This past Sunday at the Grammys, Gracie Abrams wore Chanel. The all-black look was simple: a strapless tube top that exposed her midriff, worn with a cascading black skirt.
Upon seeing it, I instantly knew I’d be adding her to our best-dressed list for the night. The singer-songwriter didn’t look like she was trying on some sort of artificial persona—she just looked like her beautiful self. When red-carpet host Laverne Cox asked her about the look, Abrams said, “I just wanted to wear something that I could breathe in and that I wasn’t taking up space in … and I wanted to feel in my skin.”
Abrams has a way of wearing clothing (Chanel in particular) that feels like a second skin. She told me so again over the phone last night, before attending and performing at the grand opening of Chanel’s watches and fine jewelry flagship boutique on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. “This look was a little different—it was more mod and definitely ’60s-inspired … but still I felt good in it, like me.”
Tyler Joe Courtesy of Chanel
Tyler Joe Courtesy of Chanel
Tyler Joe Courtesy of Chanel
As retro as the outfit might have been, it was actually look 57 from the brand’s recent Spring/Summer 2024 ready-to-wear collection: a black and white silk muslin tunic, accessorized with Comète Couture earrings and a Comète Couture Ring. Abrams didn’t wear pants, just a pair of opaque black stockings and peep-toe black shoes.
Tyler Joe Courtesy of Chanel
Tyler Joe Courtesy of Chanel
Tyler Joe Courtesy of Chanel
Ironically, she tells me pants are part of the cornerstone of her everyday personal style. “I’m seriously just a T-shirt-and-jeans kind of girl, normally! Every day, that’s my go-to!” But the thing about Chanel that Abrams loves is how the brand is able to tap into the girly details she also often uses to amp up her looks. “And the shapes! The silhouettes! The way this dress falls and comes together with the sheer layers makes me feel so good onstage.”
The look may have called to mind another time, but onstage, it still felt firmly planted in 2024. I think the secret is in something that Chanel does so well and that Abrams plays out over and over in her wistful music: a certain kind of girlish enchantment that feels both eternal and entirely of the moment.
Tara Gonzalez is the Senior Fashion Editor at Harper’s Bazaar. Previously, she was the style writer at InStyle, founding commerce editor at Glamour, and fashion editor at Coveteur.
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