2015 Grammy Awards Red Carpet

For the first time in ages, I've finished a red carpet post for you! This one is for the 57th annual Grammys, held on February 8, 2015. There were a whole lot of sequins and sparkles, a  lot of cleavage and under-boob, and a lot of sheer.

One thing I love about the Grammys is that it's a formal occasion but there's an edginess to the outfits so they aren't all the same. I also love that so many of the singers aren't super-skinny like Hollywood actresses; these women have bodies that are more like regular people and they clearly don't fit into the sample size. Anyways, without further ado... enjoy the outfits and my assessments after the jump!

Rocsi Diaz in Jovanni

This could have been awesome but that horizontal line at her hips isn't flattering; it would be better nearer her waist. The skirt also looks unfinished, as if they'd run out of sequins.

Erica Campbell in LUM

Capes are definitely a thing right now. I mostly like this, although the dress is a little tight around her belly and emphasizes it.

Kelly Osbourne in Christian Siriano

Polka dots! I love that she's completely covered up and I love the pattern and the dress shape is flattering... but there's something a bit blah about this dress. I think it needs more sparkles.

Giuliana Rancic in Steven Khalil

I don't know why she wore two outfits but she did, and this is the first one. The cutouts are quite flattering but the bandeau bra looks a bit like an afterthought.

Giuliana Rancic in Inbal Dror

Of her two outfits, I prefer this one. The cutouts are more subtle and look sexier to me without being vulgar. I also like that this is not a dress. Apparently the sheer sections meant that she wore nothing underneath... which is less sexy and more icky to me.

Lalah Hathaway in Angela Dean

I'd love to see more jewellery around her neck, and the neckline is a bit tight on her shoulder, but it's a lovely and flattering dress for all that.

Keltie Knight in Walter Mendez

I don't mind the layout of the sheer and shiny bits but the ribbon things on the bodice make it look like she's wearing one of those fringey knit ponchos.

Miguel Martinez (L), Gloria Martinez, and Carlos Valencia (R)

I have no idea who made this dress but I love it on her. It's got a gorgeous silhouette and the colour is perfect for her. It is a little bit too short; I suspect she had it hemmed while wearing shoes without a platform. 

Nancy O'Dell in Black Halo Eve

I want to like this. The cap sleeve things look weird and although the waist is flattering, the leg slit looks unnecessary and doesn't add anything to look.

Antonique Smith in Caché

This appears to be a crop top and skirt combination which wouldn't be formal enough for any other award show. For the Grammys, she's practically completely covered.

Pauley Perrette

Did she wear this the last time I did the Grammy red carpet post? Either way, it isn't terribly flattering on her as it has a shiny, shapeless sack look to it. I do like the sparkly bandeau back thingy.

Bonnie McKee in Chagoury Couture

I love the colour and the shape is quite sexy without being trashy. I thought it was kind of a safe choice for this show until I saw that it was nearly backless.

Chef Huda

While the colour is amazing on her, the dress is a smidge too tight, giving her a slightly sausagified look and is also much too short for those shoes. It might only work with flats.

Kat Graham in Yanina Couture

Sheer is really a big thing these days. I love sheer fabrics, and I don't even mind the granny-panty undergarments. I'm not sure how I feel about the white design, however. I want to love it but I thin there's too much contrast for it to really be effective.

Kaya Jones in David Tupaz

This may be the ultimate mullet dress: knee length in the front and super-long in the back. I'm not saying this dress is awesome, because it isn't, but she is noticeable.

Madonna in Givenchy Haute Couture

Oh my. There's a picture out there of her flashing her bum but I chose not to include it - you can go find it yourself. I applaud her for being brave enough to wear something like this, but I don't like the way her gloves and boots are so tight at the top. I know that's how they stay up, but they do look a bit sausagey. Add to that her boobs (did you think I'd overlooked them?) and it looks like she's busting out all over. 

Madonna in Givenchy Haute Couture

Her performance outfit, which is much more demure than her red carpet outfit. Well, she couldn't wear that other outfit while dancing around because there would be a wardrobe malfunction. She's completely held in with this one. I didn't love the lace bits on the jacket as they bounced around distractingly. I also thought the harness didn't do much for her figure. I realize she needs to wear it for safety reasons but that doesn't mean I like the look of it.

Jessie J in Ralph and Russo

More sheer and more lace. I like this; it suits her.

