20 of pop culture's most showstopping red dresses

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Nicole Kidman in 'Moulin Rouge!'. 20th Century Fox

Did someone say "smoldering temptress"? Early in Baz Luhrmann's beloved jukebox musical, in an attempt to win an investor for the iconic venue where she is the star performer, Mlle. Satine (Kidman) gets strapped into this to-die-for red dress (from costumers Catherine Martin and Angus Strathie, who won an Oscar for the film) and then promptly changes out of it for a poetry reading inside an elephant (just go with it), only to appear, corseted up once again, to perform the medley of love songs that steals the whole movie. Spectacular, spectacular indeed.

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Cruella (2021)

In Craig Gillespie's live-action origin story about Disney's most glamorous villain, Stone's Cruella (dressed by costume designer Jenny Beavan, who also won an Oscar for her work) shows up to a black-and-white ball in a hooded white cape — which she dramatically burns up, commanding the attention of the whole room, to reveal a blood red gown inspired by Charles James' "Tree" dress. Hey, at least her hair respected the dress code.

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Romeo and Juliet (1968)

Olivia Hussey in 'Romeo and Juliet'. Courtesy Everett Collection

That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet, but by any other color? No thanks. Olivia Hussey's lovely Juliet attends the Capulet ball in Franco Zeffirelli's Technicolor adaptation of the Bard's romantic tragedy wearing this arresting scarlet gown (her family typically opts for shades of red in this film, while the Montagues favor blue). Who could blame Romeo (Leonard Whiting) for falling so fast?

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Pretty Woman (1990)

Julia Roberts in 'Pretty Woman'. Everett Collection

While Julia Roberts' Vivian learns to adapt and her style evolves throughout Garry Marshall's beloved rom-com — including in one untouchable shopping-spree sequence — this red dress by costume designer Marilyn Vance (who was told, at first, to do it in black instead!) is her true Cinderella moment.

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Michelle Obama at the 2013 inaugural ball

U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama at the Inaugural Ball. Michael Kovac/WireImage

For her second inaugural ball as first lady, Michelle Obama stuck with designer Jason Wu (a white gown of whose she wore four years prior) and wore this custom chiffon-and-velvet bright red gown, paired with matching Jimmy Choo shoes. The look's most talked-about feature, however? That would be her bangs. Who doesn't love a FLOTUS fringe?

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Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Judy Garland in 'Meet Me in St. Louis'. MGM

Following summertime parties and Halloween intrigue, the emotional climax of Vincente Minnelli's lush musical comes at Christmas, and Judy Garland's Esther Smith certainly dresses for the occasion. In this rich red party dress designed by Irene Sharaff — with a romantic sweetheart neckline and cheerily puffed sleeves — she dances all night with boy next door John Truitt (Tom Drake) and then serenades her little sister Tootie (Margaret O'Brien) with the melancholy Yuletide standard "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" in its original (and definitive) rendition.

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Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell in 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'. Courtesy Everett Collection

The bubblegum pink William Travilla sheath worn by Marilyn Monroe during her iconic performance of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" might be Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' most celebrated look, but we'd be remiss to overlook these ruby red showgirl dresses worn by Monroe and Jane Russell to open Howard Hawks' subversive musical comedy. Glittering in the slit-to-there gowns, the duo delivers an efficient statement of purpose with the number "Two Little Girls From Little Rock," which clearly establishes the gold-digging M.O. that makes "Diamonds" sparkle so brilliantly at the film's climax.

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In the Mood for Love (2000)

Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung in 'In the Mood for Love'. Miramax

As the melancholy Mrs. Chan in Wong Kar-wai's 1960s-set drama, Maggie Cheung wears a whole series of breathtaking cheongsams, designed by William Chang. Her vibrant red one is hard to see here — and it hardly gets any screen time, as it appears in a mostly cut but significant scene — but the very elusiveness of the image echoes the spirit of the achingly romantic film itself, in which something beautiful and longed-for exists only in incomplete glimpses, or within a hopeful imagination.

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Clueless (1995)

Alicia Silverstone in 'Clueless'. Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

It's a testament to Alicia Silverstone's pitch-perfect performance as Cher Horowitz, Beverly Hills teen queen in Amy Heckerling's era-defining, Emma-inspired high school classic, that her cry of "This is an Alaïa!" really is as memorable as the dress itself — a clean-lined, body-hugging mini that could only be made by, like, a totally important designer.

