What is an award show without some glamour and drama? Even when it is the prestigious Academy Awards aka Oscars, a large part of the discourse is dedicated to the fashion and style choices that our favourite stars make for the big night. From making political statements to launching their revamped selves, the Oscars night does play a huge role in the entertainment roster for celebrities in Hollywood. But when the celebrities step onto the red carpet, with all [fashion] guns blazing in the most intricate and extravagant of costumes, a few hiccups are a given. So, the Academy Awards night is no stranger to wardrobe malfunctions. Over the years, from Kim Basinger to Emma Stone, the biggest stars have had some “oops” moments at the prestigious event and have [mostly] handled it in style.
Here's a quick look at some such instances:
Emma Stone rips her zipper - 2024
For Emma Stone, Oscars 2024 was a night to remember for more reasons than one. She took home the Best Actress trophy for her inspired performance in Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things. As she stepped onto the stage to accept the golden statuette, Emma revealed, “My dress is broken. I think it happened during I'm Just Ken. I'm pretty sure,” referring to Ryan Gosling's performance earlier that night. She also ended her speech by saying, “Don't look at the back of my dress,” as Charlize Theron (who knows a thing or two about Oscar dress mishaps - more below), Michelle Yeoh, Jessica Lange, Sally Field, and Jennifer Lawrence banded around her in a stellar moment of sisterhood.
Liza Koshy falls on the red carpet - 2024
The ever-hilarious Liza Koshy was truly owning the Oscars red carpet until the platform heels got the better of her. The actress, dressed in a stunning red gown, stumbled and fell on the red carpet. But even the tumble could not bring down Liza's spirit as she welcomed the fall with a loud and endearing laugh. Did someone say “cool”?
Jennifer Lawrence trips over her dress - 2013
First and foremost, Jennifer Lawrence is one of Hollywood's most prolific talents. Then she is the internet's favourite meme-material, a fact she wears as a badge of honour. One of her top meme-worthy moments came at the Oscars 2013, when she stepped on stage, all of 22, to accept her Best Actress award for Silver Linings Playbook in a gorgeous Christian Dior haute couture voluminous gown. While attempting to climb the stairs to the stage, Jennifer Lawrence took a tumble and fell on her face. Gasps were heard, help was extended and Jennifer Lawrence, in her characteristic disarming fashion, said about the standing ovation she received: “ You guys are just standing up because you feel bad that I fell. And that's really embarrassing.”
Kim Basinger's dress pops right before she goes on stage - 1999
At the 71st Academy Awards, Kim Basinger was waiting in the wings to step onto the stage. Everything was fine till she heard a pop – her Randolph Duke had come undone. In her words: “It was the 71st annual Academy Awards…. I stood behind the 3-story spinning Oscar while a guy bent down, headset on, and counted down from 10 on his fingers, looking at me. At about 5, I heard something in the back of my white, floor-length Randolph Duke gown POP…. I was shaking and I was mortified but I took the stage and I clenched my arms to my sides as tight as they would go… PRAYING… that the dress would not fall off… and I held that sucker up all the way through presenting the award to James Coburn… A truly memorable night… for many reasons.”
She also added, in her note to fans, “Don't ever forget… most of the time, these people are sewn into their gowns moments before hitting the red carpet.” She also shared the two greatest fears of most celebrities on the big night - “The #1 fear: you'll fall down. #2: The stitches won't hold!”
Charlize Theron's dress tears at her maiden Oscars appearance - 2000
For her first Academy Awards appearance, Charlize Theron had opted for a backless orange Vera Wang gown. While acknowledging that it was really special to have a dress made for her when was just starting out, the star revealed to Harper's Bazaar: “The back of that dress was rouged in the butt and when I sat down at the theatre, because it is such a light chiffon, the rouging in the butt split open, and when I stood up for the first standing ovation, I felt this kind of cool breeze coming up my tush, and I realised my whole butt was hanging out. Then I went to the bathroom and I panicked. I didn't know what to do and I remember Julianne Moore was on all fours in her gown, like searching for a safety pin on the floor, and she found one. I saved the dress with the safety pin in it. I sent it off to the dry cleaners and they were like, ‘Do you want us to fix this?' and I was like, ‘Don't touch it. I want it to say exactly the way Julianne Moore fixed it.' So, I still have the dress with the safety pin in it. So, thank you, Julianne Moore.”
24 years later, Charlize Theron played Julianne Moore to Emma Stone's ripped dress.