Grammy Awards 2013: Red carpet features plenty of skin, bold choices

Adele, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Florence Welch at the Grammy Awards. / Getty

Someone said dress code?

One thing is for sure, there was no code at all on the Grammy red carpet Sunday night in Los Angeles. Stars were all over the place in terms of fashion.

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A warning not to show too much skin didn't seem to deter some stars out for the 2013 Grammys.

Jennifer Lopez wore a one-shoulder Anthony Vaccarello gown with a thigh-high slit a la Angelina Jolie at the 2012 Academy Awards, and she joked about it as she took the stage to present an award. Katy Perry showed down-to-there cleavage in a seafoam gown. Kelly Rowland, in a Georges Chakra outfit, also showed a lot of skin.

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Grammy Awards 2013: Red carpet

CBS put out a memo earlier in the week asking that "buttocks and female breasts are adequately covered" for the televised award show. The memo sent out Wednesday also warned against "see-through clothing," exposure of "the genital region" and said that "thong type costumes are problematic."

Miranda Lambert revealed some leg and laughed about the memo.

"I thought it was funny," she said. "Country music has never really been a problem with that."

Singer-songwriter Skylar Grey let out an "oops!" when asked about the guidelines.

"I had to show the side boob," she said. "What are they gonna do, kick me off?"

Andrew Dost of fun. said he read the memo, "but all we wanted to do is go as classy and timeless as possible." Bandmate Jack Antonoff joked that he was "showing off a lot of ankle" with his high pants that exposed his sockless look.

Rihanna seemed to get the memo: The usually provocative star covered up in an elegant red Alia gown. Taylor Swift wore a prim gold metallic floral cocktail dress by Jenny Packham to the pre-telecast awards before changing into something a bit more revealing for the red carpet. She changed into a white dress with silver cutouts.

Florence Welch donned a green sequin gown by Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy.

Beyonce wore a modest pantsuit, and Janelle Monae wore a tux jacket.

Adele opted for a floral number, wearing a Valentino dress. But she wasn't the only star who opted for prints. So did Estelle and Alexa Chung.

"I think it's just, you know, we should always stay classy and dress according to the event that's being held," Ashanti said on the red carpet. "So I don't think people should be limited so much and told what you can and cannot do. But, you know, you do have to have a certain class and prestige about yourself."

Even Ashanti, though, revealed a fair amount of leg and cleavage. Hey, this isn't the Oscars.

Comedian Kathy Griffin joked about the fashion warning.

"I'm here to watch all the pomp and circumstance," she said. "You want to see a lack of underwear. I'm open to all the forbidden parts. "

[oldoc44]

Yeah, I'll agree the industry is a mess; I'm not even keen on most of the musis. The outfits, or should we call them costumes, were a sorry mess too. Next time let them do whatever they like with their outfits so at least the show will be amusing to check out the "skin"!

[bobnjersey]

[CBS put out a memo earlier in the week asking that "buttocks and female breasts are adequately covered" for the televised award show. The memo sent out Wednesday also warned against "see-through clothing," exposure of "the genital region" and said that "thong type costumes are problematic."]
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c'mon ... cher hasn't been nominated in years.

[ssporleder]

The dresses were the tamest in a long time, and even what skin did show did not make me want to call in the fashion police.

The music, however, meh.

[Canuck42]

The music and performers have gone down the tube. The world needs sone real singers with a voice and music lyrics where every second world isn't a swear word or sexually suggestive. Screaming is not equal to singing.

[mysay500]

Not very interesting to watch. Most of these singers based on their dress have very little class. We changed channels after 15 minutes. The men dressed better.

[magnumdr]

I remember when a Star would come out on to the red carpet and be wearing a dress that would be very stylish and beautiful. Now some of these women come out wearing outfits that I wouldn't want my kids to see. Where has all of the glamore gone? If you are a star and confident with yourself you don't have to be half naked. Let's get rid of the new **** look at these events and dress up like you are a real star and the outfit don't tell your story, you do!

[aia552000]

I had it on for 10 mins than changed the channel to NBC. NBC had a show about Saturday night Live. That was more interesting.

[royalstar05]

The grammys are a freaking joke. These new artists are terrible. The music industry is a mess.

[FormerUSMCSergeant]

Looks like Adele's dressmaker took down an old curtain and recycled it.

[mainedemocrat]

i think the Grammys were a perfect opportunity to tune into PBS!