The Most Outdated Outfits Kelly Ripa Has Ever Worn

Television host and actor Kelly Ripa has been in the industry long enough to know the power of fashion. However, even big names like Ripa have been known to commit a fashion faux pas every now and then, whether they were immediate or only noticeable once time had passed. Even Ripa is aware of her fumbles, joking on a May 2021 episode of "Live With Kelly and Ryan," per Closer Weekly, "All of my kids, all of my nieces and nephews, my really good friends, all call me Ms. Roper because I wear caftans all the time."

So even though many Ripa is one of the few stars who has had a consistently great style (Ms. Roper caftans aside), she's not immune from outdated trends. The actor might not regret many of the looks given her great sense of humor, and we're not here to throw any barbs. This is just to highlight how fashion moves so fast and that even the most stylish folks are, at the end of the day, just like us.

We've all witnessed the trend of turning pajamas into streetwear, and while that was cool for a moment, there's no denying that it's passé today. In March 2024, Kelly Ripa was seen in New York City rocking a stunning pajama set as outerwear, and while we would have loved this look a year or two ago, the trend has fizzled out.

However, we really hope that Ripa has kept this set. It is stunning to wear as actual pajamas, and the graphic detailing on it is the perfect mix of fun and classy. If Ripa really wants to wear pajamas as outerwear in the future, we recommend wearing only one of the two pieces at a time, as separating them will result in a more timeless look. And now that we think of it — those pajama pants with a classic simple black top would make a stellar casual 'fit.

Anyone who lived through Tumblr's fashion era knows that the platform was the go-to space for anyone who wanted to experiment with fashion. One big trend that will forever remind us of the early 2010s Tumblr period is mixing bold and sparkly pieces with traditionally casual or grunge-like fashion. Speaking of grunge, the popular '90s style is having a major comeback, but that doesn't mean this look from Kelly Ripa isn't outdated by today's standards.

In April 2015, Kelly Ripa appeared as a guest on "The Late Show With David Letterman," and for the occasion, she served us with a full-on Tumblr girl aesthetic, opting to pair a sequined silver pencil skirt with a classic plaid navy and green button-up for that casual yet dressed-up look. And while this may have been stylish in the early 2010s, by 2015, the trend was already over, even though it's clear it reflected Ripa's personal aesthetic.

The peplum trend had its resurgence here and there, and in the early 2010s, it stuck around for a bit. For the 2012 GQ Gentlemen's Ball, Kelly Ripa decided to wear a plaid knee-length dress with a dramatic peplum detail and a delicate butterfly belt.

Now, don't get us wrong — this is certainly a beautiful outfit (and Ripa looks stunning in it), but had she worn it today, we would have been a bit surprised. Peplum was big at the time, and apart from some attempts in 2023 to bring it back, the trend never really picked up again. Because it is so reminiscent of that specific 2010s era, today, this Kelly Ripa outfit is rather outdated.

Every now and then, we witness a trend that is so simple and easy that it takes over the fashion world — especially if it's a trend that works with many different styles. One of those trends is undoubtedly the white sneakers and white tee combo, which always results in a put-together yet comfortable outfit — and it can be easily dressed up (if paired with a fancy skirt) or dressed down if worn with a pair of jeans. Either way, the combination of the two white items has been loved by so many, which ultimately resulted in this particular trend being overdone and losing its initial fashion credibility.

In July 2022, Kelly Ripa was photographed in New York City alongside her husband Mark Consuelos. The actor and talk show host was wearing white sneakers and a white T-shirt. The outfit isn't bad in itself, but this pairing is so overly done that we simply can't look at another white sneakers and tee combo without cringing.

Cargo pants were a huge staple fashion item in the early aughts, and even though they have been a short-lived micro-trend in the 2020s, they are sadly not a style that is timeless.

During New York City's 2004 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Kelly Ripa was seen in bubblegum-pink cargo pants — a bold choice that didn't age well. However, even though we can get past the bold cargo pants, the fact that she had them tucked into her pointed, heeled boots is reminiscent of fashion that was only popular in that period. If she were to wear cargo pants today, Ripa would surely style them in more modern ways — and under no circumstances would she tuck a loose bottom like that into boots.

A recent trend that we saw take over the red carpets is bow stacking. Kelly Ripa was an early fan of this look, as she rocked it to the CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute in 2022. Ripa wore a navy velvet jumpsuit with three bedazzled white bows stacked upon each other in the front.

Of course, this was very much in style at the time, but two years later, we have to admit that seeing bows everywhere has become too much. Specific trends like these have a tendency to quickly pass, and once they do, the clothing items don't look modern anymore. But hey, we applaud Ripa for being one of the first to jump on the bow-stacking trend, as being at the forefront of a craze says a lot about her. 

For her "Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories" Tour in Louisville, Kentucky, in October 2022, Kelly Ripa decided to grace the stage in a silver pleated maxi skirt — an item that very much reminds us of the over-the-top sparkly Tumblr girl era from the early 2010s.

While some might argue that a clothing item like this is a timeless statement piece, we really can't see past the metallic material. Had Ripa opted for the same style of skirt in chiffon and a color like red or pink, we would have been much more fond of the outfit — and it certainly wouldn't bring back those 2010s style memories for us. We truly hope she buried this piece at the back of her closet and only brings it out if it's needed for Halloween. Speaking of the holiday, here are some Halloween looks that couldn't be easier to pull off.

