.jpg)
If there’s one thing to know about Chappell Roan, it’s that she loves a reference.
At the 2025 Grammys, the pop star and her stylist, Genesis Webb, abided by a loose rodeo clown theme, seen from her red carpet look to her theatrical performance of “Pink Pony Club.” “Chappell established rodeo clown as the thematic foundation for the performance, which provided a conceptual starting point. She shared a Pinterest board of reference images, primarily featuring Galliano and Guo Pei,” Webb tells Vogue. “Think theatrical silhouettes, rich color palettes, and couture. That set the tone for something dramatic, whimsical, and visually commanding.”
On the red carpet, the pop superstar tried her hand at balletcore. But there was no pink satin in sight: For her inaugural Grammys, Chappell met the moment in a tulle-heavy couture rendition of the famous Edgar Degas painting Dancer with a Bouquet.
Chappell dug into the archives for the occasion, pulling one of the finale looks from Jean Paul Gaultier’s spring 2003 couture collection, originally worn on the runway by Mariacarla Boscono. The showstopping number featured painterly streaks of canary yellow and robin’s egg blue tulle across the bodice, which was also adorned with three-dimensional berry and flower embellishments and black velvet straps. The skirt fanned out into an asymmetrical silhouette printed with Degas’s famous ballerinas.
“For the red carpet, I knew from the outset that archival couture was essential,” Webb tells Vogue. “Regardless of the designer, I wanted something with history; something that carried weight beyond aesthetics. Gaultier had been on my mind for her for some time, so I reached out, and when this particular archival piece was presented, I had an immediate visceral reaction. It wasn’t just an option, it was the dress. While I had several looks prepared for the fitting, this was the only one that truly aligned with the vision.”
While Chappell placed the original runway headpiece in her signature red hair, she swapped the original black velvet ribbon choker for a diaphanous blue one that coordinated with the dress. She added a pair of matching opera gloves with the fingertips cut off to allow her gold-tipped manicure a moment to shine. Chappell also eschewed the yellow button heels for a pair of round-toed yellow and black boots with turquoise detailing from John Fluevog.
Inside the ceremony, Chappell changed into her second couture look of the evening. Inspired by look 8 from his fall 2024 couture collection, Thom Browne fashioned the singer a blue wool and silk cropped jacket with exposed shoulder pads, a blue corded lace corset, and a tiered, hand-pleated asymmetrical petticoat.
Chappell Roan, who earned six Grammy nominations—including for album of the year and best new artist—also hit the stage in custom Zana Bayne and Steve Madden boots for a rodeo clown-inspired performance of “Pink Pony Club.” “For this Grammy performance look I combined aspects of all the silhouettes we’ve done on her in the last year and make a ‘super Chappell’ look,” Bayne tells Vogue. “Throughout the costume are special details to bring the rodeo clown princess fantasy into reality, with everything crafted in my downtown Los Angeles studio.”
Her only ready-to-wear look of the night, Chappell took home the Grammy for Best New Artist in a gray Acne Studios dress festooned with bows from spring 2025 collection. She kept up the princess theme from her performance in a yellow Piers Atkinson hennin, which promptly fell off during her acceptance speech. But who needs a hat when you have a Grammy?
