The Grammys are different from all other award shows happening at this time of year, and not just because they only give out music awards. The dress code is less strict, the people are less stuffy, and the personalities are much bigger.
At shows such as the Golden Globes or the Oscars, the biggest questions are whether an actress will wear Chanel or Dior. At the Grammys, the questions become crazier: what color will Nicki Minaj’s hair be? What alter ego will she show up as? What will Lady GaGa do this time?
Never one to disappoint, GaGa showed up in a giant egg waiting to hatch, fitting in with the theme of her new single “Born This Way.
” She was carried on a wooden base by scantily clad men and one woman. When asked what she was doing in the egg, her handlers replied that she was “incubating.” This was not quite the crazy outfit I was hoping for, but it certainly was unique. During her performance of her new single, she emerged from the egg in a nude jacket, bra-top, and see-through long skirt. She then accepted awards for her wins in a black leather outfit, before changing into another black outfit with a large tilted hat. All of her outfits were by Hussein Chalayan or by her stylist Nicola Formichetti, who was recently named creative director of Thierry Mugler. Oh, and did I mention that she had prosthetic spikes on her shoulders and forehead?
Because it was the Grammys, we not only saw an egg on the red carpet but also two swans. Florence Welch, of Florence and the Machine, showed up in Givenchy Haute Couture right off the Spring 2011 Couture runway (below).
The dress featured two swans on the top, set off by nude mesh. I loved this dress on the runway, but I don’t love the way Welch chose to wear it. Her hair is too messy, and she doesn’t seem very poised or elegant. It is much better, though, than the last swan dress that made it to the red carpet (Bjork flashback anyone?). I couldn’t help imagining how GaGa would have worn this dress, knowing that she would have worn that giant headpiece and probably had two swans walking the red carpet with her.
Two other women who managed to make a statement on the red carpet were Nicki Minaj and Rihanna (Minaj below left, Rihanna below right). Minaj showed up in leopard from the top of her crazy wig to the tips of her lace-up booties. The outfit is Givenchy Haute Couture, which means it cost a ton, but Minaj has the special ability to cheapen everything that she wears. Could it be the fake booty? Maybe. The leopard print Bride of Frankenstein hair? Also a possibility. I do like the lipstick, though, and I must admit, the girl can rap. Rihanna, on the other hand, managed to go high fashion in Jean Paul Gaultier and maintain some of the elegance—or at least as much elegance as one can muster while showing that much skin.
From afar, the dress didn’t look too risqué, but up close, you could tell that she had nothing on under that dress except for a few well-placed pieces of tape. I also like that her fire-engine red hair is shorter and more sophisticated than it has been at her last few appearances. With an egg, swans, and a leopard all loose on the carpet, Rihanna managed to take a risk while still maintaining her poise and relative normalcy.
While these three chose to branch out and do their own thing with style, many of the women on the red carpet chose to go with the main trend of the night, sparkle. Jennifer Lopez (below center) went short in a Pucci reflective silver minidress, while Selena Gomez chose a long, shiny J. Mendel gown. Heidi Klum (below left), Miranda Lambert, and Kim Kardashian all walked the red carpet in long, gold sparkly gowns by Julian Macdonald, Kaufman Franco, and Georges Chakra, respectively. Never one to be outdone in the sparkle department, Katy Perry (below right) maintained her ever-present whimsy with a pair of white feather angel wings attached to her dress. The dress is custom-made Georgio Armani and featured a Swarovski crystal-encrusted bodice with a long shiny train. Her performace outfit, a pink sparkly minidress, also fit in with the theme. Perry’s 90-year-old grandmother even walked the red carpet with a crystal-encrusted cane, making me wonder if this propensity for sparkle is genetic. Either way, between Katy’s glittery make-up and outfit, she definitely knows how to shine.
After all this craziness and excitement on the red carpet at the Grammys, we return to the normalcy of the Oscars in two weeks, for better or worse.
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