2014 Grammys Red Carpet: Let’s Hear It for the Boys!

I have oft lamented the lack of variety in men’s formal fashions at red carpet events. The wildest variation I can remember in recent years was Christopher Plummer’s plum velvet tux a few years back. The Grammys are often the exception to the rule, however, although the variety generally comes in less formal formal wear. This year, however, I was delighted with the many variations of tuxedos that made appearances among the more casual outfits. So today’s red carpet review is all about men in tuxes.

George Kotsiopoulos rocked this striped tux with bright blue accents and slightly short, cuffed skinny pants with a long dark tie and ice-blue shirt. 

Jesse McCartney paired a slim-fitting but relatively traditional tux with a bright pink-and-black print shirt and no tie. 

Kaskade also followed the buttoned-up-but-tieless trend in a beautifully tailored plum silk tux with black lapels and a black shirt. He lost a few stylish points for also following the sockless trend and for wearing shoes that looked like they had literally been around the block a few times. 

Black Sabbath (Geezer Butler, Tommy Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne) proved that the old-school rockers know how to clean up their acts in minor variations on old-school tuxes, with Ozzy opting for his usual pinstripes. Points to all, particularly Ozzy, for washing their hair prior to the event.

Metallica (Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, Robert Trujillo, James Hetfield) also rocked slight variations on classic tuxes, mixing steel grays, charcoal, and pure white with black. I particularly like Ulrich’s long scarf and mix of shades of gray, as well as his shiny pants.

Steven Tyler looked as amazing as he sounded in this fabulous double-breasted white tux with silver bow tie and gray-and-white shoes. 

Daft Punk may be as avant-garde (and creepy) as they come on stage, but they did a great job of keeping in their character while rocking these classic tuxes. The sparkly but understated silver boots were the perfect accessory.

Kevin Hart might be short but he was long on fashion in this impeccably tailored “brindle” patterned tux jacket and mock boutonniere. 

Lang Lang looked as spectacular on the red carpet as he did at the keyboard in this gorgeous silvery-white brocade tux with black buttons and shawl collar and crisp, hand-tied bow tie.

30 Seconds to Mars (Tomo Milicevic, Shannon Leto, Jared Leto) played down their jackets by pairing them with T-shirts and played them up (in two cases, anyway) with metallic, textured fabrics. 

Hunter Hayes looked youthful but elegant in this barely-purple tux with black satin lapels, open-collared white shirt, and perfectly polished patent pumps.

Austin Mahone managed to blend his trademark lace-up sneakers with this shiny silk tux by coming up with a pair with a shiny patent finish, and added a tiny pop of color in a small pocket square peeking out from behind the wide lapel. 

Miguel’s all-black ensemble paired a classic tux jacket with an untucked (but impeccably pressed), open-collared shirt, shiny pleather pants, and pointed boots. The small cross-shaped brooch on the lapel was a nice touch.

Ryan Lewis and Macklemore updated their tuxes with skinny fits and unusual fabrics; Lewis in a giant hounds-tooth pattern and Macklemore opting for rich teal velvet. The non-traditional but still dressy shoes completed their looks nicely.

I’d say the menfolk represented their gender very well!