When Selena Gomez took a tumble on the silver carpet at this year’s Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards it was yet another reminder that even the most stylish celebrities sometimes have to suffer for the sake of fashion just like everyone else.
Hollywood starlets seem to effortlessly glide on their sky-high stilettos, while we mere mortals just about make it from one side of the room to the other without twisting an ankle, it seems they too have their struggles.
All dressed up in an exquisite black velvet Oscar De La Renta gown and covered in Bulgari gems, it was the Only Murders in the Building star’s Louboutins that left her red-faced on arrival at the awards ceremony.
After tripping over her red-soled heels Gomez found herself flat on the floor, needing assistance to get back up on her feet.
Later in the evening, she stepped on stage barefoot to hand out the Female Actor in a Supporting Role award to West Side Story star Ariana DeBose.
A wise decision, I’d say. Especially since there’s a history of celebrities having fashion mishaps at award ceremonies.
While Gomez’s misstep took place on arrival, Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence fell as she was merrily ascending the steps to accept her Best Actress Oscar award in 2013 for her role in the movie Silver Linings Playbook.
All dressed up in a gorgeous Dior Haute Couture gown, she stepped on edge of the full skirt, falling forward onto her hands. While she hid her face in embarrassment, the soft pink gown was beautifully showcased.
Not sure what the deal is with Lawrence and the Oscars, but the next year she managed to take another tumble. While the unfortunate incident didn’t happen on stage, I’m sure falling out of the limousine was not the way she wanted to make her grand entrance. And once again wearing Dior. One has to wonder, is it the Dior gowns or is the award-winning actress simply clumsy?
Even though we’ve seen our favourite celebrities in various stages of undress on the big screen, it’s a whole other story, and an unpleasant scene, when they accidentally - well sometimes not quite accidentally - expose themselves off the screen.
Award ceremonies and red carpet events tend to bring out those “not for the public eye” bits at the worst times.
While one would hope that these oh-so-glamorous celebrities and their amazing stylists would do everything they can to create a flawless, show-stopping (for the right reason) red-carpet look, it seems even the pros have their off days.
There are times that even the most strategically placed boob tape, body-shaping span and the finest stitching fails to keep everything together.
Some people might consider thigh-high slits to be sexy, but they often reveal more than just toned legs.
Slits in evening gowns have become so daring that they practically run all the way up to the waist. So it’s no great surprise that panties (for those who actually wear panties) would find a way to go on display.
Chrissy Teigen knows all about it. Surely when the mother of two slipped on the beyond daring black dress with not one, but two slits, she must have known that there was a possibility that things could go wrong. Yet she still opted to not wear any underwear. Her red carpet moment during the 2016 American Music Awards gave the paparazzi more than they could have ever imagined with a serious wardrobe malfunction.
The dress with massive two slits that ran up the sides almost all the way to her chest, had a strap holding the front fabric and back fabric in place. Not securely in place as she discovered when the front panel of fabric shifter a little too far, exposing her lady bits. The model appeared to be blissfully unaware as she continued to smile and wave to the flashing cameras.
Model Bella Hadid’s fondness for the high-slit dresses failed her on more than on occasion.
At the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, Bella Hadid wore a red pink halter-neck dress Alexandre Vauthier gown with a high-slit looking chic as always. Unfortunately, all it took was a slight breeze to move the front of the dress just a millimetre, which was enough to expose her underwear. At least, unlike Teigen, she was thankfully wearing underwear.
During the ShoWest 2010 Awards Ceremony 27 Dresses star Katherine Heigl’s red dress almost fell apart. On accepting the Female Star of the Year Award, the top part of her dress broke. The fabric covering her one breast came undone and dropped down. Fortunately, she was quick enough to grab it just before her breast was completely exposed.
Janet Jackson was not that fortunate as she had no control over the disastrous and most famous wardrobe malfunction. The incident sometimes referred to as Nipplegate, occurred when in 2004 when Justin Timberlake ripped off the right chest pocket fabric of Janet Jackson's costume at the Super Bowl halftime show. Her bare right breast was exposed on live TV to a viewing audience of nearly 100 million people.
This article first appeared in Sunday Insider, March 6, 2022