TV characters can be the trendsetters of the decade. But there are also numerous examples of TV characters that will earn a place in the history of fashion with their tasteless choices. From Howard Wolowitz from Big Bang Theory to Vanessa Abrams from Gossip Girl, this is the complete, comprehensive, list of disasters. We are not fashion designers either but these outfits are something else. Buckle up and get ready for some eyesores as we go through the 40 worst-dressed TV characters of all times!
1. Phoebe Buffay from Friends
We will start with one of the most eccentric TV characters of all time, Phoebe Buffay. Well, we all love her, but seriously, is her quirky personality enough of an excuse to have the worst wardrobe ever?
Phoebe Buffay played by Lisa Kudrow is for sure the most tasteless Friends character out there. Maybe she can get some lessons from Gunter, who is also quirky but keeps it limited to his weirdly patterned ties.
2. Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad
Saul is definitely not the best lawyer out there and his fashion choices do no good for his reputation. One might think dressing up formally cannot go wrong but honestly how does Saul manage to come up with the worst combine ever.
From weird color combinations, patterned suits, and ties with even weirder patterns, Saul manages to make his way into this list. Maybe not better call Saul if you are trying to decide which shirt goes better with your suit.
3. Howard Wolowitz from Big Bang Theory
Where does even one start on how bad Howard dresses? This one does not need much explanation for anyone who can see it.
Howard's style is a category of itself. We all know that turtlenecks can be flattering but combining them with the weirdest shirts on the earth should be illegal.
4. Edie Britt from Desperate Housewives
Yes, we understand that she is a “Desperate Housewife” but does that mean that she can wear whatever she wants? Edie might be the most eye-catching amongst the cast but it does not excuse her always inappropriate clothes.
Along with not knowing when to wear what, her choices of patterns were never appealing to the eyes. Maybe she should read more fashion magazines in her free time.
5. Cerie from 30 Rock
This one is a great example of how someone who is really attractive can look really ugly by having no idea how to dress. We all know that she is a bombshell but did she really need to wear the most hideous, revealing clothes of all times?
If she just had a little common sense, she would not be in this list but rather would be in another list for the most charming TV characters of all time.
6. Steve Urkel from Family Matters
We all have seen this coming. Signature looks are important but it can be questionable if somebody is trying to achieve it by using these utterly unpleasing suspenders.
Along with the suspenders, the unimaginably thick glass frames do not help at all. Steve definitely should rethink his choice of signature items, though we have to admit, they made a statement.
7. Tobias Funke from Arrested Development
Where do we even start? Just because you are in a comedy, that doesn't mean that you should be a joke when it comes to how you dress.
From his unacceptably small denim shorts to his all blue Avatar look, we cannot help ourselves but wonder if he has ever seen a mirror in his life.
8. Hannah Montana from Hannah Montana
Admittedly, the 2000s were not a great time for fashion but it does not excuse the poorly made fashion choices of Disney star Hannah Montana.
Living a double life must be hard, but does that mean you can get away with all of these fashion mistakes? We understand that she is a rock star but does she really need that many sparkles?
9. Kurt Hummel from Glee
As the token gay character of the Glee club, Kurt was already portrayed as the quirky outlier of the group, but some of his outfits were straight up disappointing.
We all loved to watch Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel but we cannot excuse his lack of fashion sense. These outfits did not only make our eyes sore but also made Kurt’s life way harder than it should have been.
10. Harper Finkle from Wizards of Waverly Place
We all loved Harper Finkle. She was an honorary Russo family member, and they let her in on all of their secrets. Unfortunately, she did all of her fashion on her own.
While we love the creative flair and the confidence, we have to question her choices. Rubber ducks on plastic? Harper, come on, show us some magic.
11. Miranda Sanchez from Lizzie McGuire
Where do we even start? If you are the sidekick of the main character, we expect you to have a better sense of fashion than this.
High school was harsh on all of us, but did she really need to go through all of these phases with her hair? The only good thing about this fashion fail is that she helped Lizzie shine even brighter.
12. Lily Iglehart from Sex Education
Lily is one of the most interesting characters in Sex Education so she definitely deserves to catch our eyes. However, her personality is sometimes shadowed by her weird combinations of random clothing items.
We all like an expressive character, but do they really need to do it through bad fashion? Every other scene with Lily is a surprise and we can never predict the next crazy combination that she will come up with.
13. Sam from Atypical
Sam’s life is not particularly easy but still one can always work on how they look. He is the classic highschooler that fades into the background with his hoodies.
