The Boldest and Blandest Looks From the ACM Awards

Spoiler: No one did it better than co-host Dolly Parton.

By Gabrielle Bruney | March 8, 2022 | 4:55pm

Beauty Style

Image: Mike Coppola/Kevin Winter/Mike Coppola (Getty Images)

The 57th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards were held in Las Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium on Monday night, exclusively streaming online for the first time ever. So, if you didn’t happen to tune in on Amazon Prime Video, you might not have caught all of the night’s big looks from stars like Carrie Underwood, Maren Morris, Matt James and more.

Most importantly, you might have also missed co-host Dolly Parton, one of the very best people this nation, nay, the world, has ever produced. Class act that she always is, Parton started the show with a message of solidarity to the people of Ukraine. “I don’t want to be political, and this is not; I’d rather pass a kidney stone than do that,” she said. “But I want us to send our love and hope to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.”

“So why don’t we just dedicate this entire show to them and pray for peace around this crazy old world?” she added. Amen, Miz Parton.

Gabby Barrett

American Idol alum Barrett was one of the night’s hosts. Now, I love a pant under a dress, any day, any time. But a pant under a dress with a slit up to the tit? Truly cannot be beat.

Jimmie Allen

Rounding out the hosting trio was Allen, who hit the red carpet wearing a mesh shirt and looking somewhat like a particularly edgy member of DeBarge.

Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James

The Bachelor alums showed up looking cute enough but oddly mismatched. Her in a cute, spangly, but kind of blah dress, and him in an ankle-bearing take on the Canadian tuxedo. The bucket hat and bolo tie can stay, but there’s something off with the jeans.

Ashley McBryde

Ever since the days of Stacy and Clinton trying to badger every woman in sight into wearing A-line dress, I’ve had a soft spot for folks who, like McBryde, sport signature streaks of grey. While the cerulean is beautiful, the stringy shoulder ties are very ‘90s mallwear, and not in the good way.

Brittney Spencer

Brittney Spencer has the voice of an angel, and at the ACMs, she wore the outfit of one too. It’s beautiful, extravagant, and, most importantly of all, not boring.

Carrie Underwood

After first hitting the blue carpet in a simple mini dress, Underwood re-emerged in this confetti number. The fun-factor feels forced and it all around looks a bit like a mid-tier creation from a found fashion episode of an early season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Why is there so much grey showing through?

Kat Garrido and Alex Garrido

Here we enter the “boring couples ensembles” segment of the night. These married former Idol contestants played it safe and black.

Morgan Evans and Kelsea Ballerini

So did these singer-songwriters.

Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd

Morris was up for Female Artist of the Year, but unfortunately she and her husband chose looks that live at the tragic intersection of “bad” and “dull,” in two queasy shades of brown.