Miranda Lambert's Outfits That Just Didn't Work

You thought the West was wild, but have you seen Miranda Lambert's chaotic cowgirl style? For someone whose preference is to rock laidback looks, she sure has worn a lot of outrageous outfits deserving of a "Wanted" poster for wardrobe-related crimes.

To be fair, the "Kerosene" singer never set out to light the fashion world on fire when she decided to pursue a career in country music. "When I got a record deal I said, 'I'm only wearing jeans. I'm not wearing frilly dresses,'" she recalled to Elle. "Dancing around in sequins is just not who I am." While many women would love to have access to the designer dresses and shoes that Lambert does, the performer told OK! she's not big on getting all gussied up for red-carpet events, either. "I'm definitely ready to get back in my jeans once it's over," she said.

Lambert's style has evolved a great deal since those early days when she wanted to keep her stage looks as casual as possible. Now, she wears outfits inspired by Elvis Presley during his most ostentatious era: the Vegas years. She told WWD she even christened one of her costumes Lone Star Elvis. It's a fitting sartorial salute to The King, seeing as how the Texas native has a Vegas residency. Being a little adventurous with her stage style has often worked in Lambert's favor, but some of her fashion decisions have fallen flatter than a dried cow patty.

The turquoise gown Miranda Lambert wore to the Grammy Awards in 2010 was fine for someone who is only famous in a small town, but what works for the homecoming queen and head cheerleader doesn't necessarily translate into something suitable for a red-carpet event. 

The dress' one-shoulder design was the height of early aughts prom fashion. Beaded stripes twisted around the satin gown, which looked slightly wrinkled, and the bottom flared out into three tiers of ruffles. It was exactly the type of "frilly" frock that Lambert told Elle she had zero interest in wearing. Her voluminous updo was also very Southern small town — you can almost hear her granny sagely saying, "The higher the hair the closer to God," as she pins it up. All the "Dead Flowers" singer was missing was a corsage.

Perhaps Lambert quickly regretted channeling her inner teen beauty queen. She began working with stylist Tiffany Gifford a few months after the 2010 Grammys, and Gifford told StyleCaster that her client had developed a strong dislike of that dress' silhouette. "It's actually really funny, but she refuses to wear one-shoulder anything ... [otherwise] she's up for anything! " said Gifford. So, at least that look became one style mistake Lambert never had to worry about repeating.

Miranda Lambert and her now-ex Blake Shelton were busy preparing for their 2011 wedding when the Kentucky Derby took place that year, so Lambert decided to take advantage of the timing by having her bachelorette party at the event. Being an animal lover, she was probably excited to watch Animal Kingdom win the prestigious race (especially if she had a wager on him). 

In her song "If I Was a Cowboy," Lambert sings about wearing a Stetson and carrying a six-shooter. She did neither of those things at the Derby, but she did channel a cowboy in one way. On her feet, she wore a pair of dark brown, beat-up boots. There was a striking dissimilarity between the aesthetics of her rugged footwear and her blush mini dress, a layered number that resembled a lacy petticoat. It featured a strapless bodice and a tiered skirt. The garment was pretty on its own but way too dissonant with the dark boots.

Lambert's floppy yellow sun hat topped with a giant tulle flower also seemed to belong with an entirely different outfit. Her jewelry was similarly eclectic — it looked like she had grabbed a bunch of items off of a knick-knack shelf and fashioned them into a clunky charm necklace. They included a few crystals, a locket, a watch face, and a key. Perhaps the collection of seemingly random junk was supposed to be her good luck charms?

The 2012 CMT Awards were a big night for Miranda Lambert. In addition to winning the female video of the year award for "Over You," she performed with her group, the Pistol Annies. Lambert and the other two members of the trio — Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley — sang their hit "Takin' Pills." The song is about a group of scrappy musicians who barely make enough money to afford truck stop meals, and Lambert's metallic mini dress definitely fit with the theme.

It's like she got duped by a designer into purchasing a garment cobbled together from leftover scraps of silver and gold fabric. Filmy strips of white material that looked like a form of lining also haphazardly criss-crossed the dress. A large cut-out displayed Lambert's bronzed décolletage, and the sides of the opening were held in place by a piece of leather and a buckle positioned at the neck.

It seems the artist had a difficult time dropping the magpie tendencies she was once scrutinized for. Lambert got her start on the singing competition "Nashville Star," but she told Women's Health she began performing in public before then. "I played in Texas bars and my style was awful. Bad clothes, shiny," she said. "I was a big shiny, glittery-type person. ... I had to have stylists tell me, 'That's ugly.'" At least the "Hell on Heels" singer paired some fire gold pumps with her glittering Frankenstein dress.

She might be a Southern girl, but Miranda Lambert got style inspiration from her nation's Northern neighbors for the 2021 ACM Awards. She decided to give the Canadian tuxedo a country makeover but took things way too far.

Lambert sings about how long a beloved blue jean brand takes to burn in her song "Wranglers." While the flared Lee jeans she wore to the ACMs weren't deserving of such a fiery fate, their wash did not match the somewhat brighter blue hue of her chambray shirt and denim jacket. Looking at such a color mismatch can make your brain feel like it has an itch it just can't scratch. Lambert's husband, Brendan McLoughlin, also wore jeans on the red carpet, but thankfully, the couple spared us a repeat of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake's denim-on-denim debacle.

Lambert also went overboard with the turquoise jewelry. The bright stones were embedded in her belt buckle, cocktail ring, and wrist cuff. She also wore a lobster-sized statement necklace covered with the gems. Even the most hardcore hippie art teachers would have to agree that she should have left a few of the pieces at home. Lambert completed her outfit with a white cowboy hat, matching boots, and a pair of silver concho earrings that proved everything really is bigger in Texas, even when it doesn't need to be — Lambert was definitely suffering from a bad case of accessory overload.

Sometimes Miranda Lambert dresses like a television actor from a bygone era hired her to play a cowgirl character on a kids' show. She looks prepared to greet her young viewers with a hearty "Howdy, cowpokes!" before having a convo with her trusty sidekick, a stick horse named Rusty.

Lambert was wearing one of these stage costumes when she performed "If I Was a Cowboy" at the 2022 CMT Music Awards. However, her pink cowboy hat and black jumpsuit looked more appropriate for a visit to Pee-wee's Playhouse than a cattle drive or a poker game at a saloon. Slime-colored fringe dripped from her arms, and Western motifs covered her jumpsuit. There were stallions having a sunset hoof fight on her stomach, cacti on her shins, and clouds adrift on her shoulders. She accessorized her outfit with a heaping helping of turquoise jewelry. If Lisa Frank designed Western wear, it might look a bit like her ensemble.

Speaking to StyleCaster about the country music biz, Tiffany Gifford insisted, "It is more fashion forward than it gets credit for." The stylist also added, "The artists aren't all denim, rhinestones and fringe." Unfortunately, she and Lambert are big fans of these three elements, and they can look outdated and cheesy if not executed right. In other words, they can be more "Hee Haw" than yee-haw.