Jessie J in Yanina Couture with Tom Jones

This is her performance outfit, which is much like the one Kat Graham was wearing - probably because they're the same designer. I prefer this one; I like the black-on-black and the overall design. When I watched the show I remember being especially interested in the sleeve construction, because there's no upper armhole seam. I think I'd prefer this outfit if she was wearing more than just granny panties under it - maybe add a bandeau or go all out and wear a bodysuit?

Charli XCX in Jeremy Scott for Moschino

That's a tux thing, all right. I have no idea whether that fur thing is real or not; I hope it isn't. There are a lot of really good faux furs out there - there's a company out of France that makes them and they're beautiful - and I don't really see the point in decorative real fur. I support real fur when it's cold out, not for this. I'm not sure the outfit is edgy enough to match her hair and makeup.

Ariana Grande in Atelier Versace

This is ... interesting. The asymmetric neckline - specifically, the way the fabric is draped differently over each breast - kind of makes my eyes twitch. I want to make the fabric on the left look the same as the stuff on the right. It almost looks like it was designed to cover one breast only and she said "no way" so they hastily covered up the other one. 

Ariana Grande in Versace

Her performance dress is gorgeous, even though it does remind me of a swanky infinity dress (check pinterest). Still, the asymmetry really works here and I love the colour and fabric. 

Chrissy Teigen in Emilio Pucci

This would be more flattering if her hair was shorter or over her back instead of her front. I don't find the cutout style lines all that flattering but her hair is a similar colour gives a rather unintended effect.

Jhené Aiko in Alberta Ferretti

The bodice appears to be slipping down and I think she's trying to hold the dress up at the waist.

Maddie Ziegler (L) and Sia in Giorgio Armani

I've been doing some reading about Sia. She was quite successful as a singer-songwriter but then had difficulty touring and became addicted to alcohol and drugs. She's been writing songs for others since she stopped drinking and doing drugs for a while now (staying out of the spotlight while still creating). Now with this new album, she's worried that she'll have the same problems as before. Hence the giant blonde wig and the fact that she performed with her face to the wall at the show. I admire her for going back to this life and wish her well.

Oh, and her outfit. Quirky and unusual, so perfect for her.

Meghan Trainor in Galia Lahav

Another super-sheer dress. Once upon a time this dress would have an opaque layer but not these days. I think I prefer granny panties over a miniskirt for under the dress because the miniskirt makes her legs look short. Also, the fabric on the sleeves is not the same colour as is used in the skirt and I find this distracting.

Katy Perry in Zuhair Murad

More sheer! With dangly bits! She's definitely not wearing granny panties under this. The dress length is not especially flattering. 

Katy Perry in Valentino Couture

This was her performance dress. I like it - even the cape and mock turtleneck are growing on me. Her hair, on the other hand, doesn't work for me. It's too severe for this look.

Ciara in Alexandre Vauthier Couture

I don't know if I have the words to describe this dress. I was going to say that the bodice is the problem because it's doesn't work with the skirt but the skirt is the problem, too, because that mullet slit is much too high. What was she thinking?

Ashanti in Michael Costello

This dress isn't horrible but she is showing way more underboob than I'm interested in seeing. Clearly the 2013 dress code is no longer in effect.

Joy Villa in Andre Soriano

This looks like one of the Project Runway alternative materials challenge dresses, except that the designer would be in trouble for using the material as fabric. I never thought that snow fencing would make a good (I was going to say decent but this dress is anything but) dress. All of these "next to nothing under sheer" dresses remind me of the very late 18th century in French history where society women wore sheer dresses only - and sometimes they wet down their dresses to make the dress even sheerer.

Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell

This look is a huge change from her previous theatrics. Personally, I prefer her looking more like a goddess than pulling stunts. I like that she's a little bit heavier than she was before because I think the weight suits her; she looks curvy and sexy and sensual. I love the bodice of this dress but I don't love the slit or the colour as I don't thin silver really suits her. I do think that the necklace is divine. 

Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell

This was the dress she performed in and I prefer it to her red carpet dress because it looks classier to me. She looks like Jessica Rabbit - all curvy and sexy and gorgeous. I also love the feathered boa and the way the skirt has feathers, too. This is gorgeous.

Taylor Swift in Elie Saab

This would be too formal for anyone else to wear at the Grammys. Since it's got the miniskirt under the big outer skirt it's a nice variation on the mullet dress. Of course it fits her perfectly. The best part was when the camera panned over the crowd during the show - this dress made it easy to spot her as she danced and had a great time. 

