Inappropriate Outfits Real Housewives Have Been Caught Wearing

As the great American songbird Luann de Lesseps once warbled, "Money can't buy you class." But anyone who's watched a "Real Housewives" franchise can tell you one thing money can buy: inappropriate, cringeworthy clothes. While the ladies of Orange County, Atlanta, and beyond would prefer to be known for their amazing fashions, they make headlines for the wrong sartorial reasons pretty frequently, too.

Sometimes, the 'wives dress for the wrong weather. Other times, unfortunately, they engage in cultural appropriation or try to depict a different race. The people of the internet might get up in arms if an outfit is bad enough — and that's when the infamous "Watch What Happens Live" post-show apology has to happen. And if a star doesn't get the "WWHL" invite, there's always Instagram Live.

Whether it's Halloween or a 5K run, when the women of "The Real Housewives" fail at fashion, they fail spectacularly. Here are the most inappropriate outfits stars of the "Real Housewives" have been caught wearing.

All of the "Real Housewives" franchises love a Halloween party. The 'wives always go all out with their costumes, making the drama even more irresistible. After all, what's funnier than a grown, rich woman slinging insults while dressed like Medusa?

But once in a while, the ladies miss the mark costume-wise. And this was certainly the case back in 2017 when Luann de Lesseps dressed up as music icon Diana Ross — complete with an enormous Afro wig and a surplus of bronzer which made her skin appear darker. Castmates Bethenny Frankel and Sonja Morgan praised the look, and the only person to express dismay on air was Carole Radziwill, per Refinery29.

When the episode aired, fans were shocked at de Lesseps' outfit and the lack of response to it. She appeared on "Watch What Happens Live" and said she "wouldn't dream of doing a blackface." She also apologized "if [she] offended anyone," insisting that she was wearing her normal amount of bronzer. Host Andy Cohen pressed her a bit on the Afro — Ross rarely wore one — but then changed the subject. She maintained her spot on the show but faced racism allegations once again in Season 13. So while de Lesseps has infamously said she "could be the female Barry White," she might want to avoid dressing like him for Halloween.

In summer 2020, the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor sparked protests against police brutality worldwide. Even some celebrities participated in protests, including Porsha Williams of "Real Housewives of Atlanta." She earned fans' respect when she was arrested while protesting in Louisville, Kentucky. She even made her newfound interest in social justice into a storyline on the show, carrying on the legacy of her activist grandfather, Hosea Williams.

But as the summer went on, it became clear that the entire Bravo universe was not united in anti-racism. Bravo itself came under fire for failing to cast a Black woman on "Real Housewives of New York City" for the show's first 12 years. And Nene Leakes even accused Andy Cohen, the de facto face of Bravo, of racism after she left "Real Housewives of Atlanta."

Kelly Dodd, formerly of "Real Housewives of Orange County," added to the negative headlines when she decided to sport a trucker hat with the slogan "DRUNK WIVES MATTER." She wore it to a baby shower, of all places. The hat was described by Page Six as "a play on Black Lives Matter" that fans did not appreciate. This came on the heels of Dodd saying COVID-19 was "God's way of thinning the herd," among other controversies. She wasn't asked to return to "RHOC" the next season. She and her husband claimed this was because of woke-ness gone wild, according to People. But hey, now she can wear whatever hat she wants.

Kelly Killoren Bensimon once told Out magazine (via Jezebel) that Bravo cast her on "The Real Housewives of New York City" because "​​they wanted a real socialite," she said. "They wanted a real New Yorker, if you will, on the show."

A "real New Yorker" and a "real socialite" are two different things. But Bensimon seamlessly merged the two when she got caught picking up dog poop from the sidewalk — real New Yorker — while inadvertently exposing some underboob thanks to the backless romper she wore while walking her dog — real socialite. The former "Real Housewife" of New York City flashed some serious skin in a backless outfit in July 2016, per Page Six.

Is a skimpy romper the most appropriate ensemble for picking up dog doo? No. But we're talking about the author of "The Bikini Book" here — a woman who posed for Playboy at 41. Of course she's going to prioritize fashion over comfort, even when walking the dog. That's what a "real socialite" would do!

