The 56th Academy of Country Music Awards were held on April 18, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville is at the pulsing heart of the country music scene as it is the home of the Country Music Hall of Fame as well as celebrities from Luke Bryan, Martina McBride, Jason Aldean and Chris Stapleton to Thomas Rett, Sam Hunt, Maren Morris and Eric Church. The ACMAs have always been known as country music’s biggest night with emerging and established names flocking to the warmth of Nashville. The event was hosted by Keith Urban and Mickey Guyton.

Hosts Keith Urban and Mickey Guyton, Image Sourced from @acmaawards on Instagram

The intimacy and cute boutiques of Nashville were certainly reflected in the fashion pieces on the red carpet and stage; Many chose to sport small brands and custom designed pieces. The most prominent color palette of the night was deeply saturated jewel tones from ruby, emerald, and amethyst to sapphire, citrine, and topaz. These hues shone a warm toned light on the rich history of country music as well as the Southern charm of the annual event. The event was also filled with metallic fringe details, monochromatic looks from head to toe, ruching and wrapping, and classic country laid back pieces. Even though many wore small brands, Dolce & Gabbana were the leading designers of the night with several celebrities donning custom-made looks by the Italian brand. We have compiled our favorite PhotoBook approved looks of the night below!

Mickey Guyton

Mickey Guyton co-hosted the event and stated on Instagram that her fashion inspo was to “give Diana Ross vibes,” a fashion icon known for her glamour, sequins, and effortlessly chic pieces. Guyton’s many outfit changes kept our fashion lover’s eye interested all night. She wore a variety of designers from Reem Acra, Taller Marmo, and Solace London to Georges Chakra, Nathan David Adams, and Naeem Khan. For almost every look, she wore color matched heeled sandals which was a common thread among many women at the event. Our favorite look on her was a one shoulder white feather trimmed Taller Marmo dress paired with silver rhinestone Paris Texas boots. She wore a luminescent sapphire blue cape sleeve Nathan David Adams gown while she performed “Hold On” which gave off an ethereal and powerful presence (definitely Diana Ross vibes!) Guyton had some of our favorite fashion moments of the night in her selection of a diverse palette from champagne, white, and metallic gold to pink and blue sapphire tones thanks to Tiffany Gifford, celebrity stylist who was responsible for many of the night’s most glamorous looks.

Maren Morris

Maren Morris had a hugely successful night as she won female artist of the year and “The Bones” won song of the year. Her radiant smile was complimented by her LBV Fall 2021 champagne cowl neck draped gown as it glistened in the light. For her and her husband Ryan Hurd’s performance of their romantic duet “Chasing After You,” she wore a custom Michael Ngo crystal and pearl gold dust ensemble while her southern charming voice dripped like honey. This sensual piece was styled by Dani Michelle, celebrity stylist who is well known for styling the Kardashians and Jenners. Champagne is certainly Morris’ color and we think she could not have looked more dreamy!

Ryan Hurd

While many men like Blake Shelton and Keith Urban opted to wear more classic country laid back pieces, Ryan Hurd stood out in a tailored sage green Dolce and Gabbana suit with a D&G embroidered stitching detail on the chest. He paired the suit with a green turtleneck to add to the monochromatic gem toned dream. For his performance of “Chasing After You” with wife, Maren Morris, he wore a crisp white button down top with black tailored trousers and gold jewelry that matched the pearls and gold dust on Morris’ ruffled romantic ensemble. Among the country music men, Hurd’s looks were in our top favorites.

Tenille Arts

Another stunning Dolce and Gabbana piece was worn by Tenille Arts, a newcomer to the country music scene as her first time attending the award show was this year. Her champagne aura quartz toned gown featured metallic bronze chain details along with draped fabric for an effortless elegance. Draped gowns seemed to be the most popular style of the night as the technique highlights airy, luminescent, silky fabric. Gold toned jewelry by David Yurman was also a favorite of the night for men and women alike as Ryan Hurd also wore Yurman pieces. Many women including Tenille Arts chose to wear Stuart Weitzman sandal heels as the brand offers a wide range of colors to match the exact hue of any look. Arts, in particular, wore square toed sandals that were color matched to the bronze chain details on her custom gown. Krista Roser, Nashville based stylist, styled both Arts and Hurd pulling from the same designers.

Kelsea Ballerini

Kelsea Ballerini wore two pieces from the designers of the night- Dolce and Gabbana. On the red carpet she wore a gorgeous custom made emerald green gown with a thigh high slit and matching satin heels. Ruched neck details make the gown look like a satin dream and the gown gathers on the ACM carpet like soft flowing water on a Sicilian beach. She went full monochrome with a matching emerald face mask. This is our favorite look of the night and is the crown jewel of the emerald toned looks of the evening. For her performance of “Half of my Hometown” with Kenny Chesney, she wore a Dolce and Gabbana SS21 denim mini dress with matching denim pointed toe heels with gold hardware details. This look is more casual and perfectly compliments Chesney's classic country denim jeans and cowboy boots. Stylist Molly Dickson is responsible for the presentation of this beautiful look. Dolce and Gabbana have marked their presence on American television this year as they have also recently dressed Doja Cat in three bold e-girl looks for Triller Fight Club, Katy Perry in a gemstone bodycon dress for American Idol, and Ozuna in an electric blue nylon jumpsuit for the Latin American Music Awards. They have also dressed Maren Morris for the Grammys and Dove Cameron for the Kids Choice Awards.