With the resurgence of Y2K fashion in the early 2020s, some trends picked up while others didn't. One trend we're glad didn't make the cut in terms of popularity is the unnecessary belt that adds nothing to the ensemble. Now listen — we adore a beautiful belt as an accessory for your pants or skirt, but if you're going to put it over a dress, it is only acceptable to do so if you're actually cinching in the waist. If the dress is already tight, the belt is completely unnecessary, and even though some might argue that it still adds color or texture — we just can't get past the fact that it doesn't serve a belt's purpose.

For The Paley Center For Media Presents: An Evening with "Live with Kelly and Ryan" in 2020, Kelly Ripa decided to bring the Y2K trend back. She opted to rock a hot-pink skinny belt over a skin-tight black and white polka-dot midi dress. If you ask us, this look was very outdated even when she wore it.

Just like clothing, jewelry also goes through major trends, and one that was big towards the end of the 2000s was ultra-long necklaces. To the premiere of the 2010 movie "Cop Out," Kelly Ripa spiced up a basic knee-length black bandeau dress with a layered necklace that ended below her hip. Yup — the necklace was that long, and most of us probably praised her for being fashion-forward at the time.

Fast-forward over a decade later, and we can't believe that comically long necklaces were that popular. And while this 'fit has made the list, if Ripa still has the exact same necklace, she can wear it today by simply twisting it around her neck once or twice to shorten its ridiculous length and make it more layered.

We've all seen the blazer draped over the shoulders trend too many times for it to be cool anymore. Unfortunately, what was once considered to be effortless is today known as anything but. In fact, it is so much more difficult to keep a blazer draped over your shoulders without it falling off that we really can't call it an effortless trend at all.

At the TIME100 Gala in May 2024, Kelly Ripa wore a beautiful red maxi dress with an off-white blazer draped over her shoulders. While the look was elegant, we can't praise the trend of not wearing blazers properly. Had she simply forgone the blazer entirely, this look would have been stunning — and it certainly wouldn't be on this list.

Lingerie as outerwear will always be a very sultry and seductive trend. It had a major moment in the late 2010s when bodysuits, in particular, were a popular choice of clothing. With bodysuits becoming a staple, more and more fashionistas opted for intricate lace leotards as outerwear, often styling them with oversized pieces to create a more balanced look.

Kelly Ripa walked the red carpet of the 2017 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in a see-through lingerie bodysuit, which she paired with a classic black pantsuit. The look was glamorous and sexy, and while we don't hate it, the lingerie as outerwear trend was so oversaturated at the time that we're now sick of seeing it. We can still appreciate the sexiness of this look, but we're really hoping for a break before it cycles back.

In 2022 and 2023, we all had plenty of fun with the Barbiecore fashion moment, but in hindsight, we have to admit that the bright and fun trend was perhaps a tad too much. Don't get us wrong — we love everything Barbie, but seeing pink everywhere all the time got old, fast.

Kelly Ripa had her Barbiecore moment at the 2023 Variety Power Of Women event, in which she wore a long-sleeved maxi hot-pink dress. And while most of us thought it was fabulous at the time, now we're thinking the head-to-toe pink garment was perhaps a bit too loud and bright, stealing the focus from Ripa's natural beauty. But as with most trends that come and go — we adore them in the moment and sometimes we can't really understand them later on.

Varsity jackets are a trend that we've seen come back multiple times over the years, and for a good reason — they're effortless and casual and can add that extra bit of edginess to any outfit.

In May 2016, Kelly Ripa was spotted wearing a white varsity jacket with red details in New York City. Even though the look was acceptable at the time, in 2024, this really isn't how we'd wear a jacket like this. The main culprit of making this outfit feel so outdated is undoubtedly the skinny jeans, which, as we all know, have been declared a major no-go by Gen Z. Apart from the jeans, it's the long tank top and heeled ankle booties that are a dead giveaway of the look's era. Today, this jacket would be styled with a shorter red tank top, looser jeans, and sneakers.

Apart from the fact that skinny jeans are not popular right now, cuffed skinny jeans are perhaps an even bigger fashion no-go. And if it weren't for the fact that Kelly Ripa was wearing a face mask in this photo, we would certainly guess it to have been taken around 2015. However, the image was snapped in September 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even though cropped jeans have their pros, current trends for bottoms are leaning more toward ultra-long ones that are often pooling at the bottom, creating a so-called puddle pant. Of course, we can't judge Ripa for wearing a comfortable outfit during such a globally difficult time, but we also can't help but think that the cropped bottoms look (especially when the bottoms are cuffed) is a trend that has seen better days.

Kelly Ripa attended the 6th Annual Save The Children Illumination Gala in 2018 in a sparkly and eye-catching golden gown that screamed New Year's Eve, even though it was only November.

While sparkles and gold never really go out of style, we do find this look to be rather outdated, especially as the dress was a maxi with three-quarter sleeves. Since the dress had plenty of fabric, having all of it covered in golden sequins was a daring choice — one that reminded us of late 2000s and early 2010s fashion, as this would be something a "Gossip Girl" character might go for. If the dress had a shorter hemline or no sleeves, this look would have aged much better.

Drop waistlines — which visually elongated the torso — were a major trend in the mid-2000s. Eventually, they were replaced by high-waisted silhouettes, which helped elongate legs. Even though Y2K fashion cycled back in the early 2020s, the drop-waist trend didn't really pick up again, even though low-waist jeans did.

In June 2005, Kelly Ripa was photographed in New York City wearing a black drop-waist dress with lace and chevron detailing — a clothing piece extremely specific to that era. While there isn't anything wrong with the dress, if we saw someone wear it today, we would immediately know it's a vintage piece from the early aughts. However, if Ripa decided to bring this look back, she could perhaps kick off the resurgence of the trend. We love a comeback, right?