The Philippine Online Chronicles

During the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards, actors wore dapper suits while the actresses fit in timeless gowns and understated jewelry. The music industry's Grammy Awards, however, is an affair that hails from the opposite end of the spectrum, where being in the Worst Dressed List is an accomplishment.

The 54th Annual Grammy Awards was not just a night of celebrating music; it was also a night that paraded fashions, hitting high notes and even lows. From bold accessories that involve the Church to refreshing style turnarounds, artists were dressed to the nines and did not fail to entertain even at the red carpet.

Slightly off key

Last year Lady Gaga made a spectacular entrance in a gigantic egg, but this time her outrageous style gave way for a relatively toned-down outing, a mesh bodysuit underneath black-and-gold armor. It was a tamer Lady Gaga, but she was still in character. Many thought that she was gracious enough to let others take the spotlight, and while a handful of other artists tried to stir some style controversy, they failed to hit the mark.

Nicki Minaj, for example, wore a red nun’s habit by Versace and arrived with the most attention-grabbing accessory of the night: a date dressed as the Pope. It simply appeared that the female rapper was trying too hard with her sacrilegious stunt, which was inevitably ranked poorly beside Lady Gaga’s past well-executed outfits.

The Russian singer Sasha may not have full-blown fame yet, but she was successful in catching everyone’s attention at the Grammys. It would have been a positive one had she left her dreamy pink ruched gown as it is, but her Terminator-inspired sleeve added a tacky kind of character to her ensemble.

Others weren’t pushing the limits too hard, but they ended up in many Worst Dressed lists all the same. Fergie’s orange cutout dress by Gaultier was beautiful as is, but it ended up being gaudy with the wrong underwear peeking through.

Miss Diana Ross wore an ill-fitting black suit which made her look less than the talented diva she is. Fortunately she changed into something more dramatic during the show, a black bouffant dress with long sheer sleeves. But if she wore too little at the red carpet, Alison Krauss wore too much; the layers of white fabric bunched up against her frame, hiding her figure underneath.

Hitting the right notes

However, music’s biggest night was not just an exhibition of incredible extravagance; it was also studded with as many fashionable men and women as there were talented artists. As they do every awards night, country singers Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood looked gorgeous in their long gowns—Taylor in Zuhair Murad couture and Carrie in Gomez-Gracia (later changing into a gold-embellished black gown that better matched her age)—both showcasing 2012 fashion trends scooped up from recent award shows.

Women of color, such as Kelly Price, Alicia Keys, Kelly Rowland, and Corinne Bailey Rae, walked the red carpet with confidence in dresses of varying styles, all flattering their skin tones and frames. But black seemed to be the color of the night, as was worn by Adele who won a Grammy for every category she was nominated; Jennifer Hudson who showed off a svelte figure as she sang a tribute to the late Whitney Houston; and Gwyneth Paltrow who arrived at the event with her husband, Coldplay vocalist Chris Martin.

The men did not disappoint, either: Sir Paul McCartney was a dashing sight in his white jacket and black pants, Kirk Franklin looked every bit the gentleman in his tailored suit and oversized velvet bowtie, Bruno Mars looked crisp and smart in his gray jacket, and host LL Cool J was handsome in his suit topped by a floppy beret.

Now there were others many expected to turn up in scandalous garbs, but Rihanna, in a belly-grazing and back-baring gown, managed to look sophisticated and grown-up compared to her previous red carpet exhibitions. Her friend, Katy Perry, also made an impact not by going the usual shocking route, but by playing with color and detail to complement her talent. These two have understood that their ensemble should not take the attention away from their music, thus joining the few who were deemed Best Dressed that night.

Screen captures were taken from Kevork Djansezian’s collection c/o Getty Images.