The Worst Outfits In Golden Globes History

Hollywood is as known for its beautiful designer-driven fashion moments as it is for its most outrageous red carpet looks. Particularly for red carpet events like the Oscars or the Golden Globes, celebrities run the gamut between making a memorable entrance for the good or for the infamous. Most famous faces have experienced both of these moments, from A-listers to newcomers alike. In the end, it's all about the mixture between design and intention (and let's be real, what's trending that year). 

Whether it's walking down the red carpet during awards season or simply choosing an outfit for a public event, celebrities (and their stylists) have the infinite added pressure of making not only the right choice, but also a memorable one. "I think, 'Oh my Lord, you must have thought you looked good,' and I must have, or I wouldn't have worn it," Dolly Parton once admitted of her fashion to Business Insider. "But I guess I didn't have nothing better at the time or I thought it looked good at the moment."

Below are some of the worst outfit decisions made by stars at the Golden Globes.

During the 1991 awards season, Kathy Bates was at the top of her game. Before going on to win her first Academy Award later that year, the "Misery" actor took to the Golden Globes red carpet in quite the bedazzled ensemble. Donning a big black padded blazer with asymmetrical jeweled appliques on the shoulders and wrists, she definitely caught the eye of many in the room for something other than her acting chops. To top it off, the suit had a mesh cutout to add some femininity to the look. But overall? This wasn't Bates' best performance as far as fashion is concerned.

Bates has continued to stack her incredible resume in the years since, and she's even kept fans guessing with her latest looks. Even though Bates' 2025 Golden Globes appearance has us worried, she has lost an impressive 100 pounds and survived multiple bouts of cancer — and is embracing a new wardrobe style to celebrate. But the "Matlock" star still finds herself fighting her old narrative as she navigates this new fashionable side. "I'm still figuring out what it's like to be without all of that weight," she admitted to Variety. "What was it for? What was I hiding myself from? What are the emotions that are pouring out because I don't have that armor?"

While she's admitted there's a cosmetic procedure that she'll never get again, Cameron Diaz has never been one to shy away from taking chances when it comes to fashion. At the peak of her "There's Something About Mary" era, the star took to the 1999 Golden Globes red carpet in what can only be described as couch chic. The "Charlie's Angels" bombshell was draped in an oversized white floral floor-length shawl, accompanied by black slacks, pointed pumps, and a strangely thin scarf draped around her neck. The puzzling ensemble was topped off with a small round clutch purse, chunky bracelets, and her platinum blonde curls. Needless to say, the outfit solidified itself as a real doozy within the Golden Globes' storied style history.

When it comes to her daily fashion, Diaz is decidedly more laid-back. She has shared that she likes to look what she calls "eclectic chic" while still appearing natural and comfortable. She has paired simple black sweaters with designer jewelry and shoes to create a look that's all her own, something she focuses on when putting together her daily ensembles. "I don't like overdone or being too put-together," she once told CNN. "I want to feel like I can go anywhere, whatever I'm wearing."

While some wonder why Hollywood won't cast Lara Flynn Boyle anymore, it's no surprise that many heads were scratched when Lara Flynn Boyle appeared as a not-so-couture ballerina at the 2003 Golden Globes ceremony. The "Twin Peaks" star donned a pale pink ballet leotard and fluffy tutu, complete with stiletto pumps with thick satin ribbon wrapping up her legs. With her hair tied back in a bowed ponytail, the star clearly was trying to create the ultimate chic prima ballerina look — but it backfired. Boyle looked very out of place on the glamorous red carpet, marking this fashion faux pas as one of the more embarrassing in the Globes' history.

Even the outfit's designer, David Cardona, recognizes the impact that the ensemble had on fashion history, whether for better or worse. He went so far as to compare the moment to another viral fashion fail. "People are still talking about it 10 years later... like Miley [Cyrus at the 2013 MTV VMAs]. We're still talking about her, aren't we?" he shared with Yahoo Movies. But he did also defend the design, saying that not everyone hated it as much as others did. "All the Europeans thought it was genius," he claimed.

We've seen what Sharon Stone looks like without makeup, but we've also seen her fashion chances stumble live on the red carpet. In 2003, she took to the Golden Globes wearing sheer biker chic — or so she thought. Her black gown looked more to be a see-through black tank top with feathered shoulders, a black leather mini skirt, and thin panels of material draping down her thighs leading to low black booties. Paired with a diamond-encrusted chain with a large triangle pendant and a silver sparkling choker necklace, the "Basic Instinct" star definitely found her edgy side. But the outfit seemed more primed for a biker bar than a swanky ceremony.

While it's uncertain if she kept this daring look in her closet following the Globes, she has admitted to what happened to the iconic minidress she donned in "Basic Instinct," along with other accessories. "I had it put into my contracts that I keep all my clothes from films, unless they are studio rentals," she revealed to The Times. "I keep the white minidress...in a safe but [also] have a ton of shoes from that movie in my closet, like black split-toe Gucci heels and strappy gold-studded ones. The rest of the costumes are in storage."

Among the five times that Nicole Kidman should've landed on the worst-dressed list, her 2004 Golden Globes look was quite the entry. Starting with a head full of platinum blonde curls and a sparkling wrap headband, the "Cold Mountain" actor's golden gown featured dual panels of large sequins with a sheer white down the middle and across the hips of the dress, creating an odd body shape for the naturally slender star. The dress ended calf-high with pleated hems, and she accented the ensemble with gold peeptoe heels, twin thick bracelets, and a rectangular clutch purse. There was a lot of look to go around, even enough to go down in the Globes' worst-dressed history.

