She can whip up a lemon spaghetti in a snap.
But can she also serve the iconic style?
From teeny bikinis, to cleavage for days, this celebrity chef stirs things up by looking
totally snatched.
Giada De Laurentiis has often been criticized for what she wears on TV.
The Food Network star has been accused of showing off too much cleavage — or her midriff
— which some fans think doesn't suit the host of a cooking show.
As the star once told Redbook,
"I didn't want to be known as the sexy cook.
I wanted people to think I really had some cooking chops."
"What was the dish?
And how were we making it?"
She revealed that judgment based on her looks has been a limiting factor in her career.
As she explained to Parade,
"When you don't fit the image people have [of a chef], it's difficult to break that
wall down."
There was even a Care2 petition calling for De Laurentiis to cover up on the Food Network.
Broadly alluding to her entire wardrobe, it read:
"She is a disturbance and promotes sexuality to innocent viewers."
"Wha-ha-ho!"
Having been self-conscious of her body as a child, she now claims she embraces her looks,
for the sake of her daughter.
As De Laurentiis recalled to Redbook,
"I developed breasts when I was 9 years old.
I would literally sit in class hunched over because I was so embarrassed about my body.
[…] I felt like I had to show Jade that her mom is proud of who she is."
Wearing expensive designers on the daily is a given for celebrities.
But for years, De Laurentiis has repeatedly suggested cheap ways to dress up your style.
She once told SFGate,
"I believe in accessories — they are affordable and can really enhance an outfit.
I have a lot of inexpensive bracelets and earrings."
But was she really practicing what she preached?
While wearing a Helmut Lang dress, in 2013, she promoted another designer's budget line
for Target, telling "Today,"
"It didn't break the bank."
While it certainly makes her seem more relatable to fans when she offers budget-friendly fashion
tips, she seemingly contradicts herself when she flaunts her splurges.
And considering that she's estimated to be worth roughly $30 million, she certainly has
the funds to do some damage.
"Barneys or J. Crew?"
"Barneys.
Only because I don't fit in J. Crew."
The host has worn Missoni multiple times, most notably to the 2012 Daytime Emmys.
She also admitted to SFGate,
"I am madly in love with my Hermes belt with the classic 'H.' It dresses everything up.
It's reversible - tan on one side and black on the other."
…No big.
Just a $600 basic.
Even on her website, the chef has advised readers on how to shop on a luxury Italian
vacation; get leather goods in Florence and designer labels in Milan.
That's assuming you have thousands upon thousands of dollars burning a hole in your pocket after
booking a flight.
These days though, it seems that De Laurentiis is making an effort to style herself in a
more budget-accessible way.
For the 2021 Daytime Emmys, she rocked a black midi dress by Aje that clocked in at just
under $500.
"Let's go see what the ladies think."
De Laurentiis rang in her 50th in August 2020.
And she took to Instagram to celebrate.
But while some fans thought she looked amazing, others were tardy to the party.
Whether it was her age, or the amount of skin she was showing, it made one user brazenly
comment,
"Loose morals and full of herself."
Others used the post as a chance to criticize her body, with one troll writing,
"Too much information...knock knees and rolls!"
"A moment that definitely scarred me."
Unfortunately, De Laurentiis is used to getting judged for her figure.
The chef is so often asked how she stays thin around all that decadent food, her answer
is even printed on the chandeliers inside her Vegas restaurant.
"I eat a little bit of everything and not a lot of anything."
But according to Page Six, the TV personality apparently doesn't even eat "a little bit"
of any of the recipes she cooks on her show.
A source for the outlet claimed,
"They have a dump bucket that is brought out the second they cut."
Still, De Laurentiis has continued to claim that a healthy lifestyle is the reason for
her fit figure, saying,
"I do yoga with an instructor for an hour three times a week.
And I go hiking."
De Laurentiis caused some controversy in 2020 for wearing a t-shirt that read: "I am a voter."
She posted a snap of herself, along with her daughter, Jade, who was wearing a similar
design.
The duo may have been trying to promote civic duty.
And De Laurentiis never even mentioned who she was voting for.
But even so, some followers thought they surely had her number, with one calling her out for
being a so-called liberal disgrace.
But another flipped parties and thanked her for voting for Trump.
And still another user thought she wasn't being political enough, by not openly picking
a side.
It may have been a simple post in theory, but it certainly got the comment section to
explode.
"Who should everyone be following?"
"Donald Trump.
So we know what's goin' on."
On the other hand, De Laurentiis may have been expecting some push back, since this
wasn't the first time her fans got worked up over a vaguely political post.
When she shared a pic of herself wearing an "I voted" sticker on Facebook and Twitter
in 2018, hundreds used the comment sections to hash out their own opinions.
Despite what the haters may have to say, when it comes to her personal style, we have no
doubt this multi-talented star will keep on serving up whatever she wants.
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