Best To Worst Dressed At The 2019 BET Awards
The 19th annual BET Awards kicked off on June 21, 2019 for the BET Experience Concert. It culminated on June 23 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles for the awards ceremony with actress Regina Hall in charge of hosting duties.
But before we could find out which African Americans and minorities would take home awards in categories such as best female hip-hop artist and best collaboration, the fashion gods blessed us on the red carpet, which was actually the color blue in honor of the ceremony's Humanitarian Award recipient, late rapper Nipsey Hussle.
The dress code: anything and everything! There was an array of eye-catching ensembles and stellar outfits, as well as artistic pieces that were so on point, they belong in a museum. Some celebrities even pulled out their finest Grammy-worthy pieces that we couldn't peel our eyes away from. And, of course, a few of the honorees, presenters, entertainers, and guests fell short with their attempts at being fashion-forward.
Here's the best to worst dressed at the 2019 BET Awards
Mary J. Blige was a shimmery goddess
For her long-standing career, and for bringing us hits like "Not Gon' Cry" and "Be Without You," the 2019 BET Awards honored Mary J. Blige with the Lifetime Achievement Award. When taking her walk down the blue carpet, she reminded us why we stan an iconic legend.
We were left speechless when the actress appeared in a "Grecian, white gown," according to E! News. Blige's floor-length dress with silver sequined details accentuated all of her curves. The powerhouse vocalist sported curly blonde hair that perfectly framed her face, as well as clusters of gold and silver jewelry, including chain-linked earrings, cocktail rings, and dainty bracelets.
We weren't too surprised Blige decided to go full-glam. We weren't shocked by the color of her dress, either. She has a thing for wearing white no matter the time, place, occasion, or the season. She told Huffington Post the key is to "play with textures that work for the element like a wool coat or fur." Noted, queen!
Karrueche Tran was a ray of sunshine
As the co-host of the pre-show festivities, Karrueche Tran was one of the first to saunter down the blue carpet. The Claws star was accompanied by her beau, former professional football player Victor Cruz, according to Just Jared. Together, they lit up the event with his and hers matching suits. Tran's yellow ensemble included shoulder pads reminiscent of Miami Vice — with a chic and modern twist, of course. The coat, which was cinched with a matching belt, hit right above the knee and had exaggerated sleeves that engulfed the pint-size entertainer's hands. She rounded off her look with a pair of matching yellow paints and purple metallic high-heel sandals.
Her hair was parted and slicked away from her face so that her makeup artist, Samuel Rauda, could play up her features, making her eyes and lips the focal point with frosty pink, peach, and yellow hues.
Tran completely shut down the carpet and oozed with confidence. However, she hasn't always been so self-assured. "It took me a long time to be comfortable with who I am," she once told Cools. "I think curvy women are beautiful, and I would love to have that, but that's not how I was created. It took awhile for me to realize This is how you were born. This is how God made you."
Hey, Karrueche, you're perfect the way you are! Even Hollywood Life agreed when they described her BET Awards look as "sleek and gorgeous."
Ciara brought haute couture to the blue carpet
Nominated for the BET Her Award for her song "Level Up," Ciara hit up the blue carpet to show off her pristine style and her "killer legs," according to Just Jared.
The singer and fashion icon wore a stunning Jean Paul Gaultier dress, she shared on her Instagram account. The salmon-colored number had pointy shoulders that added just the right amount of haute couture to the blue carpet. With draped fabric that gathered to the side of one hip, an extended piece of the luxury fabric cascaded down her gams, reaching towards her matching, strappy Stuart Weitzman sandals, Fashion Bomb Daily reports.
Although she looked like a trillion bucks for the yearly event, Ciara admitted that the allotted amount of time she has to get ready is slim these days, thanks in part to her two children, Future Wilburn and Sienna Wilson. "I think there's something kind of cool to me not having much time," she told People magazine. "It kind of makes my fashion choices, I think better because you end up whooping things together and end up discovering something really cool."
Whatever works, CiCi!
