Bests and Worsts of the Grammys Red Carpet
Graphic by Angela Cheng
This year’s Grammy Awards saw Billie Eilish win big, sweeping top categories including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. However, any discerning viewer knows that the real competition happens before the awards ceremony — out on the red carpet. Whose looks were able to capture my eye, and whose do I wish I hadn’t seen?
First, the worsts:
Gwen Stefani
Image via Getty
Thigh-high boots and a tired, juvenile silhouette in the beigest of beiges? For the biggest night in the music industry? I’m not impressed.
LL Cool J
Image via Getty
LL Cool J’s utterly unimaginative black suit is a reflection of a larger issue with men on red carpets: feeling limited to basic, traditional formalwear. When given such a large platform to showcase fashion, what use is there in continuing to promote such stale designs?
Bon Iver
Image via UPI
These guys faced the same problem detailed above, but it’s extra obvious here with four monotonous suits in a row. How not one of them thought to put on so much as a colored blazer is beyond me.
Camila Cabello
Image via Invision
This looks like two dresses frankensteined together (and neither dress would be appealing on its own). To put it bluntly, it’s lacking in style and creativity. Yikes.
Lana Del Rey
Image via Getty
For an artist with such a distinct aesthetic, this is a real disappointment. The silhouette is nothing special, the color is one-dimensional and the fringe and beading simply aren’t catching the light like they’d have to in order to save this look. Lana, instead of shopping at the mall, maybe find yourself a stylist . . . and dump your cop boyfriend while you’re at it.
The worsts of the night are defined by one thing: a lack of creativity. Red carpet fashion is meant to push boundaries, not to rehash the same banal looks from a half-century ago. Take a look at the bests of the night to see how things ought to be done:
Billie Eilish
Image via Shutterstock
Eilish’s signature oversized style is elevated here by iridescent sleeves, bejeweled nails and shoes and an innovative sheer mask. To top it all off, her multicolored hair matches the look perfectly. This is an excellent example of being fashionable without fitting a traditional mold. Best of all, the outfit is distinctively hers: who else could pull this off?
Ariana Grande
Image via Getty
Though not necessarily fashion-forward, I can’t help but adore this absurdly large skirt. I’m a sucker for any outfit that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and this beautiful ball gown is positively oozing playfulness and whimsy.
Lil Nas X
Image via Getty
Everyone’s favorite gay cowboy is back at it again with a campy and colorful look that screams Barbie meets Clint Eastwood. This is how a man can break from the outdated convention of a trite black suit — by having fun and occupying a wholly unique space in the realm of fashion.
FKA twigs
Image via Getty
I really have no idea what’s going on here, and that’s precisely why I love it. Just like FKA twigs, this look is quirky, a little confusing and isn’t pandering to anybody. Why should fashion have to be easily digestible?
Billy Porter
Image via Getty
Yes, bitch. Work. Entirely original and fabulously androgynous, this is what all red carpet looks would be like in my fantasy world. Oh, and that incredible fringed hat is remote-controlled.
YESSSSSS BILLY 🙌🏾 #Grammys pic.twitter.com/heagugaE2S
— MEFeater Magazine (@mefeater) January 27, 2020
Like every red carpet event, the Grammys this year had its highs and lows — both soaring successes and abysmal failures. Hopefully, future stylists will take note and present more experimental looks on red carpets in the future, leaving the dull suits and basic dresses in the 2010s where they belong.