Sandy's Motherhood Blog: Food, Fun, Fashion: The 2022 American Music Awards Red Carpet: The Weird and the Wonderful

The American Music Awards is always a treasure trove of fashion extremes. This year's awards included some wonderful fashions as well as a number of looks that can only be described as downright weird, plus a few that were merely "whatever" or had me wondering "why?". Here are some of the highlights in each category.

Adassa went for a country theme in this simple black ruffled off-the-shoulder dress, accessorized with a silver and turquoise necklace, silver belt with oversized buckle, silver clutch, and silver boots. It was a cute look, but a little bland for the red carpet.

Rating: Whatever

When I first saw Anitta's look, I found it interesting. I liked the textural contrast of the soft, fuzzy, white bodice and the black sequined skirt, and I loved the shape created by the softly scalloped lower edge of the top and the deeply scalloped top edge of the skirt. I thought the overall silhouette was graceful and flattering. But it wasn't anything particularly memorable. Then I saw the back view.

Those cheeky curved cutouts were daring and sexy without quite crossing the line to vulgar. It elevated the whole look from fine but forgettable to definitely memorable.

Rating: Wonderful

The color of Ari Lennox's turquoise gown was absolutely stunning on her, and the softly trailing skirt with panels split literally to the waist revealing a matching panty underneath all worked for me. What didn't work, however, was the bodice, which was loose enough to blouse at the waist, resulting in a droopy appearance that ruined the overall line and did not flatter Lennox's gorgeous figure.

Rating: Why?

It's not easy to wear a hugely oversized dress, especially one made of fire engine red tulle, without being overwhelmed by it. But Bebe Rexha absolutely owned this frothy concoction of short ruffled skirt, enormous shoulder ruffles, crinkly red leather thigh boots, sheer red opera gloves, and a long train. The rings worn over the gloves were a great detail.

Rating: Weirdly wonderful

Becky G. also opted for opera gloves, hers in black satin to coordinate with her thigh-length black satin one-shoulder dress with long, full side train and huge flat shoulder bow. It was a terrific mix of classic glamour and skin-baring sex appeal.

Rating: Wonderful

Carolina Gaitan wore a strapless black two-tiered ballgown. It would have been a good base, but needed some eye-catching accessories to bring it to the next level, like a chunky statement necklace or a splash of color along the edge of the ruffles or in a little belt. As it was, it looked unfinished and a little bland.

Rating: Whatever

Carrie Underwood rarely falls short on the red carpet, and this look was no exception. The simple silhouette of her pale pink gown studded with fringed silver and gold metallic patches was accented by dropped shoulder details, an angled thigh-high slit, and a slightly long hem that created a graceful hint of puddle around her dainty strappy silver sandals.

Rating: Wonderful

The asymmetrical silhouette of Coco Jones' black dress with zigzag silver bands made me a little dizzy. I loved the cut of the bodice, especially the waist cutouts and the silver star detail on the bodice that was framed by the silver patterns on the fabric, but the bulges at the hip on one side and the thigh on the other looked lopsided and lumpy. I appreciate the attempt to be wild and different, but it wasn't successful for me.

Rating: Weird

Dencia's futuristic silver and black look was a combination of Ziggy Stardust and the Tin Man from The Wiz. I loved the way the raised shoulder and hip details echoed each other, I loved the black gauntlets and silver gaiters, the silver cane, and the wild silver headpiece. It was wacky in the most wonderful of ways.

Rating: Wonderfully weird

The concept for Dove Cameron's look wasn't terrible, but it fell woefully short in execution. It felt like the designer was going for a goth take on a period stomacher-type corset and skirt with panniers, but it didn't quite work. The cropped white bustier was pretty but didn't fit well and the hip details on the skirt were too bulky and oversized, resulting in a very bottom-heavy silhouette that pulled the eye away from Cameron's face. Swap out the skirt for a fitted leather miniskirt with just a hint of the "pannier" detail, and the look would have worked much better.

Rating: Why?

I love bias-cut draping, and the lines of Dylan Troesken's silk slip dress were exquisite, but the color was too close to her skin tone, and the overall look was too simple and boring. The same dress is a cobalt blue or deep emerald - or even a blush pink or peach a few shades darker! - would have been a much better choice.

