NBC Anchor Dylan Dreyer Has Worn Some Outfits That Missed The Mark

Dylan Dreyer isn't just NBC's meteorologist. She's also a regular part of NBC's horse racing coverage, and she's a regular correspondent at the Kentucky Derby as well as England's Royal Ascot. Race day fashion is famously extravagant, and attendees don bold prints and sculptural hats known as "fascinators." So while the journalist might opt for simple cardigans and sheath dresses when she's in the newsroom, Dreyer is known for head-turning Kentucky Derby looks. However, some of her fashion looks, both at the races and behind a news desk, just look off.

Over the years, Dreyer has developed a formula for assembling her race-day looks. "I try to be on trend, I try to be cool, I try to be fashionable. But I also like my standby brands that always work for me," Dreyer told Today.com in 2026, adding that she selects her dresses and then works with milliner Christine Moore to create bespoke coordinating hats. "I send her pictures of my dress. She gives me her opinions on which dresses she thinks would be best and what kind of hat she can make for it, and she designs the hats directly off the dresses I'm wearing."

Dressing for her job is clearly complicated, which might help to explain why Dreyer occasionally misfires. In fact, despite her glamorous job, Dreyer has admitted she prefers to be comfortable. "Sometimes we get out of sweatpants on weekends, but it doesn't last long," she captioned a 2022 Instagram post of herself and her husband wearing black tie attire.

Fashion at the Kentucky Derby trends toward an extravagant, maximalist version of daytime dressing, so it's not unusual to see brightly printed sundresses and wild hats. But there were too many elements at play in Dylan Dreyer's 2026 look. While the fascinator corresponded to the colors in the floral print of the dress, the pattern was too small to visually anchor it. Similarly, the large hat felt top-heavy when paired with such a short hemline. The mesh pumps added one texture too many. Finally, the Apple watch was an unnecessary eye sore on the red carpet.

This color-blocked look that Dylan Dreyer wore for a "Today" event was almost a knock-out news anchor look. Both the white tee and pale yellow skirt fit well and skim her body perfectly. But the wide black belt is a devastating error in an otherwise great ensemble. Black is too harsh a neutral against the pastel yellow of the skirt. Dreyer would have been better served by a narrow belt that didn't immediately draw the eye to her waist, ideally in a softer neutral like brown or navy.

This pink-and-white Kentucky Derby look from 2025 was an unexpectedly frumpy look from Dylan Dreyer, who usually opts for sleek sundresses. The high collar, long sleeves, and full-length skirt make the ensemble seem to swallow her small frame. A fun glimpse of skin, like a shorter sleeve or leg slit, would have provided some much-needed contrast to this overly modest look. Dreyer also paired the already dowdy get-up with sneakers, rather than her typical heels, which misses the mark at the elegant derby.

When Dylan Dreyer went to England to cover the 2024 Royal Ascot, she embraced tropical vibes with this red-and-white floral dress. The cut of the dress is lovely, with its softly draped skirt, tie-belt waist, and high collar. But, considering the fabric covers such a large area of her body, the tiny floral print feels incredibly busy and is visually overwhelming. For a maxi skirt style, she might have been served by a larger pattern and left this intense print for a mini dress instead.

The dark color palette of this dress that Dylan Dreyer wore at the 2025 Kentucky Derby feels more appropriate for an autumn event than a springtime horse race. There's also something quite odd about the silhouette, since the bodice flares out into a structured peplum shape, adding an unnecessary disruption to Dreyer's vertical line. Finally, the fascinator didn't quite match the orange tones of the dress, and feels oddly disconnected from the rest of the look.

Dylan Dreyer wore a simple blue shirtdress to meet the country band Little Big Town in 2023. Despite that, the fit-and-flare style didn't do her any favors. The skirt hit right above her knee, for an awkward disruption of Dreyer's vertical line that felt unbalanced given the frock's fuller coverage up top. Though the meteorologist isn't particularly short — reportedly she is 5'4" — the cut of the dress made her look much more diminutive. Just an extra two inches would have lengthened Dreyer's silhouette and given the style a more elegant feel.

At the 2023 Kentucky Derby, Dylan Dreyer stepped out in an abstract-patterned wrap dress with an Emilio Pucci feel to it. But while the dress itself was nice, the overall look was spoiled by her choice of accessories. The metallic cork wedge heels undercut the elegance of the sleek look. Even worse, the colors of her fascinator matched the dress in brightness but actually appeared to clash with the tropical tones of the dress. The effect is distracting and keeps the lovely frock from properly popping on camera.

Though Dylan Dreyer often appears on television wearing a sheath dress or playful race day frocks, she mixed her style up with a pastel green romper for an event at the Bedford Free Library in 2022. Unfortunately, the one-piece look is shapeless and drab. The muted color looks visually underwhelming, especially since Dreyer left it virtually unstyled. Even a statement necklace or contrasting belt could have gone a long way toward brightening this look and making it fun.

When Dylan Dryer appeared alongside Carson Daly to talk about the 2022 PGA Masters, she wore a look that felt seriously outdated. While the peplum top, skinny jeans, and neon platform heels would have made for great club wear during the 2010s, the whole outfit just felt out of step with the prevailing styles of the 2020s. Dreyer is known to rock flashy heels on-air, but there are plenty of better ways to try out indie sleaze that won't leave you looking like you stumbled out of a time machine.