From slipping straps and zippers going rogue to forgotten price tags and waist-high slits that accidentally expose one’s knickers, here are some of the most unforgettable wardrobe malfunctions that paved the way for on-stage faux pas or red-carpet drama.
#1 Zendaya
During the 2021 premiere of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the always-stylish Zendaya needed a moment to adjust her Valentino gown.
That’s when her co-star and boyfriend, Tom Holland, swooped in and had his real-life Spiderman moment. He stepped in front of her to block the cameras as the Dune star composed herself.
Image credits: Getty/Albert L. Ortega
#2 Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt’s jaw dropped on the red carpet when one of the buttons of her metallic copper suit popped open while promoting Oppenheimer at Trafalgar Square in 2023.
Her co-star Florence Pugh gave her a hand and helped her hold the Dolce & Gabbana suit together as they laughed the moment off.
Image credits: Getty/Mike Marsland
#3 Rosamund Pike
When Rosamund Pike was promoting her film The United Kingdom on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in 2017, her black fitted midi dress split from the back.
“I might have just fallen apart from behind!” she said as she grabbed the back of her dress in shock. “My dress might have split.”
Image credits: Getty/Theo Wargo
#4 Jenna Ortega
Fans were left in awe as Jenna Ortega rocked the red carpet to promote Scream VI at the AMC Lincoln Square Theater in New York City last year. However, everybody noticed a little blue stain that wound up on the side of her Jean Paul Gaultier Haute ensemble.
The blue ink mark followed her for the rest of the event after the Wednesday actress used a blue Sharpie to sign an autograph for a fan.
Image credits: Getty/Dominik Bind
#5 Gigi Hadid
The Versace show during Milan Fashion Week in 2016 closed down with a nip slip after Gigi Hadid’s wardrobe malfunction on the runway.
“That was even more Gigi than Versace paid for, I bet! They got some bang for their buck with that casting,” a stunned witness said at the time.
“It was literally the longest runway I have ever seen at a fashion show ever, and she had to walk half of it with her boob out,” they added.
Image credits: Getty/Pietro D'aprano
#6 Heidi Klum
Heidi Klum is sure to make headlines for her glamorous looks if she is on a red carpet. But during the 2023 premiere of La Passion de Dodin Bouffant at Cannes Film Festival, the headlines were less about her canary yellow gown and more about the wardrobe malfunction.
Part of her nipple was exposed when the model and entrepreneur showed off the voluminous sleeves of the Zuhair Murad design.
Image credits: Getty/Corbis
#7 Taylor Swift
An eagle-eyed fan once pointed out that Taylor Swift had a hair tie stuck inside her nylon stockings, and what was even more noteworthy is that the Lover singer admitted she had no idea how it got there.
“Is that a hair tie in your rights?” a fan asked.
“YEP. But it’s like.. How did I even do that?!” The Tortured Poets Department album-maker said.
Image credits: Taylor Swift Updates
#8 Ariana Grande
During a live performance of Into You on stage, Ariana Grande faced a wardrobe malfunction that could have thrown any other performer off their game, but not her.
The songstress made it through the entire song, even though the back of her outfit popped open.
Image credits: The Dangerous woman Tour videos
#9 Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj has become something of a connoisseur when it comes to handling wardrobe malfunctions without batting an eyelid.
The Super Bass rapper has had several wardrobe snafus over the years, one of which was when the playsuit she wore at the 2018 Made In America Festival in Philadelphia betrayed her.
Not a single beat was missed as she adjusted her top after both her breasts were exposed.
“You know what? Let’s go at it. They done saw my nipples at least 50 times tonight,” she said onstage.
Image credits: TheEllenShow
#10 Eva Longoria
Eva Longoria scripted her own chapter on wardrobe malfunctions when the button of her low-cut jacket popped open during an interview with David Letterman in 2011.
"Oh my button!” the Desperate Housewives star shrieked, covering her chest as she had nothing underneath the tuxedo-type jacket.
"I’m sorry… but you didn’t see anything," she added.
Image credits: Dailytelegraph
#11 Kate Middleton
In a moment that proves even the Princess of Wales has awkward wardrobe mishaps, Kate Middleton had to take a moment to quickly fix her trouser suit before carrying on with her visit to the AW Hainsworth textiles mill in Leeds in 2023.
The princess was dressed in a green Burberry trouser suit when she stepped out of the car and found one of her trouser legs stuck inside her shoes. Paving the way for a highly relatable moment, Kate paused to pull the trouser leg out of her heels and quickly moved on.
Image credits: Getty/Samir Hussein
#12 Emily Ratajkowski
Another star who accidentally showed the world her underwear without meaning to was Emily Ratajkowski.
The model and actress was attending the 2017 Golden Globes in a silky yellow Reem Acra dress when the slit up the middle parted ways to reveal her underwear.
Image credits: Getty/Jason LaVeris
#13 Margot Robbie
Margot Robbie suffered a wardrobe function when the back of her Miu Miu gown started misbehaving at the premiere of The Legend of Tarzan in London in 2016.
Luckily, co-star Alexander Skarsgård was around to save the day. He gave the actress a hand with her dress so she could quickly laugh it off and continue posing on the red carpet.
Image credits: Getty/Fred Duva
#14 Bella Hadid
The famed Cannes red carpet once again became the stage for a wardrobe malfunction when Bella Hadid attended the 2017 film festival in a pink silk Alexandre Gauthier gown.
The ensemble featured a high slit that was high enough to reveal her underwear to the slew of photographers.