Rating: Whatever

Ellie Goulding's silver two-piece dress was a terrific look with lots of well-chosen details. I loved the asymmetrical wrap of the cropped bodice (the stretch of the fabric allowed it to move beautifully with her body); the hand-baring gauntlets; and the simple straight cut of the skirt with a loose, turned-under hem that created a lovely softness in contrast to the severe lines of the skirt.

Rating: Wonderful

Another look that was great in concept but fell a bit short in execution was Flo Milli's terra cotta suit. The line of the pantlegs was great but the front panel buckled with her movements, the see-through corset cut into her ribs along the bottom edge, and the opaque panels were oddly proportioned and attached at an awkward level. I did love the square cut of the jacket worn over her shoulders, especially in contrast to the roundness of the flippy curls resting on her shoulders. Overall, not terrible, but could have been better. (Also, Milli should definitely wear that color more often.)

Rating: Why?

Another example of a good concept spoiled by poor tailoring is Gayle's sheer gold dress. I liked the crisscross details in the sheer skirt, and the way the lines continued in the lines and cutouts of the bodice. But the lower part of the skirt looked wrinkled, and the dress was too tight around her abdomen where it should have skimmed. But the worst fitting error was the bodice.

Much like a badly-fitted bra, the band at the bottom of the bodice did not fit snugly, and rose up awkwardly with even the slightest raising of her arms. It looks uncomfortable as well as unflattering.

Rating: Why?

GloRilla also sported a severly square-cut jacket, hers in a fabulous red and black tiger print with a flared silhouette, paired with nothing but thigh-high black leather boots. It made for a marvelously covered up kind of sexy look, and she OWNED it.

Rating: Wonderful

Joan Smalls wore a metallic gold high-cut, long-sleeved, mock turtleneck leotard with a matching sarong-style skirt. The lines were pretty, and I liked the way the sarong sat lower than the cut at the hips of the leotard, and the fabric was gorgeous, but somehow the overall look still came off as bland.

Rating: Whatever

Kali Uchis wore a red satin gown with a fully-boned, corset-style bodice and a short train, but the detail that caught the eye with her look was the amazing headpiece in the style of a headscarf trimmed with red ostrich feather tips that radiated around her head and down her shoulders. It pulled attention directly to her face (and distracted from the slight gathers due to a bodice and skirt that were just a hair too tight).

Rating: Wonderful

Sometimes a single detail makes an outfit work, as for Kali Uchis (above), but sometimes it's just too out of character with the rest of the look, as for Karrueche Tran, here. Her base gown was a lovely black fitted and flared column with a plunging keyhole neckline, but then it inexplicably added a long, flat, twisted extension erupting from one shoulder. I'm not sure what exactly the designer was going for, but whatever it was, it didn't work.

Rating: Weird

Kelly Rowland confirmed her status as a fashion designer in the magnificent leopard print gown paired with black matte opera gloves. It was voluminous without being heavy, fitted yet flowing, and both classic and contemporary at the same time. One of my favorite looks on the red carpet.

Rating: Wonderful!

Kelsey Kreppel's gown was an interesting cut, with a bandeau top and angled wrapped straps over a straight cut long skirt, but the fabric was too dull in both color and texture. The exact same dress in a textured or print fabric or perhaps a bolder color would have been a much better look.

Rating: Whatever

Denim can sometimes work on the red carpet, but not a wash that looks dirty, at least not in a corset-cut gown. Sorry, Kim Petras, but Britney did it much better back in 2001.

Rating: Why?

I am surprised by how much I love Latto's black bodysuit with sheer black wrap. Her figure is ridiculously voluptuous and the lines of the wrapped fabric serve to emphasize that fact. The vivid scarlet lips are the perfect - and only needed - accessory. Perfection.

Rating: Wonderful

Unlike Anitta's look, which I liked better when I saw the back, I really liked Lauren Jauregui's silver brocade, bell-sleeved look until I saw the back.

I understand that big butts are in right now, but this size bustle hasn't been in fashion since the Civil War.

Rating: Why? And also, weird.