Megan Thee Stallion looked hotter than ever
Megan Thee Stallion dubbed 2019 a "hot girl summer," and she wasn't lying. The Fever emcee is on the heels of snagging a spot on the 2019 XXL Freshman Class. Along with that honor, her legions of hot girls hoped the Texas rapper would win the award for best female hip-hop artist, but Cardi B was victorious in that category, according to Us Weekly.
Before taking her seat inside the Microsoft Theater, Hot Girl Meg showed all kinds of sex appeal on the blue carpet. Dripped in gold from head to toe, the rapper donned a two-piece outfit, which consisted of a bralette adorned with rhinestones and gold chains that grazed her midsection, as well as a floor-length skirt with sheer panels and matching thigh-high splits. She wore a pair of strappy gold, spike-covered sandals, ring bracelets on both hands, and a gold arm band. With her hair simply parted down the middle and frosty eyeshadow highlighting her eyes, a dazzling gold choker helped to finish off her look. Yas, "real hot girl s**t!"
It's the "Big Ole Freak" artist's gritty flow and sexually-charged lyrics that have scored her a place in music lover's hearts, and her BET Awards outfit was right in line with her vixen aesthetic. Her stylist, Todd White, told Essence, "Megan's thing is signature two pieces. She likes to be comfortable — that's all she cares about."
Ne-Yo donned his signature fedora
Does Ne-Yo ever get it wrong when he hits up an awards ceremony? The answer is no! The singer and songwriter has nailed his personal style and his signature look continues to shut. it. down.
The "Closer" singer was in attendance to offer some moral support for his peers, and he still managed to make it at the top of our best-dressed list. He paired a cream-colored leather jacket with a white button-down shirt, and a pair of blue and teal plaid pants with a red stripe running down the length of the legs.
On his feet were a pair of spiky, multi-colored Christian Louboutin shoes, according to his Instagram Story. Shielding his eyes from the scorching summer sun were a pair of aviator sunglasses, and Ne-Yo also dazzled us with his signature headwear: a black fedora with a feather accent.
Since stepping out on the scene (and for the majority of his life), the World of Dance judge has had a thing for hats. He told GQ during his early years when he was strapped for cash, he had an easy solution to fuel his love for hats. "I would go to the corner store and buy really cheap baseball style caps and wear those to school," he said.
Those days are over, and he told the New York Post in 2018 he has an estimated 12,000 fedoras! Now that's what we call a hat addiction.
H.E.R. kept it chic
The mysterious singer Gabi Wilson, also known as H.E.R. (which stands for Having Everything Revealed, according to Elle), was victorious as the winner of the BET Her Award, according to Us Weekly. She was also a winner on the blue carpet as she showed off her impeccable and unique sense of style.
According to Fashion Bomb Daily, the singer and songwriter wore a black top with an animal print mesh panel by Natori, along with a pair of white and blue dotted high-waist pants by Kyle'lyk, and a matching long overcoat in the same print and pattern. On her feet were a pair of black platform pumps by Giuseppe Zanotti.
H.E.R. accessorized her look with a beautiful diamond Erickson Beamon earrings, dark red lipstick, and perfectly sculpted eyebrows. As always, she hid behind a pair of oversized glasses, which is totally her thing if you weren't aware.
So what's up with the shades and why is she so camera shy? She told Elle that remaining anonymous "really made people focus on the music, and that's what's special about it."
Doja Cat lived up to her name
Doja Cat (born Amala Zandile Dlamini) turned the blue carpet into her very own kitten scratching post. Okay, not really, but the American rapper paid homage to furry friends everywhere with her feline-themed getup. Meow!
Let's start with the "Mooo!" artist's dress, which, according to the rapper's Instagram, was designed by The Blonds NY. This wasn't some ordinary gown, though. It was covered in balls of pink yarn — you know, a kitty's favorite household toy! She also wore a pair of kitten ears made of pink and white yarn on her head, and a headpiece that was decorated with towering pink and white fathers.
