Celebs Who Gracefully Handled Wardrobe Malfunctions

Whether you are just going through your day to day life, or attending an important event, you probably want to make sure that you look and feel good. For most people, that starts with the clothes they wear. Of course, even the best of looks can create a problem if things accidentally snap, tear, or break as you are wearing them. One of the most recent public examples of this comes to us from actress Emma Stone, who, before accepting her 'Best Actress' Oscar for her role in Poor Things, turned her back to the audience and exclaimed, "My dress is broken!" While something like a wardrobe malfunction—even when you're wearing a Louis Vuitton dress—could have easily overshadowed a monumental occasion and achievement like winning an Oscar, her quick acknowledgement of it while making a joke about the malfunction likely happening while she participated in Ryan Gosling's performance of "I'm Just Ken" added some humor to what could have been a potentially embarrassing situation. Though wardrobe malfunctions are usually unexpected and unwelcome, how you deal with them is really what determines how you remember the event. In some cases, as demonstrated by many celebrities, it may even put a positive spin on your experience. 

Janet Jackson's nip slip during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show is probably one of the more infamous wardrobe malfunctions in pop culture history. During the halftime show, Jackson performed as a headliner, with Justin Timberlake as a guest performer. The performance ended in infamy when Timberlake ripped off Jackson's top at the end of their performance, exposing one of her breasts on live television, with approximately 140 million viewers watching. This event would later be known as "nipplegate," and caused quite the stir and controversy in the media. 

Though the incident resulted in a lot of criticism and scrutiny towards both Jackson and Timberlake, Jackson did issue a public apology. "I am truly sorry if I offended anyone. That was not my intention," Jackson remarked in a video that aired the same year as the infamous broadcast. The FCC would later go on to fine CBS half a million dollars for the incident; which was later dismissed by The Justice Department in 2012. But in any case, while an event like this be traumatic and embarrassing — especially given the scale of the visibility of the event — Jackson remained a consummate professional and addressed the issue, rather than hiding away or pretending it never happened. Nearly two decades later, Timberlake apologized publicly or his role in the wardrobe malfunction. 

The prestigious Cannes Film Festival is known for critically-acclaimed film premieres as well as its glamorous and star-studded red carpet. The red carpet is usually reserved for actors, as well as other celebrities and influential people, so it was no wonder supermodel Bella Hadid was in attendance in 2017. Hadid wore a pink gown, designed by Alexandre Vauthier, that featured a sweetheart neckline and a sky-high slit. While Hadid looked stunning in her ensemble, a gust of wind proved to be an issue as it blew her dress in such a way that completely exposed her undergarments. Some people might experience something like this and become visibly embarrassed or not know what to do. However, Hadid handled the situation like a professional. She simply adjusted her dress and carried on along the red carpet to pose for more photographs. 

The MET Gala has become known for its daring fashion; many celebrities use it as an opportunity to experiment with choices they'd never make on a traditional Oscars or Grammy red carpet. In 2023, The MET Gala's theme was Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, in honor of the controversial Chanel designer. For the occasion, Kim Kardashian wore a dress by Schiaparelli, which featured 50,000 pearls. The dress was allegedly very delicate, and though it looked striking on Kardashian, it was so fragile that her movements caused some of the pearls to fall off of her dress. However, if you look at the photos of her on the carpet, you would never know that this was happening, ass she looks confident and poised. Kardashian later spoke about the fashion mishap to Vogue and explained, "Some [pearls] popped on the way, and I told my daughter to grab them all. They're real pearls and she was putting them all in her purse." 

Sometimes, even if your outfit holds together and looks great, the smallest mistake can ruin it all. While a classic white outfit can be elegant, it comes with the risk of easy staining. Actress Jenna Ortega learned this when wore an ivory ensemble to the premiere for her movie "Scream VI," only for the dress to get stained right on the upper corset near the collarbone. The stain, which looked to be blue sharpie, may have come from Ortega signing autographs for fans prior to the red carpet, though that has not been confirmed. Regardless, because her outfit was black and white, the blue stain on the neckline of her top stood out in photos. However, Ortega didn't let that stop her from posing (and looking beautiful) for photos. In a now-deleted Instagram post, Ortega made light of the whole situation and addressed the incident with a caption that read, "SCREAM VI premiere @screammovies#tiffanyandco #sharpiestainwhogivesashit #imsosorryolivier @olivier_rousteing"

