Michelle Pfeiffer Outfits That Totally Missed The Mark

There was a time when Michelle Pfeiffer was everywhere. After her role as Elvira, the love interest of Al Pacino's character, Tony Montana in 1983's "Scarface," movie studios and fans alike couldn't get enough of Pfeiffer, solidifying her as one of the most sought-after actresses of the '80s and '90s. Although Pfeiffer still acts, she doesn't exactly have the career she once did — Hollywood is notoriously ageist and sexist, after all.

While Hollywood may have its hang-ups, Pfeiffer who's still absolutely stunning at 67, doesn't let all the murmuring get to her. "The older I've gotten, the easier it's become," Pfeiffer told Oprah Daily in October 2019. "You reach a threshold where you're fine with looking good for your age instead of looking young for your age, and I've crossed it ... I don't feel the same pressure I once did to do so. It's quite a relief, honestly."

Although she's someone who's mastered the art of staying chic into her 60s and beyond, that doesn't mean Pfeiffer didn't have some fashion faux pas along the way. With age, Pfeiffer has embraced pieces with more timeless sophistication, like button-down shirts, jeans, and blazers, as evidenced by her Instagram, but the '90s and early 2000s were a rough period for her, fashionably speaking.

In 1991, Michelle Pfeiffer attended the 48th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills wearing a sparkly, structured blazer dress. As much as the sequins are trying to make an impression, the conservative cut and length — the hem is at the knee — felt far too underdressed for the Golden Globes. If that weren't enough, her accessories — a bronze belt, grey gloves, and a shoulder bag — didn't help the situation. Granted, the 1990s were a cruel time for fashion, but when one of the most bankable actresses of the decade shows up to the Golden Globes in a dress that screams office-disco-dance-party, it's a missed mark and then some.

Just three years after the first Golden Globe incident, Michelle Pfeiffer crashed and burned at the 51st Annual Golden Globe Awards again in 1994. While her partner David E. Kelley wore a tux, Pfeiffer chose something so casual, it was barely a step above pajamas. This somewhat lazy look may have been on-trend in a more casual setting, but definitely not for an awards ceremony. With both her pants and blazer swallowing her and in desperate need of a tailor, Pfeiffer chose to complete this confusing look with a long scarf, that looked more like a doily than anything else. Because it was 1994, Pfeiffer would have been better off going for the skinny scarf trend of the time — the same one that has made a bit of a comeback.

A pattern is emerging, and it appears to show that Michelle Pfeiffer historically takes the casual route for most events. While method dressing to promote a film was not a common practice in the '90s and early 2000s, one would think that if you're starring in a movie alongside the sharp-dressed Harrison Ford, you'd dress for the occasion. However, that was not the case when Pfeiffer showed up to the Los Angeles premiere of "What Lies Beneath." She wore dark jeans, a chain belt, and a vibrant magenta blouse with ruffled detailing. It was a strange contrast as she stood beside Ford, who sported a simple black suit and oxford cloth button-down. 

Just when it looked like Michelle Pfeiffer was going to keep movie premieres casual, she did a full 180 when attending "The Family" World Premiere in September 2013, donning a head-to-toe purple embossed velvet suit. If the movie was about the 1970s or Brit pop, then we could assume that maybe Pfeiffer was trying her hand at method dressing. But considering the plot is about a mafia family that goes into witness protection in France, of all places, this outfit feels very wrong place, wrong time. It is, however, an example of how to grossly miss the mark when attending your own premiere.

In September 2003, Michelle Pfeiffer attended the 20^th anniversary of "Scarface" in New York. While she spruced up a bit more than we had seen in the past, the outfit left a lot of questions. For example, why did she wear a belted black dress with black boots that made her look like she was trying out for the Mod Squad? Was there some significance to the design along her tights? Was she trying to channel her character Elvira but got the decade wrong? There's no denying that Pfeiffer looked gorgeous and the outfit was adorable, it just appears to be — again — at the wrong place at the wrong time.