Kerry Washington’s ‘Gone with the Wind’ Prada gown: ridiculous, hideous or…?

Kerry Washington had a really busy day yesterday. She attended “The Paley Center for Media Presents Kerry Washington” event in NYC (the white J.Mendel dress), then she did Late Night with David Letterman (the chintzy Prabal Gurung dress with the sheer sleeves) and then she did the big premiere of Scandal Season 3, which premieres tonight.

For the premiere, she wore this giant blue Gone With the Wind ensemble. The dress is Prada. And it makes me feel… sorry for her? Is that the right emotion? Like, Kerry doesn’t need my pity. She’s cool and talented and the world is her oyster. But she’s been making some DREADFUL style choices lately. She wore that f—ked up Marchesa gown to the Emmys and now this Prada mess? Oh, Kerry. You are so much better than this. Edit out all of the Prada gowns and Marchesa gowns! Go with… I don’t know, Marc Jacobs or Burberry or Armani. Clean, simple styles.

Kerry also covers the new issue of Essence (cover below) and she talks about the difference between her personal style and Olivia Pope’s style. Kerry says Olivia “has three modes: Work Olivia, Black-Tie Gala Olivia and At Home Olivia. And her designers are Armani, Escada, Dior, Max Mara, Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci.” Kerry says her own style is “more eclectic. There’s Going to Work Kerry, which is gym clothes and Nike kicks. That’s the Bronx girl. There’s also Red Carpet Kerry and Out to Dinner With Friends Kerry. I tend to be a little more MiH jeans, Derek Lam and Jason Wu.” Then wear Jason Wu on the red carpet! Don’t try Marchesa and Prada.

Photos courtesy of WENN and Fame/Flynet.

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86 Responses to “Kerry Washington’s ‘Gone with the Wind’ Prada gown: ridiculous, hideous or…?”

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  1. Jackie Jormp Jomp (formerly Zelda) says:

    That is a very silly looking dress.

  2. aims says:

    love her, the dress is absurd.

    • Apples says:

      Agreed. But, I wonder if that’s the point/goal. She’s front-lining a network show and needs to do everything she can to keep people talking. I think her strange, unexpected, and downright ugly clothing choices can be explained by this.

  3. Stacy Dresden says:

    I don’t know. It is kind of wack but at the same time, she’s such a goddess. It’s fun to be surprised by fashion.

  4. Walt Jr says:

    Ladies, I think we have a legitimate case here for some fringe/bangs. What do you guys think?

  5. Katren says:

    That belt doesn’t match the dress at all!

  6. Grant says:

    I actually kind of liked the Marchesa Emmy gown… *ducks*

    Is Scandal all that good? Is it something I should jump into? I watched the pilot and wasn’t particularly blown away. And KW doesn’t knock my socks off as an actress either. I feel like she graduated from the Kit Harrington School of Acting, wherein she only has one expression.

    • Rosie says:

      Note by Celebitchy: banned multiple nicks (also see Brad Pitt, Emile Hirsch threads)
      Lol. Anybody who would accuse Kerry Washington of being one note in her acting has not seen Kerry Washington act.

    • ag-UK says:

      I didn’t like the first couple of episodes but it does get better and actually she is really good as well as Tony Goldwyn (they have good chemistry) and the other cast are good as well. It is better now season 2 (here in the UK we are almost finshed)

    • GlimmerBunny says:

      I loved the Marchesa gown and I’m not ashamed to admit it! She looked like a goddess in it.

    • Samtha says:

      The show gets better as it goes, mostly because it becomes more and more over-the-top. If you’re not a fan of that kind of thing, you’ll probably hate it.

    • mayamae says:

      I don’t watch Scandal, but she pretty much ruined Django Unchained for me.

    • Abby says:

      I really like this show. I watched both seasons this summer after getting bombarded after Grey’s anatomy every episode. Yes I still watch Grey’s. Don’t judge!

      Scandal has become my husband’s and my favorite show on TV and we’ve been counting down till tonight. It’s nothing like Grey’s, so don’t let that scare you off.

