The musicians at the Grammy Awards know how to own a stage better than any of the boring film actors you see at the Oscars, because they regularly tour and have to prove their worth every night with the audience. One of the pleasures of watching the show is to see the rousing performances, which offer combinations like last year’s pairing of Annie Lennox and Hozier on “Take Me to Church” and “I Put a Spell on You.”
But sometimes the emphasis on spectacle overrides the performances. People will wear anything to get noticed.
Perhaps most famously, in 2000, “Shades of Blue” star Jennifer Lopez wore a sheer green Versace dress that left little to the imagination. And in 2011, Lady Gaga, who’s now become so mainstream that she sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Super Bowl, arrived to the awards in a very large, polished egg.
Courting outrage might be a thing of the past, though. For years, CBS was hands-off about the flesh peddlers on the red carpet — but in 2013 the network had to step in when the red carpet threatened to turn into a revival of “This Was Burlesque.” CBS brass released a dress code that detailed areas of the body that should be concealed, including the buttocks and breasts. The warning even went so far as to say: “Please be sure the genital region is adequately covered so that there is no visible ‘puffy’ bare skin exposure.”
CBS has a point: If you have to think, “Should I or should I not cover my genitals?,” you have a problem. Maybe that’s why Rihanna wore a Regency-style, layered pink petticoat to last year’s ceremony. The only part of her body that was exposed was her shoulders.
There’s a way to look cool and dressy at the Grammys and still be true to yourself. Mary J. Blige looked sensational in the canary-yellow fake-fur jacket and shimmery yellow cocktail dress ensemble she wore in 2004.
Green shoes added just enough contrast. Similarly, Beyoncé tends to go elegant — if a little formal — on the red carpet. Even Mariah Carey, usually so poured into her garment that her epidermis is screaming, wore a simple black cocktail dress in 1991 when she won Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal for her debut hit “Vision of Love.”
Perhaps the best way to think about fashion and the Grammys is to appreciate how the occasion gives the nominated male artists a chance to mix it up and not resort to boring black tie. Remember how Michael Jackson sparkled in a double-breasted, sequinned military-style jacket with fringed epaulets when he won eight Grammys in 1984 — the year of “Thriller”?
In 2014, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis looked positively spiffy in a big checked jacket and a green velvet dinner jacket with light green satin lapels, respectively, when they won four Grammys for “The Heist.” Even a low-key guy like Pharrell made the most of the brown Canadian Mountie hat he wore to the ceremony in 2014.
OK, it was designed by Vivienne Westwood — but he proved that sometimes, all you need is the right accessory.