Venice 2026: The Worst-Dressed Stars & Biggest Red Carpet Fashion Flops

Held from September 2 to September 12, 2026, the Venice International Film Festival has become the go-to for some of the most famous stars across the globe. And while the festival is all about film creation, the events surrounding it certainly play a key role in its allure. In fact, the red carpet of the Venice Film Festival is definitely one of the most highly-anticipated ones among fashion and beauty enthusiasts, as the rich and famous tend to go all-out with glamorous looks.

This year, Amal Clooney's golden highlights at the Venice Film Festival were the ultimate fall 2026 hair inspo, and while the star-studded affair has been full of gorgeous beauty and fashion moments — as is inevitable at such events — the festival also provided some odd sartorial choices. Some stars could have done with better tailoring, while others should have ditched their looks entirely and gone for something else. Nevertheless, Nina Dobrev, Irina Shayk, and others still looked beautiful, but compared to the other red carpet festival attendees, their looks didn't have our jaws on the floor.

"The Crown" star Claire Foy's Venice Film Festival look was everything but regal, as the actor opted for a Bottega Veneta silky gown with an odd fabric knot at the belly button. That alone ruined the silhouette of the dress, as our eyes were instantly drawn to the gathered fabric, but what made the look undeniably worse were the red leather gloves the actor accessorized with. Foy attended a screening of "Ink" on September 2, and while the cast of "The Crown" looks stunning in real life, Foy's red-carpet look isn't the greatest example.

Canadian star Nina Dobrev was among the celebs attending the opening ceremony of the 2026 Venice Film Festival on September 2. For the occasion, Dobrev opted for a strapless Armani Privé gown covered in sequins. In theory, this should have been a safe red-carpet choice, but in practice, the garment ended up photographing poorly. The olive green train, which was sewn into the dress below "The Vampire Diaries" star's bust, looked odd depending on the angle, earning the 'fit a spot on the list.

Ethiopian and Italian star Mariam Battistelli's look is among the few that could have been much better with minimal tweaks. The opera soprano showed up to the Diva E Donna Awards on September 7 in a blue pajama-like set by Alberta Ferretti, and the bright color suited her complexion beautifully. However, while there are ways to turn pajamas into streetwear, the look can also be upgraded to fancier events if the fit is right. In Battistelli's case, the set was slightly too oversized, mostly noticeable in the way the shoulders of the top were draping down her arms.

Each year we get to see a variety of different styles at the Venice Film Festival, but it's safe to say that most celebs tend to play it safe by channeling glamour. This year, Russian model Irina Shayk rocked multiple looks to the festival, but one of them was a tad too risky for the occasion. Shayk showed up to a screening of "The Echo Chamber" on September 6 in a black Dolce & Gabbana midi dress with lace-up panels on each side. Underneath, the star wore matching black underwear, visible whenever she turned to the side.

Russian journalist and television personality Ksenia Sobchak showed up at a screening of "L'Estranea" on September 7 at the Venice Film Festival in a look that was clearly meant to draw attention. It seems as if Sobchak told herself that any press is good press, as she paired a pale pink corset lace dress by Ermanno Scervino with a fuzzy purple Bottega Veneta scarf. The statement pieces clashed, making the star look out of place.

Musician Jewel showed up to the opening ceremony and screening of "Ink" on September 2 in a leopard-print dress that simply had too much going on. The Genny design featured a silver sequin bodice and a black turtleneck halter bra, which created an unexpected contrast. However, due to its unique design, the garment looked ill-fitting, making this one of the "Foolish Games" singer's not-so-fabulous fashion editions.

Sequins were certainly a popular choice at the 2026 Venice Film Festival, but Hollywood star Kate Mara shows just how the trend can go wrong. The actor showed up on the festival's red carpet for the screening of "Bucking Fastard" on September 3, and her Armani Privé dress distracted from her beauty rather than accentuating it. In particular, it was the square panels of the white top portion and the black spaghetti straps that clashed, so much that we barely noticed the "House of Cards" star's stunning makeup and hair.

While some stars can get away with bad Venice Film Festival fashion, as it's their first time attending, the same cannot be said for actor Maggie Gyllenhaal. "The Dark Knight" star showed up to the opening day of the 2026 festival in a Celine dress whose tailoring simply didn't suit the star. The top portion was too loose, creating an odd silhouette, and the asymmetrical necklace appeared like a mistake from afar. Unfortunately, this isn't the actor's first fashion flop, as she's also given us one of the worst Oscars looks of all time.