The Atrocious, Forgotten Style of the Planet Hollywood Era

For people of a certain age, Planet Hollywood was the epitome of cool in the early '90s. Half-restaurant, half-movie museum, the franchise opened its first location in New York in 1991, and over the next several years a number of high-profile opening events were held as new locations popped up around the world. Planet Hollywood was to film what the Hard Rock Cafe was to music, but unlike the chain after which its success was modeled, Planet Hollywood was backed by the era's most prominent movie stars, from Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone to Bruce Willis and Demi Moore. They cast themselves as the faces of the franchise, and whenever a new restaurant sprung up, you could bet all the stars were going to come out and celebrate the occasion.

Each new Planet Hollywood opening inspired a unique version of the red carpet. Stars were not required to dress up like they might have been if they were attending the Oscars or the Emmys. Instead, the casual, fraternal atmosphere allowed them to express themselves sartorially however they saw fit, without any sort of formal restrictions or pressure to uphold a certain tradition. The results were not pretty. Scroll through the gallery to relive this atrocious period of celebrity style, and let us never speak of it again.

All images via Getty.

These were the glory years for both Jean-Claude Van Damme and Wesley Snipes. They'll step out in whatever they damn well please.

Bruce Willis often used Planet Hollywood openings as an excuse to get behind the mic and sing, which might have been the only thing more horrendous than his fashion choices. We're not sure what Anna Nicole Smith is doing.

Stephen Baldwin enjoying his prime in a suede Planet Hollywood bomber jacket.

Patrick Dempsey wearing the offspring of a Canadian and traditional tuxedo.

Don Johnson. We really can't stress enough the prevalence of vests.

We're not sure we want to know what happened next here.

The future Mr. Amal Alamuddin with supermodel Vendela.

Brendan Fraser and Moira Kelly. This is what constituted a "bad boy" look on the Planet Hollywood red carpet. Trust us, you did not want to be on Fraser's bad side in the early '90s.

The only thing "lethal" about these two is the harshness of the color contrast between Danny Glover's white suit and postmodern neckwear. He's definitely not too old for that tie.

Surprisingly acceptable style from Jeff Goldblum. Nicely done.

The Hoff's style: not as acceptable, not as surprising.

We're not sure if Charlie Sheen brought this jacket with him, or if he just decided to lift it from the Joker portion of the Batman display. Either way, Terminal Velocity was terrible so covering up even a small portion of that logo can't be a bad thing. Anna Nicole Smith is a little over-dressed in what appear to be repurposed drapes.

Ricky Paull Goldin may not have had the staying power of some of the other actors featured here, but that collar, that snakeskin print, and that... medallion (?) cannot be denied. Also: Yasmine Bleeth.

Shaq sporting a Planet Hollywood bomber jacket. Likely custom-made.

Bruce Willis was perpetually suspended in a state somewhere between hammered and hung over from 1991 through 1995. Here he looks like a 10-year-old who found his way into his father's closet.

A bold move from Christian Slater sporting a varsity jacket that does not bear the Planet Hollywood insignia. And yes, that's a young Chris Rock. His equally bold decision to combine purple, green, and white could have been a nod to the trés chic '90s Charlotte Hornets.

Wesley Snipes in an Asian-inspired minimalist suit jacket. This looks like something that might have been worn by Steven Seagal, the man who represented the pinnacle of martial artist fashion. (Tragically we couldn't find any photos of Seagal.)

Bad Boys. Fresh bomber jackets. Fresh khaki shorts. Fresh Nikes.

Truly incredible. There's not enough space here to adequately break down the horrors of this ensemble. In fact, this is probably a good place to go ahead and end the slideshow...

Actually, wait a second. We found one more...