She’s just being Miley. Less than an hour before collecting her first Grammy Award—an accolade she picked up for Best Pop Solo Performance for her self-love anthem “Flowers”—Miley Cyrus took home her first prize for the evening on the red carpet.
Indeed, the Endless Summer Vacation songstress received the award for “Best Conceptual Ensemble” in a custom Maison Margiela ensemble inspired by couturier John Galliano’s eponymous “Susy Sphinx” collection from Fall/Winter 1997. (The prize isn’t an official category, but Cyrus is the inaugural recipient in our eyes, with Caroline Polachek’s archival Olivier Theyskens gown from Fall/Winter 1998 a close runner-up.)
For the occasion, Cyrus flexed her prowess as a style savant in a sculptural, nearly-naked gown made from gilded safety pins. Completing the look were aged-yellow velour and gold faux lizard Tabi interlaced ankle-strap pumps, created by Christian Louboutin for Maison Margiela.
Not that the Maison needed to deliver another showcase of their artisanal expertise since the zeitgeist is still captivated with their Spring/Summer 2024 Haute Couture show, but here we are yet again fawning over Galliano’s work as a designer and Cyrus’ role as fashion muse. The dress itself consisted entirely of pins fashioned together in tessellating patterns that wrapped Cyrus’ figure.
Evoking the balmy sentiment of the summertime album, Margiela has rendered the vintage gold lamé Yves Saint Laurent Cyrus wore in her “Flowers” music video in an old Hollywood-inspired silhouette. As the house shared, Galliano “drew inspiration from the captivating goddesses of the silver screen.” The costume worn by Maria in Fritz Lang’s 1927 German expressionist film Metropolis calls to mind, but X (formerly known by Twitter) had other ideas. Namely, Galliano’s Cleopatra dress. Though Cyrus was a five-year-old running around Nashville when this dress debuted in Paris, it’s apparent she was born to wear this look. As she said herself—“When my future self looks back at this moment she’s going to say: ‘She looks good!’”
Later in the evening, Cyrus donned a vintage Bob Mackie dress and Tiffany & Co. jewellery to perform “Flowers” for the first time on television. To celebrate the sartorial and sonic victory, Cyrus changed the lyrics of her song, singing “Started to cry then I remembered I… just won my first Grammy!” May we all aspire to have half the confidence Miley has.