The Fashion of the 2023 Grammys

From Leather to Denim to Loofas, the 2023 Grammys Had it All

Sunday, February 5 marked the 65th annual Grammy Awards. With around 90 awards given this year, hundreds of stars graced the red carpet in suits, gowns, and everything in between to celebrate a great year of music. Here’s a compilation of some of the most interesting outfits worn this year.

What are the Grammys without the Queen herself? Beyoncé arrived fashionably late due to traffic in a stunning silver gown, reflecting bright beams of light. The construction of this gown is not exactly new, but the material makes up for it. It was a custom Gucci piece, and fits her perfectly. Although she only walked away from this year’s awards with 4 Grammys, this put her collection at 32, which makes her the record-holder for most Grammy’s won, a well-deserved title.

Next up is Shania Twain. To be honest, I did not recognize her at all. She looks like a Laughing Cow campaign. The fit of the suit is done well, which can be hard to come by in women’s wear, but wow is this a loud outfit. If it didn’t have the hat or wig, it could pass, but it looks like she robbed the Cat in the Hat and changed the stripes to polka dots. This outfit was certainly well constructed, but fell so short in being appealing.

Here we have Anderson Paak in a floral suit. While I am normally opposed to the “grandma’s couch” floral pattern, he seems to pull it off. The use of the green trim to match the hat and the greenery in the print makes for an interesting outfit. However, I do feel as if I stared at it for too long I would hate it. But, it is always refreshing to see a man dressed in something other than a basic black tux.

Lizzo arrived to the red carpet in a cape that looked eerily similar to Dany’s final outfit in Midsommar, just red. When she removed it, she revealed a soft orange corset dress. While I enjoy the idea, I feel like the execution of this outfit was lacking. It almost looks like a Project Runway challenge piece. It was clearly well done, but looks like it was made in about three days.

As a wonderful pallet cleanser, we have Laverne Cox. This Ancient Egyptian inspired dress is so eye-catching. The embroidery of the Egyptian gods beautifully contrasts the gator-skin material of the dress. She ties everything together with a stunning gold necklace and gold makeup. The style and structure of the dress compliments her well and the use of Egyptian motifs brings something completely unique to the red carpet.

Next, we have Miguel wearing Diesel. I was immediately interested in the entirely denim ensemble he has brought together, particularly the jean cape (jape?) and jean boots (joots??). He looks like a high power Jean Jedi (Jedi??. I am curious as to how he maneuvered himself throughout the night, particularly because his boots seem to be attached to his jeans. What if his sock fell down while walking? Did he have to deconstruct the outfit just to get to the boot? Some of these jean questions (jestions????) may never be answered. However I do think this outfit is insane and the wash of the denim is a little puke-inducing. But that is also me. I do love the nod to early-2000s denim mania.

Next we have Grammy award winning duo (I blame Kennedy Mackie) Kim Petras and Sam Smith. I’m going to be honest, their group looks like a mix of Handmaids from The Handmaid’s Tale and the St. Marcus’ Day celebrants from Twilight: New Moon. It is, however, incredibly fitting for their song “Unholy.” This whole ensemble is unique and slightly off-putting, but at least they all picked the same shade of red. Although I know many people were surprised by their win, they certainly wanted to make it memorable.

I only listened to it because I hated it so much.

— Kennedy Mackie

Here we have another black leather outfit, this time worn by Doja Cat. This dress looks incredibly well done, and even looks a bit Catgirl-like. While I am not one for bleached eyebrows, it gives her an alien look, which works well with the dress. However, I cannot help but wonder about the comfort level of this dress.

Here we have Taylor Swift, in a stunning two-piece that clearly reflects her new album Midnights. While I feel like silhouette was a bit boring, the embellishments make up for it completely. The large silver earrings and her classic updo compliment the outfit nicely.

Next we have Heidi Klum, in this very confusing dress. The cut of the dress compliments her perfectly (but honestly what doesn’t look good on her?), but the pattern left me lost. At first I thought it was snakeskin, but on further inspection it is in fact a golden, almost Renaissance pattern. I also thought it was embellished with trim, but it actually has gold chains hanging from the sides. From afar, this dress makes my head hurt a bit, but up close, it’s actually quite beautiful. (Take this review with a grain of salt, as my only point of reference for a long time was a very small photo.)

I want to start this review with a deep apology to the Harry Styles girlies for what I am about to say. Now that’s out of the way, I loathe this look. The clown vibes kill me. Was the goal to look like a fool? Because if so he certainly succeeded. But that is not even my biggest gripe. What is Harry Styles’ fascination with his chest? No one needs to see it. If you want to go shirtless, commit to it. Don’t wear what looks like a jumpsuit made for someone with a very short torso and very long legs. At least he kept it simple with the shoes. Again, Harry girls please don’t jump me in the halls. Thanks!

Rounding out the “interesting” looks of this year’s Grammys is Kacey Musgraves. When I first saw this, I immediately thought of a loofa. When I looked at it for a second time, I still thought it looked like a loofa. I feel like the goal of being unique was met, but everything else fell short. Why the baby pink catsuit with matching heels? Unfortunately, I am a passionate hater of catsuits and weird textures, so this outfit goes straight to the bottom of the list.

While I hate to end this list on a weird note, it felt fitting when you look at this year’s fashion lineup. There were certainly some fantastic outfits out there, but also some very odd choices. I want to round this out by stating that my only credentials for this review are my obsession with Project Runway since the age of 3 and the need to share my opinions with the world.