Worst Oscar Dresses and Fashion Choices of All Time

Take a walk down memory lane to revisit some of the worst Oscar fashion choices of all time.

Each year, watching the Academy Awards reminds us that celebrity fashion is almost as important as the award show itself.

Unfortunately, not everyone gets it right, but there is a silver lining — the worst choices are often the most memorable.

Check out some of the worst Oscar dresses and men’s fashion choices ever seen on the red carpet.

Bette Davis (1936)

AP Photo

This Oscar outfit was no accident on Davis’ part and was worn in protest. She was nominated for best actress for her role in “Dangerous,” but she actually hated the film.

She reluctantly went to the award show in this plain dress after Warner Bros. forced her to show up. The collar is so large because the dress was designed to look like something the hired help would wear, which is how she felt about being employed by the studio.

Helena Bonham Carter (2013)

John Shearer / Invision/AP Photo

Bonham Carter got plenty of flack for this outfit, and it’s made plenty of “worst dressed” lists.

However, she has a unique style all her own, even if this dress didn’t work as well as her others usually do.

Ann Margaret (1965)

brookamimi / Twitter

Ann Margaret would have been 24 in 1965, but this outfit and styling ages her by about 20 years.

It would have also been very warm for Los Angeles, too, even in winter!

Billie Eilish (2020)

Richard Shotwell / Invision/AP Photo

Eilish is still young, and this ensemble was a big misstep for an event as formal as the Oscars.

However, she really made up for it at the Met Gala just a year later!

John Travolta (2010)

Vince Bucci / AP Photo

Tell us you didn’t feel like attending the Oscars without telling us you didn’t feel like attending the Oscars.

John Travolta will go first.

Kim Basinger (1990)

REED SAXON / AP Photo

Basinger is said to have designed this dress herself with a little inspiration from none other than Prince.

It’s a good thing she stuck to acting.

Bjork (2001)

Michael Caulfield / AP Photo

Bjork made Joan Rivers mad about this dress choice, as Rivers was quoted saying, “The girl should be put into an asylum.”

But say what you will — this is the dress that’s remembered from the 2001 Oscars.

Lady Gaga (2015)

Jordan Strauss / Invision/AP Photo

While it’s not Gaga’s best look, the gown itself isn’t really the issue. It’s the dishwashing gloves that she decided to use as an accessory that became an instant Oscar meme.

Maybe she has a side hustle as a cleaning woman?

Linda Cardellini (2019)

Richard Shotwell / Invision/AP Photo

Cardellini’s lacy ensemble looks like something you’d wear when getting dressed for the Oscars back in the 1960s.

It has “old school boudoir photo” written all over it.

Laura Dern (2021)

Chris Pizzello / AP Photo

There’s nothing not to love about Laura Dern (and her Oscar for “Marriage Story” was well-earned), but this dress looks like two completely different outfits sewn together in a rush.

And how many birds were compromised in making that skirt?

Kristen Wiig (2020)

Jordan Strauss / Invision/AP Photo

Some people compared Wiig’s 2020 Oscar dress to lasagna, but we think it’s more David Bowie-inspired.

It’s cool but not Oscar-worthy.

Kacey Musgraves (2019)

Jordan Strauss / Invision/AP Photo

Pink was all the rage at the 2019 Oscars, and thankfully, that trend has passed.

Musgraves’ outfit is saccharine sweet, as if Pepto Bismol were a dress.

Uma Thurman (2014)

JOE CAVARETTA / AP Photo

Thurman’s beauty outshines this dress, which looks like four different outfits — both causal and formal — sewn into one.

We actually kind of like it for a day at the beach maybe or for sailing on a pirate ship but definitely not for this formal affair.

Cher (1986)

LENNOX MCLENNDON / AP Photo

Yes, we had to include Cher! At this time in the 1980s, she had long been on the fringes of Hollywood, as people thought of her as too much of a pop icon to be taken seriously as an actress.

When she decided to attend the Oscars, she decided to make a statement — and boy, did she ever. “I thought, ‘OK, you can go in a simple black dress and be just like everyone else.’ But then I decided, ‘I’m going to remind them of what they don’t like about me.'”

Mic drop.