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Meghan Markle at the 2020 Mountbatten Festival of Music

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the Mountbatten Festival of Music at Royal Albert Hall. Karwai Tang/WireImage

In one of her and Prince Harry's final outings as senior working members of the royal family, the Duchess of Sussex made an impact in a sleek, caped, bright red Safiyaa dress (which coordinated elegantly with her husband, wearing his Royal Marines dress uniform for the last time).

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Funny Face (1957)

Audrey Hepburn in 'Funny Face'. Archive Photos/Getty Images

The film may have urged you to "think pink," but Audrey Hepburn's most spectacular style moment (unless you prefer her all-black beatnik-chic look) in Stanley Donen's sunny musical is the stunning appearance — on the steps of the Louvre in front of Winged Victory — of this crimson sheath by Hubert de Givenchy, whose partnership with Hepburn made for one of the most influential and generally gorgeous collaborations in fashion history.

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Ruth Negga at the 2017 Oscars

Ruth Negga attends the 89th Annual Academy Awards. Lester Cohen/WireImage

There was a lot worth falling for in this look from Best Actress-nominated Loving star Ruth Negga, who was a vision of elegance on the Oscars red carpet in a custom Valentino lace gown, accessorized with a ruby tiara and ACLU ribbon.

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Gone With the Wind (1939)

Vivien Leigh in 'Gone With the Wind'. Courtesy Everett Collection

Here's a dress that aged better than the movie it's in! Everything Vivien Leigh's Scarlett O'Hara wears in the Victor Fleming-directed, Oscar-winning adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's romantic epic is extravagant, but nothing makes such an impact as this shocking red dress by Walter Plunkett — which is cut to a much narrower silhouette than is seen anywhere else in the film — that Rhett (Clark Gable) makes her wear to a party.

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Minnie Driver at the 1998 Oscars

Minnie Driver at the 1998 Vanity Fair Oscar party. Mirek Towski/DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Good Will Hunting, Minnie Driver hit the Academy's carpet in a slinky red gown by Randolph Duke for Halston. She accessorized the bias-cut, asymmetrical dress with matching lipstick and a dyed faux fur stole.

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Ever After (1998)

Drew Barrymore in 'Ever After'. 20th Century Fox

She wore pale blues to win her prince and lost her glass slipper in an icy white, but Drew Barrymore's Danielle de Barbarac — the leading lady of Andy Tennant's practically perfect Cinderella adaptation — finally appears as a princess, to her stepmother (Anjelica Huston) and the rest of the world, draped in regal red, designed by Jenny Beaven.

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Jennifer Lawrence at the 2011 Oscars

Jennifer Lawrence at the 83rd Academy Awards. WireImage

While we could never forget the white Dior that Jennifer Lawrence wore (and tripped over) to accept her Oscar in 2013, she made an impact, too, during her first Academy appearance two years prior, when she was nominated for Winter's Bone and wore this sporty custom Calvin Klein.

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Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

Jessica Rabbit in 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit'. Buena Vista/courtesy Everett Collection

Jessica Rabbit is the ultimate animated sex symbol. She's got Kathleen Turner's voice! Of course she's wearing a sparkling, gravity-defying, absolutely bonkers red dress.

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Rihanna at the 2017 London premiere of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Rihanna at the European premiere of 'Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets'. David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage

Eternal style star Rihanna loves to play with volume, and she hit the blue carpet at the London premiere of Luc Besson's space opera wearing a rich red Giambattista Valli gown with a tiny fitted off-the-shoulder bodice atop a huge tiered skirt.

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Lady Gaga at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards

In 2010, Lady Gaga accepted the VMA for Video of the Year in an instantly infamous dress made of raw meat. Made of red meat.

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The Matrix (1999)

Fiona Johnson in 'The Matrix'. Warner Bros. Pictures

She doesn't even have a name, but, to be fair, she's not even a real person. In the Wachowskis' seminal sci-fi classic, as Neo (Keanu Reeves) learns how to navigate the simulation that is the Matrix, he gets distracted from his lesson by the woman in the red dress — which is just what she was programmed into the scene to do. Rookie mistake! But hey, he's not the first person to fall victim to the glamour of a red dress. That's exactly how they work! Aren't you being distracted from something by looking through photos of red dresses at this very moment? Is that, perhaps, the point of all of this? Are we in the Matrix right now???

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BONUS!!! Britney Spears' "Oops!… I Did It Again" music video (2000)

Britney Spears in the "Oops!... I Did it Again" music video. Jive

Oops! This is technically a jumpsuit, but when we're talking about showstopping red looks, Britney Spears' iconic intergalactic-Titanic latex ensemble by Michael Bush absolutely cannot be left out of the conversation. That is just so typically her!