Extreme Fashion Needs No Censor
Musicians are a crazy, uninhibited lot, full of rebellion and often scandalous in their actions and attire, but they were better dressed than ever at the 44th Grammy Awards.
The stars walking the red carpet at Staples Center on Wednesday lacked a single jaw-dropping outfit that pushed the limits of bad taste, but they didn’t disappoint fans of extreme fashion. You gotta love that Elvis Costello and Erykah Badu can show up in snowboarders’ footwear, and that Alicia Keys can reignite the sparkly makeup craze just by batting her glitter-encrusted eyelids. Of course, it was more fun when Jennifer Lopez or Toni Braxton tweaked the censors with their revealing gowns in past years.
This year, though, the fun was in the spectacle of it all--from Tony Bennett to OutKast and ‘N Sync to Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who was nominated for narrating a children’s album. Where but the Grammys can you encounter Tim Curry discussing how to wear platform shoes (take them off!), Miss Laura of the Queens of Comedy sharing shopping tips (go to L.A.’s Fashion District) and Costello explaining why he drinks sparkling water now (“You have a certain amount of drinks you can have in your life, and I had those”).
With such a crowd as that, it’s no wonder that the fashion on parade was a grab bag of glad rags. Unlike movie stars, who are the shape shifters of entertainment, musicians can stick with a well-defined look. If Lil’ Kim didn’t show her midriff, we might not recognize her, though in $1.7 million of Harry Winston diamonds and a red leather Chanel motorcycle outfit, she’s hard to miss. Soul man Bootsy Collins wouldn’t be Bootsy Collins if he wore a suit. He personally designed his winged-lapel leopard jacket, swinging flared pants and towering top hat. Dressing in outrageous costumes is just part of life for him now.
“I’ve been doing it so long, I probably couldn’t leave home without it,” he said, adding that he’s more careful what he wears around his Great Dane and Rottweilers. “If I wore this,” he said, “they’d probably think I was some sort of bad animal.”
Unlike years past, however, more stars presented a toned-down image. Mya may have worn a super-short Versace mini with sheer lace insets, but it wasn’t as bare as it could be: Sleeves covered her arms. Britney Spears abandoned the ultra-low hip-huggers for an evening dress that was, by her standards, conservative. Musicians in all aspects of the industry, whether they sing gospel, country or rock, seemed to be casting off trashy for classy.
“Gaudy is not cute,” said R&B; singer Blu Cantrell, who wore a ruffled Diane von Furstenberg tiger-print evening gown. “I think you should be funky, but also classy.” Others seemed to agree.
“When I feel like I want to get dressed up,” said Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, “I want to get swanky. I don’t want to do it halfway.” Thomas, whose wife, Marisol, is a model, flashed the purple lining in his rust-colored Ozwald Boateng suit, complete with shirt and tie.
Trendsetting singer Mary J. Blige explained that she, too, is feeling a new compulsion toward sophistication. She wore a pinstripe denim Dolce & Gabbana pantsuit and floral corset that showed off her svelte new self, and her more classic leanings.
“I feel like a grown-up right now,” Blige said. “I’m movin’ on. I get tired of sitting down and having your thong hanging out.”