When it comes to looking good, most "Real Housewives" cast members seem to rely more on cosmetic surgery than exercise. Maybe that's why when Jacqueline Laurita of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" invited her co-stars to join her for a 5K charity run, some of them showed up in workout clothes that were far from traditional.

Husband-and-wife duo Joe and Melissa Gorga made some seriously Jersey fashion statements when they turned up to the race. He dressed up like The Situation, and she had on a furry hat and leopard-print gloves — with a full face of makeup, naturally. Comedian and Bravo blogger Jay Mohr quipped, "Joey Gorga is dressed for his Jersey Shore audition, and Melissa looks like one of the Wonder Pets."

But the Gorgas were happy to dress up for the event. Melissa wrote in her blog, "We all had such a great time and fabulous outfits!" and admitted that for her, it was more of a charity walk than a run. Leopard print and fur for exercise? Only in New Jersey.

Leah McSweeney represented a younger, downtown breath of fresh air when she joined "The Real Housewives of New York City" in 2020. With McSweeney thrown into this group of Upper East Side ladies who lunch, the older ladies gave her grief about everything from her tattoos to her quaint apartment. There were bound to be some clashes over fashion, too.

It came to a head when Sonja Morgan invited McSweeney to her clothing line's fashion show and sent her a Morgan-designed gray sweatsuit and pink fedora to wear. Morgan had sent items from her line to all of the cast members, but the other women were offered chic cocktail ensembles. McSweeney was the only one who received loungewear. She surmised that Morgan was being "passive aggressive," per BravoTV.com, and opted instead to wear a skintight dress emblazoned with rapper Lil Kim's mugshot to Morgan's show.

Morgan defended herself on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen." When asked why she gave McSweeney sweats, she said, "Uh, because I love that suit — it's amazing. I was doing a '70s look for her with the faux fur — it was Jackie Brown, you know, the faux fur jacket, the sparkle glasses. And she wears that kind of look I thought. So, I misread her." Considering that McSweeney called it a "jail outfit" on Instagram, it seems like there was some sort of miscommunication.

When a new "Housewife" joins a cast, she needs to make a big splash. And there are two main ways to do that: by starting a fight with a cast member who has more seniority, or by showing off an especially flashy lifestyle. After Elizabeth Vargas joined "The Real Housewives of Orange County," she wore a white button-down shirt that purported to be from Chanel. So far, so normal for a California "Housewife." But then, Dorit Kemsley of the show's "Beverly Hills" franchises wore the same shirt — only hers was real.

The Instagram account @TheRealBadFashions pointed out that Vargas and Kemsley's shirts didn't exactly match. Kemsley is known for spending thousands on real-deal expensive fashions, so people figured Vargas was the faker. "​​Apparently this new housewife was married to a billionaire and has an amazing house, yet multiple people DM'd me about this particular top," the Instagram user wrote. "Pretty much everything [is wrong with the top]. The lettering, the style, the length, the buttons, etc."

Vargas responded with an Instagram Stories post, saying, per Reality Blurb, "Who knows if the shirt is real or not it was given to me from a close friend but ... who cares!!!! I'm in a photo with Dorit!!" Vargas was let go from the show after filming for her first season wrapped, according to the Daily Mail. Maybe the fake Chanel was bad luck.

There's an old saying about super stylish women: "She'd look good in a burlap sack." Well, high-fashion-loving ex-"Housewife" Alex McCord decided to put this axiom to the test when she wore a corset that was fashioned from an actual burlap sack.

McCord wore a canvas corset with "FEED" written on it. BravoTV.com reports her husband, Simon van Kempen, won it at an auction. Lauren Bush Lauren, the granddaughter of former President George H.W. Bush, founded the FEED project as a way to feed children with food insecurity all over the world, according to Coveteur.

But Bush Lauren didn't seem too crazy about McCord sporting her wares. "That burlap corset — it was an interesting interpretation of our product," she told The Cut. "It's so funny how many people watch that show and now think of FEED more for the corset than for the actual bags and what we do." Bush Lauren might not be a "Real Housewife," but that sounds like some grade-A shade.