The Grammys: white roses give the red carpet another #MeToo moment

Stars, including Lady Gaga and Kelly Clarkson, turned out on the Grammys red carpet Sunday displaying white roses in solidarity with the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements against sexual misconduct on music’s biggest night for what is usually the wildest display of fashion during awards season.

Gaga was in a black lace top and leggings with a full skirt and train, white rose in place and her hair swept into a fishtail braid with black pins. Her signature towering platform shoes – black boots this time around – were on her feet. Rita Ora also wowed in black, a gown with a silver embellished lining open on one side to the hip. She, too, had a white rose pinned on.

There was lots of black, perhaps spillover from the anti-sexual misconduct message of the recent Golden Globes, but there was also plenty of colour.

Elton John didn’t disappoint on that score in a geometric-pattern, blue, gold and red sparkler of a jacket from Gucci, encrusted sunglasses to match. Country’s trio Midland – Mark Wystrach, Cameron Duddy and Jess Carson – went big in the cowboy hat department, including a topper with a rainbow feather to match a similarly adorned jacket for one.

Lana Del Rey, meanwhile, joined Sir Elton in Gucci, an angelic gown in cream with a high slit and crystal star theme, including a star head piece. Ashanti was a princess in long-sleeved gold.

Rapper K. Flay, in a black tuxedo jacket, chose a Time’s Up button instead of the flower but noted all such symbols are important expressions of solidarity for women. Songwriter Diane Warren, a 15-time Grammy nominee, wore black and white and went her own way on symbols. She wore white gloves with “Girl” on one hand and “Power” on the other, explaining: “I didn’t want to wear the rose. I’m a rebel.”