warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Grammys 2012: Best Dressed Round Up

AbWallman |
February 12, 2012 | 6:24 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

Adele, Armani, Grammys 2012
Adele, Armani, Grammys 2012

The 54th Annual Grammy Awards brought out all the stars per usual, but this time, the cloud of a lost friend hung heavy throughout. Yesterday’s passing of Whitney Houston, the mega-talented superstar of hits such as “I Will Always Love You” and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” was felt on the red carpet this afternoon in the interviews and in the fashion.

There seemed to be more subdued fashion than in years past. Unlike the Oscars or similar awards shows, the Grammys are usually the occasion for all the biggest divas to put on bright colors, glitzy sparkles, short getups and have fun with their creative energy. This is usually the awards show where we wonder who will be hatching from an egg a la Gaga. Not this year.

People seemed to show up in floods of black, white and taupe, except for Nicki Minaj, who showed up in a full on custom-made Versace red-riding hood ensemble. That reminds me, where was Gaga on the carpet this year?

The highlights of the night included Carrie Underwood in Gomez-Garcia, Adele in Giorgi Armani, Taylor Swift in Zuhair Murad and Rihanna in Armani. All were long gowns, and for the most part, had an air of understated elegance.

Carrie Underwood, the country star who rose to fame from her time on "American Idol" and has since been a regular at the Grammys, was wearing a long-sleeve white backless gown with intricate detailing of embroidered sequins on tulle. Underwood wore complimentary drop earrings and pulled her hair back up into a low twisted bun-type style, which looked great with her makeup: strikingly dark eyes against her white dress. Carrie looked age appropriate, classy and fabulous.

As queen of tonight’s show (as she is expected to sweep in most categories she is nominated for), Adele pulled out all the stops in her black sequined Giorgio Armani gown. Floor-length and with three-quarter length-sleeves, Adele looked the definition of Old Hollywood glamour with thick eyeliner, red lips and a short blonde coifed hairdo. Best of all, Adele had an infectious smile on the carpet. Her custom-made Armani was perfect for her body type and arguably most thoughtful of the circumstances of the evening, although the glitz of the sparkling sequins still made her a showstopper.

Taylor Swift, probably best known for her princess-like awards show attire, wore a very adult ensemble this evening in her nude silk mermaid gown by Zuhair Murad. Although she still sported a dress of sparkling embellishments, it was nice to see Swift pull her hair back into a high bun and wear small tan-colored drop earrings to finish off her golden-goddess look. When Swift doesn’t wear her hair down in her famous curly style, it makes her appear older and more sophisticated, as did the rest of her ensemble. The train on her gown was stunning on the red carpet, as was the intricate detailing of the open back.

Another one of my favorites, Rihanna, showed up in a dare-to-bare Armani black sheath silk dress that she had collaborated on with Mr. Armani himself. The dress had a plunging neckline and high slit, which ended up playing off of each other nicely. The back was dramatically open, and the gold cuff and jewelry Rihanna wore with her look finished it off nicely. Although she showed a lot of skin, she seemed to do it fashionably and with a purpose. 

Honorable mentions on the carpet include Kelly Rowland in Alberta Ferreti, Malin Akerman in the best short dress of the evening, a white Cushnie et Ochs, and Julianne Hough in Kaufman Franco.

Reach reporter Abby Wallman here.



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.