The most controversial red carpet dresses EVER
The red carpet at award ceremonies is one of the most highly visible places on earth, with millions watching the events of the evening unfold on TV and online.
For this very reason, the celebrity guests are at the mercy of their outfits, and while an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction will never go unnoticed, at the same time, some stars thrive on the platform.
From dresses made of meat to naked dresses made of, well, not much, we chart the most controversial red carpet dresses of all time...
Rex FeaturesWearing a custom-made barely-there gown by designer Adam Selman - which also, incidentally, comprised of a total of 216,000 Swarovski crystals - it is fair to say that the CFDAs 2014 were pretty much owned by Rihanna.
PA PhotosWearing not much else but a matching hat and flesh-toned pants, RiRi's daring dress was topped off with a fluffy stole.
Rex FeaturesThe latest in a long line of celebs to don a barely-there ensemble for the red carpet, RiRi also picked up the Fashion Icon Award on the night, too.
At a 2001 awards bash in LA, Christina Aguilera went for a memorable combo of shredded peach velvet and what can only be described as a plume of fluff for hair extensions. Yep. This actually happened.
GettyWho doesn't remember armpit-gate at the London premiere of Notting Hill in 1999? The ever-immaculate Julia Roberts had an in-between-waxes moment and promptly landed herself on the front page of every newspaper the following day. However, the Oscar winning actress totally styled the whole thing out by saying that her boyfriend at the time, actor Benjamin Bratt, found the growth a "turn on". So there!
Getty ImagesAt the 2015 GRAMMYs, Madonna's leather and lace mini dress with basque, fishnets and leather gloves caused quite a stir.
PA PhotosBut that was before she turned around and revealed even more of the dress', erm, detail.
Rex FeaturesAh, the Grammys. Fertile ground for some unexpected sartorial choices if ever there were any, Nicki Minaj eclipsed the competition in this head-to-foot leopard print number with matching leggings, bloomers and erm, hair.
Rex FeaturesAt the annual post-Oscars Vanity Fair bash in LA in 2003, the late, great Farah Fawcett made wearing a flag so darn chic as the stars and stripes were worn as a train on her chic black slip dress.
Rex FeaturesThe first of many appearances for Lady Gaga in this feature. This time, the egg "outfit" for the 2011 Grammys.
Rex FeaturesAh, another classic in the controversial red carpet outfits Hall Of Fame. This assymmetric purple catsuit with matching nipple pastie put Lil' Kim firmly on the map at the 1999 MTV Music Awards.
PAHow to publicise the 'on sale' date of your album? Take a leaf out of Macy Gray's book and have the message printed on a maxi dress.
PABut hold up, who could forget the infamous meat dress from the 2010 Video Music Awards? Made of actual raw beef, it included boots, a dress and even a fascinator - of sorts.
PANicki Minaj's, erm, 'nod' to the Catholic church on the Grammys red carpet caused more than a tad of controversy. Dressing in Vatican-esque cloaks, the Starships hitmaker also turned up with a man dressed as the Pope.
GettyThere are no words for this outfit from P!nk. No words, at all.
Rex FeaturesWhilst Bjork's swan dress at the Oscars has had a bit of a bashing over the years, you've got to hand it to her that even in the age of barely-there dresses (click on for the true definition of that) this is still one of the benchmarks for wacky/shock value red carpet dressing.
GettyCarmen Electra was another 90s stars to experiment with the sideless gown...
Rex FeaturesBut who remembers this back-to-front tux classic from Celine Dion at the 1999 Oscars? Well, we've never forgotten it. Complete with matching hat, this really was one of the strangest red carpet outfits in recent memory.
Rex FeaturesThere are almost no words for Cher's sexy Maleficent-inspired Oscars outfit that she wore to the annual Academy Awards in 1986. If we just remove the major display of washboard abs from the equation a second, can we just give a little thought to the person who had to sit behind Cher and her giant headpiece all evening...
Rex FeaturesThis Versace dress practically put Elizabeth Hurley on the map. No longer just the girlfriend of Hugh Grant, Liz became a star in her own right after stepping out in this show-stopper at the For Weddings And A Funeral premiere in 1994.
Rex FeaturesMiley's no stranger to controversy but this naked netting gorilla-sleeved dress was just plain strange.
Rex FeaturesAnother Oscars shocker but this time from Gwyneth Paltrow. Gwynnie went to the opposite end of the spectrum from her big pink dress from the year before in 2002 and wore this daring Alexander McQueen number.
Rex FeaturesBut who could forget Toni Braxton's mere slip of a dress (held in place by two strategically placed sequinned bands) by designer Richard Tyler at the 2001 Grammys? Yep. Us neither.
Rex FeaturesIndeed, the Grammys used to be a hot bed for the naked dress and Jennifer Lopez firmly put herself on the map with this Versace gown complete with a plunging neckline to end all plunging necklines.
PA PhotosWhen Rose McGowan arrived at the MTV Awards in 1998, there was no blending in with the crowd for her when she turned up in, arguably, the most naked dress of naked dresses.
PA PhotosMade of a sort of netting-like fabric and lots of tiny little beads, if it's possible, the dress was even more naked from the back. However, before you worry that Rose might have been uncomfortable in such a dress, the actress was quoted as saying at the time that she changed into something else right after this show-stopping turn on the red carpet.
PA PhotosBut just as Gwynnie proved in 2002, the naked dress can even make an appearance at the Oscars. And here's Cher in a revealing Bob Mackie number to pick up her Best Actress gong for Moonstruck in 1988.
Getty ImagesAnne Hathaway caused a storm of intrigue on the Oscars red carpet when she arrived in a pale pink column gown by Prada, despite the fact that fashion house Valentino had announced that they would be dressing Hathaway for the occasion, prior to the event. According to the rumour mill, it became apparent that Anne's Les Mis co-star Amanda Seyfried was in a far too similar gown on the night and so Hathaway jumped off Valentino ship at the eleventh hour to avoid a matching dress scenario. However, the actress was later prompted to release a statement on the debacle where she apologised to Valentino, saying: "It came to my attention late Saturday night that there would be a dress worn to the Oscars that is remarkably similar to the Valentino I had intended to wear, and so I decided it was best for all involved to change my plans... Though I love the 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... I deeply regret any disappointment caused."