Liza Koshy's structured black and white dress had an amazing silhouette and I was completely fascinated by its construction. It held its shape without looking stiff or uncomfortable, the lines were geometric yet still graceful, and it managed to be very feminine and very rough-edged at the same time. Big win here.

Rating: Wonderful (and just a tiny bit weird)

There were a few unusual looks worn by men, but they all paled in comparison to Machine Gun Kelly's purple suit studded with foot-long spikes. I don't even have any idea what to say about this look. I can't decide whether I love it or hate it. I only know that it looks extremely uncomfortable, not to mention impossible to sit in. But I do know that it is unequivocally weird.

Rating: Weird. So, so very weird.

Another nice example of a simply-cut gown that works because of its terrific fabric, MacKenzie Porter's simple gold gown featured a straight cut and narrow straps. But the swirling pattern of the fabric brought a visual interest that, while not being the most eye-catching look of the night, certainly made the look interesting and memorable.

Rating: Wonderful

Mackenzie Zegler's short black halter dress was fine, but it looked like something off the rack from Forever 21. A perfectly acceptable look for going to the club with your girlfriends, but somewhat lacking for a major red carpet event.

Rating: Whatever

I couldn't help but mention Maneskin's look: They took standard suits and cut off the pantlegs, then wore the pantlegs with garters over (thankfully conservative) underwear. I should be appalled, but I kind of love this look and the cheeky attitude that goes with it. To quote Jezebel.com: "It’s business up north, a little party down south, and European all over."

Rating: Wonderfully weird

Meghan Trainor rocked a sparkly bubblegum-pink pantsuit with super-wide-legged flared pants and a plunging-front jacket with a circular diamond buckle, accented with a diamond choker. The color was great on her, and I loved how her hair just slightly filled in the broad neckline. A really terrific look for her.

Rating: Wonderful

I'm a sucker for well-structured geometric garments, and Muni Long's amazing pleated black satin jacket was no exception. I loved her choice of a simple black turtleneck and hot pants underneath it, which put the focus on both her beautiful face and her gorgeous legs. I appreciated that the jacket was structured in such a way that Long could move without distorting the circular shape of the jacket. It found the perfect balance of stiffness along it to keep its shape and enough give to allow it to move.

Rating: Wonderful

Orianthi's look might not have cut it at a different awards ceremony, but the AMA was the perfect place for her short, art deco patterned dress with thigh-high slouchy black boots and cooler-than-cool shades. It's not a look I would have chosen, but it's a look, and she made it work.

Rating: Wonderful

Pink went retro in a gold-and-black fringed flapper dress with a lightning bolt cutout running down the front. It was sleek and simple, and the fringe moved wonderfully and caught the light. This is a look I would gladly wear myself.

Rating: Wonderful

Another of my favorite looks, Roselyn Sanchez's dress hit just the right level of starkness and sharp geometric lines without looking overly harsh. The severely square shoulders and angled side cutouts were balanced by the soft, full skirt and train and the feminine swirl patterns on the bodice.

Rating: Wonderful

Sabrina Carpenter also opted for long, flapper-style fringe, but hers was attached to a white bandeau top and matching straight micro-miniskirt. The movement and sparkle of the fringes added enough visual interest for a fun look that wasn't overdone.

Rating: Wonderful

Sabrina Quesada, on the other hand, was less successful in a white bandeau and micro-miniskirt, hers in pleather with a c-shaped "clip" on the three staggered bands at the front of the dress. The clips added a bit of visual interest, but I still found the look to be bland, and the super-clunky platform sandals didn't help.

Rating: Whatever

A voluptuous figure is not always easy to dress for the red carpet, often resulting in either too much coverage or too little. But Sheryl Lee Ralph looks like a billion bucks in her form-fitting, bubble-gum pink dress with yellow-and-pink spangled bodice and matching pink gauntlets. I especially loved her matching bubble-gum pink pumps with pert little diamond bows. Very Marilyn Monroe.

Rating: Wonderful

Tinashe appeared to be wearing the exact same bodice as Dove Cameron, and hers was as poorly fitted. But her narrow, long-slung black skirt and more fitted black opera gloves resulted in a much better overall look. I loved the diamond-encrusted sunglasses and double diamond necklaces. A shame that the one misstep in this look was simply a poorly-fitted bodice.