Rising music stars ushered in a fresh new era of red carpet dressing at the Grammys on Sunday as they embodied their music personas and let their style take center stage.
Addison Rae, Olivia Dean, Doechii and Chappell Roan shined on the carpet with each artist bringing their own flair to the 68th Grammy Awards. Unlike other red carpets filled with demure evening wear looks and old Hollywood glamour, the Grammys are a night of rule-breaking looks and memorable fashion statements.
With some major industry names like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift absent from the night, newcomers had the chance to take up space.
“Some years when really established names like a Rihanna or a Taylor Swift comes, they can kind of suck up all the oxygen in the room and really command the spotlight as they’ve earned,” Halie LeSavage, Marie Claire's senior fashion news editor, said. “But in this case, there’s a really strong field of best new artists nominees who … have created a really distinct sense of personal style.”
Roan is not one to waste the opportunity to make a red carpet fashion statement. In a departure from last year's canary yellow Jean Paul Gaultier tulle ballgown, Roan embraced naked dressing, removing her sheer red garnet Mugler cape to show a georgette négligée dress that was attached to her breasts. The low-cut dress revealed a design on her back.
“She's such a shape-shifter,” InStyle Beauty Director Lauren Valenti said. “She was just kind of looking like this moody pre-Raphaelite goddess.”
Statement pins
Among the glitz and glamour, simple pins stood out across the carpet. Some of the biggest names in music, including Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey Bieber along with Kehlani, used their platform to speak out against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement by wearing “ICE OUT” pins following the Trump administration's deportation campaign in cities across the country.
Several artists including Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny and Olivia Dean used their acceptance speeches to speak up in support of immigrants.
“I wanna say I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant, I wouldn’t be here," Dean said. “I’m a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated.”
Stars take playful approach
Red carpet attendees took playful approaches to their looks Sunday.
The British rising stars Lola Young and PinkPantheress who are shaking up the music industry with their individual sounds both opted for vastly different Vivienne Westwood looks Sunday. Best new artist nominee Young, who is back after taking a brief hiatus last year, sported an army green sweatsuit printed with children’s toys on the carpet. PinkPantheress opted for a signature corseted off-the-shoulder gown draped with the Union Jack symbol.
Zara Larsson glowed on the carpet in her sunny yellow bra top and skirt sequined set referencing her “Midnight Sun” hit song. In keeping with her theme, the Swedish singer wore a circular ray around her skirt while performing at the Grammy’s Premiere Ceremony before removing the rays for her walk down the carpet.
FKA twigs brought her album “Eusexua” to life on the carpet wearing a beige sheer flowy Paolo Carzana dress which she paired with a book and an anthurium symbolizing her eras as an artist from the start of her career to her latest album.
Doechii shed her suited Thom Browne apparel from last year for a dramatic Roberto Cavalli royal purple bustled dress with a strappy sheer bodice. Like Doechii's bombshell updo, one trend of the night was '90s supermodel hair, Valenti said.
Coordinating on the carpet
British girl group Flo, a first-time nominee, paid homage to Destiny’s Child with their matching sets. Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma and Renée Downer each wore coordinated beaded black and royal blue ensembles from Luar. Destiny’s Child famously wore matching green lace cut-out looks at the 2001 Grammys where the group won two awards.
Flo brought back that synergy with their unified aesthetic.
“We actually have a sixth sense and a lot of things we just agree on,” Quaresma told The Associated Press.
Former Destiny Child member Michelle Williams arrived on the carpet in a black sheer gown embellished with gold leaves and a black satin train from Jean-Louis Sabaji.
Other girl groups kept with the matching theme, including Katseye in white lace Ludovic de Saint Sernin dresses and the band HAIM dressed in variations of black and silver chained looks from Louis Vuitton.
Love bugs Yungblud and Jesse Jo Stark took a risqué approach to their coordinated attire. Yungblud showed off his bare chest under a leather Chrome Hearts' jacket with a detachable animal print collar and Stark wore a leather halter dress.
Some stars accidentally took coordinating too far by wearing the same looks. Two stars had a fashion face-off at the start of the night with singer Ledisi and TV host Jasmine Simpkins both flaunting the same off-the-shoulder pink peach dress with sparkly tinsel.
This year, a fashionable bunch of artists vied for the hotly contested best new artist category. Rising star Rae, who aptly has a song titled “High Fashion,” wore a playfully structured white custom Alaia dress with a neckline that plunged down to her navel and a cheeky skirt that was longer in the front and shorter in the back.
“It was calling Marilyn Monroe to mind,” Brooke Bobb, fashion news director for Harper’s Bazaar said. “She’s really a woman who loves to have fun with fashion and in a very genuine way.”
Sabrina Carpenter once again brought Old Hollywood glamour to the carpet with a delicate custom Valentino white-jeweled coruscating mermaid gown adorned with flowers. The beloved Italian designer Valentino Garavani died last month, leaving a legacy of exquisite red carpet gowns.
Tyla may have a song titled “Chanel,” but she went with Dsquared² for the red carpet. The South African singer wore low-cut cream look that featured a long-feathered train and gold beaded detailing. She styled the look with a loose updo and braids. Best new artist winner Dean wore a two-toned white and black feathered Chanel look from newly appointed creative director Matthieu Blazy. Dean pairing with Blazy speaks volumes to how the fashion industry views her, said LeSavage.
“She's a really cool alternative or juxtaposition to a lot of what’s happening in pop music where you’ll see a lot women performing in these really tight-fitting body suits and knee-high boots and things that feel very flashy, but Olivia Dean’s style has this more vintage leaning aura that resembles her sound.” LeSavage said.
Kesha and Lady Gaga went for full feathered looks. Kesha looked angelic in a white feathered off-the-shoulder gown from Atelier Biser, and Lady Gaga wore a glamorous high-neck and cinched waist black feathered dress by Matières Fécales.
Male artists put a twist on their tuxedos. Singer-songwriter Darren Criss, who hosted the Grammys Premiere Ceremony, donned a shimmering lace suit from Tanner Fletcher with an off-white silk cravat shaped into a bow. He paired it with his signature painted nails. Sombr sparkled on the carpet in a shimmering silver Valentino suit paired with a lace undershirt.
French luxury fashion house Schiaparelli debuted its first menswear red carpet suit with a black velvet tuxedo for Bad Bunny. The tuxedo featured the brand's signature corseted back. The global hit-maker won album of the year and will headline the Super Bowl halftime show this month.
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For more coverage of this year’s Grammy Awards, visit: www.apnews.com/hub/grammy-awards