The Grammy Awards red carpet (2024)

USA TODAY's Grammy Awards red carpet gallery received the most page views of any Life section gallery and was third overall on the USA TODAY website for the year.
Taylor Swift, who wore Lorraine Schwartz jewels, dared to bare in a white J. Mendel dress with embroidered silver straps across the back and chest. She was an early winner, picking up a Grammy for the song she contributed to the 'Hunger Games' soundtrack, 'Safe and Sound.'

Rihanna: The winner for best short-form music video ('We Found Love') swished onto the red carpet in a custom-made Azzedine Alaia dress, which she paired with Neil Lane jewels and Manolo Blahnik heels. She walked the carpet sporting a flowing, long brown 'do with cascading curls and blond highlights.

Beyonce: Always a fashion chameleon, Beyonce, who took home the Grammy for best traditional R and B performance for 'Love on Top,' opted for a black crepe jumpsuit with white panel detailing from OSMAN by Osman Yousefzada. A sleek ponytail, a pop of red on the lips and Swarovski's black rectangular Gemma clutch topped off the superstar's minimalist look.

Katy Perry: Well, it looks as if the 'Firework' singer missed (or ignored) the memo about covering up egregious cleavage. She hit the carpet in a revealing sea-green gown by Gucci that featured a heavily embellished neckline. Although boyfriend John Mayer also hit the red carpet, Perry brought friend and 'Girls' star Allison Williams as her date.

Adele: The winner for best pop solo performance punched up her signature black in a major way, opting for a vibrant red, textured, floral-print dress by Valentino. The new mom kept mostly covered up in the long-sleeved, high-necked number, but she added some sass with a fun pair of matching floral-print shoes.

Talk about arm candy! Sometimes the best accessory is simply your better half; Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban were their usual impeccably dressed selves. She wore a gold Vera Wang gown, which she accessorized with jeweler Fred Leighton's green enamel, diamond and gold snake cuff and pyramid-shaped gold pendant earrings.

Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart: Sorry, Casper, but when you're standing next to J.Lo, and she's in this dress, we don't think anyone's looking at you. Lopez stole the show in a black one-shoulder dress by Anthony Vaccarello with a dangerously high slit, a la Angelina Jolie at last year's Oscars. "They didn't say anything about leg!" she told E! on the red carpet. "I thought I was being such a good girl."

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw: The country-music power couple coordinated in black: his basic, hers not so much. Hill's J. Mendel dress featured a sheer bodice with sequins, beaded collar and sweetheart neckline, but the best part of her look? Those classic braces — no Invisalign here!

Who says girls have to have all the fun with fashion? These guys stepped it up a notch by forgoing the standard tux. Justin Timberlake hit the red carpet in a chic Tom Ford tux, which he accessorized with catch-your-eye black-and-white penny loafers.

John Mayer: Why so blue, ?Mr. Mayer? The rocker made a bold move in a blue velvet tuxedo jacket, which he paired with black pants and an oversized, paisley bow tie.

Pharrell Williams: The rapper/producer's creative pop of color was thanks to a silky teal bow tie that stood in contrast to his textured Lanvin tux jacket.

John Legend: The R&B singer hit the red carpet with his model fiancee Chrissy Teigen, who looked picture-perfect in a lacy black dress.

Adam Levine: The Maroon 5 frontman went for head-to-toe black, including a pair of classic Wayfarer sunglasses.

Florence Welch: The Florence and the Machine frontwoman sparkled in a custom-made Givenchy ensemble, which included matching shoes and bag. "I'm pretty lucky," admits Welch to E! "I've worn Givenchy to every Grammys that I've ever been to. (Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci) is such a genius, so this is wonderful."

Frank Ocean: The best urban contemporary album winner looked fashionable in a Dior Homme navy wool broadcloth Teddy jacket, navy wool and silk sleeveless sweater, and navy wool broadcloth slim pant.

