14 Red Carpet Outfits That Cost A Ridiculous Amount Of Money
Moira Rose from "Schitt's Creek" would surely agree with us when we say our favorite season is awards. There's nothing quite like looking longingly at A-listers' gorgeous gowns as they arrive. Some of the most stunning red-carpet looks include the pink princess dress worn by Gwyneth Paltrow in 1999, Halle Berry's unforgettable burgundy Elie Saab gown she wore to the Oscars in 2002, and, more recently, Janelle Monáe's bedazzled, hooded Ralph Lauren dress she wore to the 2020 Oscars.
Of course, such fabulous designer gowns do not come cheap. According to stylist Jessica Paster, who spoke to The Cut, stylists earn between $30,000 to $50,000 for making deals between designers and celebrities. In some cases, celebrities are also paid between $100,000 and $250,000 by designers to rep their brands on the red carpet. In such an industry, it comes as no surprise to learn that certain celebrities have walked the carpet wearing gowns that cost eye-watering sums. Here, we take a look at some of the priciest gowns in Hollywood history.
Charlize Theron's Christian Dior pale pink gown
Charlize Theron looked every inch the Hollywood star at the 2012 Golden Globes, where she was nominated for her role in "Young Adult." The star wore a pale pink Christian Dior dress with a plunging v-neckline and a tufted bow, which covered the top of a sky-high slit. The dress trailed off in an elegant train, and the actor accessorized with Cartier jewelry, a pair of Givenchy pale heels, and a wavy boho updo. The dress alone was worth an estimated $30,000, while the Cartier diamonds were thought to be worth over $8 million. She also carried a $20,000 clutch by the label. According to the Daily Mail, Theron was likely loaned the dress and the jewels for the event.
The look may have been pricey, but it was a universal hit that appeared on numerous best-dressed lists that year. In 2014, Daily News even cited the look as the perfect example of a star who knows how to dress for the red carpet.
Anne Hathaway's 2011 Valentino gown
In 2011, Anne Hathaway rocked up to the Oscars in a stunning bright red strapless gown by Valentino. She also brought the designer as her plus one to the event. The stunning vintage gown was originally shown in the designer's 2002 collection and featured ruffles on the sides of the thighs, a bunched bustle-like structure at the back, and an elegant, floor-sweeping train. She paired the look with an eye-catching diamond necklace valued at $10 million. The actor's gown alone cost $80,000, according to Harper's Bazaar.
Hathaway continued to collaborate with Valentino, even wearing a wedding dress by the designer the following year. The actor was also supposed to wear a Valentino gown to the Oscars in 2013, but she felt it to be too similar to the $80,000 gown she donned in 2011. Afterward, she issued an apology to Valentino. "Though I love the [Prada] dress I did wear, it was a difficult last-minute decision as I had so looked forward to wearing Valentino in honor of the deep and meaningful relationship I have enjoyed with the house and with Valentino himself," a statement provided to WWD read.
Kate Winslet's six-figure Valentino dress
In 2007, Kate Winslet attended the Oscars in a statuesque mint green gown by Valentino. The dress featured a simple form-fitted design and a ruched, crossed bodice. The fabric from the bodice draped over one shoulder, cascading into an elegant train across her back. She paired the sleek gown with a chic low updo, a striking gold clutch, and a pair of gold statement earrings. "To be perfectly honest, this really, truly is my favorite," Winslet revealed on the red carpet, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. "For a very simple reason: My daughter picked the color and I just think that's great. She's 6 years old and one day maybe she'll borrow this and play dress up in it."
Although many fans adored the dress, some fashion critics weren't too keen on the green shade that Winslet's daughter Mia loved. "The seafoam green gown does nothing for her coloring," Glamour reported. We'd all agree, though, that this dress was certainly not cheap. It retailed for $100,000, according to Vanity Fair.
Cate Blanchett paired her expensive gown with jewelry worth millions
In 2014, Cate Blanchett not only won a Best Actress Oscar for "Blue Jasmine," but she also won the red carpet with her heavenly Armani Privé gown. The nude dress featured delicate appliqué crystal petals, a high neckline, and a fluttery long skirt. She wore her cropped blonde hair in retro waves with a deep side part and paired the gown with Chopard jewelry — 62-opal drop earrings, a brown diamond bracelet, and a diamond ring. At the time, British Vogue reported that the entire look, which was styled by Elizabeth Stewart, was worth around $18 million. Most of this came down to the cost of the jewelry, but the dress alone was $100,000.
Although she looked like an ethereal fairy in this airy gown, Blanchett's gown was far from weightless. As she told E! News on the red carpet, "It's heavy, but it's — I love it."
