you ask) was covered in Swarovski crystals and paired with a sparkly pair of white boots.
Taylor Swift's Leggy Look
At the 2016 Grammys, Taylor Swift showed off her statuesque silhouette in this brightly colored orange and pink top-and-skirt duo with a waist-high slit.
The look was Atelier Versace, and Taylor kept the accessories minimal with a choker and a ring on her pinky. Who knew orange and pink could look so good together?
Zendaya's Big Knight
The 2018 Met Gala theme was Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and The Catholic Imagination, and Zendaya's look was better than we all could've imagined ourselves!
The actress and singer rocked a custom Versace chainmail gown inspired by French heroine and Catholic saint Joan of Arc, complete with a helmet-inspired bob to finish the look.
Cardi B Has Us Seeing Red
Cardi B's all-red look for the 2019 Met Gala was head-turning! The train extended ten feet and needed five people to help carry it up the steps of the red carpet — which it looked like she was wearing herself!
The dress was designed by Thom Browne and contained over 30, 000 feathers. Now that's a flight of fancy!
