Recommendations of the Editorial team
The awarding of the Grammys was more political on Sunday (February 1st) than in previous years, thanks to Donald Trump and the activities of the ICE troops.
Once again it became clear: the red carpet in front of the Crypto Arena (formerly Staples Center) in downtown Los Angeles is more than a parade of beautiful and mostly sponsored outfits. It is a stage, a message and an extension of the music itself.
Between high fashion, conscious staging and flashy performance moments, many musicians presented themselves with extravagant clothes that outshone many a flimsy performance. As if they had agreed on a secret dress code, the soul trio Pusha T, Malice and Pharrell Williams walked side by side on the red carpet. All three in perfectly tailored, old pink velvet suits. The look seemed like a throwback to the great soul bands of the 1960s and 1970s. High fashion meets crew energy and was shot down hundreds of times by the photo crowd.
Justin Bieber: Red carpet classic meets performance provocation
Justin Bieber delivered two of the most discussed (anti-)fashion moments. On the carpet, he initially appeared surprisingly classic: a black suit from Balenciaga, reduced and elegant, perfectly coordinated with Hailey Bieber, who appeared in a dramatic black Alaïa gown. Then the break came on stage: Bieber played the song “Yukon” shirtless, only in boxer shorts and socks. Whether he had an agreement with his tattoo studio. In any case, a minimalist anti-look that had social media spinning at the same time.
And Lady Gaga!? She remains “the artist who tells fashion,” according to Esquire magazine. She appeared outside the door in a black feather couture something by designer Matières Fécales – a sculptural gothic glamor composition of texture, darkness and movement.
The look was less of a dress than a production, more of an art object than an outfit. In her performance, she continued this, as the saying goes, narrative: a black walking stick became the prop of the Princess of Darkness, with which she tapped the fins of the zeitgeist.
Spectacular: Laufeny
The Icelandic soul-jazz lady Laufeny provided a counterpoint to this. In a purple flapper dress from Miu Miu, decorated with sparkling crystals and complemented by color-coordinated eye shadow, she oscillated between the Weimar Republic and the Jazz Age. Without seeming nostalgic, as the trade press noted appreciatively.
Of course, there was also a robust, rock-solid rocker crowd, like the Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, appropriately blasted away by Post Malone, Chad Smith, Andrew Watt and “Gunner” Slash.