Kelly Rowland: The singer carefully showed off some skin in a geometric Georges Chakra gown, which she paired with Lorraine Schwartz jewelry. "I almost broke the code," she said. "If I turn to the side, I might. I respect it. See? I wore clothes." She also dished on her Super Bowl performance with besties Beyonce and Michelle Williams. "I cannot begin to tell you how much fun that was," she said. "It was such a beautiful moment. I miss those moments with my sisters. It was hard to keep that damn secret!"

Sting: The legendary rocker, with wife Trudie Styler, hit the red carpet in a pair of on-trend leather pants and wedge high-tops.

Miguel: The song of the year nominee chatted with MTV pre-show about his contribution to the revitalization of R and B. "When's the last time you had an R and B song up for song of the year? The presence of the genre in a more broad category, it means the world," he said. "I suppose now it's becoming the expectation that the music is more personal. The people who love R and B, that's what they love the music for. We're raising the bar. Not just me -- Frank Ocean and The Weeknd (too)."

Ne-Yo: The R&B star gave MTV a little preview of his next album. "Think early '90s R&B when the stuff still felt good. That kind of vibe."

Miranda Lambert: The country star knew she was taking a risk with her floor-length blue Roberto Cavalli gown. "I know it's crazy to wear a dress with a train at the Grammys, people keep stepping on it," she says. And she assured that there was no risk of her violating the dress code. "I'm country, I wasn't going to exactly be having my cheeks hanging out."

Kaley Cuoco: The 'Big Bang Theory' star kept it casual in an intricate tuxedo jacket by Amen with a pair of leather leggings.

Esperanza Spalding: The best jazz vocal album winner said she is wearing a "sustainable fashion"-style gown. "I just won! Tonight is especially exciting because my teacher won a Grammy, we co-won!" Her teacher, Thara Memory, in a wheelchair, was with her on the red carpet. "To be recognized on the world stage for this, it feels like something right was going on." She said she met her teacher when she was just 8 years old.

LL Cool J: The Grammys host let MTV in on a little music history when he credited late Beastie Boys rapper Adam Yauch with getting his rap career started. "I didn't forget about MCA. Ad Rock of the Beastie Boys gave my demo to (producer) Rick Rubin."

Neil Patrick Harris: The 'How I Met Your Mother' star looked spiffy in a gray three-piece suit when he hit the red carpet with his fiance, David Burtka.

Jack White: When it comes to being recognized, White said, "You take it for how it goes." Unfortunately, he added that no, the White Stripes will not be getting back together: "I wish, but no more."

Bonnie Raitt: "I'm so happy," said Raitt, who won in the American roots category for 'Slipstream.' "That's where my heart is. Americana covers so much of what I love and crosses generations." She added, "Acoustic music hasn't gone away."

Nas: The veteran hip-hopper was up for best rap album, which he lost to Drake, but the setback didn't get him down. "Life is great," he told MTV on the red carpet. As for the gradual inclusion of rap in the Grammy universe, Nas says it makes music even more aspirational for wannabe stars. "It just says that anybody can be what they want to be. I hope that it shows my homies back home, you can do whatever you want to do."

Drake is all smiles at the Grammy Awards at the Staples Center on Sunday. The artist's 'Take Care' won best rap album for the evening.

Alicia Keys: In a bold black gown with strategic cutouts by Azzedine Alaia, Keys managed to heed the Grammys dress code -- barely!

Carly Rae Jepsen: "I chose it because I felt like a mermaid, like Ariel when she stepped out of the water for the first time," the 'Call Me Maybe' singer said of her beaded Roberto Cavalli gown. Did the dress code influence her? "No, not really, I was always going to play it pretty safe." Classic-with-a-twist Jerome C. Rousseau "Mikon" black patent peep toe mary janes completed the look.

Chris Brown: "I'm fine. Little bit of bumps, but I'm good, though," Brown told E! of his day-before-Grammys car crash. "Paparazzi can tend to get out of hand." Looking cool, crisp and completely unfazed in an all-white ensemble by Lanvin, Brown said the awards show is "always a great and elegant place to be, so I'm happy to be here."

