Katy Perry's Musical Grammys Gown is Puzzling

We thought we'd seen everything on the Grammys red carpet, until Katy Perry showed up to the 2014 Grammys literally wrapped in musical notes. Perry's musical Grammys Valentino dress cascaded to the ground in a sea of transparent layers — and perplexed many watching the red carpet. So why did she don the dress? Perry's decision to wear the controversial couture gown was simple; when asked about her inspiration, she simply said:

It's musical for music's biggest night... Mr. Valentino knows me really well.

While Perry seemed ecstatic to model such an artistic design, her audience had a more conflicted response to the dress. Examiner.com proclaimed that the gown "honors music," while In Touch seemed less enthusiastic about the design, writing "No curves ahead!" In a surprisingly diplomatic gesture, the Huffington Post simply called the musical dress "literal."

Meanwhile, Perry's fans took to Twitter to voice their conflicted opinions about the gown. Fashion critics Tom and Lorenzo were vocal about their distaste when they tweeted:

Katy Perry has a hair wreath on her head and her skirt looks like a shower curtain.

And another Twitter fan clearly didn't groove with the gown, writing:

Katy Perry shows up to the Grammy's in a dress printed with all the notes she can't hit.

The performer is no stranger to taking fashion risks on the red carpet. In 2011, an Armani gown was adorned with angel wings at the Grammys, and a bold green cleavage-baring number stirred up controversy for weeks after 2013's carpet. But this couture Valentino number marks a departure from Perry's body conscious gowns and gimmicky performance ensembles. The gown doesn't show off the enviable physique Perry is so fond of discussing and singing about, as well as displaying, and the parts that are visible are adorned by unnecessary tufts of tulle. That said, the gown is conceptually perfect for a musical event like the Grammys.

While this isn't our favorite Katy Perry look to date, we absolutely love the couture direction the singer is taking with her style. After all, we have to applaud someone who seamlessly distills the Grammys into one ensemble.