    • Calabar says:

      OMG, I have been saying that forever, this woman only has one facial expression when acting. The surrounding cast really makes the sure and the writing of course. But Kerry cannot ACT!

  7. gg says:

    That dress is an insult to anybody wearing it. It looks like a fancy maid’s uniform.

  8. brin says:

    Add a string of pearls and June Cleaver would be proud.

  9. Ag says:

    Love the white dress. That’s all I’ve got.

  10. grabbyhands says:

    If the dress had a tea length skirt on it, it would have been cute.

  11. Chinoiserie says:

    If the dress was shorter and the waist was better I would like this. The color is gorgeous on her and get what Prada was going for, this could have looked fashionable and interesting if it was done better.

  12. lucy2 says:

    I know she is different from her character and has a different style, but…she is always dressed to perfection on the show. I wish she’d go a little more in that direction in real life.

    • Malificent says:

      It’s the ruffle front that is the final nail in the sartorial coffin. It might have been really fun if they’d taken the silk gingham and done some really modern cut with it. I don’t mind “ultra-retro” trends, and I love me some “Little House on the Prairie”, but this is painful overkill.

  13. Eve says:

    “Kerry Washington’s ‘Gone with the Wind’ Prada gown: ridiculous, hideous or…?”

    Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.

  14. babyroxy says:

    The show is great – I love it. Whoever dresses her on the show needs to have an intervention and start dressing Kerry in “real life” because the girl needs help. Left too her own devices, she makes awful wardrobe choices.

    • duchess of hazard says:

      Kerry Washington works with a stylish. I want to say, Erin Walsh? But yeah, more misses than hits post Django.

  15. Oli says:

    she is gorgous. Love her!

  16. Raised Brow says:

    Her hair in the blue mess….what’s it doing?

  17. snakecharmer says:

    the gold dress on the essence cover is smokin hot

  18. Rose says:

    Pregnant

    • HappyMom says:

      Absolutely. Hence these looks.

    • Domestic_diva says:

      I was just going to say that I totally agree she’s known for form fitting totally preggers she’ll be adorable after she’s ready to come out with it

  19. Mrs.Darcy says:

    The belt makes her look thick, and she is TINY, so much so I am starting to wonder if these bad fashion moments are lending credence to the preggo rumours…love her in Scandal, and Tony, too hot – it goes over the top into the ludicrous fairly often but I still enjoy it.

  20. Lila says:

    I kind of like it. Obviously it’s hideous but I like to see stars working all different looks. Sometimes pretty gets boring. Bring on the interesting Kerry! She can certainly work it.

  21. Samtha says:

    Little House chic.

  22. yolo112 says:

    I feel like we all need to get on Kerry’s ‘IDGAF What you think’ train. That dress may be fug, but’cha know what?? She wears it like she owns it. Her confidence allows her to pull it off. PLUS she’s so damn beautiful, she can *almost* pull anything off. I actually like that she wears things that aren’t cookie cutter celeb style. Obviously, IMO, this chic can wear a Lady Gaga inspired black garbage bag and still look good.. My girl crush for this one is strong. lol

  23. DB says:

    I think she’s preggers. Ever since she secretly got married over the summer, she’s been shying away from the bodycon dresses she’s used to wearing. If my guess is correct, she’s either choosing these crazy dresses because a) she doesn’t know how to dress her changing body or b) she’s trying to distract us from her growing belly bump with these crazy fashion choices. Whatever the reason, I still love Kerry. She’s fabulous and I’m happy for her success. I’m kind of hoping she is pregnant so that they can write it into Scandal.

    • Miss M says:

      Agree!

    • Abby says:

      oooh that would be so interesting!

    • Janet says:

      That would put an interesting spin on the story line. Who’s the babydaddy, Fitz or Jake? And how will Mellie react wondering if it’s Fitz’s or not? Will she finally have a complete meltdown?

      All kinds of intriguing possibilities for Shonda to play around with…

      … that being said, I don’t think she’s pregnant.

  24. Eileen says:

    Honestly the green curtain dress with rod and all Carol Burnett wore spoofing Gone with the Wind looks better than that gingham dress Kerry is wearing!

  25. davidbowie says:

    Good lord what the hell is she wearing?!?!