Lupita Nyong'o's pearly dress
Lupita Nyong'o's 2015 Oscars dress may have looked expensive to those of us watching the awards ceremony, but it wasn't until after the event that we learned its true price tag. The ivory dress by Calvin Klein featured delicate rows of beadwork featuring 6,000 white Akoya pearls, an open back, and a long, draped skirt. Sadly, after the ceremony, someone broke into the star's hotel room at The London West Hollywood and stole the dress. The news was reported by TMZ at the time, which claimed that the gown was worth $150,000.
The dress was later returned in a garbage bag, with the thief claiming the pearls were fake. In a statement to WWD after the dress's recovery, Francisco Costa, women's creative director at Calvin Klein Collection, said, "This was an amazing collaboration between the brand and Lupita and the dress looked truly exquisite on her. Once it's returned to us, we will be able to have the dress restored and archived, as it now represents an important moment for the brand."
Lady Gaga's Armani Privé dress
Talk about a show-stopping dress — in 2018 Lady Gaga wore a breathtaking black Armani Privé dress to the Oscars. The gown actually comprised a lace catsuit paired with one of the biggest skirts you've ever seen. The black skirt, which tied around the waist, trailed out for what seemed like miles behind Gaga. With its subtle sparkle pattern, it gave the illusion of a vast night sky. Gaga leaned into the drama of the dress, wearing Gothic drop earrings by Lorraine Schwartz and dark, smoky eye makeup. She added to the drama with a pair of towering platform boots.
What we love most about this bold look is its versatility. Once Gaga got inside the auditorium, she ditched the cumbersome train and rocked the lace catsuit by itself, adding a lace black cowboy hat to complete her ensemble. This over-the-top outfit was far from cheap, though. According to Vogue, the look cost nearly $166,000.
Audrey Hepburn's Roman Holiday gown
In 1954, Audrey Heburn made Oscars history when she wore a white lace gown to the awards show. With it's delicate floral pattern, full skirt, and belted waistline, it became an instant classic. Hepburn took home the award for Best Actress for her role in "Roman Holiday" and dubbed the gown her "lucky" dress. The look, designed by the legendary costume designer Edith Head, was originally meant for the final scene of the film and was later adapted for the red carpet by Hubert de Givenchy, who went on to design almost all of Hepburn's clothes in future films. The gown was worth just over $174,000, according to Vogue.
In November 2011, the dress, along with a coordinating jacket and hat, was put up for auction. It ended up selling for less than its original value: $131,292. Nevertheless, that's a lot to spend on a dress!
Paris Hilton's crystal gown
When Taylor Swift said she was "bejeweled," we're willing to bet she was imagining something like this dress. In 2017, Paris Hilton turned up at the Hollywood Beauty Awards and wowed us all with a crystal-covered gown designed by August Getty. According to Yahoo! Life, the dress featured a half-million Swarovski crystals, which were alone worth a staggering $270,000 — that's not even including the cost of designing and building the dress! "It took over two months to complete and over six months of technical design, with as many as five people working on it at the same time," Getty told the publication. It's no wonder Getty dubbed the gown a "million-dollar dress."
The designer took to Instagram to share an image of Hilton in the gown. "Honored to pass this crystal wonder on to yet another #GettyGirl, especially during her win of Fragrance of the year!" he wrote. Not only was this dress incredibly pricey, it wasn't necessarily easy to wear — Hilton nearly tripped on the bedazzled train when posing for photos.
Camila Coelho luxurious black gown
In 2018, blogger Camila Coelho didn't pull any punches with her glamorous black gown at the Cannes Film Festival. The dress, designed by Ralph & Russo Haute Couture, featured a velvet bodice and mini skirt along with an elaborate black organza train. "Working on a custom couture piece with Camila for this season's Cannes Film Festival could not have been more inspirational," the designer told Harper's Bazaar. "Camila continues to be the ultimate muse; she has a real affinity with the direction of the brand and epitomizes the Ralph & Russo woman in every sense." The ensemble, which included the gown, a 79-carat necklace, earrings, and rings, was worth $1 million, according to the publication.
Coelho later opened up about the show-stopping look on her blog. The dress was, as she wrote, "dramatic and grandiose." She went on to explain how she worked with the designer to craft the custom look together. "We chose a black model, kind of like a dark princess, with sensual and retro footprint," she wrote. "Short on the front, in velvet and with a super voluminous skirt. I wanted to sleep with it." We can totally see why!