Members of the Royal Family are usually associated with poise, decorum, and just generally being put-together. Of course, this idea and image likely can't be true one hundred percent of the time, as they are people, just like us. The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton proved this to be true in 2017 when she and The Prince of Wales attended a St. Patrick's Day parade. Whilst there, Middleton's high heel became stuck in a grate, which made for a light-hearted and humorous photo-op with a "Stars—they're just like us!" vibe. Fortunately, the incident didn't cause an injury to the Princess, who was pregnant at the time, and the couple were able to laugh about what happened and carry on with their royal duties once her heel was released from the grate. 

In 2022, singer Camila Cabello appeared virtually on BBC's The One Show to promote her single "Bam Bam," a collaboration with Ed Sheeran. Though the song is about a breakup, it carries an up-beat melody and vibe, that of course, might make you want to dance. Unfortunately, in demonstrating this dance, Cabello accidentally flashed her chest to hosts and viewers alike. 

Instead of hiding away, Cabello addressed the situation and made light of it with a very funny TikTok, captioning the video, "When my stylist asked me if I wanted nip covers and I said no," while using an audio that alluded to wanting to go back in time. This just goes to show that more often than not, an easy way to diffuse a situation is to make it so that people are laughing with you, rather than at you. 

Sometimes attending red carpet events is about getting dressed up and taking fashion risks. In the case of Chrissy Teigen, one particular fashion risk that she took was perhaps a little too risky. In 2016, Teigen, the model and television host, attended the American Music Awards with her husband John Legend. She wore a stunning dress by designer Yousef Akbar. The dress featured two extreme slits on either side of the dress that looked to end above her navel, and were held together by golden safety pins. 

As Teigen walked the red carpet, her movements shifted the dress, exposing the fact that she was not wearing undergarments. Of course, in true, Chrissy Teigen fashion, she took to social media to acknowledge and poke fun at her wardrobe malfunction, posting a photo of her in the dress with a tongue-in-cheek caption, complete with an apology to "anyone harmed mentally or physically by [her] hooha" and a shout out to a hair removal clinic. 

With how poised she is as "Barbie," it may seem bizarre to even think about  Margot Robbie having a wardrobe malfunction. But back in 2016, she came close while on the red carpet at the premiere of the movie "The Legend of Tarzan." In one clip from the event, the actress appeared to have bent over to adjust her shoes. Unfortunately, this was not the wardrobe malfunction, but the cause. It seems that her movement caused an issue with the back of the dress, perhaps with a closure.

Fortunately, her co-star Alexander Skarsgard was nearby and came to her rescue, helping her fix the back of her dress, as it looked like she was unable to see/reach the issue herself. While this made for a great photo op for tabloid fodder, the two actors were quick to fix and laugh off the incident, without missing a beat. 

While we all know that celebrities are also just people, and no less susceptible to embarrassing mishaps than the rest of us—to some, Beyonce might seem super-human in the way she presents herself as a performer, an artist, and a person. However, even the icon Beyonce isn't immune to things like wardrobe malfunctions.

During her "Renaissance World Tour," one of Beyonce's backup dancers brought new meaning to their titles when they helped her avoid a full-blown wardrobe malfunction on stage. During a performance of "Break My Soul," one of the Les Twins (Beyonce's backup dancers), noticed that the top of Beyonce's dress had shifted, potentially exposing her in front of an entire arena full of fans. Thankfully, the quick-thinking dancer jumped in front of the singer, and placed her hand on the dress to signal that she needed to fix it. In a video depicting the moment, Beyonce can be seen quickly adjusting the front strap while dancing and singing. A wardrobe malfunction was avoided and there was no interruption of Beyonce's performance, showing once again, her talent and professionalism as a performer.  

Despite one's best efforts, sometimes a wardrobe malfunction can't simply be brushed off with a light-hearted joke. In fact, wardrobe malfunctions can sometimes threaten to derail a whole performance. This was the case for rapper Cardi B in 2019 during her performance at music festival Bonnaroo, when her jumpsuit ripped in front of thousands of fans. The tear was so severe that she was forced to leave the stage. 

