FASHION: ‘A LOOK AT THE STYLE & TRENDS’ AT THE 54TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

View the Gallery 13 Photos

Black and Gold

One immediately spotted trend of the night was basic black getting kicked up a notch with bold, metallic gold accents. Gwyneth Paltrow, Rihanna, and Alicia Keys were all at the forefront of this look, with Rihanna and Alicia even wearing the same pair of Christian Louboutin heels.

BFF of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Gwyneth took to the Grammy stage wearing a black gown from Stella McCartney. The dress was accessorized with a wide gold belt.

Rihanna had all heads turning on the red carpet in a custom Giorgio Armani dress that she collaborated on with Armani himself, saying the designer was beginning to trust her design skills. She also said the inspiration for her look came from Michelle Pfeiffer’s character in the movie Scarface. She matched her new gold hair, with a gold clutch, and gold wrist cuff.

Alicia Keys also wore black and gold, accessorizing her black Alexandre Vauthier knee length dress with an oversized gold statement necklace. A stylish pompadour hairstyle and Christian Louboutin ‘Bis Un Bout’ clear PVC ankle-strap pumps completed her look.

Casual Confidence

You wouldn’t think jeans would be a fixture on the red carpet of a major awards show, but a few fellas had no problems staying true to their personal style, keeping things laid back. Rick Ross, Common, and Just Blaze all rocked denim at the Grammys, the end results being three distinct looks.

Rick Ross paired his light wash denim with a colorful striped sweater, and matching blue and white sneakers.

Common went all the way casual in black sneakers, grey jeans, and a great and white striped tee. He dressed his look up a bit with a black coat.

Producer Just Blaze might’ve worn jeans, but his brown tweed jacket/vest combo definitely leaned toward the dressy/casual end of the style spectrum. Matching brown sneakers completed his look.

Not So Basic Black

You can never go wrong with black on the red carpet, and though it’s often considered a safe choice, Diana Ross, Corinne Bailey Rae, and Adele proved that all black ensembles can in fact go beyond the expected.

Diana was one of the few females, if not the only, to wear a pantsuit to the awards show. Her suit silver sequin cuffs at the sleeves, and she accessorized with a diamond necklace, diamond brooch, and Giuseppe Zanotti heels.

Corinne rocked a dress from former Project Runway winner Christian Siriano. The knee length frock was full of Siriano’s trademark dramatic style, with it’s eye catching feather hemline. Black platform heels with gold detailing, and Corinne’s signature curly locks completed her look.

Adele, who was the big winner of the night, sparkled in a glittering black gown from Giorgio Armani. She kept her accessories to an understandable minimum, letting her bold red lip, and blonder hair be all the accents she needed.

Gentlemen’s Quarterly

Suits were a popular choice for the fellas on the Grammy red carpet. John Legend, NY Giant Mario Manningham, and Bruno Mars all wore variations of this look, each reflecting their personal styles.

John wore a standard, yet perfectly tailored black suit, paired with a matching skinny black tie, and black patent leather shoes.

Mario, who’s seeing a new level of celebrity since his NY Giants won the Super Bowl, walked the awards show red carpet, and presented an award during the show wearing a grey three piece suit. He added some visual interest to his look with a purple gingham shirt, matching purple tie, and purple velvet shoes.

Go Bold or Go Home

There were a lot of blacks, whites, and creams on the red carpet, but some stars showed they aren’t afraid of color when it comes to their look. Fergie, Verse Simmonds, and Amber Rose all went bold with their Grammy style, opting for brightly hued looks.

Fergie went bold with both color, and showing some skin. Her orange Jean Paul Gaulthier lace dress was unlined, leaving the singer’s black underwear purposely on full display. It’s a look that only a rock star could hope to get away with.

Verse Simmonds proved that guys shouldn’t be afraid to wear color. His lavender blazer, plum slacks, and white button down look was an unexpected outfit, yet one of the top ones of the night.

Amber Rose’s yellow Versace gown was a definite attention grabber. The dress had a perfect fit, her red lip and matching red nails were a great color complement, and her few accessories didn’t take away from her look.

Leather, Leather, and More Leather

Want to add instant edge to any look? Add some leather. Laurieann Gibson, MC Lyte, and Birdman all gave off Michael Jackson ‘You know I’m bad’ vibes with their leather ensembles.

Laurieann went the edgiest with her black leather trench coat, red leather thigh high boots ensemble. Adding even more interest to the look, was the fact that the boots featured gold metal studs.

MC Lyte looked better than ever strutting her stuff on the Grammy red carpet. She donned an interesting black mini dress that was composed of several different materials, including black leather. She accessorized with a black leather wrist cuff, black clutch, and black patent leather ankle boots.

Birdman’s all black everything outfit consisted of a black tee, black jeans, black sneakers, and a quilted black leather jacket.

Velvet Crush

Velvet blazers were hot trend for guys on the Grammy red carpet. They were seen on Swizz Beatz, AJ Calloway, and Young Money artist Tyga.

