Chappell Roan made a striking debut at the 2025 Grammy Awards in a Jean Paul Gaultier haute couture gown that artfully blended fashion with art history. The look, styled by Genesis Webb, drew direct inspiration from Edgar Degas’s 19th-century ballet paintings, merging theatricality with a nod to the complexities of artistic labor—a theme echoed in Roan’s acceptance speech for Best New Artist[1][2][3].
Gown Design
The vintage Spring 2003 couture dress featured a voluminous tulle skirt in canary yellow and pale blue, adorned with a printed motif of Degas’s ballerinas from works like Dancer with a Bouquet (1877–78) and Ballet (1876–77)[1][7]. The bodice incorporated three-dimensional berry and floral embellishments, black velvet shoulder straps, and twisted fabric details that echoed the textured brushstrokes of Impressionist art[7][8]. Originally modeled by Mariacarla Boscono on the runway, the gown’s asymmetrical silhouette and painterly aesthetic created a “living canvas” effect[7].
Styling Details
Roan paired the dress with a blue-and-yellow feathered headpiece, sheer aquamarine opera gloves (modified to reveal gold-tipped nails), and chunky yellow-and-black boots[2][7]. A delicate blue ribbon choker replaced the original black velvet design from the 2003 show, while her signature ruby-red curls were styled half-up with a retro clip[2][7]. Her makeup stayed true to her theatrical persona: chalk-white base, tiny pink eyebrows, and mauve lips[2][8].
Degas Connection
The choice referenced both the visual beauty and darker socioeconomic context of Degas’s ballet scenes, which often depicted young dancers from poor backgrounds reliant on wealthy patrons[1][5]. This paralleled Roan’s speech about artists needing fair treatment from record labels, drawing a throughline between 19th-century Parisian dance studios and modern music industry struggles[1][5].
Historical Context
Jean Paul Gaultier’s 2003 collection itself reinterpreted Degas’s work through a fashion lens, using trompe l’oeil prints and sculptural tulle to mimic the energy of his paintings[1][7]. By resurrecting this archival piece, Roan and Webb highlighted fashion’s ability to dialogue with art history while making it relevant to contemporary cultural conversations[6][7].
Citations:
[1] https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/02/03/chappell-roan-edgar-degas-grammys
[2] https://www.marieclaire.com/fashion/chappell-roan-2025-grammys-red-carpet/
[3] https://www.justjared.com/2025/02/02/chappell-roan-arrives-for-very-first-grammys-wears-degas-inspired-look-for-2025-red-carpet/
[4] https://www.artingeneral.org/artists/edgar-degas/
[5] https://artrkl.com/blogs/news/degas-ballerinas
[6] https://www.canvasprintsaustralia.net.au/degas-influence-on-contemporary-artists/
[7] https://www.vogue.com/article/chappell-roan-does-balletcore-like-only-she-could-at-the-2025-grammys
[8] https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a63635672/chappell-roan-red-carpet-photos-grammys-2025/
[9] https://news.artnet.com/art-world/chappell-roan-channels-degas-in-vintage-jean-paul-gaultier-at-the-grammys-2604917
[10] https://abcnews.go.com/style/story/grammys-2025-chappell-roan-red-carpet/?id=118370880
[11] https://www.instyle.com/chappell-roan-dress-grammys-2025-8784546
[12] https://www.soapcentral.com/fashion/news-how-chappell-roan-create-grammys-2025-look-details-explored
[13] https://www.voguescandinavia.com/articles/chappell-roan-grammys-2025-acne-studios
[14] https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/chappell-roan-edgar-degas-dress-2025-grammys-1234731437/
[15] https://www.instagram.com/sadderwisergirl/p/DFmdO5KROR5/
[16] https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/chappell-roan-arrives-grammys-wearing-223700448.html
[17] https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2025/02/02/grammys-2025-chappell-roan/78059389007/
[18] https://www.instagram.com/ngadc/p/DFq6GRUMUkT/
[19] https://www.vogue.com/article/chappell-roan-does-balletcore-like-only-she-could-at-the-2025-grammys
[20] https://variety.com/gallery/grammys-2025-red-carpet-photos/
[21] https://www.facebook.com/theworldmusicawards/photos/chappell-roan-stuns-on-the-grammys-red-carpet-in-a-degas-inspired-look-and-gives/997247192507538/
[22] https://www.justjared.com/photo-gallery/5119947/chappell-roan-grammys-2025-red-carpet-05/
[23] https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/25/arts/design/the-moderndegas-you-havent-seen.html
[24] https://www.theartstory.org/artist/degas-edgar/
[25] https://blog.artsper.com/en/a-closer-look/the-scary-truth-behind-degas-ballet-paintings/
[26] https://www.josephrosenfeld.com/degas-impressionism-paris-millinery-trade/
[27] https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1884-degas-singer-in-green/
[28] https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/edgar-degas-beautiful-ballerinas/
[29] https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/art-renaissance-to-modern-times/edgar-degas
[30] https://www.vogue.com/article/degas-at-the-opera-exhibition-and-fashion
[31] https://www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/stories/edgar-degas-the-world-of-the-ballerina
[32] https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dgsp/hd_dgsp.htm
[33] https://www.vogue.com/article/edgar-degas-ballerinas-in-fashion
[34] https://study.com/academy/lesson/formal-immobility-mobility-in-the-art-of-edgar-degas.html
[35] https://www.glamour.com/story/chappell-roan-grammys-look-2025
[36] https://www.thewrap.com/grammys-red-carpet-2025-photos/
[37] https://www.justjared.com/2025/02/02/chappell-roan-arrives-for-very-first-grammys-wears-degas-inspired-look-for-2025-red-carpet/
[38] https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a63638875/chappell-roan-red-carpet-photos-grammys-2025/
[39] https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a63635672/chappell-roan-red-carpet-photos-grammys-2025/
[40] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/02/style/grammys-2025-red-carpet.html
[41] https://news.artnet.com/art-world/chappell-roan-channels-degas-in-vintage-jean-paul-gaultier-at-the-grammys-2604917
[42] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edgar-Degas
[43] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/degas-and-his-dancers-79455990/
[44] https://digitalstories.famsf.org/degas/
[45] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Degas
[46] https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-sordid-truth-degass-ballet-dancers
