The Most Inappropriate Outfits Carrie Underwood Has Ever Worn

She was a sweet Oklahoma gal who won the fourth season of "American Idol," then became a country music mega-star. Twenty years later, Carrie Underwood came full circle when she was named the first former idol to take on the role of judge for "American Idol" Season 25. In the middle of that circle, the vocalist became a bit of a fashion icon, too. 

With more than a dozen number-one tunes on Billboard's chart of Hot Country Songs, and numerous Top 10 hits, it's no surprise that Underwood is a popular performer at most music-related shows, and is often put on best-dressed lists for events like the CMA Awards for her red-carpet wardrobe choices. Add to that her hosting gigs for the CMAs, plus multiple Grammy andAmerican Music Awards, and we've had plenty of opportunities to see a whole lot of her fabulous fashions. 

But even an idol can have off days, and the "Dirty Laundry" singer has a few outfits that should definitely have been put in the hamper, instead of in the spotlight. Fans are used to being "Blown Away" by her fashion statements, but in the good kind of way — and not in the cover-your-eyes way.

No stranger to wearing beautiful dresses, Carrie Underwood usually inspires ooohs, aaahs, and sighs of admiration when steps on to the red carpet in one of her gowns. There are exceptions, however, and the silhouette she wore to the 2024 Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Gala is one of them.

The dress was actually comprised of two pieces: a skirt and a top. Both were by the same designer, Rafik Zaki, and were meant to be worn together, each crafted from silver fabric. The shiny, metallic top was crafted as a sculptured corset, with those crinkles and folds permanently positioned into place. The bottom was created with a textured fabric woven through with silver threads, and raised in the front with its own set of stitched bunches and wrinkles. 

While it brilliantly showed off Underwood's famously sculpted legs, which often take center stage wherever she pops up, there were quite a few fans who questioned the overall look. Underwood posted photos from the evening on Instagram, and one person observed, "It looks like she's wearing aluminum foil!" Another described it as "scrunched up tinfoil and scrunched up burlap." 

Carrie Underwood's coat of many colors barely made a blip on the fashion radar, despite it's riot of sequined appliqués and puffy shoulders. When she performed on "Good Morning America" in August 2024 as part of their Summer Concert Series, it was the bottom half of her wardrobe that caught some inappropriate attention (along with more of those plastic surgery rumors she can't seem to escape).

Falling somewhere between the trend of short-shorts and briefs (á la Taylor Swift and Beyoncé), Underwood wore a pair of denim bottoms that didn't take into account that she would be moving around the stage. They looked okay from the front while she was standing still, but the second she started dancing and posing, the fabric began to gape, exposing areas that were never meant to feel fresh air. 

Not even the belt of jewels could distract people from the ill-fitting, ill-looking denim shorts. Fans who saw her look via GMA's Instagram were quick to point out their resemblance to granny panties and incontinence wear. "I didn't know Huggies made denim adult diapers," noted one person. Several questioned the fashion sense of her behind-the-scenes team. "Whoever let her wear those shorts should be fired," wrote another. 

Her purple outfit may have looked ethereal floating in air when Carrie Underwood performed at the 2022 CMT Awards, but when she started out just standing on the stage, where we could take in the full outfit? This is what happens when you can't fully commit to a clothing silhouette. Is it pants or is it shorts? Is it a full collar or a short collar? Is it organza or is it netting? Is it an unfinished skirt or an overgrown train? Are we cuffing the legs or are we leaving them straight?

Granted, the effect was stunning when she rose above the stage and became a real-life specter while singing "Ghost Story," but her outfit didn't make a lick of sense before that moment, which didn't happen until the last 30 seconds of the performance. Fans were confused, and commented on Underwood's lacy, gauzy wardrobe after she posted it on Instagram. "She looked off balance," noted one. While another put it a little less delicately, asking, "Who snuck into your dressing room and cut the leg off your britches?"

The "Jesus, Take The Wheel" songstress is no stranger to wearing the short/pant hybrid, but she usually leaves the extra frills off the jumpsuit, and lets her toned leg stand on its own merit. 

Performing on stage requires more stage presence than recording in a studio, but it doesn't seem to require more fashion sense, if Carrie Underwood's 2023 CMT Awards outfit is anything to go by. For her performance of "Hate My Heart," she gave us a reason to hate her heart, too. Basic black quickly sped up to overwhelming when she added rhinestone-outlined hearts to her sequined shorts, then all over her satin jacket. 

But the real kicker was her bustier, which was riddled with dangling crystals, silver embroidery, more rhinestones, and long ropes of sequins and sparkles that spider-webbed across her chest and tangled their way almost to the floor. While she didn't wear this stunner during her "Reflections" residency show in Las Vegas, which she began in 2021 and is scheduled to continue through 2025, it definitely appears as if she stole the glitz and glam of Sin City for her CMT time in Austin, TX. 

"Your costume designer should be fired immediately," is the reaction of one person, when Underwood posted the look to her Facebook account. Others mourned the loss of her elegant evening dresses. "Whatever happened to the classy way you used to dress?" lamented a fan.

She looks cute as heck all dressed up in her workout clothes, ready to lift some weights, do some burpees, or lunge her way into a lean, mean singing machine. But there's one thing that's very wrong about Carrie Underwood's outfit on gym day: it reminds fans they're not as rich as she is. 

The mother of two kids, Isaiah and Jacob, launched her own line of athletic gear, CALIA by Carrie, in 2015, and often posted snaps on social media of her wearing items from the brand. These fuchsia-pink leggings are from CALIA, a fact she mentioned alongside a selfie she shared on Facebook in 2018. While most fans agreed she looked adorable, there were more than a few who lamented the cost of those stretchy bottoms. As one person noted, "I went to the store to buy these pants — $65!! I love me some Carrie Underwood but wish the CALIA prices were more affordable for the average working people."

Underwood left the brand in 2021, but the original retailer, Dick's Sporting Goods, has continued CALIA without the Carrie part. It was probably a good idea on the singer's part, since the 2024 increased price of $88 for those leggings would only make fans even more aggravated.