Celebs Keep It Down-To-Earth On Grammy Carpet (They Wore A Lot Of Brown, Anyway)
The Grammy might be a place where big dreams come true, but the celebrities on the carpet at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards kept their feet planted firmly on the ground -- at least when it came to their earth-toned fashion choices.
Yet after witnessing the design shaved into the side of Kanye West's head, it was hard to focus on anything else: He sported mazelike squiggles resembling an exposed brain. (He was otherwise dressed top-to-tail in white.)
([article id="1496877"]Check out photos of all the hottest looks from the Grammy red carpet.[/article])
For others, however, browns, tans and beiges ruled the day. Usher wore a white vest, brown tie and brown-and-white wing tips; Black Eyed Pea Will.I.Am rocked a chocolate-brown pinstriped suit and a Willy Wonka-style top hat; Ashanti sported a short khaki dress with a plunging neckline and gold-sequined trim; and the Neptunes kept it laid-back in whites and beiges. Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri came as an earthy couple, with Janet in a tawny halter dress and Dupri in a brown fedora and suit; all of Modest Mouse wore beige-and-brown pinstripes; Maroon 5's Adam Levine sported a dark-brown suit and burnt-orange tie;
and Jadakiss donned a beige suit, deep-brown vest and a garnet-and-chestnut tie.
Taboo and Fergie from the Peas also got in on the action -- wearing a khaki suit and a mahogany strapless dress with a mustard flower on the bustline, respectively -- but Taboo's suit was so large and broad it looked like it was still on the hanger. Also hitting a sour note in the trend was Hammer, who showed up in a very weather-inappropriate, sepia-toned shearling-and-fur coat, topped off with a brown camouflage bandana around his bald head.
Glamour girls who hit a high fashion note were Eve, in a beaded red halter dress with a short, shredded skirt; Christina Milian, embodying the adage that diamonds are a girl's best friend in her spangled halter dress; Sheryl Crow wearing a canary-yellow dress with a jeweled cut-out around her belly; and Gwen Stefani in a black crepe minidress with a deep-V drawstring neckline. (Find out who helped Stefani stop traffic on the carpet: [article id="1496917"]"Whose Outfit Fell Apart? Who Did Kanye Get Advice From? Grammy Moments You Didn't See."[/article])
Alicia Keys and Beyoncé were two sides of the same coin, wearing a backless, white Grecian dress with gold straps and a black dress with gold trim, respectively. And even though she's not a musician, Kyra Sedgwick gets an honorable mention for her gold-lace column dress.
As for the guys, Jay-Z looked dapper as usual in a black-and-white pinstriped suit, adding a surprising slash of color with a purple tie with small white polka-dots. Taking a similar cue was Apl.De.Ap from the Black Eyed Peas, who wore a lavender tie underneath his turquoise-and-plum argyle sweater. The Killers' Brandon Flowers wore a cream suit, black shirt and cream bow tie; Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong wore head-to-toe black with a black-and-white polka-dot tie; James Brown glittered in a shiny navy suit; and Jack White managed to look even more ostentatious than Brown in a black-rhinestone cowboy getup.
Meanwhile, Gavin Rossdale dressed down in a gray cargo jacket and layered T-shirt, as did Mos Def -- despite the big brooch on his lapel -- in a black suit and baseball cap. Hoobastank's Dan Estrin wore a red shirt with a black-and-white polka-dot tie.
Special report from the department of misguided jackets: John Mayer in a Sergeant Pepper-ish black velvet number, Hoobastank's Doug Robb in a Michael Jacksonesque variation on the same jacket -- and the worst offender of all, Ben Harper in a cropped-white, fiery-sunburst blazer.
But the big fashion-plate nod goes to the boys of Slipknot, who kept their masks on ... but gussied up for the big night by wearing suits.
Those are the night's fashion winners and losers -- to find out who scored trophies during the ceremony, see [article id="1496909"]"Kanye Steals The Show, But Ray Dominates Grammy Winners' Circle."[/article]
As this year's Grammys approach, you can get all the latest news on the show, the scene and the nominees in our Grammy news archive. On the big night, February 8, be sure to tune in to MTV at 7 p.m. for our "All up in the Grammys" preshow. Plus check out videos of the nominees and more right here on mtv.com.