Swizz took one of the biggest style risks of the night, wearing a fuchsia velvet blazer, and matching velvet bow tie. The black shirt, black pants, and black shoes he paired his velvet pieces with helped to tone down the look, and ultimately Swizz’s fashion risk was one that paid off.

Former 106th & Park host AJ Calloway also opted for a velvet blazer colored in the purple family. His eggplant colored jacket was a sophisticated and polished way to finish off his otherwise basic outfit. His white leather shoes also added a bit of interest.

Tyga went for the always timeless color combination of black and red, updating the look with a red velvet blazer. Black shades and gold jewelry completed his look.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

What’s a high profile red carpet event without a little sparkle. Ledisi, Kelly Price, and Grammy winning artist Le’andria Johnson brought some shine to the night’s event, wearing standout sequined looks.

Ledisi’s gunmetal strapless gown featured an intricate sequined design. She went for the bare minimum when it came to jewelry, wearing only a pair of diamond studs, and an oversized ring. Her makeup was soft and subtle, yet still made an impact.

Kelly Price donned a beautiful pink sequined gown that was belted at the waist. While the addition of the belt was a contemporary addition to her look, it was the cutouts at the shoulder that were really on trend.

Le’andria’s navy sequined dress also featured some interesting cutouts and draping, and also featured a belt at the waist. The dress’ satin belt pulled the look together, keeping it from becoming too fussy.

Excuse Me, Waiter

While the white jacket, black slacks combo can often be reminiscent of a waiter at a high end restaurant, the look was done to a different effect on the Grammy red carpet. Wiz Khalifa, Mack Maine, and Flo Rida gave the classic look some style edge.

Wiz paired his white blazer with black coated denim, a loose fitting white tee, and $2,000 Christian Louboutin ‘Mikarani’ flats. A black hat, and long hanging gold chains finished off his look.

Mack Main wore the same style blazer as Wiz, but he paired his with a white button down with black buttons, a side turned black cap, and black and white sneakers.

Flo Rida went the most traditional with his look, pairing his white blazer with a matching white shirt, black bow tie, black pants, and classic black patent leather shoes.

Soft Spoken

Blush and cream might be soft colors, but when you add some shine to it, the color is instantly punched up. Marsha Ambrosius, Kelly Rowland, and Taraji P. Henson were perfect examples of how a soft hue can in fact speak volumes.

Marshia wore a sparkly, silver sequined minidress that featured a nude underlay. She didn’t shy away from the bling, adding matching silver glitter heels, and diamond bangle bracelets on both arms. Auburn locks, and a pink lip finished her outfit.

Kelly was one of the night’s best dressed wearing a Alberta Ferretti silver embellished gown. The cream gown had sheer bodice that had a floral sequined design across its front. A curly hairstyle, and drop earrings tied the look together.

Taraji opted for an interesting color combination with her blush and chocolate sequined Brian Rennie gown. The dress’ deep v-neck, and short train created quite the sultry silhouette. Taraji completed her look with a chic updo, and eyeshadow that perfectly matched her dress.

Not Your Average Tux

Tuxes are about as ubiquitous on a red carpet as gowns are, but even though they’re common, that didn’t stop a few fellas from standing out in the crowd. Claude Kelly, Grammy host LL Cool J, and J. Cole all had unique takes on the traditional tux.

Singer/songwriter Claude Kelly, who’s written for everyone from Britney Spears to Jordin Sparks, was definitely a red carpet standout wearing a navy and burgundy plaid tux. It takes a certain level of confidence to successfully pull this off, and Claude had it in spades.

LL Cool J hosted the night’s event, and he didn’t in style spicing up the always classic black tuxedo with a velvet jacket. He wore one of his signature hats, a black bow tie, and black patent leather shoes.

Roc Nation artist J. Cole walked the red carpet with him mom wearing a chocolate silk tux jacket with black lapels, and matching black pants. A black shirt, black tie, and a pop of red in the form of a pocket square completed his look.

Pattern on Display

Sometimes all it takes to add interest and style to a standard look, is to add a bit of pattern and texture. Esperanza Spalding, NY Giant Victor Cruz, and Melanie Fiona each took a common red carpet outfit and kicked it up a style notch by experimenting with prints.

Esperanza took home a very unexpected Grammy win last year, and she returned to the event last night wearing a strapless gown featuring a unique and unexpected ombre print. With her carefree hair, beaded wrist cuff, and colorful frock, she’s the epitome of boho chic.

Victor, who was definitely the breakout star of this year’s NFL season, had another winning night at the Grammys, scoring a style win with his tonal grey on grey plaid suit. His blue pocket square was the perfect accent.

Melanie’s grey and yellow ikat print strapless gown was perfectly styled with black accessories. A black statement necklace, black peep toe heels, and black nails all combined to give her look a definite edge.

And this…this I have no words for, except that it’s a custom design created exclusively for Nicki Minaj courtesy of Versace.