London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 20, 2025

Frances McDormand’s Best Rule-Breaking Fashion Moments

Frances McDormand’s Best Rule-Breaking Fashion Moments

Frances McDormand lives life by her own rules. When it comes to fashion, the Oscar-winning actor, and one of Vogue’s four January cover stars, consistently attends red carpet events in looks that are 100% her.

As an awards ceremony veteran-she’s one of the most consistently nominated actors in Hollywood-you’ll never find her succumbing to the latest trend or designers of the moment. Instead, McDormand has more of an authentic, IDGAF energy surrounding her style choices. It’s incredibly refreshing. Over the years, she’s served up a number of rule-breaking moments that prove fashion is here to have fun with and not to be taken too seriously.

For starters, the 63-year-old has a history of eschewing the standard gown-and-stilettos pairing that many A-list actors follow suit at awards shows. Her ensembles often lean casual, but when she does dress up, it’s full of whimsy and kitsch. She’s very much anti-heels on the red carpet, but still folds in designer labels. Last year, in fact, McDormand stepped out on two carpet occasions wearing bold, printed Valentino gowns, with the Valentino x Birkenstock sandals to match-proving that comfort can be chic in the process.

But her fashion irreverence is not about the clothes or accessories alone. McDormand also hits the step-and-repeats with a full-on kooky energy, too, hamming it up for photographers with campy poses. Never one to merely walk a red carpet, instead she storms it for full camp-effect. She knows how to play the Hollywood game, but McDormand is always in full control of her narrative as a red carpet rebel, and it’s a spirit that’s only gotten better throughout the years.

Below, McDormand’s 11 best rule-breaking fashion moments.



Why do heels when you can do Birks? At the Rome Film Festival in 2019, McDormand stormed the red carpet in a Valentino gown with red Valentino x Birkenstock sandals to match-proving comfort can indeed be chic.



Two time’s a charm! McDormand wore her favorite Valentino x Birkenstock flats yet again, at the 2019 Oscars. This time, she paired a red Valentino gown with chartreuse sandals for a power clash.



At the 2018 Met Gala, which was themed “Heavenly Bodies,” McDormand wore a face-concealing headpiece, pairing it with her dramatic Valentino cape.



At a 2017 screening of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri in Venice, McDormand traipsed around the step-and-repeat serving us dramatic (and bewildered) expressions.



Groovy, baby! For a screening of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri in Venice in 2017, McDormand rocked a denim button-up and wide-leg jeans with platform sandals.



Her sneaker game? Strong. McDormand is apparently anti-heels, and at Rome’s Festa del Cinema in 2015, she took to the red carpet in a pair of chunky Marni sneakers, pairing them with a cobalt blue coat, printed shirt, and trousers.



A premiere gown is safe, sure, but McDormand proved an overcoat, sweater, and jeans can look just as good at the debut of Laurel Canyon in New York in the early aughts.



The Tony Awards are all about glitz and glam. But in 2011, McDormand accepted her award for best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play wearing a decidedly more dressed-down ensemble: a cropped denim jacket and striped maxidress.



At the Vanity Fair Oscars Party in 2001, McDormand ignored the sea of sequined gowns and, instead, opted for a fully covered white coat gown with an evening brooch. Sometimes, less is clearly way more.



At an Oscars luncheon in 2001, McDormand once again left her gown at home and flashed her graphic tee in front of the famous gold statue. The top read, “El Diablo’s Seven Sins Lounge.”



When heading to the Oscars, it’s important to remember your tiny tinted shades! McDormand paired hers with a red slip dress and embroidered mesh caftan to the 1998 Academy Awards.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
×