Throughout the series, we get to witness his struggles with day-to-day troubles, so maybe the next thing on the list to be tackled can be his fashion choices.
14. Hannah Horvath from Girls
For sure, Hannah is one of the most relatable TV characters of all time, but it still does not excuse some of her clothing choices. Being relatable should not mean having a terrible wardrobe, right?
She wears whatever she wants without considering how it fits on her. She usually wears baggy clothes with weird patterns that make her look like a cross between a librarian and a third-grade teacher. Foreshadowing, perhaps?
15. Mimi Bobeck from The Drew Carey Show
Mimi by Kathy Kinney gave all of us a good laugh with her amazing performance. However, there have been several instances where her colorful outfits were too much to handle.
Just because something is colorful does not mean that it goes well with other colorful stuff. Not to mention all that make-up, that added to the overall chaos.
16. Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory
Even though Sheldon is not the worst dressed character in Big Bang Theory, he still deserves to be on this list. Some of his shirts are iconic, others on the other hand...
Did anyone let him know that you can wear a long sleeve shirt without another shirt on top? It could have been excusable if it was a one-time thing but his style is definitely not a phase.
17. Betty Suarez from Ugly Betty
Yes, we know that the promise of the series is that Betty is ugly. But did they have to go this far? Having to wear bracelets or glasses is not a choice, but her tasteless way of combining clothes definitely was.
She might have gotten a job at a fashion magazine, but she cannot trick us after we watched her dressing up poorly for every occasion for so long.
18. Paige Hardaway from Atypical
Paige has an outstanding character in the show but she still manages to disappoint us with her fashion choices. Dressing up is always nice but she is the definition of overdressed for every occasion.
If she toned down a bit on her heavily patterned clothes, she can be an absolute stunner. However, now she looks a bit too matronly.
19. Phyllis Vance from The Office
She is your typical aunty with baggy clothes and long skirts. One cannot help but only wonder where she even gets these weird necklaces to match her look.
If she changed her glasses and stopped wearing monocolored outfits, her looks can go from 0 to 10. But she wouldn't be the same deadpan Phyllis we know and love.
20. Leonard Hofstadter from Big Bang Theory
We all love practical outfits with layers and hoodies but they are only good for outdoor activities. Leonard never fails to surprise us with his consistent love for mixing and matching different shirts with jackets.
We mostly see him hanging out with his friends in the living room, so how cold could it be that he needs to wear at least 3 layers at all times?
21. Endora from Bewitched
Sometimes, the moment we meet a character on the screen, we know who they are. Endora is one of them. All the colors and the details on her outfit screams for attention.
However, as we all know, there should be a limit to the bright color that one should carry at once. Endora mixes it up a bit too much with her bright red hair, fly make-up, and accessories.
22. Lily Aldrin from How I Met Your Mother
We all know that Lily is a shopaholic, though we can only wonder how she still manages to dress up that badly.
She might just be another victim of the 2000s fashion but next to Barney Stinson she only shines for her fashion fails. Who knows, she might thrive in another decade, but we can for sure say that some of her matches were questionable.
23. Sugar Motta from Glee
Nobody missed the fact that Sugar Motta loves to wear hairbands on her forehead. On another note, is it seriously our duty to let her know that the 60s are long gone.
Everything went downhill when Sugar stopped being a cheerleader and started wearing something else but the uniform. Thankfully, her horrible fashion sense masked her horrible singing voice.
24. Screech from Saved by the Bell
Screech was the embodiment of the questionable patterns of the 90s. It would be okay to mix these patterns with chiller outfits but he had chosen to go all out.
His extravagant suspenders combined with interesting pants helped him gain a spot on this list. Not even the bell could save him...
25. London Tipton from The Suite Life on Deck
It is one of the shows that we've all watched while growing up. We also had no sense of fashion like a bunch of kids but now just take a second to look back and think about all the weird dresses London Tipton wore.
There is no question that she loved sparkles and dresses. Still, it would not be an exaggeration to say that she was always overdressed in comparison to anyone else on the yacht.
26. Manny Delgado from The Modern Family
Manny Delgado is an adorable and well-mannered child but yet he dresses up like a 60-year-old retired old man. Every time we see him on the screen, all we want to do is to give him some t-shirts and shorts like any other boy his age.
His retro button-up shirts with classic pants make him a good candidate for the awkward uncle at the family dinner. If he was 64, we would have no judgment but his style is a bit old for a young boy. Maybe his mother is to blame.
27. Meredith Palmer from The Office
Maybe if she stopped wearing really ill-fitting dresses or long sleeves under dresses, she might have not made it into this list. Yet here we are.
