Sam Smith and Kim Petras heat up Grammys 2023 red carpet in ‘Unholy’ style
Looking this good should be “Unholy.”
Sam Smith and Kim Petras went for a red-hot coordinated fashion moment on the Grammys 2023 red carpet Sunday.
Smith (who identifies as non-binary and uses “they/them” pronouns) rocked a custom bright red Valentino gown courtesy of creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, which they paired with matching gloves, a veiled top hat and a sparkly cane.
Petras perfectly matched her collaborator in a voluminous vintage minidress by Victor Costa, which she accessorized with a scarlet veil and oversized pendant.
The dynamic duo — who collaborated on hit song “Unholy” — brought along an equally chic entourage for the evening, including “RuPaul’s Drag Race” stars Gottmik and Violet Chachki.
Chachki went all out in a sheer slip gown with a ruffled train, while Gottmik posed in a latex look with shoulder pads.
They were joined by four Valentino-clad backup dancers, all sporting Jesus-like wigs.
The musicians took the stage during the Grammys for a fiery performance of “Unholy” that polarized viewers; conservative types (including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz) slammed the spectacle as “evil” and “satanic,” while fans rushed to the queer artists’ defense.
“Evil is when a man walks into a school & murders a dozen children Evil is when Russia bombs schools & hospitals to steal land Evil is NOT when a musician dances around in a devil suit performing a hit song,” one social media user wrote.
“Unholy” won the Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, making Petras the first openly trans woman to win in that category.
Anthony Allen Ramos, vice president of communications and talent at GLAAD, told Page Six in a statement, “By awarding queer artists from so many segments of the LGBTQ community and representing so many musical genres as Grammy winners, the Recording Academy reminded the world just how impactful LGBTQ people are when it comes to creating music.”
Smith recently also received backlash for their “I’m Not Here to Make Friends” music video earlier this month, which includes a series of sexy looks crafted by designer Christian Cowan ranging from a showgirl-worthy feather headdress to a bejeweled corset paired with nipple pasties.
“If Sam Smith were thin, cis, and straight, they wouldn’t be ridiculed for how they present and dress. If Harry Styles wore the same fits on a magazine cover, y’all would be screaming YAS QUEEN. Anyway, support fat queer people,” writer Mae Murray tweeted in response.
Added author Owen Jones, “Sex has always been a running theme in modern pop music, and music videos often flaunt it. But Sam Smith has made the criminal offence of being a) queer and b) not skinny, and in an increasingly anti-LGBTQ culture, that can’t be tolerated.”
