This year’s Grammys were last night and I watched the red carpet so you didn’t have to. Now, let’s sit and judge who got it wrong and who got it oh so right.
Best Dressed: Charli XCX in Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture
It’s only fitting that the year of Brat ended with 200 meters of hand-shredded chiffon courtesy of Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture that only hit the runway days ago.
Charli XCX rounded out the year she helped define with this beautiful gown in an unusual dusty grey tone, black open-toe boots, and her signature messy black curls. It’s a look that captures youth culture and streetwear today, making it my top pick for the evening.
(Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images)
(Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images)
Worst Dressed: Beyoncé in Schiaparelli Haute Couture
Beyoncé in this Schiaparelli Haute Couture gown couldn’t be more predictable if she tried. She is veering into Jennifer Lopez territory where we come to know one look from her with very little variation.
The hair is perhaps too platinum and the paisley beadwork of the dress is a little too on the nose for her country era. Not even 25-carat pear-shaped diamonds from Lorraine Schwartz could save this look.
(Stewart Cook/CBS via Getty Images)
(Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Best and Worst Dressed: Taylor Swift in Vivienne Westwood
I believe this is the first time Taylor Swift has ever landed on my best dressed list and I’m happy that it’s for a Vivienne Westwood number. This is one of only a handful of appearances where Swift has balanced elegance and hotness.
But, yes there’s a but, just as much as I loved this frock, Swift managed to add some cheeseball symbolism which she does so well. Not only is the dress in the color of the Kansas City Chiefs, there’s also a small “T” chain hanging from her leg — a nod to her boyfriend Travis Kelce.
Puke.
(Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
(Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Worst Dressed: Jennifer Lopez in Stéphane Rolland
At first glance, Jennifer Lopez in this Stéphane Rolland ensemble seemed to be wearing a black turtleneck and a sparkling floating cloud as a skirt. On second glance, I realized my first glance was 100% accurate.
(Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
(Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Best Dressed: Sabrina Carpenter in JW Anderson
Sabrina Carpenter in custom JW Anderson is really what the Grammys have always been about. It’s sort of ridiculous, over-the-top, flashy, and doesn’t make sense in any other setting.
The Jean Harlow, Cinderella quality of this gown is what first caught my eye. Then, I done into the back of the dress and couldn’t help but assume that Anderson pulled inspiration from Edith Head’s backless gown for Shirley MacLaine in 1964’s What a Way to Go!
Just like that film, this was the campiest of camp.
(Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images)
(Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Best and Worst Dressed: Chappell Roan in Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture
I just know there will be a gaggle of Fashion Notes readers who will think I’m clinically insane for putting Chappell Roan on my best dressed list. Don’t worry though, she’s also one of my worst dressed, but let me explain.
This gown, alone, is breathtaking. It’s a vintage Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture number from his Spring/Summer 2003 runway show and features silk organza with French impressionist Edgar Degas’s ballerinas. It’s a total fashion moment for the ages.
Simultaneously, is Chappell Roan the appropriate wearer? Not exactly. The gown wears her and her makeup is more fit for her own stage persona than a garment like this that calls for everyone’s undivided attention.
(Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images)
(Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images)
Worst Dressed: Bianca Censori
Let me say this, if Bianca Censori was a man, she’d have been arrested for public indecency. What happened to equal rights?
(Jon Kopaloff/WireImage)
(Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
Best Dressed: Miley Cyrus in Saint Laurent
Anthony Vacarello at Saint Laurent seldom gets it wrong when he dresses a starlet for the red carpet. Miley Cyrus in this black leather criss-cross gown resembles the wardrobe of Angelina Jolie in her heyday when she and Brad Pitt were famously dating.
I’d have thrown her hair into a ponytail, but the blunt bank and chopped-up layers aren’t nearly as bad as Beyoncé’s wig.
(Jon Kopaloff/WireImage)
(Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Worst Dressed: Olivia Rodrigo in Versace
I know, I know. Readers will say ‘What’s the difference between Olivia Rodrigo’s vintage Versace dress and Miley’s Saint Laurent dress?’
There’s a big difference, actually. Miley’s looks like a dress. Olivia’s looks like one of those dreadful mid-2010s monokinis.
(Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
(Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images)
Best Dressed: Lainey Wilson in Sergio Hudson
Lainey Wilson in this custom Sergio Hudson suit was a breath of fresh air. Loyal Fashion Notes readers will know that I love women in tuxes, suits, and menswear.
Here, Lainey hits it just right with an extra large lapel, a giant turquoise western pendant, and nothing more than her cowboy hat. It’s effortlessly cool for such a contrived, pre-planned event.
(Jon Kopaloff/WireImage)
(Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Worst Dressed: Billie Eilish in Prada
I thought this was awful then she turned around and I haven’t been able to stop asking myself — why is she wearing a dry-erase board on her back?
(Phil McCarten/CBS via Getty Images)
(Jon Kopaloff/WireImage)
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