Paris Hilton in Yousef-Al-Jasmi

Normally I wouldn't include her on this list because she's not really a musician, is she? However, I included her because she has more of a figure than she used to and I think she looks better than she used to. Also, the dress is unusual and works fairly well with her colouring, even if it does give her a bit of a mermaid look.

Jennifer Hudson in Tom Ford

This is extremely simple but it mostly works. Personally, I'd add more details on the bodice to balance out her hips because she's generously endowed in the hips like me. Still, she looks well-put together. And I love her necklace.

Iggy Azalea in Armani Privé

I love the colour, and I love the bodice cutouts... but I don't love the skirt cutout or the train. If the skirt cutout was a bit different (maybe diagonal?) and there was no train, this would have been perfect. Also, that's some crazy hair.

Miley Cyrus in Alexandre Vauthier Couture

Of all the cutout dresses that appeared on this red carpet, this one is my favourite. I love the way the bands appear to cross her and make all sorts of interesting shapes. Plus somehow they make her look super-curvy. 

Kim Kardashian in Jean Paul Gaultier

She's wearing an oversized, shapeless, bedazzled bathrobe. I wonder what she was thinking, choosing to wear something so unflattering.

Rihanna in Giambattista Valli

Apparently she saw this dress on the internet and wanted it right away. However, as she walked down the red carpet the bodice kept trying to slip down and the skirt kept getting in the way. There's a whole lot of skirt there and it's very, very heavy. A tiny strapless bodice looks cute with that huge skirt but there's no way it can support the weight of all that fabric. It would have an easier time with that task if she wasn't quite so busty - as it is, she's got that bodice as tight as it'll go but it can't both keep her boobs contained and the dress up. Check out about 11:50 of the runway show: the runway model didn't have any problems keeping the dress up.

Rihanna in Maison Margiela Artisanal Couture

She wore this outfit when she performed. I guess it was supposed to look like a boyfriend had lent her his blazer but it came across as oversized and sloppy to me what with the droopy, padded shoulders and much-too-long sleeves.

Lena Hall in Zac Posen

Aside from being just a little bit too long (giving that funny wrinkle), this dress is gorgeous. This designer definitely knows how to emphasize (or create) a curvy figure. I love the colour on her, too.

Tierney Sutton

The pleating is interesting but makes for a bit of a shapeless waist and also pulls the skirt apart at the hem. 

Aymee Nuviola

This dress is pretty but a little too prom-like for the Grammys. 

Joyce Di Donato in Vivienne Westwood

I'm not sure I'd have worn a plain short-sleeved t-shirt with this skirt; I think something a touch more formal would have been better but I'm not the boss of her. And I do like the skirt, belt, and boots, which all give a edgy vibe.

Gretchen Parlato

Another sheer outfit. Tired of them yet? This one has a nude-coloured underdress with a mini-skirt which makes her legs look weird. A nude-coloured jumpsuit underneath would have been better. The sleeves and bodice also overwhelm her frame and the dress is a bit too short. Or too long. 

Cara Quici in Walter Mendez

I'm going to go ahead and guess that this dress is made of jersey (basically t-shirt fabric, but the jersey used in this dress is probably silk and a bit heavier than most t-shirts). I'm guessing this because of the way the hem looks. Clearly there's a stiffened hem which looks .... strange ...with the very drapey skirt, and the only way to get that kind of draping is with jersey. As well, it appears that there's a lining that's causing some weird bumps to appear around the bust, waist, and legs. And the neckline doesn't quite work for her. 

Leslie Cartaya in Yaz Gonzalez

A dress that's shiny all over may not be as flattering as if there were contrasting areas or some kind of ruching or pleating. The colour is fabulous and her smile - the most important accessory - is gorgeous but I wish her bust had been defined just a little bit more.

Ariacne Trujillo in custom Joshuan Aponte

I love love love love this dress. I love the combination of sequinned and matte areas; I love the design lines; I love the neckline; and I love the colour. This is incredibly flattering on her. The only thing I don't love is the medal she's wearing. I'm sure she's wearing that for a reason but that doesn't mean I have to love it.

Michelle Pesce in Skaist-Taylor

I assume that this is contemporary but it looks very much like something people would have worn in the mid- to late-80s with the puffy sleeves, shoulder pads, high neckline, miniskirt, and cheap-looking metallic fabric. It's isn't flattering and it looks like she left the house without doing her hair. Also, the ankle straps on her shoes are at different hights,

Gwen Stefani in Atelier Versace

Ok, jumpsuits can be silly but I like this one. The bodice appeals to me because of the deformed grid and because it looks sheer but isn't. Her feet look freakishly long, though.