Rihanna 55-pound Met Gala gown
It's hard to think of a more groundbreaking red carpet look than Rihanna's iconic sunflower yellow gown, which she wore to the 2015 Met Gala. Designed by Chinese couturier Guo Pei, the look featured a massive embroidered cape lined with fur, which weighed over 55 pounds.
As Pei told the Evening Standard, Rihanna had reached out after spotting the cape on the runway. "In the beginning when Rihanna reached out, I didn't know who she was because I was not really paying attention to the entertainment world, I wasn't really a red carpet designer," Pei said. "I was actually nervous as I didn't know if Rihanna would be able to carry it off, it's such a heavy dress and such a unique piece." Pei was designing dresses that sold for at least $1 million at the time, so this dress likely cost a pretty penny. It's easy to see why, though. It took Pei 20 months to create. Plus, it's crafted from real gold thread and fox fur.
Caroline Correa's Magnum Gold gown
Some of the most expensive red carpet dresses have a pretty strange backstory. Just take Zac Posen's bizarre 24-karat gold gown, which he designed in 2013 in collaboration with Magnum in honor of their Gold ice cream bar. The gold dress featured a form-fitting design and a simple trailing skirt, which was covered with giant glistening gold sequins. The dress was worth a staggering $1.5 million. "Creating my first-ever 24-karat gold dress was a truly priceless experience," Posen, who was working as a "Project Runway" judge at the time, revealed to the Daily Mail. He added, "I pulled inspiration from Magnum Gold?! for the dress design ... the train reminds me of melting ice cream. The dress is so decadent."
Although the dress was created as part of a PR campaign for Magnum, it did get an outing on the red — or, should we say, gold – carpet. In April, actor Caroline Correa wore the dress to the premiere of "As Good As It Gets," a film Posen created with Magnum in honor of their new ice cream bar.
Nicole Kidman's multi-million-dollar ensemble
At the 1997 Oscars, Nicole Kidman turned heads with a daring Dior gown designed by John Galliano. The dress made headlines for its bold chartreuse shade, its unusual chinoiserie embroidery, and its mink lining, which made it one of the most iconic Oscar dresses in recent history.
"John [Galliano] made it for me, and I love it," Kidman told reporter Merle Ginsberg while on the red carpet, as later recounted in a piece for The Hollywood Reporter. "I don't know if people will get it. But if they don't, well, maybe they should." Apparently, Joan Rivers, who was also covering the event, shouted out, "I hate that color! You are making me puke!" At the time, however, Joan's daughter, Melissa Rivers, was blown away by the look. "I still remember Nicole Kidman showing up in the green Dior [in 1997], and that was the first true couture dress on the red carpet, and you went, 'Wow,'" the E! fashion reporter later told Vanity Fair.
Nicole Kidman was paid a staggering $2 million to wear the dress, which made it the most expensive Oscars dress at the time.
Jennifer Lawrence's heavenly ball gown
In 2013, Jennifer Lawrence broke Nicole Kidman's record of wearing the most expensive dress to the Oscars with her heavenly Christian Dior gown designed by Raf Simons. The strapless pale pink dress featured a structured, voluminous skirt that ballooned out from her hips into a low hoop skirt. According to Marie Claire, the dress was worth a staggering $4 million.
Although this dress is famous for its ridiculous price tag, it's also now known as the dress that Lawrence famously took a tumble in while making her way up to the podium to accept her Oscar for "Silver Linings Playbook." As Lawrence later told W Magazine, she had fallen because she had forgotten how to walk in the priceless dress. "Something was running through my head, like, 'cakewalk, cakewalk, cakewalk,'" she recalled. She later remembered that what her stylist had told her was, "Kick, walk. Kick, walk." She added, "You were supposed to kick the dress out while you walked, and I totally forgot because I was just thinking about cake," she said.
Kim Kardashian's borrowed Marilyn Monroe gown
Few red-carpet dresses caused quite as much of a stir as the one worn by Kim Kardashian at the 2022 Met Gala. Marilyn Monroe made the dress famous when she wore it to John F. Kennedy's birthday in 1962, where she famously sang a sultry rendition of "Happy Birthday." The dress, designed by Jean Louis, featured sheer nude fabric covered in tiny glittering crystals — about 6,000 of them.
Kim borrowed the dress from Ripley's Believe or Not! under strict guidance that she could only wear the dress on the red carpet itself in order to keep it in pristine condition. "I would never want to sit in it or eat in it or have any risk of any damage to it and I won't be wearing the kind of body makeup I usually do," Kim told Vogue. "Everything had to be specifically timed and I had to practice walking up the stairs." According to Harper's Bazaar, the dress is worth over $10 million.