5 Outdated Outfits Kelly Clarkson Was Caught Wearing

When America was first introduced to Kelly Clarkson and her immense talent in 2002, the world was also introduced to her funky and unconventional fashion sense. Before her life-changing "American Idol" audition, host Ryan Seacrest inquired about the strapless denim top she was wearing. "This is unique. I like this. Is that a skirt?" he asked to which Clarkson proudly answered, "I made this. This used to be my pants." Jokingly, she added, "I'm gonna be a fashion designer, if this doesn't work out."

While the "Since You've Been Gone" singer has seemingly retired from making her own clothes, she still has a flair for wearing bold statement-making outfits. As a result, some of Clarkson's outfits have been deemed inappropriate, while others bring us back to her quirky audition outfit, reminding us how humble she is but also how far removed she is from Hollywood's high fashion (respectfully). Although Clarkson does work with stylists now, she'll wear something a little behind the times every now and then. While we hate to play fashion police, The List has rounded up Clarkson's most outdated outfit offenses. But in her defense, she never tried to be a fashion icon, she has only ever tried to be herself. And that's why we love her.

While co-hosting "American Song Contest" in 2022 with Snoop Dogg, Kelly Clarkson seemingly transported us back in time with her black dress with white polka dots. Polka dots were all the rage in women's fashion in 1950s, but continued to decline as the new millennium approached. While the pattern experienced a brief comeback in 2010, it has since expired. Still, that didn't stop Clarkson from seemingly cosplaying a 1950s housewife, paired with a bright red lip to complete the look. In the comment section of a DailyMail.com article, which featured photos of Clarkson's dotted ensemble, fans-turned-critics weighed in on the look. "She is the worst dressed woman I have ever seen ANYWHERE bar none and I just don't get it," wrote one person. Another opined, "Kelly is awesome but the stylist should be fired stat."

To make matters worse, Clarkson added a few surprising accessories to her outfit mid-show, including a Michael Bolton signed T-shirt, a mini umbrella, and a cheese headpiece. While the latter two pieces were obviously gags, Clarkson's decision to wear that T-shirt over her dress could very much look like an intentional style choice to someone tuning in — and not a good one. Seconding the notion that her stylist should get the boot, one user wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "Sometimes I think [her stylist is] trolling Kelly," in response to photos of her outfit add-ons.

"American Song Contest" may have only lasted one season, but Kelly Clarkson's wardrobe on the show may have us cringing for years. During an April 2022 episode, she wore a colorful animal print dress from Italian designer Roberto Cavalli. We'd be lying if we said this tan, green, and purple dress, adorned with zebra, leopard, and tiger prints, didn't remind us of Lisa Frank. But not in a good way. 

While it's tricky to critique the patterns themselves (animal prints tend to cycle in and out of fashion), the ombré-like color scheme of Clarkson's dress certainly wasn't trending in 2022. According to Refinery29, when a print includes colors from a wide range of hues bleeding together, it's referred to as dégradé, a relative of ombre. It's similar to the visual effect of Clarkson's color-blocked animal print dress, though the transitions from color to color weren't as smooth. 

That said, the outlet dubbed dégradé "Fall's Hottest Color Trend" (*checks notes*) back in 2013. When Clarkson wore the colorful ensemble almost a decade later, it's safe to say that the hype around her multi-colored dress had dyed down. Furthermore, her dress contained shoulder pads, a fashion throwback from the 20th century.

At the 2022 CMA Awards, Kelly Clarkson wore a dark denim dress with an oversized belt, black tights, and boots. Unfortunately, the look fell flat with fans. "She always wears the most unflattering dresses and always those black pantyhose or whatever they are," wrote one person on Clarkson's Instagram post showcasing the look. Another honed in on her belt: "Everything she wears is with that belt. I get they [are] trying to make her look thinner but [it] is not working." Clarkson's penchant for big belts with buckles, a trend that gained steam in the early 2000s, is one she has repeatedly honored (including multiple times on this list) despite its fluctuating popularity in the fashion world.

Since this performance, Clarkson has undergone a weight loss transformation and looks unrecognizable. However, fans are adamant her style has also improved. One Reddit user noted her fashion glow-up wasn't just tied to her weight loss but also more modern styling choices, and brought up Clarkson's belts. "Whoever her stylist was drove me nuts. They kept throwing her into these floofy styles with a big ole waist belt," they wrote, adding, "You can tell that a lot of the recent styles she wears does not focus on waist emphasis and you don't miss it on her!!"

The world's largest fur auction house, Kopenhagen Fur, which housed many fur fashion products including coats, announced in 2020 that it would be shutting down after sales dipped. Wearing fur, especially real fur, was no longer trendy. Still, that seemingly didn't stop Kelly Clarkson from putting together a Rockefeller Tree lighting look that had everyone talking for the wrong reasons for two years in a row. In 2023, she performed in a white fur coat, and in 2024, she returned with a black fur coat. While it was unclear if the coats were real or fake, fans were upset that Clarkson would associate with a trend considered harmful to animals. During her first offense, one fan slammed Clarkson's look on Instagram (via Express US). "Those poor animals are worth more than cuffs and trim. #cruelty." Another wrote: "Kelly, I love you, but please don't wear fur ... "

According to Women's Wear Daily, Clarkson's 2024 black coat came from the French fashion house Alaïa, whose products don't contain "fur, down, angora, or exotic animal skin," according to the Good on You sustainability scale. Still, "It uses wool, leather, and exotic animal hair," and received a two out of five from Good on You, indicating inhumane practices. Given Clarkson's wealth, it seems out of touch for her to support a brand with such questionable practices. Even worse, after repeating this fashion misstep in 2024, Clarkson followed up the fashion fiasco with another furry fail.

Kelly Clarkson's performance of "Heartbeat Song" at the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards went off without a hitch. However, her outfit choice did not. Clarkson's blue dress was emblazoned with sparkly green motifs. The color scheme, along with the knee-length skirt and sheer overlay, gave the impression that this look was for a high school dance in 2010, not a pop star's televised performance five years later. Not only did the dress seem like old news, media personality Perez Hilton harshly criticized it in a blog post, imploring Clarkson to find a new stylist. Hilton argued her shiny heels were excessive and suggested she should have chosen more neutral shoes to highlight her legs.

Furthermore, this shimmery and cheery dress didn't pair well with one of Clarkson's boldest hair transformations yet: the half-shaved head. Speaking with Lisa Paige from PopCrush Nights a few weeks before the awards show, Clarkson explained the hairstyle was a result of carrying her first child, daughter River Rose, who was born in 2014. 

"I just had a really rough pregnancy," Clarkson said. "I went to my hair girl and I was like, 'I need something different, I need something to make me feel less like a mom.' Because I just felt like I was super locked up. I was just so sick all the time, I wasn't feeling good." Even if the awards show look seemed a little dated and incoherent, Clarkson should be commended for taking charge of her look and going for a bold new choice.