Skip to main contentSkip to footer
Renée pictured at the 92nd Oscars in 2022© Getty Images

Renée Zellweger reveals horror story over her 2005 Oscars gown

The Bridget Jones star suffered a wardrobe malfunction after the star-studded ceremony

Maria Sarabi
Junior Writer
January 16, 2025
Share this:

If you thought the Oscars was a night of glitz and glamor, where stars exude picture-perfect elegance, Renée Zellweger revealed a behind-the-scenes horror story of what can really happen to those bedazzled gowns after stepping off the red carpet. 

Renée wore a Carolina Herrera gown© Getty Images
Renée wore a Carolina Herrera gown

The 55-year-old actress shared that she suffered a major wardrobe malfunction after she attended the 77th Academy Awards in 2005. For the star-studded occasion, Renée donned a red strapless Carolina Herrera dress which featured a waist-cinching bodice, a fishtail silhouette and detailed tulle trimming on the long train. 

However, in a new interview with British Vogue, the star recalled that as she left the ceremony a "gentleman stepped on the train". She said: "I kept walking in the other direction and it ripped it right off my dress from right beneath my booty.

"There were parties and things afterwards, but I needed to go home and do a little bit of a costume change."

The dress featured a long train© Getty Images
The dress featured a long train

The drama didn't end there as once Renée reached her home she realized she didn't have her house key. "So I had to climb up the balcony to the second floor and climb in through a little bathroom window in that dress with the hole under my booty," said the star, laughing.

Despite the later gown fiasco, Renée looked sensational on the red carpet as she styled her locks into an Audrey Hepburn-inspired bun with a short wispy side fringe. The two-time Oscar winner frosted her décolletage with a diamond-encrusted tennis necklace, while teaming her scarlet gown with a matching clutch. 

Renee presented Best Actor in a Supporting Role © Getty Images
Renee presented Best Actor in a Supporting Role

The Jerry Maguire star also discussed her first Academy Award outfit that she wore in 1999. Renée donned L'Wren Scott's first-ever dress for the occasion, with the lilac gown featuring a sleeveless high-neck cut. The silky number was adorned with gold embellishments and a small train, while Renée opted for her signature pixie hair cut. 

Renée during her first Oscars © Getty Images
Renée during her first Oscars

She said: "I believe there was a tall boy can of Budweiser and a bag of Doritos that went into the preparation for this look."

For her February British Vogue cover, Renée resorted back to her '90s roots and debuted her new soft pixie hair cut. Hairstylist Syd Haynes revealed to British Vogue that the star was enthusiastic about the radical cut. “When you’re cutting someone’s hair short, they’ve got to want to do it – it’s them who has to love it,” Syd shared.

View post on Instagram
 

“She was so open to it. It wasn’t about Bridget, but more about her as a person.”

To achieve the trim, Syd used a mixture of clippers, scissors and razor blades with the result being a powerful androgynous look with light, irregular ends. The "Bowie-esque" do was styled using Vidal Sasson's wrap dry technique.

Sign up to HELLO Daily! for the best royal, celebrity and lifestyle coverage

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information please click here.

More Fashion

See more