However, this was not enough to keep Cardi from halting her performance. Minutes later, she reappeared on stage wearing a bra and a robe to continue her performance. As she reemerged, she told fans, "We gonna keep it moving baby," and carried on as if everything was still going to plan. This goes to show that when someone is dedicated to their craft, there is very little that will stop them from doing what they sought out to do.

In 2010, actress Katherine Heigl attended the ShoWest Awards. There, she was presented with the award for Best Female Star of the Year. While earning this accolade should have been a happy and proud moment for Heigl, a wardrobe malfucntion nearly overshadowed her win. As Heigl was accepting her award, the straps of her dress suddenly broke, and she had no choice but to give her acceptance speech while holding her dress close to her body to avoid any further mishaps. With the help of host Billy Bush, who held her dress up for her, Heigl was able to continue with her acceptance speech and was spared further embarrassment. She was also still able to revel in the moment of winning an award, since she was able to carry on despite nearly accidentally bearing all on stage, amongst her peers and fans alike. 

In 2013, then-22-year-old actress Jennifer Lawrence attended the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards and won two awards. At the event, she stunned in a Christian Dior gown. While her look could be considered to be a show-stopper, it unfortunately caused a bit of a commotion for a less-than-flattering reason. As Lawrence stepped up to accept one of her awards that night, the lower half of her gown appeared to separate from the top half, exposing her legs. To viewers, this gave it the appearance of being torn.

To set the record straight, a representative from Christian Dior spoke to Entertainment Weekly and explained that the dress had "different layers of tulle and satin," which gave the illusion of the dress ripping when the layers came apart. While technically not a true wardrobe malfunction, as clarified by the representative, it was still enough of a blunder that it caused many news outlets and blogs to speculate about what happened to Lawrence's gown. 

In 2021, singer Charlie XCX re-recorded footage of herself presenting an ARIA Award, for the virtual, televised ceremony. For the occasion, the musician wore a dramatic deep v neck bodysuit that cut down past the navel. While the look was top-tier, it seems a bit of fashion tape would have helped. Just as she finished her presentation, one of the straps of her dress fell to reveal her breast. Although she was quick to fix her dress, it was not quite quick enough to avoid the malfunction all together. Still she laughed it off and the show went on as planned.

Though the footage of her wardrobe malfunction wasn't aired on television, Charlie XCX took it upon herself to make fun of the mishap and share the full video on her social media channels. Though wardrobe malfunctions can be embarrassing, choosing to react and respond with indifference and humor often seems to be the best strategy to distract, and ultimately redirect the narrative that is used when people inevitably talk about what happened. It goes to show that even in moments where you may not feel like you're in control, you can still navigate a potentially negative situation and turn it into a positive one.

For some, hiding or pretending that a wardrobe malfunction isn't happening is the best course of action. However, sometimes this may just not be an option, especially when the spotlight is on you. In actress Dakota Johnson's case, she was left with little choice but to openly declare her wardrobe malfunction as it was happening. While she accepted her People's Choice Award in 2016, the top portion of her ensemble broke, nearly exposing her breasts. As presenters and fellow actresses came to her rescue and tried to fix or at least hold her dress together, Johnson provided some comic relief to the awkward situation by saying, "It's not like nobody here hasn't already seen my boobs," which was a joke poking fun at her risque scenes in the movie "50 Shades of Grey."

Most 19-year-olds might have some level on anxiety about having to go through embarrassing situations in their life. However, not everyone has to experience said embarrassing situation in front of a global audience. Additionally, most people are not made to relive and describe such incidents on television either. Unfortunately, in actress Emma Watson's case, she had to do both. In 2009, during the premiere of one "Harry Potter" films, Watson accidentally exposed her underwear while fixing the bottom half of her dress. The incident was brief (no pun intended), but photos immortalized the moment. 

Watson would later be interviewed by David Letterman about the embarrassing fashion mishap, who presented her a photo of the incident and asked her to recount what happened. Though Watson remained gracious about the whole thing, instead of indulging in the conversation any further, she simply said, "At least I'm wearing underwear." Dismissed.