Grammy Awards Fashion Recap

The 65th annual Grammy Awards celebration took place tonight at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. With performances from Lizzo, Harry Styles and a 50th anniversary of hip hop performance that had us on the edge of our seats if not dancing in front of our screens, it was truly music’s biggest night of the year.

Since musicians set a lot of fashion trends, the Grammys red carpet is one that is made for risk-taking, trendsetting and having fun, making it one of the best during awards season. This year’s red carpet was full of a range of looks from Pharell’s casual two piece set and Kendrick’s “starter interview” look to updated menswear on Steve Lacy and couture on Cardi B. Here are the highlights we’re talking about.

Black

Black will always be classic, chic and perfect for any occasion. It’s always best to add texture or accessories to liven up the look to give it more style and character. There was A LOT of black on this red carpet, and here are the people that I think wore the color best.

Couture
Couture is wearable art. Once presented on the runway, the pieces are meant to be interpreted any way the person wearing it (and their stylist) sees fit. The people who get it, get it. My favorite couture moments of the night were Stylist Kollin Carter for Cardi B in Gaurav Gupta and Patti Wilson for Lizzo in Dolce Gabbana. The only hang up I had was the fabric in Lizzo’s skirt give a moire effect, which is a huge no-no in costume designing for TV and film.

Tip: The best way to avoid the moire effect is to do a camera test. Take pictures with your phone and/or camera in different light settings. Look back at the pictures. If your eyes cross when looking at certain fabrics or patterns (especially stripes), choose another option.

Menswear and Tailoring

The guys have really been lighting up the carpets this season with updated tailoring and accessories. The Grammys were no different. Steve Lacy in St. Laurent was perfect. And as I stated in Refinery 29, suits are the fashion girls’ go-to uniform this winter so Koffee and MC Lyte were among my favorites, too.

Casual Streetwear

From leather two-piece sets to Prada overalls, some uber casual looks made an appearance this year. Kendrick Lamar accepted his Grammy in Martine Rose and Miguel is giving us Justin and Britney in the naughties in Diesel lightwash denim. Anything goes for musicians.

References

With so many decades of fashion trends repeating again today for Gen Z, you can bet a reference will be set and served on any red carpet. Tonight, Berit Gwendolyn Gilma paid tribute to Jean Paul Gaultier’s costume designs in Fifth Element. And Jazmine Sullivan seems to be manifesting an audition for the upcoming biopic on musician Phyllis Hyman. One thing is for sure, I love a good reference.

Groups

Music’s biggest night is sure to bring out a few (or several) bands. I can appreciate when the group’s look is cohesive. Maneskin in Gucci was my favorite. The colors and textutesvare bold and rich. And while I’m not exactly sure what the theme is for the second group, the denim tailoring gives me Y2K, but make it 2023. If nothing else, it’s a cohesive group look.

Performance Looks

Performances from Lizzo, Harry Styles and hip hop legends like Queen Latifah were great and the wardrobe (including the background singers and dancers) was on point. Shout out to all of the stylists who helped pull these off.

Best Dressed

Hands down, these ladies and gentleman understood the assignment of the night. They were daring, bold and all of the details were in place. Doja wore my absolute favorite looks of the night. Kollin Carter and Cardi B continue to dial in to fashion archives. Tonight, they tastefully paid homage to the late fashion designer Paco Rabanne who passed away last week. Here are the best of the best.

Tell us what trends you saw or looks you loved in the comments.