On arguably one of the biggest nights in country music, the hottest musicians, songwriters, actors and even models, pulled out all the stops to look their best for the red carpet. We had so much fun hanging out with some of our favorites and watching as they arrived, did interviews, and got ready to take their places and find out who would be crowned the winners in each category.
For all the ‘raw’ behind-the-scenes pics check out our Twitter and Instagram accounts– and keep reading to find out who we crowned best and worst dressed of the night!
Best Dressed:
Jana Kramer: She takes best dressed for the night, hands down. Somehow she found perfect dress: it fit and flattered her growing baby bump, still managed to look sexy and was the beautiful with a perfect balance of bling and lace for the occasion without going overboard. Hair, makeup, tan– all on-point!
Carrie Underwood: When doesn’t she look perfectly polished? It wasn’t an unforgettable gown, and I feel like peplum was done a while back, but it was a fun color and lovely on her.
Kacey Musgraves: I almost didn’t recognize her when she first walked out on the red carpet. The darkened hair, red lip, and satin mermaid gown pulled together a perfect Old Hollywood glam. Such a refreshing departure from her usual looks.
Jennifer Nettles: Another one that we barely recognized when she first came out– partly because she practically disappeared when she turned to the side. But body size aside, the gown was beautiful on her as was her hair and make-up. A great example of sheer done right, without looking like an ice-skater circa 1982.
Kimberly Schlapman: She always looks adorable I have to say. Either she has a great stylist, or a great eye for what looks flattering on her body. This dress’ structured silhouette and bold colors literally made everyone do a double-take, and in a good way. She stood out without doing anything overboard. (Contrast this structured dress to the one Erika Christensen wore below…)
Kimberly Perry: She looked simply flawless. I generally hate super high platforms like these, but because it’s a red carpet (and not a club) and she picked a nude color to give her petite frame a little height, she make them work for her here, and they work well, making her legs look super-long. I just wish the dress was a true one-shoulder, the little strap on the one side takes away from the drama and cheapens it a little, but I’m being super-picky here. Overall, definitely a winner!
Danielle Bradbery: Somewhat of a newcomer to the country music scene after winning The Voice in 2013, but she definitely made her mark in this dress Wednesday night. She looks stunning, another awesome example of sheer done right– her legs look amazing!
Jewel: I usually dislike dresses that are just short and bling-ed out, because I feel like it’s so Vegas and so over-done (especially in country music)– BUT, Jewel nailed it here. The cutouts make the dress a little bit more interesting, and sleeves add a bit of class. The shoes are perfectly feminine and she’s managed to look festive without looking like a disco ball.
Maddie & Tae: These two look adorable and sassy. SO much better than their looks last year, which were wayyyyy to old for them. These are age-appropriate without making them look too young or too trashy. And I give them a lot of props because I think it’s difficult for girls in their late teens to figure out how to leave the little girl looks in the past without taking things too far and looking like firls playing dress-up. These two found a great balance. Way to go girls.
Lennon & Maisy Stella: I had to include another perfect example of girls dressing their age while still looking super-cool and on-trend. I have to admit I’m partial to the Stella sisters because I’m a huge “Nashville” fan, but can we just appreciate for a minute how they’ve both managed to step out of character and let their own personalities shine through what they chose to wear? Big props lovely ladies!
Cole Swindell: I can’t leave out the boys of country! Cole is one of my favorites because no matter what he’s wearing, he always looks like himself. Granted, I don’t know him personally, but I just mean he’s developed his own look and is comfortable in his own skin. He seems to always wear what suits him, and regardless of what he has on, he always brings that baseball cap and a big, warm smile! I overheard him say he was outfitted by JC Penney for the awards, and I have to say he wears it well! Proof you don’t have to spend a lot to look good!
Darius Rucker: Gotta love me some Hootie! He’s laughing here because all the paparazzi yelled out “Hootie!” when he walked out, and one asked if there’d be a Hootie & The Blowfish reunion. His answer was “Before I die, yes!” Everyone will be looking forward to that :) In the meantime he’s killing it in the fashion department, looking super-sharp in a perfectly tailored suit, in a unique (but not too weird) navy color. The black shirt works here because it’s not too close in color to the suit, and the perfectly matched tie still pops. I also always love a pocket square. Don’t ask me why, it just looks so gentleman-ly. PS– you NEVER match your pocket square to your tie. Ever. See photo :)
Worst Dressed:
Lindsey Stirling: Well, this girl decided to forgo stockings in the traditional sense, opting to wear them as a dress instead. This was such a hot mess, I literally could not stop staring as she walked around the carpet because part of me thought, ‘maybe there’s an outer layer that comes off?’ But no such luck. This is a perfect example of why sheer is so tricky to pull off. Just for everyone’s future reference: anything skin-colored and sheer should 1. match your skin-tone EXACTLY (think Sherwin Williams paint-matching), and 2. should stick to your body, creating the illusion of nekkid-ness. Flesh-toned tulle flowing behind you and dragging on the floor making it look like your skin somehow melts off is not cute. In fact, it makes her look jaundiced. But hey, no one said that couldn’t be a “look”…
Jason Aldean & Brittany Kerr: Don’t get me started on these two…he looks like he picked up a cowboy suit from Yeezy’s new flesh-toned fashion line, and she looks like the living dead in one of those wrap dresses they sell at the mall kiosk that you can wear 85 different ways. What’s with the jet-black lipstick on lifeless skin? This is vamp gone horribly wrong. And why is there reinforcement along the hem of her slinky dress just bunching on the floor? It doesn’t even matter, it’s just all a hot mess.
