[pullquote1 quotes=”true” align=”center”]Flubs a lá Adele, Florence Welch frighten viewers[/pullquote1]
Staff Writer
Before the stars, musicians, and performers gathered on Feb. 10 at the Staples Center for the 2013 Grammy Awards, they first took to the red carpet, displaying their fabulous designer duds at one of the more lenient events (fashion-wise). Each genre had its fair share of hits and misses.
Kelly Clarkson, Best Pop Vocal Album winner, looked adorable in fashion and in spirit at the Grammys. Her black knee-length dress featured sleeves and neckline made of polka-dotted mesh. Like Katy Perry tends to be, her dress was also just a bit off this time around. Although her body looked amazing in the mint green Gucci gown, it may have looked a little too good for cable. While she didn’t win Best Pop Solo Performance, by avoiding flashing the paparazzi, the night can still go down as a success.
Just as Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” stuck in heads everywhere, her Roberto Cavalli dress will do just the same. Jepsen could be the star when The Little Mermaid meets The Great Gatsby, as her gown mixed sequins, faux-fringe, and a flared hem. Her milky skin and light eyes shone against her dark brown hair and shimmering, purplish dress.
Having had an immense presence in music this year, everyone’s favorite Brits proved their worth is in music and not so much in fashion. While some give Adele credit for not wearing black, many wished she had followed the old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” In a red and mauve Valentino dress, the singer looked more like a cartoon than an award winner.
Florence Welch, of Florence & the Machine, wore…something. This Brit, whose voice tends to take an eerie tone sometimes, also looked a little spooky. Her entire look had all the makings of a broad-headed skink lizard between her classic fiery hair and spiked emerald green dress. When looking at the custom-made gown by Givenchy, fans were wondering if she wanted to just “Shake it Out.”
Natasha Bedingfield, a name we don’t hear too often these days, was the saving grace for Great Britain at the Grammys. Her red Emerson gown featured classy cutouts and a beautiful texture along its entirety, leaving her looking fabulous and her fellow Brits envious.
While everyone certainly wishes that Beyoncé could do no wrong, no one is excluded from a terrible jumpsuit blunder. Designed by Osman, Beyoncé’s was tight-legged and boxy-topped, mixing black and white and awful all over. Alicia Keys basically wore a trashier version of her reddish National Anthem gown, opting for cutouts, reptile skin, and that same square, modified mermaid hem.
Stealing the spotlight from the Super Bowl singers, however, was Barbados babe Rihanna, who braved the red carpet in red chiffon. Her Azzedine Alaïa gown featured seemingly endless panels of sheer red chiffon, crossing across the bust and flowing behind her, mixing strength and beauty perfectly.
Although longtime country celebrity Faith Hill’s dress was meant to add youth to the 45 year old, she just ended up looking, well, old. The black and meshed sleeve J. Mendel number left her with an OK look. Even her braces couldn’t freshen up the look; imagine that.
While Swift’s J. Mendel dress was rather stunning, it overwhelmed her extremely thin frame. The silver straps emphasized her frail frame even more, leaving viewers distracted by her ribs. Had Swift’s creamy chiffon dress been worn by someone with a healthier looking chest, the flowing frock would have been an instant hit. Perhaps J. Mendel just isn’t meant to dress the southern belle-type, even if they grew up only half an hour away from F&M, like Swift.
Carrie Underwood, on the other hand, looked healthy and womanly with her hourglass figure and perfect Barbie hair in Roberto Cavalli. Underwood wore a black lace strapless gown, with an interesting overlay pattern that accentuated her curves, while the fabric itself hugged them. Fans were “Blown Away” by both her ensemble and her win. Whether they were from the world of pop, R&B, country, or Great Britain, the ladies representing those genres certainly turned heads at the 2013 Grammys in happiness, shock, and confusion.
Questions? Email First at efurino@fandm.edu.