Carly Pearce

Carly Pearce won single of the year with Lee Brice for their single, “I Hope You’re Happy Now.” On the red carpet, Pearce, like many others, stunned in a draped one shoulder richly toned gown. Her dress was a hot pink sapphire toned Monique Huillier piece styled with satin sandals, earrings, and lipstick all in the same hue. This pretty in pink look was styled by Anita Patrickson. For her performance of her single with Lee Brice, she wore a golden fringed dress by Alejandra Lersundi that sparkled and moved beautifully under the stage lights. Pearce wrote on her Instagram that she was the “happiest golden girl” in her look, and we were the happiest viewers watching this beautiful dress dance on stage.

Miranda Lambert and Elle King

Like Pearce, Miranda Lambert and Elle King’s looks both featured bold fringed details. During their duet performance of “Drunk (and I Don’t Wanna Go Home),” Lambert and King wore custom jewel and stud embellished wide leg jumpsuits and leather jackets with blue and pink sapphire colored long fringe details at the arm. Tiffany Gifford, the stylist, writes on Instagram that “Dulce Bestia even made the sunglasses, earrings, and custom guitar case” which is what we find most exciting about the ensembles! These looks were some of the most fun of the night which was appropriate for their carefree performance. We believe every piece can be countrified with some fringe and we are happy to have seen so much of this detail throughout the night.

Image Sourced from @mirandalambert on Instagram

Ingrid Andress

Another playful jewel toned fringe look was worn by Ingrid Andress and custom designed by Stella Mccartney. The aquamarine monochromatic ensemble begins with a crocheted bustier attached to fringe floor length pieces over oversized low waisted trousers and matching Roger Vivier heeled sandals. Andress is often known to wear glittering bold colored looks so we love that she seems to have a clear fashion identity and this look is perfect. We consider her look to be the most refreshing of the night as herself and her stylist Sonia Young really played with proportions and showed off her own personal style.

Karen Fairchild

Another Stella Mccartney look was worn by Karen Fairchild. She wore a glittering gold pleated triangular hem dress with grey suede over the knee pointed toe boots. Stella Mccartney is known for her modern tailoring and feminine pieces which are prevalent in both Andress and Fairchild’s looks. We love the over the knee boots as she plays with proportions like Andress to form an image that looks effortless but endlessly glamorous.

Blanco Brown

There were a few standout men’s fashion looks from the night apart from Ryan Hurd’s sage twist on a classic tailored suit. Blanco Brown, for example, wore the most meaningful piece of the night. He wore a Balmain leather jacket painted by ArtnB (@kyndale on Instagram) to pay tribute to rapper DMX who recently passed away. His look was topped off with bold jewelry in the form of two watches on one wrist, silver skull rings, a thick chain necklace, and chain bracelets. He wrote on Instagram “Drip Check, Two Watches Two Time Zones!!!!” which makes this look the most interesting jewelry-wise as he certainly makes a statement.

Jimmie Allen

Equally bold was Jimmie Allen’s monochromatic amethyst toned suit by BM & Co Menswear, a Black-owned business that highlights Black Menswear. The suit is styled with a custom Travis Austin designed wide brimmed hat and white Jordan sneakers with purple soles. His look caught our attention but also the attention of America as he won New Male Artist of the Year. Like Blanco Brown, his fashion choices were absolutely meant to make a statement and we presume that his support of a Black-owned business was entirely intentional.

Gabby Barett and Cade Foehner

Another new artist in the country music scene is Gabby Barett who gained fame after winning American Idol. Barett won New Female Artist of the Year and wore a sleek black jumpsuit with rhinestone details and padded square shoulders that matched her husband Cade Foehners black tailored suit. The pair wore black cowboy hats from the American Hat Company for a full classic country look. For their performance of “The Good Ones,” she wears a gorgeous silk YSL balloon sleeve top with flared L’AGENCE denim pants while he wears denim pants, brown leather cowboy boots, and a brown suede jacket. These looks were much more casual and again seemed to show the pair’s true appreciation for classic Southern pieces.

Image Sourced from @gabbybarett on Instagram

Leslie Jordan

Leslie Jordan’s citrine yellow tailored suit was the most fun menswear piece of the night with its embroidered birds, cacti, and flowers in green, hot pink, and purple tones. Jordan, like many others, also chose to style with a monochrome look in mind, as he wore a mustard yellow sweater under his open suit jacket. We love when men choose to wear bold looks rather than opting for a classic black suit (no offense to the classic black suit) so we are very happy with this look!

Article by Tessa Swantek, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Caitriona Moran, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine

56th Academy of Country Music Awards Fashion Rundown

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