Hallmark Channel Movie Outfits That Were Complete Disasters

When it comes to the art of a gentle movie, few networks bring the cozy heat quite like the Hallmark Channel. It's no stretch to say the channel rules the holiday season — and beyond — thanks to the seemingly endless catalog of charming and feel-good content that's available.

If there's one thing that is true about a Hallmark Channel holiday movie, it's that the characters tend to dress the part. A Hallmark Christmas movie's leading lady, for example, tends to don things like chunky sweaters, dark skinny jeans, and knit accessories like gloves and hats. The color palette usually leans toward reds, greens, or warm neutrals. The vibes are holly and jolly, indeed.

The "Hallmark movie outfit" formula is something that has generated its fair share of memes and content over the last few years. There have been guides about nailing the perfect Hallmark Leading Lady look, jokes about Hallmark stars flawlessly walking through snow while wearing stilettos, and even commentary about how every Christmas movie features women wearing red and men wearing green. Alas, as much as we may all adore Hallmark movies, we have to acknowledge that there have been some definite sartorial missteps over the years. Here are some outfits that, for various reasons, ended up being complete disasters.

Overall, the fashion in "A Newport Christmas" is very pretty and appropriate for a flick about a time-traveling socialite from the early 1900s named Ella (played by Ginna Claire Mason) who ends up in 2025. Alas, one outfit in particular really didn't pan out how it should have.

It's a real shame that one particular part of this outfit ruins the rest of it, because what is otherwise quite a pretty dress is ruined by the bulky and asymmetrical smattering of roses that was added to one side of it. That's not to mention the way it looks like the dye ran on the flowers, and the result is a big ol' color mess that steals focus from the rest of Ella's outfit.

Candace Cameron Bure left Hallmark for Great American Family in 2022, about four years after "A Shoe Addict's Christmas" came out. Bure spends the majority of the Hallmark Channel flick trotting about in her pointy-toed, sky-high pumps for the majority of the film, making many of the outfits in the movie a disaster purely for reasons of practicality. Female characters in Hallmark films walking around in stilettos down snow-covered sidewalks in the middle of a snowstorm is a classic trope, but "A Shoe Addict's Christmas" might just be one of the worst examples of this.

What's even worse is that the actual outfit she's wearing when she's given her first pair of shoes is so cute and festive, but the blue, red, white, and black abstract print heels just end up ruining the whole vibe. 

A "Shoe Addict's Christmas" strikes again, thanks to a genuinely heinous, albeit festive, red cardigan. The sweater is worn by Emmy winner and Hallmark star Jean Smart. At one point in the movie, her character offers Candace Cameron Bure's character her first pair of impractical shoes. 

The biggest shame about this one is that it definitely could be cute in some circumstances. However, this particular sweater combined with the darker red chapeau covered in poinsettias is all too much for us. Suffice to say, this fuzzy blanket-style number is a complete miss on her. Based on this outfit alone, we certainly wouldn't accept a shoe recommendation from this character.

The Hallmark Original series "Twelve Dates 'til Christmas" is as warm and fuzzy as any other Hallmark Christmas effort. And yes, the outfits are just as meticulously put together. Well, almost all of the outfits, that is.

Frankly, it is absolutely baffling that they would choose to put the adorable Mae Whitman in a bright azure blue coat that totally clashes with her hair color and general complexion — not to mention the rest of her outfit. A more neutral color or softer blue would've worked better with the statement print dress.

Considering this scene is set in 2015, it's not really a total disaster. However, in hindsight, it brings up all kinds of questions over just what was all the rage at the time. For a movie that came out in 2024, "Happy Holidays from Cherry Lane" does an excellent job of tapping into the nostalgic fashion of the 2010s. Alas, the particular shade of baby pink combined with the style of the sweater itself, plus the massive fluffy scarf and overly long necklace it's paired with remind us why we don't want everything from 2010s fashion to come back in style. 

What's more, it all feels a little too Valentine's Day for a yuletide flick. That said, the sweater, infinity scarf, and necklace were all put up for sale on Luxanthropy and purchased. It seems at least one person was into the mid-'10s V-Day look.

Appearing in "Christmas at Grand Valley" alongside the former Hallmark Christmas queen Danica McKellar, Brennan Elliott is mostly beautifully put together through this movie. However, there's one outfit that does not totally land — and it is all because of the colors in the outfit.

Purple can be very nicely contrasted against green, provided the choice of shades works. However, the pale lilac of Brennan's collared shirt here against his "Wallace and Gromit" style green knitted sweater really doesn't do him any favors. Rather, the combination falls flat. And topping it all off with a navy coat just makes it all the more drab.

More often than not, a female lead in a Hallmark movie's wardrobe sticks to a formula. Said formula includes things like dresses featuring chic silhouettes and prints, some nice jeans, a cozy-looking sweater, classic coats, and even big scarves.

But when it came to this outfit for Bethany Joy Lenz — who was part of the "One Tree Hill" cast — in "An Unexpected Christmas," they went with "more is more." Between the black ribbed tights, the pleats on the long skirt, the suede jacket, the studs on the gloves, the brown ankle boots, and the pink paisley scarf, there's way too much happening here. And this is just one of the distractingly busy ensembles she sports throughout the flick.