  26. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    Holy….

  27. Audrey says:

    She should dress like her character , Olivia. The clothes in all these photos are hideous. Oh, and you all know about the rumors that she’s having a real affair with the man that plays the president…;)

  28. tabby says:

    I don’t know why, but I can’t stand her. I feel like every time she talks her teeth are gonna fall out, this woman needs to eat.

    • Gistine says:

      This made me laugh. I totes feel you. SO overrated!

    • mayamae says:

      I like her in interviews, but have a very hard time watching her act because of the way she talks. There’s a new promo for Scandal where she’s slowly saying, “What Did You Do?”, and it makes me want to scream. I’ve never had this reaction to any other actor. I’ve watched Shonda’s other shows, but this one I just can’t.

  29. Kim1 says:

    I love KW but blue dress is a hot mess.What’s with belt and shoes.I like Essence dress

  30. KT says:

    She needs to fire her stylist & get lyn Paolo -stylist for scandal- to dress her.

  31. Mean Hannah says:

    That’s not a Prada dress. That’s my high school musical costume from The Music Man. Shiny nylon/polyester taffeta, the white belt and shoes I added to stand out on stage and all.

    • DB says:

      Now that you mention it, this could also be the dress I wore in my 8th grade production of Oklahoma. Perhaps Kerry chose to save $ on this appearance, and just rented from the costume shop that outfits grade school and high school musicals.

  32. fhm57 says:

    would have been great were it two feet shorter.

  33. MeganDraper says:

    She is pregnant, right? Her boobs are bigger and she’s hiding her waist. Let’s wait and see.

  34. dorothy says:

    After being subjected to Kim Kardashian’s cut out dress, anything is better.

  35. Gistine says:

    Mammy!

  36. Izzy says:

    What the fug… ?

  37. RHONYC says:

    Gone with the Wind…or did you mean OKLAHOMA???

    i swear she look like she’s about to get in ‘a surrey with a fringe on the top’! 😯

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss1CXo8QMi8

  38. Helena says:

    Horrid dress…but if you cut it a bit shorter, she can play Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz

  39. Janet says:

    Kerry Washington needs to take some styling tips from Olivia Pope.

  40. Nubiahbella says:

    She suffers of the same syndrome of Christina Hendricks ” I can’t dress when I am not on set”. They both need their stylist who work on their shows to style them in real life.

  41. loveisthecoal says:

    I kind of love this, just because of how ridiculous it is. It’s so absurd that it almost comes back around to being awesome.

  42. Nanea says:

    Pansies!

    I really don’t get how Kerry or her stylist hardly ever manage to get it right. The blue of the gingham is a nice color on her, but why would anyone agree to wear something like that dress outside of carnival season?

  43. joan says:

    Her problem is not only is she adventurous and experimental, but also her clothes never fit her quite right.

    FIT is so important, and she has a lovely body for wearing clothes.

    If she wore crazy adventurous clothes that fit really really well, it might work. But best would be just wear gorgeous clothes fitting perfectly.

  44. Abby says:

    nonononono. Olivia Pope would never wear this. NO.

  45. Laura says:

    Calling it, she’s pregnant…

  46. Anna S. says:

    It looks like Dorothy decided to skip OZ and go to the prom. Hideous.

  47. LilyT says:

    Why oh why did she wear a tablecloth.. This is depressing to look at.

  48. HK9 says:

    So this is what they call ironically unattractive??

  49. Jayna says:

    She usually nails it, but that dress is embarrassing.

  50. lenje says:

    Gingham Style!

  51. KinChicago says:

    Any dress hideous enough to render this exquisite woman ugly should not exist. Ever.

  52. Stacy says:

    Little House on the Prada … Pa, is that you?

  53. Janet says:

    Forget that horrible dress, I want that white coat she was wearing in the season premiere tonight. They should give a special Emmy to the costume designer for the show. God, that coat was gorgeous!

    • Abby says:

      I love everything she wears, her bags, her shoes, her house… I love Olivia Pope’s life. 🙂

  54. Fabgrrl says:

    Totally preggo and trying to hide it. Congrats!