Image credits: Getty/ Foc Kan
#15 Beyoncé
Queen Bey avoided a potential disaster onstage when one of her dancers saw a wardrobe malfunction about to happen and quickly jumped in front of her.
Beyoncé didn’t even miss one note of her hit song Break My Soul during the show in Hamburg, Germany, as part of her Renaissance World Tour when the dancer grabbed her hand and placed it on her dress to alert her about the hot pink outfit starting to slip.
Image credits: Heavy Hitter Media
#16 Cardi B
For a good portion of Cardi B’s performance at Los Angeles Calibash in 2019, the artist had her hand in front of her crotch as her sheer Dolce & Gabbana dress was more see-through than she would have preferred.
“Last night was LIT!!! Even tho I realize my dress was see-through and I realized last minute,” she later said on Instagram.
Image credits: Getty/ Kevin Winte
#17 Jennifer Lawrence
The internet screamed “wardrobe malfunction” after Jennifer Lawrence appeared to rip her Christian Dior Couture dress at the SAG Awards ceremony in 2013. The speculation forced the fashion design house to clarify that the dress was made to look that way.
"The dress is made with different levels of tulle and satin and that is what the viewers saw when Jennifer lifted her dress slightly. It was not ripped and there was no malfunction...it was the design of the gown," said a spokesperson for Christian Dior Couture.
Image credits: Getty/Angela
#18 Meghan Markle
Prior to Megxit, back when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could enjoy the official wardrobe privileges of the British royal family, Meghan Markle had a dress fail when she wore a red floral Self Portrait dress in Tonga in October 2018.
As she stepped out of the plane holding Prince Harry’s hand, the tag from the form-fitting dress was still dangling from the hem, flapping about as she walked down the red carpet.
Some wondered at the time whether the former Suits star had plans of returning her outfit for a refund or whether it was an accidental fashion faux-pas—an outcome of an action-packed itinerary for the then-newlywed.
Image credits: The Sun
#19 Britney Spears
Britney Spears was in no mood to stop her performance even after her black mesh unitard split wide open in the back as she performed her hit single 3 at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.
The dancers onstage quickly fumbled around her to zip the dress back up while the pop diva continued without missing a beat.
Image credits: Inside Edition
#20 Farrah Abraham
When Farrah Abraham stopped on the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival in 2019, she was wearing a floral-print ball gown by French designer Christophe Guillarme.
Everybody discovered that she went commando as the front slit of the full ball skirt opened wide and showed more than what people may have bargained for.
Image credits: Getty/Theo Wargo
#21 Sophie Marceau
While walking the Cannes red carpet in 2005, Sophie Marceau had a wardrobe hiccup when the strap of her dress slipped.
Pictures clicked by the camera-wielding individuals at the event reportedly managed to clinch the most expensive photos sold that year after the French actress’s left breast made an appearance before Sophie re-tied the knot and continued walking unfazed.
Image credits: Getty/Daniele Venturelli
#22 Sofía Vergara
Never trust a zipper, even if it's a designer dress. Sofía Vergara noticed her zipper was broken, exposing her curvy derriere during the 2012 Emmys.
A quick fixture of the teal Zuhair Murad gown allowed the star to join her Modern Family co-stars in accepting the Outstanding Comedy Series award.
“Yes!!!! This happened 20 minutes before we won. Jajajaja. I love my life!” she later said.
Image credits: Sofía Vergara
#23 Katherine Heigl
What’s worse than being interrupted during an award acceptance speech? For Katherine Heigl, it was experiencing a wardrobe malfunction while receiving the Female Star of the Year Award at the ShoWest Awards in 2010.
As she accepted the award, the strap of her red Donna Karan dress broke, forcing her to hold the strap in place for the rest of her speech before she could scuttle off for assistance.
Image credits: Getty/Ethan Miller
#24 Mariah Carey
Even the most seasoned performer would fluster if their dress popped open from the back. But Mariah Carey handled the moment with both humor and poise when the back of her pink sequined Donatella Versace dress came undone during the Good Morning America concert in 2013.
"I love you, Donatella, but it popped, darling," the Obsessed singer said on stage.
"Should we call this the Central Park saga?" the hitmaker said while GMA anchor Lara Spencer and a couple of others tried to salvage the situation.
A commercial break later, the We Belong Together vocalist was back on stage in another loosely fitting gown.
Image credits: ABC News
#25 Stefanie Scott
Stefanie Scott had her own “uh-oh” moment as she struggled to control her dress from blowing upwards at the 2013 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles.
The moment proved that a playful gust of wind is not a girl’s best friend when she’s out in a dress.
Image credits: Getty/Frazer Harrison
#26 Elizabeth Olsen
The weather was not on Elizabeth Olsen’s side in 2015 when she wore a long-sleeved minidress in Paris for the Miu Miu Club's launch of the first Miu Miu fragrance and croisiere 2016 collection.
The strong gust of wind caught the Avengers: Age of Ultron actress off-guard and showed flashing cameras more than initially intended. Nevertheless, she handled the Marilyn Monroe-styled wardrobe malfunction with grace even as her nude-colored knickers were exposed.
Image credits: Getty/Pierre Suu
#27 Janet Jackson
The infamous "Nipplegate" moment involving Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake occurred during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004.
As the performance reached its climax, the Mirrors singer reached over and tore off a part of Janet's costume, revealing her breast to millions of viewers in one of the most talked about moments in wardrobe malfunction archives.
Image credits: Arquivo da TV Brasileira
