Can We All Just Stop and Appreciate Janelle Monáe’s Red Carpet Look?

None of us knew the real meaning of the word “showstopper” until Janelle Monáe arrived and served us the look of the night on the red carpet of the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

This funk artist has always been edgy and one to redefine the limits when comingling the arts and fashion. And she uses her music as the perfect display case. Who can forget her iconic hot pink vagina pants in her music video “Pynk”?

Yet her red carpet look was the perfect mix of old school elegance and contemporary architectural design. There are plays on shapes, angles, asymmetry and modern zoot suit vibes. We’ve got not a hat, upon second glance, but an intricate headdress comprised of golden safety pins and an angular tilted halo. Her dress was short, flowing flapper style, while deeply cut with tall, sharp shoulders. She completed her complicated masterpiece by accessorizing with mismatched gold earrings and a plum velvet heel.

This woman did not come to mess around. She slayed as if she invented the word.