Janelle Monae: "I pretty much do my own hair and makeup, but for the Grammys, I call on people that do it every day," says Monae. "Those are just jewels that I actually saw the manicurist wearing and I thought 'that's cool, let's try it out.' "

Carrie Underwood: "It's heavy on my soul, I'm afraid someone's gonna tackle me," Underwood told E! of her dazzling diamond necklace. "I don't know how much it's worth ... it's worth more than me!" Of her Roberto Cavalli dress, Underwood says she was going for "something sort of classic, glam."

Wiz Khalifa: The rapper and his very, very pregnant fiancee Amber Rose (who happens to be Kanye West's ex) hit the red carpet in coordinating black and white looks.

Ziggy Marley performed a tribute to his father, Bob Marley, during the Grammys show.

Kimbra: Gotye's duet partner sparkled in a dress by Australian designer Jaime Lee Major.

Kimbra and Gotye arrive at the Grammys. They took the best pop duo/group performance award for 'Somebody That I Used to Know.'

Lupe Fiasco: The best rap album nominee made an interesting sartorial statement in a long tunic and sock-style toe shoes.

Trey Songz: The R&B star was decked out in head-to-toe Moschino, including an edgy pierced bow tie adorned with a hoop "earring." "I've never seen it either," he told the hosts of the official Grammys pre-show. "I thought it was cool, though!"

Not 50 shades, but Sirah's got a few different shades of color in her hairstyle. The artist featured on 'Bangarang' with Skrillex won best dance recording.

Skrillex: The electronica producer -- and best dance/electronica album winner -- was the toast of the 2012 Grammys, and he said the buzz still hasn't worn off. "I thought I would get used to it, but I tripped over every word up there in my acceptance speech," he said. "I felt like I jumped in a pool of ice water." He arrives with Sirah.

Marcus Mumford: The British rocker, left, hit the Grammys with his multi-nominated band Mumford & Sons and his actress wife Carey Mulligan, though she didn't get her picture taken.

Ashanti: "It's kind of vintage, classy and sexy," the singer says of her Tony Ward gown. On the CBS memo about the Grammys dress code, she says, "I literally didn't get the memo, but I feel like I'm keeping it nice and classy." She was just cast in a role on Lifetime's 'Army Wives.' "It's a great part, but I will definitely use it as a platform for my music."

Grammy host LL Cool J and Jack Antonoff, guitarist for fun., arrive at the Grammys. Antonoff's band won best new artists and song of the year for 'We Are Young.'

'Two Broke Girls' stars Kat Denning and Nick Zano aren't musicians, but they are on CBS.

Flo Rida makes an entrance with a guest.

Natasha Bedingfield.

David Alan Grier.

Jenna Jameson and Tito Ortiz.

Travis Barker and guests.

Jack Osbourne and his wife, Lisa Stelly.

Verdine White of Earth Wind and Fire and guest.

Hunter Hayes.

Music producer/composer David Foster and guests.

Record producer Danja and Marcella Araica.

Alabama Shakes.

Tamala Jones.

2 Chainz.

Pauley Perrette of 'NCIS' was a presenter.

Baron Davis.

Riff Raff.

Little Big Town.

Halestorm wins best hard rock/metal performance for 'Love Bites (So Do I).'

Justin Timberlake.

Britt Nicole.

Napone.

Neko and guest.

Toad the Wet Sprocket.

Cindy Valentine.

Redfoo.

SWV.

Kaya Jones.

Brooklyn Haley.

This time, Mario Lopez will be without Season 2 co-host Khloe Kardashian.

Sean Paul.

Rocsi Diaz.

Estelle.

Alexa Chung.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

M83.

Within Reason.

Eli Young Band.

Ashlee Keating.

Skylar Grey.

Erica Campbell.

Tamia.

The Wailers and guest.

Josh Ramsay and guest arrive.

Hit Lab Group.