By Ava C. Green, Features Editor
The 65th annual Grammy Awards ceremony happened on Feb. 5, kicking off awards season and giving me plenty of material to write about. I’ll save my rant about “Renaissance” being robbed for album of the year for another time and stick to what I know best: judging celebrities on the red carpet. Let’s begin with some looks that I found questionable at best.
We’re starting off strong with everyone’s favorite mediocre white man: Jack Harlow. Sadly, the heat he brings to the studio burnt out for this red carpet appearance. If he read my article about what season of colors are most flattering for different people, he would know that beige is not his color. Pairing the monochrome suit with a chunky-knit sweater and leather is just too much of the wrong things.
We have two absolute queens of the awards show fashion scene that sported outfits much less offensive than Harlow’s, but I found disappointingly underwhelming in comparison to their usual looks. Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift both opted for their respective silhouettes that are now overdone for them. Rodrigo in a mesh slip dress with simplistic hair and makeup obviously still looked stunning, but it left me wanting more — a cardinal sin in fashion.
Swift also let me down in her deep blue “Bejeweled” two-piece turtleneck dress that once again lacks a dynamic silhouette. The self-reference to her “Midnights” era was a power move but kind of gave “1989” Taylor. So, not bad, but for someone so iconic, she could have dropped jaws in something a bit more grand. However, my 2023 wish to see Taylor Swift in a ball gown could still come true.
Before we get to the people that popped off, I need to get this off my chest: this next outfit wasn’t bad, per say, I’m just confused. Shania Twain was unrecognizable to me in a flared white suit that sported black, sparkly polka dots. She also wore a long red wig and a 10-gallon hat to match the print of the suit. Can I get “Things I did not expect to see at the Grammys” for 200? This piece was designed by Harris Reed, a favorite designer of Harry Styles, who receives a best dressed honorable mention for his Swarovski crystal, custom Egonlab jumpsuit. While I love the statement, it seems out of place and out of character for the country star.
I wasn’t surprised to see that the band Måneskin pulled off another great ensemble look. Their rockstar-grunge aesthetic could lead to terribly disjointed outfits, but their unique way of incorporating uniting ties between each individual member always dumbfounds me. They all had matching smoky eyeliner paired with slightly varied, auburn tones of velvet with metallic accents throughout. It was compelling, cool, chic, chaotic and very well done by their stylist, Nicolò Cerioni.
Lizzo was another artist that stunned in shades of orange. She wore a huge Dolce & Gabbana cape filled with flowers that went on to reveal a simple, corseted tangerine gown with diamond-encrusted boning and straps. Her long nails, matching fingerless mesh gloves and extravagant rings contrast beautifully with her seemingly Josephine Baker–inspired curlique hair and simple make up. It’s safe to say that she looked “Good as Hell.”
Last, but certainly not least, Cardi B looked beyond in her royal blue dress by Gaurav Gupta Couture, which didn’t even hit runways up until about a week and a half ago. She must have some stellar connections. This sculptural dress had strategically folded and swerved sections of sparkly mesh that contoured her body perfectly, to a point where it’s hard to believe the garment isn’t custom. She looks classically beautiful even in this relatively avant-garde look. Its aesthetic and compositional success is impressive on its own, but I believe she was one of the few celebs dressed completely appropriately for such an event.
I actually found it quite hard to find too many outfits that I thought completely flopped, yet I still wish for the space to ramble about them all. Overall, I think people are confused on what to wear to the Grammys. Attendees seem to be in limbo between the over-the-top styles of the Met Gala and the more casual events like the Kid’s Choice Awards. The Grammys are the most prestigious night in music and should be treated as such. I’m still really excited to see what else awards season has to offer me and my fellow fashion lovers, and the 2023 Grammys served as a great starting point.