Grammys 2013: Did Celebrities Live Up To The (Sexy) Hype? Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Others…

The question on everyone’s minds? Did the music stars at the 2013 Grammy Awards adhere to the dress code instilled by CBS which asked them to “please be sure that buttocks and female breasts are adequately covered.” The question on our minds? Did the music stars, known for their over-the-top bad fashion, actually look presentable and  gasp) – trendy – this year.  Surprisingly, the answer is “yes.” While we can’t say it’s the best we’ve ever seen these stars look, a bulk of them – Rihanna, Beyonce, Taylor Swift included – did indeed look the best we’ve seen them look. Then again, we can’t expect any less from Taylor Swift, who actually looked sexier at the Grammys than she had in years – it’s stars like Katy Perry, Kelly Rowland, and Florence Welch, who shocked us with sexy class.

Taylor Swift looked suddenly Grecian in her white J. Mendel gown that seemed to hit sexiness in all the right places, without being overdone. Remember, this is Taylor Swift after all.

Jennifer Lopez thought she was doing all of us a favor, by flaunting her thighs rather than her full frontal. Everyone remembers that down-to-there Versace dress from years past. It’s etched in our Grammy memory. This Anthony Vaccarello number is not a departure from JLo’s typical look, but you’re right, she did follow the code.  Did she have to make a big deal about it? We’re not so sure.

Surprisingly, this is a “dressed down” look of Rihanna, who often tasks fashion risks and in doing so, make fashion mistakes.  The dress is bold but doesn’t go overboard and I do like the red color. It’s Azzedine Alaia, after all, and one of my favorite looks from Rihanna ever. Is that a stretch?

This is by far my biggest surprise of the evening. Beyonce, who’s known for setting fashion examples, tries to take a fashion risk but doesn’t come up winning. She dressed down her gold and sparkling looks a little too majorly by wearing this black and white geometric Osman pantsuit. She looks great, of course, but Grammy material? Let’s take a look at her sister Solange…

Perhaps Beyonce could have taken a tip or two from sister Solange, the fashionista in the family, who exchanged her print suit for a gorgeous sparkly green Ralph & Russo gown with embellished shoulders, and showed just a hint of leg. The pink shoes go perfectly with the green sparkle for just a hint of pop color and the gown, while bold and sparkly, doesn’t go over the top.

The fashionista that is Florence Welch never ceases to impress us, particularly when she does it in a top designer dress that is stylish but doesn’t bare any body parts. Pure fashionista in every sense of the word, choosing this Givenchy gown in a bold emerald green tone. Her thigh-high slit was not overboard, a la Jennifer Lopez.

Katy Perry seems to be dressing better these days! There was always a sexy cartoon element to her clothes, which happened in texture and print even when she wasn’t bearing any cleavage. Looks like John Mayer seems to be having a great effect on her as she’s dressing classier as of late. While the cleavage is a little overboard, the mint green Gucci gown is definitely giving us something to talk about – in a positive way! While the keyhole was a bit much, she could have gone for rainbows and sparkle and she went for this. Well done Katy!

Everyone was saying Kelly Rowland had the best look of the night. Ironically, she totally walked all over that cover-up memo and still did it in a way that wasn’t atrocious. This Georges Chakra gown is so new, it was just shown on the runway maybe two weeks ago. The cutouts are razor sharp and yet, in all the right places.

Hmm, not sure what to make of this. On the one hand, Adele’s not wearing black. On the other hand, I sort of wish this dress had been longer as was the runway version, so that it didn’t balloon her up so much. The runway version of this Valentino gown from Spring 2013 is much longer. Then again, it could have been too much for the Grammys.  Granny chic, anyone?

And what to make of this? (And why is Kaley Cuoco showing up at ALL the awards shows this season?) Well, the blazer has a Grammy music vibe that I LOVE. What I also love is that she did go as overboard as she could have, although some may argue that the leather pants and bold jacket are still too dressed down for such a big red carpet event. I Love Rock & Roll is epitomized in this look and its a total style change for a girl who loves candy coated pink and lady looks.

Goyte’s second half made quite a wild style statement at the Grammys! Well, I guess if Lady Gaga can’t do it…someone has to! Kimbra wore a gown by Perth, Australia designer Jaime Lee made of multiple layers of pale turquoise silk tulle and 2kgs of WA pearls. The mermaid effect wins here!

Carly Rae Jepsen is not the girl you think of when you hear “Call Me Maybe.” She may have a bubblegum voice, but she doesn’t have a bubblegum dress. She opted for Roberto Cavalli at the Grammys and she did it with no jewelry and finesse.

Allison Williams was Katy Perry’s date for the big event, and continued to hone in on her fashionable personal style. While people were gossiping more about the fact that Katy brought Allison, NOT John Mayer, the gown was also a much talked-about topic on the town. The column gown by Kaufman Franco is encrusted with black diamonds

Kat Dennings wore a Vivienne Westwood cocktail dress that fit her well in sculpted architectural structure, but looked more like tie-dye than Grammy winning fashion.

Carrie Underwood almost never goes wrong in her clothes, except when she tries to go edgy. The former American Idol winner-turned-country star is the epitome of happy, positive, and bright, but not in this Roberto Cavalli gown she chose for the Grammys. Of course, it fits her well, but was she going for a vampy look? Or perhaps she was in tune to the rock & roll effect like Kaley Cuoco.  The dress is beautiful on her, no doubt about that, but I’m not sure the gown translates well for Underwood’s image. Something more beautiful and more unexpected – the imagery projected onto Underwood‘s gown for her live performance. While the artist stood still and sang her heart out, Theia gown creative director Don O’Neill got fabric that could be visually enhanced by special effect projections that appeared on her 4 foot, 5 inch wide ball gown skirt. The team only had 3 days to make the ensemble while the production team created the visual effects and the results were fantastic! – Simona Kogan Photos: People.com