The office was never the pinnacle of fashion but Meredith still managed to stand out with her sad choices. That's ok, we still love her.
28. Maddie Fitzpatrick from The Suite Life of Zach and Cody
We would love to say that Maddie’s outfits were memorable in a nice way but she is the only one to blame for how badly we remember her aesthetic choices.
The saddest part is that she wanted to be a fashion icon with her dazzling choices but all of her over-the-top matches left us speechless in the worst possible way. However, you can't deny she had spunk.
29. Kimmy Gibbler from Full House
Being dorky can look cute if one knows how to dress up. Kimmy was definitely awkward but not cute at all thanks to her quirky fashion preferences.
Everything could drastically improve if she had a little sense of how to mix and match different pieces of clothing. Who in the right mind would think that a tank top on a long sleeve shirt is a good idea?
30. Amy Farrah Fowler from The Big Bang Theory
There is a general understanding that the nerds do not know how to dress but honestly, does it need to go this far? She can be super smart but has no idea when it comes to fashion. In other words, she has the brains to be a neuroscientist but not the eyes to be a fashion icon.
She would make a great grandmother with her long skirts, cardigans, and orthopedic shoes. Her hair and glasses definitely did not help her look, but there's no denying her mad smarts make up for it all.
31. Fran Fine from The Nanny
Yet another attention seeker with bright colors and more than questionable combinations. One cannot forget Fran’s neon-colored clothes that are absurdly matched with one another.
If Fran toned down a bit with the blazers and moved on to a more suiting color palette, she could have been a trendsetter.
32. Xander Harris from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
This is another example of how a bad outfit choice can ruin the looks of an actor that is naturally handsome. His long weird pattern silk shirts are just too much no matter what.
At this point, we can only wonder why this series of unfortunate outfits took place in the history of TV. Still, it hurts whenever we set eyes on Xander.
33. Lily from Hannah Montana
We already discussed how terrible Hannah Montana dressed so it is not surprising that her bad fashion sense spread to her best friend, Lily.
We all loved stitching up patches to look cool but there is a limit to it. Sometimes three different shirts and skirts over pants are just overkill.
34. Paul Joshua Pfeiffer from The Wonder Years
Here we are with another stereotypical example of how TV portrays nerds. Pauls's thick glasses might help to build up his nerd persona but it is not an acceptable fashion item.
We wish the glasses were the only problem but his tucked-in button-up shirts do not help either.
35. Blossom from Blossom
Mismatched prints are the recipe for disaster and Blossom has lots of good examples when it comes to fashion.
She is yet another character with forgivable poor fashion choices, because of her adorable character. But it does take a second to think about giving those absurd hats a pass.
36. Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad
To be honest, Jesse Pinkman never had a reputation for being presentable. On the other hand his colleague, Walter White has a more consistent and presentable style throughout the series.
When we think of Jesse, we can only think of beanies, greasy hair, baggy clothes, and cargo pants. We understand that he has street fashion but it should not mean that he needs to look like he hasn’t showered since he was baptized.
37. Fabiola Torres from Never Have I Ever
Fabiola is the smartest of the group of friends but still, she is clueless when it comes to understanding what teenage fashion should look like. Most of her looks belong to a sales assistant rather than a high school student.
Unfortunately, she only wears polo shirts which are sharply ironed and tucked into her sad-looking pants. With a quick twist, she can be the fashion icon of the school but right now she's still figuring it out.
38. Raj Koothrappali from Big Bang Theory
The last fashion criminal from the Big Bang Theory. Even though it was a killer comedy with well-written characters, none of the characters knew how to dress. Raj had a similar problem to Leonard. Too many layers.
The same question persists, do they even have heating in their house? How do they manage to sit around in all of these layers? Layers can be nice if they are coordinated carefully. However, this is just another example of how matching layers just went downhill.
39. Vanessa Abrams from Gossip Girl
Her natural beauty did not save her from her terrible fashion choices. She was a weird mix of bohemian style with a high-end dress- up. Seeing these two styles side by side is already alarming and Venessa is the living example of how wrong it can go.
Big earrings, layers, and layers of necklace, funny bag, and countless other weird accessories were just the cherry on top. We cannot see any tangent where this styling could have been saved so there is no option but include her on this list.
40. Raven Baxter from That's So Raven
Last but not least, another Disney star, Raven who made us cringe. Her outfits always put her under the spotlight, but honestly, was it worth it?
She loved to mix and match furry clothes, weirdly designed suits, and awkward tops. We mean, she was already the start of the show. Why did she have to try this hard?