A Zana Bayne spiked leather choker adorned her neck, and the artist wore a pair of Planet i sunglasses with the word "meow" covering both eyes. Jason of Beverly Hills, Sydney Evan, and H Crowne accessories added some extra bling to her fingers and wrists, and Doja Cat couldn't hit up the blue carpet without the perfect accessories: a rhinestone-encrusted Judith Leiber cat purse and a pair of light pink Stuart Weitzman pumps. What a look.
We've seen worse outfits, and we have to give the eccentric style queen an A for creativity. However, not everyone was in agreement. She made Hollywood Life's "wackiest dressed" list, and the website added: "The overly busy ensemble was more confusing than chic and we just can't seem to get behind this one." Ouch.
Blac Chyna's Barbie hair was a no-no
Blac Chyna didn't look that bad for the 2019 celebration. In fact, we were loving her red sequined dress that was knotted on one strap, while the other delicately slipped down her shoulder. It was her hair that was completely throwing us off, though. It was styled in a platinum blonde beehive, complete with blunt bangs with longer layers framing her face. It appeared she was trying to give us her best Dolly Parton impression. There can only be one Dolly, so we're going to need Blac Chyna to pick a new aesthetic, pronto!
In a previous interview with Us Weekly, the reality star shared how she chooses which wig to wear. "If I'm not in a good mood, I'm gonna wear black hair," she said. "If I'm feeling like a Barbie girl, I'm gonna throw that blonde wig on. It's just the mood." Okay, so we have Barbie to blame for this look?
The red rose bouquet in her hair was a nice touch, and we can't get enough of the nude lip and smokey eye combo. Hollywood Life even loved her "old school glam" vibe. But she didn't just make NickiSwift's worst-dressed list. Footwear News stated Blac Chyna's look "left some people scratching their heads."
Angela Simmons' 'technicolor' outfit was all wrong
Angela Simmons had a long day ahead of her as a pre-show host, and the entertainer intended on bringing her always on-point style to the blue carpet. Sadly, the Growing Up Hip Hop star missed the mark big time.
The television personality wore a gorgeous robe-inspired sequined dress by New York Brand Retrofête. The colorful stripes provided a punch of color that was perfect for the summer awards ceremony. And everything — from the bishop sleeves to the v-neckline and self-tie belt around her waist — were a home run. But the outfit failed to deliver and was a bit unflattering and ill-fitting.
Either way, Simmons still looked as gorgeous as ever with her flawless makeup application, complete with bold red lipstick, perfectly lined eyes, and va-va-voom lashes. Soft curls in her hair were reminiscent of old Hollywood glam. Her hairstyle was likely created by one of her team members because Simmons once told BET, "'I have a team of like amazing people that work with me and help me make sure that I'm keeping [my hair] together." Nice work, team!
Even though we thought her outfit left much to be desired, not everyone agreed. Footwear News described her look as "technicolor," right down to her "strappy rainbow Christian Louboutins."
Lil Kim was a futuristic flop
Lil Kim decided to experiment with her look, but the veteran rapper committed a fashion no-no with her Rufat Ismayil piece. Believe it or not, this is a two-piece 'fit. It consists of a ruched white and pale purple cropped jacket with tulle embellishments at the wrists and a heavily structured minidress that juts out at the waist. The lace-up detail on the front of the dress is stunning. It almost reminds us of a corset, but as for the accentuated hips, it gives the dress a costumey feel, and we hate to see the Queen Bee look like a caricature of herself.
To top it off, she wore her hair in a half-up, half-down style with a messy top knot and bangs. Her winged eyeliner really made her eyes stand out and her nude lipstick paired perfectly with the hue of her ensemble. We need to get our hands on her black chain Chanel bag, too. So posh. However, she committed a major fashion faux pas by wearing a pair of black suede mid-calf boots. Yes, in the dead of summer.
Footwear News called her look "futuristic space gal vibes," which means they really dig it. We, on the other hand, think Lil Kim can do so much better. Can someone ring up her stylist from the "Crush On You" days? Thanks in advance.