Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry stole the show in the fashion stakes at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night. The trio kept things classic in stunning floor length gowns as they strutted out onto the red carpet at the Staples Centre in downtown Los Angeles. Rihanna, 24, showed off her slim physique in the custom made Azzedine Alaia scarlet dress teamed with Neil Lane jewellery, and Manolo Blahnik high heels.
'I walked in and it was pretty much on the mirror,' Rihanna told E! about choosing the striking gown. 'This one was just stunning. I loved the colour.' She also admitted she has been stunned by her continued musical success, adding: 'It blows my mind. It's really hard to grasp a hold of what's happening. I can't believe the success that I'm having. I'm just really grateful.'
Meanwhile Taylor looked resplendent in a J.Mendel white Marilyn Monroe style gown with silver detailing, completing the sophisticated look with her hair plaited in an updo.
Geometric: Beyonce took her choice of outfit into the 21st century with a black and white pantsuit
Rihanna's custom made gown featured some see-through panels and neatly matched the Grammys red carpet. Rihanna said she 'loved the colour' of her stunning custom made gown which looked slightly see-through.
The star won an early Grammy for her song Safe & Sound and admitted she felt nervous about taking the stage during the ceremony. 'I really hope its decent and good,' she told E! 'I hope I don't nerve out and freak out.' Katy Perry showed off her ample curves in a old-Hollywood style dress in a Gucci mint green gown with beading around the collar, and admitted she had been inspired by Priscilla Presley with her look.
Mint green goddess: Perry told Ryan Seacrest she was inspired by Priscilla Presley's 1960s style for the red carpet.
Wonderful in white: Taylor ensured she was one of the night's top fashion hits in her floaty silver and white gown.
But Beyonce, 31 managed to provide a striking contrast to the old school glamour girls, stepping out in a very modern black and white Osman crepe geometric pantsuit, teamed with a Swarovski clutch bag and Lorraine Schwartz jewellery.
The star, who wore her light brown hair in a ponytail, stepped onto the carpet without husband Jay-Z, but looked in good spirits, having already picked up the award for Best Traditional R&B Performance for song Love on Top during the pre-show ceremony.
Doing an Angelina: Jennifer Lopez posed much like Jolie as she showed off her leg through her floor length black gown.
Sparkling star: Carrie Underwood showed off her striking gown teamed with a heavy diamond necklace.
Carrie Underwood joined the old school glamour contingent with a classic black and grey patterned Roberto Cavalli gown which she teamed with a diamond necklace.
Underwood arrived sporting the 381 carat bling, with her blonde hair worn loose around her shoulders. 'It's heavy on my soul,' she told Ryan Seacrest about the about the jewels. 'I'm worried someone's going to tackled me. It's worth more than me! I thought sticking to something glam would be good for tonight.'
Plus one: Lopez brought along her toy boy beau Casper Smart, while Keith Urban arrived with wife Nicole Kidman
Country darlings: Keith and Nicole posed with singers Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in the cloudy L.A. weather.
Jennifer Lopez flashed the flesh in a one shouldered Anthony Vaccarello gown which showed off her slim legs, and joked about the infamous memo sent out by CBS which asked that Grammy stars dress appropriately with butts, breasts and other sensitive areas adequately covered. 'They didn't say anything about leg!' she exclaimed. 'I thought I was being such a good girl. A little shoulder and a little leg.'
The former American Idol judge brought along her toyboy beau Casper Smart to the show, while new Idol star Keith Urban arrived with actress wife Nicole Kidman.
Good spirits: Adele gave photographers a wave and looked happy and relaxed as she joined the slew of stars at the Staples Centre.
Nearly naked: Kelly Rowland pushed the boundaries in a black dress with sheer panels but looked confident as she posed on the carpet.
Going green: Florence Welch wore a custom made floor length green dress, while Solange Knowles also sported an emerald floor length number.
Kidman looked stunning in an intricate gold embroidered Vera Wang gown and wore her strawberry blonde hair down around her shoulders. The couple posed alongside fellow country darlings Faith Hill and Tim McGraw who stuck to his Nashville roots in a cowboy hat. Multi Grammy-award winning British star Adele went for a more colourful ensemble in a pink and red Valentino floral dress and matching shoes, with her hair pulled into her usual updo.
