Outdated Outfits Kaley Cuoco Has Been Caught Wearing

Catapulted to primetime fame for her role as Penny in the smash-hit sitcom "The Big Bang Theory," Kaley Cuoco makes a lot of public appearances. When she's not walking the red carpet, she's hitting the press circuit on TV talk shows or giving fans an intimate glimpse into her daily life via Instagram. In short, we've had eyes on the star for a long time, and let us tell you: Kaley Cuoco has undergone a stunning style transformation since her early days. But with so much time spent in public view, nobody is perfectly fashionable all the time — and Cuoco has perhaps had more (and stranger) missteps than most.

For better or worse, the "Based on a True Story" actor has an adventurous and even impulsive sense of style. She makes big swings toward the fences of fashion, and sometimes, that means hitting a foul ball. Looking back over her long career — even before "The Big Bang Theory," when Cuoco had recurring roles on fan-favorite shows like "Charmed" — we can't help but reminisce over a few of the star's most wildly outdated outfits from then and now.

We understand that 2003 was a different time with different fashion rules, but Kaley Cuoco's look at the 2003 Solstice Fashion Party still has us scratching our heads. Some of her styling was a tragic time capsule of early aughts fashion, and some was just... strange. Going over the ensemble point by point, we have to start with the quintessential early-2000s tank top. Cuoco walked the event's red carpet in a thin, midriff-baring white tank — stamped with the faded and sloppy print of a Chinese character, no less. The top even has a notched neckline, a feature we remember all too clearly from that era.

And that's just Cuoco's shirt. The actor, known then for playing John Ritter's daughter on "8 Simple Rules," wore her inexplicably casual top with a low-rise black skirt and black, pointed heels. The knee-length skirt was belted and accentuated with silver zippers, including a zip-up slit. We're trying to decide if this piece could be made cute today — perhaps with the right styling? However, in combination with the tank, it's just giving us early "Fast and the Furious" vibes, like maybe Cuoco was serving a gender-bent cosplay of Vin Diesel. For some reason, Cuoco's stylist (did she have a stylist?) decided to finish the look with a ratty, hair-metal-esque mullet that can't even be excused by the fashion norms of the time.

By 2007, Kaley Cuoco had just landed her iconic role as Penny on "The Big Bang Theory" — plus, she had matured a little in her style. She wasn't appearing on red carpets looking like a half-wild party girl, at least. But the young actor was still a shining example of momentary fads. Cuoco's outfit at the Kinerase Skincare "CelEBration on the Pier" encapsulated late aughts style so hard that nowadays, you might find this ensemble for sale in a Party City costume aisle as "2000s hipster." Really, all it needs is a mustache finger tattoo and a long owl necklace to completely take us back in time.

To fully comprehend Cuoco's 'fit, let's break it down piece by piece. First, we have the hip-length layered tank tops. Why was this a thing? We don't remember, and we don't want to. Naturally, these are paired with Millennials' favorite dark-wash skinny jeans. The sparkly flip-flops are more confusing than anything else, looking decidedly out of place on a red carpet. And the coup de grâce is Cuoco's straw fedora. Does it pull together the look, or simply pull it in yet another direction? Whatever is happening here, it is a perfect product of its time and place, making this outdated look a worthy addition to Cuoco's personal worst-of list.

Celebrities get some latitude when it comes to costumes. However, Kaley Cuoco's ensemble to perform at the 2014 Longines Los Angeles Masters Charity Pro-AM event was outdated in more than one way. Obviously, the fringed trousers and feather-lined top were relics of another age, whether they make you think of '60s-era bohemians or back even further to the Wild West. But again, it's a costume, so that kind of throwback reference is clearly intentional. What's more outdated (and potentially more offensive) about this look is the cringey, inappropriate vibes of Cuoco dressing up like Pocahontas, complete with a terrible braided wig. Cultural appreciation is one thing, but cultural appropriation is definitely out of style — and Cuoco should have already known better in 2014.

One might argue that she was just playing along with the rules of the event, but the next year, Cuoco came in a much less questionable Luke Skywalker costume, so she clearly had other options to choose from. We doubt that Cuoco meant any harm with her Pocahontas look, but when in doubt, it's always best to avoid cultural appropriation when planning a costume — a lesson we hope the "Role Play" star has learned for future appearances.

High-low silhouettes — sometimes called "mullet tops" or "mullet skirts" for their resemblance to the controversial hairstyle — had a big moment in the early 2010s. More recently, there have been murmurs that the high-low style might be trying to stage a comeback, but that's neither here nor there. However you feel about the supposed return of this throwback style, the mullet-top look was at an ebb in 2016. So why did Kaley Cuoco decide to showcase this style at the 22nd Annual Critics' Choice Awards?

Sometimes, it's tough to let go of a favorite trend, and maybe Cuoco is a particular fan of the high-low style. We've all been there. And, to be honest, she probably could have gotten away with this silhouette if the overall outfit had worked. Unfortunately, pairing her frilly, diaphanous mullet top with ill-fitting, matchy-matchy cigarette pants did nothing to elevate the aesthetic or Cuoco's natural beauty. Instead, the combo only seemed to shorten her fabulous legs. Plus, Cuoco finished the outfit with dissonant accessories — while her strappy sandals seemed to lean into her monochromatic intentions, the "The Flight Attendant" star also carried a warm brown handbag that didn't match anything else in the look.

Sometimes, outdated ensembles are a product of their time. Who among us hasn't looked back at old photos and regretted following a then-stylish trend? But other times, outfits are immediately off the mark. This was, unfortunately, the case for Kaley Cuoco in 2017 when she appeared at Panera Bread in Studio City to help launch the brand's new craft beverage station. Cuoco arrived wearing a long, ruffled maxi dress that was more than behind the times — it looked like someone had thrown every costume from "Little House on the Prairie" into a blender. 

Not to drag the frock's designer, but there's just so much going on here — florals, flounces, lace — and all of it shapeless. The light blue panels clash with the heaviness of the black panels and trim while the voluminous layers swallow Cuoco up. Pairing the already questionable Tanya Taylor dress with white, heart-emblazoned Chiara Ferragni sneakers didn't help the disjointed look, introducing two new colors and an entirely different aesthetic. Sneakers and dresses can be a surprisingly effective duo, but in this case, Cuoco's sporty shoes fought with the maxi's attempt at a romantic vintage vibe. Altogether, this befuddling outfit came across like a misguided attempt at a hyper-feminine, Betsey-Johnson-like look — bringing all the big energy and girly details but with none of the charm.