The Story Behind Reba McEntire's Most Scandalous Outfit Ever Worn

As a staple of the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, Reba McEntire has gotten everyone talking with some of the looks she's rocked at the event. McEntire has been known to draw attention at other events as well, like when she showed off her killer legs at the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards in 2024. That said, she's never really been one to court controversy with her wardrobe. That is, unless you count the 1993 CMA Awards, when McEntire was turning heads with her low-cut red dress.

"I was pretty, you know, straight-laced, and I'm sure it shocked everybody that I would do a low dress. It was pretty scandalous for me," McEntire recalled during a 2023 interview with Yahoo Entertainment. Among the shocked were McEntire's mother and sister, who were in attendance for the ceremony. However, the dress was actually the handiwork of stylist and designer Sandi Spika Borchetta. To that end, McEntire revealed that she had expressed concern over how revealing the dress was during her first fitting. And while Borchetta did add some sparkles to cover the cleavage area a bit, there was still plenty of skin on display.

McEntire added that she got number of comments on the dress — including one from her father, who jokingly asked if she was wearing it with the back facing front — but managed to avoid any significant controversy. In fact, a gorgeous throwback pic shows McEntire rocking the dress again during a concert in San Jose, California, just one year after the 1993 CMA Awards.

Despite her initial reservations regarding just how low-cut it was, Reba McEntire has made it clear that she still has a lot of love for the sparkly red dress she wore at the 1993 CMA Awards. After all, why else would she bring it out of retirement 25 years later?

In 2018, McEntire was tapped to host the ACM Awards. Over the course of the night, the "Fancy" singer wore multiple outfits — including a white fringe jacket with matching cowboy boots, a shiny black dress, and a form-fitting purple gown (which was just, if not more, scandalous than the red one, if we're being honest). But when it came time for McEntire to perform "Does He Love You" with Kelly Clarkson, she proved that she's aged like a fine wine by calling on an old favorite — the dress that made everyone do a double-take back in '93.

"I really liked the red dress from the '90s. It was like seeing an old friend again," McEntire told People after the ceremony. Even though she was a bit caught off guard by how the dress looked way back when, McEntire said that working with Sandi Spika Borchetta was a treat. "When Sandi Spika made that dress for me, I felt like Cinderella," she said of the fitting process. "I wore it to the CMA Awards 25 years ago when singing 'Does He Love You' with Linda Davis. Sandi Spika Borchetta, who'd been touring with me and designing my clothes for years, designed it." It's definitely going to go down in history as one of McEntire's best looks.