Gwen Stefani in Atelier Versace

Normally she wears outfits that are a bit edgy, even when she's performing like did in this dress. However, this dress isn't what I'd call edgy... it's more prom-like. 

Miranda Lambert in Gabriela Cadena

The first dress she wore. I like the waist cutouts but I don't know how I feel about the pink straps. I think I don't like them, and that the dress would have worked better without them and with slightly larger cutouts. 

Miranda Lambert

This was her leather performance outfit; it's very 70s or 80s female rocker chic. I'm not a fan of leather pants but I do love that she's wearing this skin-tight outfit and she's got a normal - which is to say, not skinny, with a rounded belly and bum - figure.

Miranda Lambert in Noir Sachin + Babi

Her apres-performance dress. This is... not inspiring. It's ok but doesn't do anything for her. The sheer neckline would have been better either left out or replaced with black opaque fabric.

Nicki Minaj in Tom Ford

It sort of looks like she's about to tear open her bodice, doesn't it? This dress is much like a contemporary interpretation of the fringed flapper dress, and I don't think it works as well as those dresses did.I think I'd have preferred a sheer skirt with beaded elements on it over the fringe, and not just because the fringe starts at an odd place. Still, the overall silhouette works for her.

Katharine McPhee in Emilio Pucci

The silver bar accents in front are just enough to make this dress interesting. Without them the dress would be a bit too revealing, especially since the back shows off so much. The colour is nice, I guess; it's similar to her skin tone but not close enough to make it look like she's naked.

Rita Ora in Prada

This dress just goes to show that a person can be completely covered up and still look sexy. Of all the silver dresses at this event, this one is my favourite. I love the striped effect and the seamlines, which create an interesting and very flattering shape that highlights her figure. I also love that it's got a high collar and long sleeves; it's so form-fitting that showing any bare skin would make the overall effect more trashy and less sexy.

Beyoncé in Proenza Schouler

Another sheer dress with a plunging neckline. It's ok, I guess. The look is very heavy overall what with the heavy hair and heavy fabric. The sheerness of the skirt helps to lighten the look a bit but can't overcome the rest of the look.

Beyoncé in dress by Cavalli and cape by Amato

This performance dress and cape combo creates an angelic and ethereal look that suited the gospel song she sang perfectly. I actually love the dress: it's very flattering on her and it's shimmery and sparkly without being too much. I love the necklace she's wearing, too, because it both finishes this look and makes it more demure somehow - I think because the necklace appears to be closing the neckline. The cape is gorgeous, if impractical. 

What I don't love is the hair. It's long and heavy, it looks a bit straggly, and it covers the beauty of the dress. I know that long hair is kind of her thing and that many people find it sexy but to me, that sexiness is incongruous with this look.

Zendaya in Vivienne Westwood

It looks like she was draped in a curtain. Or maybe upholstery fabric? 

Tracey Edmonds in Steven Khalil

A nightgown with a train masquerading as a red carpet gown. This one has bra cups that don't match her skin tone and that aren't black, either, so they look a little strange. 

Nicole Kidman in Thierry Mugler

She's so thin - it's as though someone took a picture of a normal person and stretched it vertically. The dress is understated but works because the embellishments add interest. 

Toni Braxton in Marc Bouwer

Although this dress shows a whole lot of bosom, it's more tasteful than some of the other bosom-baring dresses at this event because of the ornate necklace. The necklace is a little too ornate for my taste but I prefer it to views of her underboob.

Mary J. Blige in J. Mendel

She is so beautiful and this dress is so unflattering. The skirt is too heavy and the bodice flattens her bosom. Even the colour does nothing much for her. 

Mary J. Blige in Zac Posen with Sam Smith

I first thought this performance dress was by Jason Wu but I was wrong; it's by Zac Posen. I love this. It's sleek and fits her like a glove; there are interesting style lines throughout; and the colour is gorgeous on her. I only wish I could have found better pictures for you.

Judith Hill in Pamella Roland

I should love this because I think it's symmetric and interesting but the bodice is too timid for the skirt. This would have been better with a high-necked sleeveless bodice. And with her hair shorter or to the back; the long hair gets in the way of the design. 

Jane Fonda in Balmain with Richard Perry

I saw this during the show and thought it was really interesting. I still think it's interesting but I don't much love the belt because it's too wide for both her figure and the design but I love the fabric and necklace.

photo credits: zimbio.com, gettyimages.com