Grammy Awards 2008: Red Carpet Commentary

Blue was the colour for the Grammy Awards 2008.

It usually isn’t a popular choice on the red carpet because of the obvious colour clash but also because it’s quite a difficult colour to pull off in luxury fabrics - it all too often looks cheap when it’s shiny and boring when it’s muted. But this year’s Grammy women really did it proud.

Now Rihanna’s fun blue frock looks too busy close up lots of unnecessary ruffles and stuff but take a step back and all that fades away a bit to reveal the great shape. I love the colour, I love the skirt, I love the feathering under the skirt - I just wish the bodice had been simpler.

Conversely, I love the bodice on Beyonce Knowles‘ gown. Is there anyone, anywhere that carries sparkles better than Beyonce? I love the shape of it and the shape it gives her, I love how the bodice trails into the skirt and I love how the structure around the boobs flatters instead of squishes (as is her usual style). My, my, I am gushing with love this evening but what can I say, they’re great dresses.

Corinne Bailey Rae’s blue poppies I like less. That’s a lie, I really quite like the blue poppies; I just dislike the bizarre belt/girdle. I like that the shape of the flowers is mimicked in the shape of the bodice at the boobs but I do worry it might be a smidge uncomfortable to sit down in. Uncomfortable-stroke-noisy.

Nelly Furtado on the other hand won’t have any problems sitting down. Or lying down. She’s already got a sheet wrapped around her, Girl’s ready for bed. Great colour though.

Moving away from the BLUE! blues, Alicia Keys went for a navy Giorgio Armani halter neck gown and it looked great. The structure around the waist/bum is flattering and fun because it’s clearly bustle and not bum.

Natasha Bedingfield also looked fab in her purple Reem Acra number. That’s shade of blue-y purple is another difficult one to get right but she’s got it - and she’s also downplayed her high-fringe from earlier in the week and that’s definitely a good thing.

Blue wasn’t the only colour on show at the ceremony though: Fergie looked just smashing in a simple Calvin Klein gown in a sunny yellow and Miley Cyrus went for a brave (since its February) white cocktail dress by Celine and looked both age and event appropriate - that’s no mean feat: Carrie Underwood and Kelis both seemed to slip up on the latter.

Carrie Underwood looks pretty and all - I do like that shape of dress - but it’s too summery beach style for a winter awards show. And Kelis? Yeah… Gold high-waisted leggings are never a winner.

Still, I’d put Kelis’ lamé over Bai Ling’s costume any day of the week. What is that even supposed to be? A table-cloth tuxedo with an integral hula hoop for hula hooping emergencies?

But at least it doesn’t look like they used up all the world’s oil supplies in creating it - unlike Cher. Her wig looks so nylon-y that I’m getting static shocks off just an image of it and the skirt looks like a hundred part melted bin bags sewn (and not too well) together. The witchy boots, the moth-eaten chainmail over net … jeez, it makes me almost wish for the days when she used to attend these things as a semi-naked peacock.