Years later, Kidman herself admitted to the style fail. She even admitted that her late mother had shared her own thoughts on her daughter's famous fashion time and time again. Even with a history of iconic awards show appearances, stars like Kidman aren't immune to criticism from fans and loved ones both near and far. "My mama thought I had many bad red carpet looks," she revealed to W Magazine. "...I didn't know what I was doing. Got to have a few train wrecks!"

While Diane Kruger has harsh words for paparazzi who take pictures of her daughter, she also has harsh words for her own fashion fails. At the 2005 Golden Globes, the "Inglourious Basterds" actor appeared on the red carpet in a decidedly odd ensemble. A golden beaded bandeau sat atop a swath of black and gold patterned fabric, leaving her hips on display. Strappy nude heels, chunky bangle bracelets, and a cropped curly bob hairstyle capped off the look — and left many onlookers, both in person and online, scratching their heads.

Kruger has called the outfit, which was a Marchesa design, a good idea in theory but the wrong choice for the event. She also revealed that her relationship with the fashion house started off as a great collaboration, but as this was her very first Golden Globes, it was not the time to make as bold of a statement as she did. However, she's also asserted that her background in fashion gives her a step up in Hollywood, leading her to forgo having a stylist on her payroll. "I just don't think a lot of people have style in Hollywood, or at least not what I like," she stated to British Vogue in 2011. "I think everybody looks the same. I come from fashion, and who knows better what I like than myself?"

In theory, Renee Zellweger's gown selection at the 2009 Golden Globes was elegant in idea. In terms of execution, the gown went from bewitching to bewildering. The dress, designed by Carolina Herrera, featured a nude corset with a black high-necked gauze overlay with embellished shoulders on top. The flowing ruffled skirt accented her hourglass figure, as did her stylish updo, thick gold bracelet, and matching clutch purse. But overall, the mismatch of the design was a bit too disjointed for the average awards show look.

This wasn't the first time that the "Chicago" starlet experienced a Carolina Herrera-clad fashion nightmare. At the 2005 Oscars — where she won her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in "Cold Mountain" — she detailed an incident where another attendee stepped on the train of her red strapless gown and ripped the train right off of the dress. But the unfortunate moment didn't stop her from celebrating her big win, even though she had to climb through a second-story window in her home to find a new dress after realizing she didn't have her house key on her. "There were parties and things afterwards, but I needed to go home and do a little bit of a costume change," she recalled to Vogue.

Helena Bonham Carter is known for her wild and wacky side both on and off-screen, but at the 2011 Golden Globes, she took things to another level with her out-there outfit choice. The dual-patterned Vivienne Westwood gown featured a busy floral print at its base with a swath of black tulle overlaid diagonally. The bust of the gown jutted out at the top and her wild, wavy hair served as the ultimate accessory. But what confused onlookers the most was her choice of shoes: she wore two different-colored Mary Jane-esque heels, one green and one red. The overall ensemble seemed to scream overwhelming, if not jarring.

The "Alice in Wonderland" actor shared her vision for the look as a way to create a bit of whimsy at a usually stiff, proper event. She even admitted that while she thought the dress may not be the best choice for that particular event, she enjoyed introducing a bit of fun into a usually stiff, proper event. "I looked at the dress and thought, 'It's not gonna be well received, so let's just distract,'" she revealed to guest journalist Daniel Radcliffe in Interview. "At least you've got some control, you know?"

"About Last Night" actor Paula Patton has been a fixture on the red carpet, and her tall figure has lent itself to several memorable fashion moments. But at the 2014 Golden Globes, what started as an elegant evening look turned into a major ruffle moment –- and not in the good way. The statuesque starlet walked the red carpet in a cream-colored floor-length gown with long sleeves and dripping diamond earrings. But the centerpiece of the dress was a giant ruffle that wound its way from her left shoulder down the middle of the dress, ending at the hem. It became an oversized distraction and turned the simple, skintight ensemble into a faux pas we won't soon forget.

However, the occasional fashion blunder hasn't stopped Patton from pursuing her beauty dreams. The entertainer was once the face of CoverGirl, something she admitted was a childhood dream. She emphasized the brand's focus on both inner and outer beauty as its calling card, one that she was honored to help share as an ambassador. "Sometimes people say I love it a little bit too much," she gushed about the products to Essence. "[They bring] the fire that I have on the inside out."

When it comes to wardrobe woes, "Charlie's Angels" actor Lucy Liu has experienced a number of memorable miscues. In 2019, she donned a particularly eye-catching ensemble that got attention in all the wrong ways. The asymmetrical gown featured a nude bodice and flowing skirt with bright beaded patterns sewn into it. A sheer tulle cape was draped around her shoulders to accent the look. She kept her accessories simple with a plain clutch purse and sparkling earrings, and her hair was slicked back into a sleek bun. On paper, the gown was poised to be an elegant, artful experience — but in reality, it was anything but. The color patches were an odd assortment, with neon green accompanying navy blue, soft orange, and emerald green. The shapes of the colors were also large and distracting, taking away from the simplicity of the dress.

This isn't the first time that Liu endured a fashion emergency. Just before she was set to hit the red carpet at the 2004 Met Gala, she and designer Giambattista Valli realized that the zipper would not work and she would have to be sewn into the dress. "My stylist was there too, they were both sewing," she recalled to People. "I could go to the bathroom, it was just that the side zipper didn't work. That happens when you have a dress that's very unique, it just starts to fall apart unfortunately."