Best supporting act: Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen arrived with her boyfriend of 18 months, musician Matthew Koma, who gave her a kiss on the red carpet.
We're in fashion: Estelle and Kelly Osbourne happily posed together with Estelle showing off the eye-catching gown she helped design.
Positively blooming: Ashanti showed off her black and floral full skirted dress on the red carpet
Most striking gown of the night went to Kelly Rowland who pushed the boundaries with a Georges Chakra Couture gown featuring sheer panels which only just covered her modesty. 'I've made sure that certain places are covered more,' the Destiny's Child star told E! about her daring ensemble. 'I read the memo but I still followed the rules!' Meanwhile Florence Welch looked eclectic in a custom made Givenchy floor length green gown with studded details, which she described as a 'good colour' for her hair and skin tone.
Black and white delight: Justin teamed his black suit with matching black and white shoes
The white stuff: Chris Brown proved a striking sight in a all white suit and matching shoes but walked the red carpet without girlfriend Rihanna
Keen to get things started were Kelly Osbourne and Carly Rae Jepsen, who were amongst the first to grace the red carpet. Kelly wore a black Paule Ka dress with cut out panels and H Stern jewels at the music awards show, while Estelle helped design her striking navy blue and gold patterned dress herself. Jepsen arrived with her boyfriend of 18 months, musician Matthew Koma, and the pair shared a kiss on the carpet. The Call Me Maybe star sported a glittering metallic Roberto Cavalli strapless number and wore her dark hair straight and loose around her shoulders.
Look out for the men! Multi-nominated singer Miguel Jontel Pimentel, joined a silver suited Neyo, John Legend and Jack White on the carpet.
An Englishman in LA: Sting and wife Trudie Styler wore shades of black and grey as they made their entrance
Oh baby: Rapper Wiz Khalifa and girlfriend, pregnant model Amber Rose arrived on the red carpet together.
Ashanti had a few things to say about the infamous memo sent out by CBS which advised stars to cover up. 'I think it's just we should always stay classy and dress according to the event that's being held,' the singer said on the red carpet, before showing off her full skirted black and floral sophisticated gown to photographers. '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.'
Country darlings: Miranda Lambert wore a plunging black gown with sheer panels in the skirt, while Faith Hill flashed a little more flash in her knee length long sleeved number.
Back to black: Alicia Keys showed off her curvy figure in a strappy leather top and full skirt, while model Chrissy Teigen wore a midriff-flashing gown
Blue beauty: TV host and model Karlie Kloss showed off her perfect figure in an electric blue Michael Kors dress teamed with silver sandals
But most of the stars clearly paid little attention to the mandate, arriving in a variety of different looks. Some, like singer Janelle Monae and TV actress Kaley Cuoco followed Beyone's lead in sporting blazers and trousers, while others like model Karlie Kloss went for a girlie electric blue Michael Kors dress with strappy silver sandals. Reliable black seemed a favoured colour by most stars, including Alicia Keys who showed off her curvy figure in a strappy mixed leather Azzedine Alaia designed dress, while model Chrissy Teigen wore a midriff-flashing gown.
Colourful ladies: TV personality Maria Menounos is striking in lemon yellow, The B-52's Kate Pierson wore eclectic purple, Esperanza Spalding wore gold, TV personality Shaun Robinson sported purple.
Highly acclaimed: Multi-nominated star Frank Ocean sported a smart blue suit, while Drake stuck to more conventional black attire.
Going for gold: British TV presenter Alexa Chung, US presenter Giuliana Ranci and Jenna Jameson all wore metallic looks
Sapphire show: Mexican singer Carla Morrison US actress Alicia Arden sported a sequinned blue and silver frock with guitar bag, while Kat Dennings wore a Vivienne Westwood electric blue minidress.
