Known as a more lighthearted award show, one of the best parts about the Grammy Awards is that stars are able to have more fun with their looks and let their personalities shine. From outrageous onesies to demure dresses, the 2016 Grammy Red Carpet did not disappoint.
This year, sequined black dresses were a huge trend. Bella Hadid set the bar high with a low-cut, long-sleeve Alexandre Vauthier Paris design, which included cutouts at the waist and a geometric hem. Adele looked stunning and happy to be back at the award show in a classic, floor-length Givenchy dress that cinched in her waist perfectly. Anna Kendrick and Vanessa Lachey also sported the trend, accenting the sequined look with sheer pieces.
Ciara put a twist on this black sequin look by wearing a low-cut wrap dress that was plain black on one side and had silver sequins on the other. However, the most stunning part of the look was the slit, which showed off her entire leg. No one but Ciara is capable of pulling off this look. From her ridiculously toned body, to her permanent smize, she killed it on the carpet.
Typically, Zendaya slays everywhere she goes — but, on this night, something was off. She brought menswear to the red carpet in a black, Dsquared2 pant suit with a crisp white button down underneath and her hair styled in a blonde mullet. Yes, a mullet. The starlet later confirmed that her new haircut was a tribute to the late icon David Bowie, who died earlier this year. Although a nice gesture, the mullet did nothing for her already lackluster look.
This being said, Zendaya wasn’t the only one bringing business chic to the red carpet. Demi Lovato wore a black suit jacket with nothing but a bottle-opener body chain underneath, and a floor-length skirt that had a very high center slit. Demi showed a lot of skin, but nothing about this look was sexy. The combination of suit jacket and long skirt did not work. It almost looked like the top she planned on wearing ripped last minute, and she was forced to borrow her assistant’s jacket.
Taylor Swift has a definitive style, so it comes with little surprise that her dress was reminiscent of her 2015 Grammy dress. Both looks involved a floor-length skirt with a hip-high center slit. While last year she took a more conservative route with a high-neck teal dress and a miniskirt peaking through the skirt, this year she opted for just a fun, bright orange satin bandeau top and hot pink, high-cut hot pants under a matching pink skirt. If you paid attention to the singer’s glam look, you may have noticed that while she wore orange lipstick on the red carpet, she toned it down and wore pink lipstick to accept her Grammy for Album of the Year.
One of the night’s most confusing looks came from Janelle Monae, who wore a black-and-white top complete with a strangely structured circular shirt and what looked like the hat from a poorly designed Halloween costume. Monae’s signature look, a fitted pant suit, is always a stunner, and the singer probably would have been better off taking a note from Taylor Swift and sticking with her signature style. A bright note, however, were the stars long braids, which were a nice change from her usual up do.
It seemed like the less famous an artist is, the more they felt compelled to look like a hot mess on the red carpet. Singer Dencia wore a bright pink onesie, with beaded embellishments including angel wings on either side of her crotch, while singer Manika wore a completely sheer, white high-low midi dress with jeweled lingerie underneath, which was better suited for the circus.
Ellie Goulding was by far the best-dressed star in attendance. As living proof of the saying “less is more,” Goulding wore a slinky, blush-colored Stella McCartney gown, that while gorgeous from the front, was breathtaking from the back. The silver chains draped across her back added a touch of edge to this otherwise sweet look.
Monday’s red carpet brought some stunning looks and ones we’d like to forget, but overall, the stars’ looks were singing a sweet tune as they entered the Staples Center.