While a number of looks at last night’s Grammy Awards stood out—including Lady Gaga in a Victorian-style Vivienne Westwood ball gown, Charli xcx in a dusty blue corseted tulle gown by Jean Paul Gaultier, and Sabrina Carpenter in a baby blue gown from JW Anderson—just one stole the show, with an artful twist.
Chappell Roan arrived in a canary yellow archival Jean Paul Gaultier spring/summer 2003 couture gown, paired with a multi-color feather headpiece, a tulle neck scarf, and powder blue opera gloves. The gown features a print of Edgar Degas‘s 1877 pastel Dancer with a Bouquet, depicting a dancer holding a large bouquet on stage.
The painting is a masterclass in light, color, composition, and form, with vibrant pops of orange, blue, and green pastels—all echoed in the design and embodiment of the Gaultier dress itself.
A leading artist of the Impressionist movement, which captured transient effects of light and movement in landscapes among a rapidly changing society around 1860, Degas is known for rendering social spaces and the interactions among people, with a particular focus on dancers.
Roan is a rising pop sensation known for her campy, drag queen–inspired aesthetic. She was nominated for six Grammy Awards and went home with one Grammy, for best new artist.
The singer was not the first to appear in public in the Gaultier gown, however, as it was previously worn by 21-year-old Beyoncé for the April 2003 issue of Elle magazine.
