NEW YORK — Billy Porter went with fuchsia and Mickey Guyton rocked an ombre silver and gold fringe dress as the music crowd didn’t disappoint on the Grammys red carpet Sunday, doing Las Vegas proud in wild, whimsical and meaningful looks with lots of bright color and plenty of skin.
Guyton shimmied for photographers in her long-sleeve look. Olivia Rodrigo waved and smiled for the cameras in a black sheath gown from Vivienne Westwood, who included purple sparkle trim with rocker chokers. Porter, always a carpet sensation, wore sheer, ruffled Valentino with trousers and caped sheer button down top, blue lipstick in place and long matching pink gloves.
“The color of the season I hear is fuchsia,” he told E!
The look was straight off the runway.
Brandi Carlile toted about 40 pounds of hand-cut crystals on a multicolored Huge Boss tuxedo jacket with stripes of the same crystals on the trousers and waist.
“I’m finally morphing into Elton John, which is my dream,” she said.
Rodrigo was joined in black by Billie Eilish in a trench coat turned cape, lug soul boots on her feet. And all seven members of the sensation BTS wore custom Louis Vuitton suits with sneakers in a range of colors from bright white to muted blue.
Multiple nominee H.E.R. paid homage to Aretha Franklin in an embellished orange look, and fashion favorite Cynthia Erivo was in sparkling silver and gray from Louis Vuitton.
Embellished metallics were abundant. Tiffany Haddish stunned in a fitted one-shoulder gown from Prada, and Carrie Underwood went full ballgown with sparkle in the top with a sash and a full skirt of sunset orange.
Sofia Carson wore an elegant Grecian gown from Valentino with a long sheer cape that swept over the carpet as she walked.
Among early walkers was Li Saumet from Colombia’s Bomba Estéreo, who covered her face with a helmet-like mask. Cherry Moon of the 1 Tribe Collective children’s group went all out in full gold, complete with a huge architectural collar. Victoria Evigan smooched her husband, Jason, in a peach and yellow dress with “Love is the Weapon” at the back.
Alisha Gaddis, with comedy on her resume, paired her shiny, minty gown with a head piece of high, golden branches. Elle King showed up resplendent in red, a bell-bottom trouser suit with an ultra-wide brim hat to match. Black Coffee, the DJ from South Africa, paid homage to his friend Virgil Abloh, wearing a pair of the late designer’s sneakers before his win for dance/electronic music album.
King, a new mom, was thrilled to be wearing Christian Siriano.
“I just trusted him. He knows how to dress all types of bodies and I really celebrate that in him,” she told The Associated Press. “I just wanted to feel powerful.”
Japanese Breakfast smiled for cameras in a mini dress of bright yellow ruffles from Valentino, while Doja Cat, her hair accentuated in spikes, wore an ice blue Atelier Versace crystal-embellished sheer look.
As for the men, there was plenty of ornate, brocade jackets and suits in the early bunch.
“It’s the sort of thing that can look genuinely fantastic when executed carefully,” said Jonathan Evans, Esquire’s style director.
Leon Bridges lent a nod to his native Texas in a cream tuxedo look embellished with embroidery and a touch of blue bonnets.
“I just like to look good, you know,” he told the AP.
Among Evans’ early standouts was something on the other end of that spectrum, Cory Henry in a double-breasted suit and turtleneck combo.
“Rich, offbeat colors like purple can prove tricky when it comes to tailoring, but he nails the modernized ’70s vibe,” he said.
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Associated Press writers Gary Hamilton and Marcela Isaza in Las Vegas contributed to this story.
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