By Mariel Turner
8:59am PST, Dec 11, 2019
Who says courtroom looks have to be boring? Many of Hollywood's biggest stars have bucked the demure or conservative styles favored by lawyers for more vibrant, stylish, sexy or completely unexpected fashions when they've headed to court. Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at some of the most memorable legal looks over the years, starting with Cardi B. The Bronx rapper risked alerting the fashion police when she arrived at a courthouse in New York City's Queens borough for a hearing in her strip club assault case in December 2019 wearing a large fuzzy hat and a feathered coat with a long train. Keep reading for more…
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Cardi B looked slightly less outrageous in a revealing pink and navy blue Brogger Gurli suit for a June 2019 appearance at Queens Court in New York City, where she pleaded not guilty to multiple charges — including two for felony attempted assault — in a strip club brawl case. She completed the outfit with a pink Hermes handbag and strappy heels.
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Sienna Miller looked incredibly chic in this all-black ensemble while leaving the Leveson Inquiry — in which celebrities testified about how they've been treated by newspapers and photographers — at High Court in London in November 2011. The actress chose a black A-line belted coat with a black dress, black stockings, a black handbag and black patent leather pumps for her court appearance.
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Naomi Campbell brought her supermodel fashion sense to a Manhattan criminal courtroom in November 2006 after appearing to answer to assault charges. The British model wore a black blazer and classic gray pencil dress with black stockings and chic black Mary Jane heels.
Marilyn Monroe looked like a true Hollywood star at California's Santa Monica Superior Court, where she filed divorce papers to end her marriage to former baseball player Joe DiMaggio in October 1954. The blonde bombshell donned a black jacket with large buttons and an oversized collar, a black skirt, white gloves, black pumps, a classic pearl necklace and a black headpiece.
Who can forget when Michael Jackson infamously wore his pajama bottoms to court? The King of Pop was pictured in a large black suit jacket and blue printed pajama bottoms while leaving the Santa Maria, California, courthouse in March 2005 during his child molestation trial.
Lifestyle brand mogul Martha Stewart wore plaid blazer atop cream trousers and accessorized with pearls and a polka-dotted brown umbrella as she arrived at Manhattan Federal Court in June 2003 for a hearing in her obstruction of justice case involving the 2001 sale of ImClone Systems stock.
Lindsay Lohan made a statement in a blue suit and platform heels in March 2012 while appearing at a Los Angeles courthouse. That day, a judge ended her formal felony probation in a legal journey that had begun nearly five years earlier with a drunk driving arrest.
Amanda Bynes rocked a unique look for an appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court in July 2013. The former child star wore a long turquoise wig, black shades, a blue-and-black jersey, sweatpants and black Air Jordan gym shoes to legal proceedings where she faced charges of reckless endangerment and marijuana possession following an alleged bong-tossing incident.
Winona Ryder chose this black, white and pink ensemble for an appearance at Beverly Hills Municipal Court on the third day of her shoplifting trial in October 2002.
Thirties fashion! Hollywood icon Mae West looked lovely in a long black dress, fur shawl, black headpiece and a beaded clutch in December 1933 outside of a Los Angeles courtroom where she testified against a man who'd robbed her.
Kim Kardashian West, who was then pregnant with her first child, hardly looked like herself in a long printed blouse (or was it a dress?) with a high collar and long sleeves over white trousers while attending an April 2013 hearing concerning her divorce from second husband Kris Humphries at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles.
Linda Evangelista looked conservative yet fashionable at New York Family Court in May 2012 during a child support battle with Francois-Henri Pinault over their son, Augustin. The supermodel rocked a navy three-piece skirt suit with a button-down shirt and completed the look with leopard-print Christian Louboutin pumps.
Mick Jagger definitely got some "satisfaction" with this '60s ensemble! The Rolling Stones rocker donned a pinstriped suit with dress shirt and a psychedelic tie at the Marlborough Street Magistrates court in London following a hearing concerning drug charges in June 1969. Mick's then-girlfriend, singer Marianne Faithfull, looked equally groovy in a turtleneck caped coat with black Mary Jane heels.
The late Michael Jackson chose an embellished vest and burgundy suit accessorized with a brooch and charms on a chain while appearing at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse in Santa Maria, California, in March 2005 during his child molestation trial.
Cardi B rocked a long white sleeveless Christian Siriano tunic-and-pants combo with white strappy heels and a beige Hermes Birkin bag to Queens Criminal Court in New York City in April 2019 to face a judge after she was accused of orchestrating a strip club brawl.
Chris Brown wore a three-piece suit as he stood alongside attorney Mark Geragos during a hearing at Los Angeles Superior Court in March 2009. The R&B star appeared before a judge hours after he was charged with two felonies in connection with his assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna.
Rihanna donned a black dress with covered buttons and a pearl necklace during a preliminary hearing for R&B star Chris Brown, who'd assaulted her earlier that year, at Los Angeles Superior Court in June 2009.
Lori Loughlin, accompanied by co-defendant husband Mossimo Giannulli, wore a gray T-shirt and tortoiseshell-patterned belt under a brown suit as she left the John J. Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston in April 2019 after facing charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal.
Felicity Huffman went for a pop of color under her black suit during an April 2019 federal court appearance in Boston where she faced charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal.
Courtney Love donned a lilac suit for a sentencing hearing at Los Angeles Superior Court in July 2004 after she was accused of trying to break into her ex-boyfriend's home while high on drugs.
Paris Hilton went for this clean-cut look while arriving at the Clark County Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas in September 2010. The heiress pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors — drug possession and obstructing an officer — as part of a deal worked out with prosecutors following an arrest for cocaine possession.
Jussie Smollett looked dapper at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago in March 2019. The "Empire" actor, who was accused of filing a false police report concerning a hate crime attack, donned a blue coat with a gray scarf, a white button-down shirt, a black skinny tie and aviator sunglasses.
Reality TV stars Joe Giudice and Teresa Giudice both wore suits for a court appearance at the Martin Luther King Jr. Courthouse in Newark, New Jersey, in November 2013 in a federal financial fraud case that led to two prison sentences.
Lil' Kim looked pretty in pink in a tweed skirt suit and coat accessorized with an oversized brown belt and matching boots outside of the Federal Courthouse in New York City in March 2005. The rapper was convicted of lying to a federal grand jury to protect friends involved in a radio station shootout.
Martha Stewart showed that you can never have too many beige layers during a court appearance at Manhattan Supreme Court in March 2013. The lifestyle mogul, who was there to testify in a case centered around whether she had the right to create a line of home goods for two department stores, wore a beige skirt suit with an oversized beige coat and little black booties.
Amal Clooney — one of Britain's top human rights attorneys — has rocked some seriously stylish courtroom looks over the years. The mother of twins with husband George Clooney wore this scarlet suit with black stockings and black pumps to Doughty Street Chambers with client Mohamed Nasheed after a press conference concerning the deposed Maldives president in London on Jan. 25, 2016.