The girlfriend of John Legend joked earlier on Twitter that she was adhering to the Grammy dress code. 'Wearing @joycioci tonight!' she wrote. 'Tried to avoid all rules of genitalia, side boob and puffy parts.' Country darlings Faith Hill and Miranda Lambert also stuck to black, with Lambert sporting a plunging Roberto Cavalli gown, while Hill went for a shorter J.Mendel gown. The male stars did not have to worry as much, with most sticking to suits - Justin Timberlake looked dapper in Tom Ford with matching black and white shoes and spoke about how excited he was to take the stage for the first time in years.
Host with the most: The show's host LL Cool J arrived with wife Simone Johnson, while Gotye arrives on the red carpet with singer Kimbra and Al Walsar bizarrely stepped out in an astronaut outfit.
Red alert: Natasha Bedingfield wore a lacy red dress slit to the thigh, Kat on D wore a checked long sleeved dress while the thigh was the limit for Tamala Jones in a clinging ultra short dress
Suited ladies: Actress Jeannie Mai, singer Janelle Monae, TV host Rocsi Diaz and actress Kaley Cuoco followed Beyonce's lead in trousers and blazers
Speaking to Ryan Seacrest from his dressing room, the star said: 'I get pumped up. I get to the point where it's hard to sit down. I'm just excited to get on stage again and play live.' Justin, who has been focussing on his acting career in recent years, would later take the stage to perform during the prestigious ceremony to rapturous applause. Earlier, Rihanna was named an early winner as the Grammy pre-telecast awards show got under way Sunday afternoon at the Nokia Theatre with 70 trophies up for grabs, including rock, pop, rap and country categories.
High five: LL Cool J greets members of the pop group Fun. who were nominated in an array of categories after a break out year.
Suited and booted: Neil Patrick Harris and partner David Burtka both sported grey suits, while John Mayer sported a striking blue velvet tuxedo teamed with black trousers as he posed next to music producer Quincy Jones
Coupling up: Jack Osbourne arrived with wife Lisa while country couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw matched in black ensembles and Pharrell Williams arrived with partner Helen Lasichanh
Co-ordinated: Adam Levine and his band Maroon 5 looked striking in matching black suits and shirts
Rihanna's We Found Love, featuring Calvin Harris, won the day's first award, short form music video. Mumford & Sons took their first Grammy, winning along with Old Crow Medicine Show and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros for their long form video documentary Big Easy Express. Her boyfriend - controversial singer Chris Brown - seemed relaxed as he chatted to E!'s Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet. He said: 'Tonight I'm just looking forward to the performances. The Grammys is a good place to be.' Elsewhere, pregnant model Amber Rose showed off her blossoming baby bump in a clinging black gown along with rapper boyfriend Wiz Kalefa, and revealed she is due to give birth in three weeks.
Sharing the limelight: Musicians Orpheo McCord, Jade Castrinos, Alex Ebert and Nora Kirkpatrick of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.
Mumford & sons: Nominees Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, Country Winston-Marshall, and Ted Dwane walk the red carpet.
On trend: Singer Elle Varner wore a billowing black and white gown while singer Kari Jobe won a patterned top and skirt, while US singer Denise Donatelli wore leopardskin
Fooling around: Singer RedFoo of LMFAO couldn't resist the chance to joke around in front of phographers as he arrived.
'The pregnancy is good but different,' she told E!' while Wiz said he intended to play an active role in being father to his newborn son. 'I want it to be as much my responsibility - I want to have a role,' he said. Fan favourite bands including Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Mumford & Sons also walked the carpet, with the British folk band up for a slew of gongs. Looking particularly eclectic was previous Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding who arrived wearing a distinctive yellow gown, while bright red headed singer Bonnie McKee looked distinctive with bright red hair and a silver and white gown.
Quirky: Mexican singer Lila Downs wore a colourful ensemble, Bonnie McKee looked distinctive with bright red hair and a silver and white gown and singer Cindy Valentine sported a top hat while Lisa D'Amato sported a off-the-shoulder dress with pink and black skirt.
Colour fans: Songwriter Ali Tamposi, singer Ashlee Keating and singer Skylar Grey show off their distinctive taste.