Chris Stapleton & Morgane Hayes: I hate to do this to who seems to be the most loved man in country music at the moment– but his fashion sense needs a little work. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for expressing your own individuality and not conforming to trends– but you still want to look somewhat tidy right? Like you care about your appearance? Just tuck the shirt in to your pants at least, and clean up the strays in the beard. And please, Morgane, don’t wear steel-toed, chunky cownboy boots with a gown on the red carpet. Ever. And hem the dress, please.
Dustin Lynch: Y’all, please. What’s with the upholstered suits? Dustin wasn’t the only one, these couch/curtain suits seem to be all the rage with the southern gents these days. Can we just make a blanket plea to all the country boys to leave the embroidery on the sofa at Nana’s? And if that weren’t enough, we have a blue & black combo here that is just wrong– unlike Hootie (above) the colors of Dustin’s shirt vs. suit are too close and difficult to differentiate, which makes it look as though he’s color-blind and couldn’t match hues. Which may be the truth– in which case, forgive me– but that still doesn’t get you off the hook for stealing the tablecloth from the local funeral home to make this get-up.
Steven Tyler: I get it, it’s Steven Tyler and this is just his “look”. But did he really have to pick out a cow-print blazer? In the exact hues as his skunk-striped hair? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about his rock n’ roll persona, but his outfit looks like a left-over anorexic cow costume from Halloween. That, and the shoes have to be black pointe shoes he’s just walking around in– someone tell him we want to see an arabesque on those toe blocks and all will be forgiven.
Erika Christensen: This one doesn’t look as bad in the picture as it was in real life. Don’t get me wrong, she doesn’t look terrible, but she’s such a pretty girl it would have been a no-brainer to get her to look 100x better! Aside from the dress looking like a giant blue table cloth she decided to wrap around herself in (see structure done right, on Kimberly Schlapman, above), her hair was a hot mess. Literally, she must have taken it up into a top-knot herself in the car ride over. It was bumpy in the back, frizzy, and you could see the Goody ponytail holder around the bun. I’m sorry, did you just come from spin class and couldn’t be bothered to run a comb through your hair before the red carpet?
Scotty McCreery: I had to put another example of this curtain-suit thing again because there was just so much of it last night (see Dustin Lynch, above). Baroque prints should be saved for renaissance fairs and floor-to-ceiling curtains in country castles. Let’s just do everyone’s couch a favor and ban the sofa-suit now.
Kimberly Williams-Paisley: She’s such a beautiful girl that it sucks she had to screw up this moment for everyone. What is up with the hodgepodge of ornaments on this tube dress? And who wears a tube dress anymore (outside of a nightclub or high school dance). If the feathers and stained-glass glued to her get-up were at least of some complementary design/structure I could have let this pass…but nope.
Meghan Linsey: This girl is actually quite talented and seems to be headed down the right path, but someone please get her a stylist and an alterations lady. The body is bangin’ but it doesn’t need to look like a green velvet sausage is waltzing down the red carpet. The top and bottom of the dress are not cohesive at all and her figure is just smashed inside the unflattering cut. It looks like one of those dresses you buy from a bulk prom dress/pageant dress store.
Kaitlyn Bristowe & Shawn Booth: I’m all for finding love, and I actually really enjoyed watching Kaitlyn on The Bachelorette. I just don’t understand why she’s wearing what looks like a beach-ready maxi dress. Some people I just wanted to shake vigorously and say, “Don’t you know this is the CMA Red Carpet?! Don’t you have a stylist??” Kaitlyn looks like she just came from an afternoon brunch with friends. And who is doing this hair?– The exact same style it’s been since the ABC TV family introduced us to her a couple years ago. Please someone tell me, what is up with the behind the ear bump and tuck???”
Shawn just looked nervous and petrified the entire time on the red carpet. More importantly, I’m not into this blue tux. It’s such a classic silhouette, but if you really must venture out into the world of colored formal-wear, the tone and shade of the color you pick are super-important, make sure it’s flattering to you and appropriate for the occasion. A pocket square here in a fun print would have made the whole outfit.
Aubrey Peebles: Ok, so she doesn’t look terrible here, but I don’t think that “not terrible” is what everyone is going for these days. This girl looks like she’s still working on set. It’s like Layla Grant just decided to step out of our TV’s and show up at the CMA red carpet.
That’s all for the 2015 CMA’s Red Carpet Review today! What did you think of the reviews? Do you agree/disagree? It’s been a while since I last posted…our growing family has taken over my days, but Glamour House will be back soon with regular posts weekly!
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